What's the deal with "S" pickups?

alex1fly

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Anybody have insight on what these pickups are all about? I have two Santana SEs right now, and the one with "Santana" pickups (as shown on the baseplate stickers) sounds MILES better than the one with "245" pickups. Classic, huge, sweet, responsive, good cleans, killer dirt, subtle nuances, all the things I want.

So what are they? Anyone know the output level, magnet type, techie stuff like that? What was the impetus for developing them when PRS already had 245s going in the Santana's? Think they'd take to a coil tap like the 85\15s and many others do?
 
I had my Santana S pickups wired up for coil tap. Sounds ok, noticeable volume drop.
 
The less loss of volume is how they are wired. Others would be better suited to use the correct terms. My buddy and I joke calling it the PRS magic cap LOL The 245s are Alnico magnets and here's a couple readings I've found

The bass (neck) pickup reads 8.23 ohms and the treble (bridge) pickup reads 10.61 ohm.

Neck pickup is 7.91 ohms
Bridge pickup is 10.58 ohms
 
The 245s and the Santana "S" are both made by G&B, at least according to the baseplates on the ones I've got. I was wondering about the Santana "S" and comparisons to other pickups. Like the 85/15 is a full-frequency pickup with a mid scoop and a modern tonality The 245 is sort of a mellow PAF-ish sound with a low-mid bump. The Santana "S" to me sounds like a lively, articulate PAF, somewhere between a PAF and a P90, minus the low-mid bump of the 245.
 
I have a '17 Santana SE, and my one complaint about the guitar is the pickups. They're not bad, by any means. But, just not quite right for me... Not even sure I can describe exactly what it is about them. They just seem a little less dynamic, a little less touch sensitive and maybe even a touch lacking in some frequency I want to hear.

Unfortunately (for the PRS) the only other humbuckers I have at hand to compare it to are some custom wound Zhangbuckers that are perfect (for me).

I haven't pulled the pickups out of the PRS yet (but was seriously thinking of performing surgery later today). I have a set of custom wound P-90 in HB size Zhangbuckers to go into the PRS.

Any guess which PRS pickups I might have in my guitar now?
 
Well, as a quick update, I did the swap today. I think I made the right decision for me and my playing.

But, more relevant to the discussion here, my '17 had the S pickups, made by G&B. Sorry I don't ahve any of the tech specs.

I have found that finding any tech specs on these guitars is near impossible.
 
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