PRS PAFs 57/08 and 59/09

mrbeasty · Sep 27, 2020

Greetings,

I am on this PAF learning expedition and discovering all the various PAF reproduction makers: Throbak, Wizz, Cream T, Seymour Duncan CS, OX, etc. Each claims various degrees of unique precision: the original winder(s), the original magnets, the right covers alloy, etc.

Yet, I do not read much on this forum about Paul Reed Smith, who claims to have exclusive rights to the original wire(s) from the original manufacturer, on the original machine. Paul also claims to have done all the same forensic work as others on all the alloys ... although they are not exact replicas (they’ have a tap for a “vintage vs modern” number of turns), PRS makes a ‘57 and a ‘59 PAF.

I am not a PRS-guy ... so what’s the deal with PRS’ PAFs?

15Window · Sep 28, 2020

I have the 57/08’s in my hollowbody 2. They have sounded great since I got it back in 2011.

somebodyelseuk · Sep 28, 2020

Until recently, if you wanted PRS pickups they cost 3+ grand, guitar included.
On paper, the recipe is 'wrong'.
Snobbery... You never read about anyone ever putting Fender buckers in a Les Paul either.

It goes without saying, PRS make top notch guitars. The guy knows his stuff, so I've every expectation that his pickup sound incredible. My only PRS experience is one a mate bought in the mid 90s. Breath taking instrument. Neck was too thin for me, though. He traded his 80 LP Custom for it, which shocked everyone - he didn't touch other guitars... Ever.

Señor Verde · Sep 28, 2020

I've had several PRS guitars that had 57/08 or 59/09 pickups. Some of them sounded great with 57/08 and some sounded really bright. I haven't liked those pickups in either the Les Paul or ES-335 I tried them in.

59/09 seem really hot to me and don't really have a vintage PAF eq, openess or articulation, that I heard anyway.

My McCarty and SC58 were very bright with the 57/08 pickups. Both now have Wolfetone Marshallheads, which are fairly hot, but otherwise have a good PAF eq, openess and feel to me in these guitars.

My DC22 has Lust For Tone '57 Lustbuckers and really sounds great.

The PRS pickups are in a drawer, waiting to go back into their respective guitars if I ever sell them.

STC · Sep 29, 2020

Have 59/09 in a Custom 24 - they are on the hot side but I do like them. Don't feel I need to change them, go with the guitar pretty well.

Custombuckers - love them. Know a lot of people swap them out but they sound great to my ears.

Curious about OX and Bare Knuckle but haven't felt the need to swap out pickups... yet!

glenngross · Sep 30, 2020

I have a 1999 PRS McCarty and just had the pickups swapped to 57/08s. I think they hold their own with Custombuckers and various flavors of Burstbuckers. I’m not a pickup expert, and many may disagree. Having said that, I have a set of Ed King OX4s in a R9, and they impressed people I know who own, or have owned Bursts. The newest PRS pickup types are not for sale, so the 57/08s and59/09s are the most recent ones that can be bought new. There are a dizzying variety of PAF types out now; who can keep track?

MikeSlub · Sep 30, 2020

I must sheepishly admit that I own 6 PRS guitars. They are flawless in construction. And I sometimes get excited playing them. But then I play a Les Paul, and realize that none of them have the soul of a Les Paul. :hank

Triplet · Sep 30, 2020

MikeSlub said:
I must sheepishly admit that I own 6 PRS guitars. They are flawless in construction. And I sometimes get excited playing them. But then I play a Les Paul, and realize that none of them have the soul of a Les Paul. :hank

"Soulless." Aaaahhh, that's the word I always seem to grasp for when I play a PRS. Nice guitars but seem to be missing something.:hmm

Maxmc · Sep 30, 2020

I have a PRS DGT. The term "German precision" is often used for something that is very well put together and in my experience that is a term that could be applied to PRS guitars. However my DGT always sounded very bright and trying to get a mellow jazzy sound was very difficult at best. I discovered that there were treble bleed caps across the volume controls so I took them out of circuit. The difference this made was amazing. Though it will never sound like a Les Paul, it now has a warmth that it lacked before. These pickups were supposed to have been modeled on the pickups in Dave Grissom's 59 ES335 (PAFs).

El Gringo · Sep 30, 2020

MikeSlub said:
I must sheepishly admit that I own 6 PRS guitars. They are flawless in construction. And I sometimes get excited playing them. But then I play a Les Paul, and realize that none of them have the soul of a Les Paul. :hank

Well said and you are a wise and fair man .

El Gringo · Sep 30, 2020

Maxmc said:
I have a PRS DGT. The term "German precision" is often used for something that is very well put together and in my experience that is a term that could be applied to PRS guitars. However my DGT always sounded very bright and trying to get a mellow jazzy sound was very difficult at best. I discovered that there were treble bleed caps across the volume controls so I took them out of circuit. The difference this made was amazing. Though it will never sound like a Les Paul, it now has a warmth that it lacked before. These pickups were supposed to have been modeled on the pickups in Dave Grissom's 59 ES335 (PAFs).

Very interesting as I just learned that they have treble bleed caps , that is a head scratcher why PRS feels the need for that ?

PRS PAFs 57/08 and 59/09

mrbeasty

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15Window

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somebodyelseuk

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Señor Verde

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STC

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glenngross

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MikeSlub

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Triplet

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Maxmc

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El Gringo

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El Gringo

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