I have the 58/15 LT in my 2002 Mccarty and they sound good. But my Wizz Bernie Marsden pickups in my 1998 Gibson R9 are in another level when it comes to paf tone and clarity.
Thanks for doing this comparison. I definitely liked the 58/15’s better in every instance. More clarity and a bit brighter sounding. I bought a set of these to put in a Dean hard tail select guitar basically a copy of a prs. Just waiting on the pots and caps to arrive
I haven't liked the resistor on the coil split. It takes away too much of the SC tone. People complain about the output drop when you split......well duh, it's a single coil. I take my PRS in humbucker mode then with out changing settings switch to my Strat ( CS 54 PU's )and guess what? Less output. That's why we have volumes on both guitars and amps. Let's see...... Clean 58/15's, Crunch Arcane. And as I never use that much distortion either. Actually the PRS PU's don't push the distortion as hard and let a bit more note come thru. The Arcane seems to be in the area of the original (not the new, released to the public) 57/08's. My 2009 Sunburst 22 has original 57/08's there still my favorite. Seems the 58/15's are a bit too low turn. Sound kinda like the Shaw's in my 335 at 7.4k neck and bridge. And thank you for using the same guitar. Dumb when people compare PU's using different guitars.
Great comparison, and thanks a million for the wiring tips. I came as Iam going to buy some 58/15 LT's to replace the Vintage Bass / HFS in an '89 CE with a 5 way rotary switch. So you're saying that the resistors dont come with the pickups? Did you end up finding any wiring diagrams? I've got a core McCarty with 58/15 TMs... I might have to compare the LT to those, it might have the same wire colours.
I have no yet found a accurate diagram with the correct colors. I will have to find the diagram I used and link it. The resistors do not come with the pickups. Easily found on Amazon or a local part supplier.
Here is where I found a wiring guide. Once I figured out the colors of my wires i just adjusted and did some trial and error. forums.prsguitars.com/threads/prs-wiring-mods-resource-thread.45759/page-7
@@thatsoundsterrible Thanks - I found this, putting it here in case someone in the future needs this: *Note on wiring: The 4-conductor wire used on PRS 85/15’s has the same functionality as the 5-conductor wire used on 58/15 LT’s. The only difference between the two is the chassis ground wire. The 4-conductor design uses the shielding of the hot wire as the ground. The 5-conductor design uses an orange wire as the chassis ground.
In my experience in the past, I have tried a neck pup in a bridge position and it’s usually dark sounding which wasn’t my taste. I do have a friend who only uses a neck ‘59 for his bridge and works really good for him.
The “S” models to me, have a slight compression to them. Not as “open and airy”. The EQ curve on the LT is more pleasing to the ear for me. I don’t remember who made the video but there is a fantastic comparison video UA-cam. Edit: Here’s the video: ua-cam.com/video/8f0zcNyzVbE/v-deo.html
I have a Core PRS Hollowbody II piezo with 58/15, and an Asian PRS SE Hollowbody II piezo with 58/15 'S'. The 58/15 'S' pickups are OK but very muddy compared to the USA built 58/15 and single notes do not sound very clear. I have ordered a pair of PRS 58/15 LT pickups to replace the Asian 'S' ones.
The clarity of the 58/15 LT's is astounding. Wow.
I have the 58/15 LT in my 2002 Mccarty and they sound good. But my Wizz Bernie Marsden pickups in my 1998 Gibson R9 are in another level when it comes to paf tone and clarity.
PRS 100%
Thanks for doing this comparison. I definitely liked the 58/15’s better in every instance. More clarity and a bit brighter sounding.
I bought a set of these to put in a Dean hard tail select guitar basically a copy of a prs. Just waiting on the pots and caps to arrive
Nice! I enjoy mine! However If you plan on coil splitting/tapping def look for a 2.2k resistor for the bridge and a 1.1k resistor for the neck.
I haven't liked the resistor on the coil split. It takes away too much of the SC tone. People complain about the output drop when you split......well duh, it's a single coil. I take my PRS in humbucker mode then with out changing settings switch to my Strat ( CS 54 PU's )and guess what? Less output. That's why we have volumes on both guitars and amps. Let's see...... Clean 58/15's, Crunch Arcane. And as I never use that much distortion either. Actually the PRS PU's don't push the distortion as hard and let a bit more note come thru. The Arcane seems to be in the area of the original (not the new, released to the public) 57/08's. My 2009 Sunburst 22 has original 57/08's there still my favorite. Seems the 58/15's are a bit too low turn. Sound kinda like the Shaw's in my 335 at 7.4k neck and bridge. And thank you for using the same guitar. Dumb when people compare PU's using different guitars.
Definitely more chimey and clear on 5815's but not in a better way. I prefer the other ones, they're much richer more dynamic sounding..
The 58/15s are amazing. Holy crap the clean tones.
Great comparison, and thanks a million for the wiring tips. I came as Iam going to buy some 58/15 LT's to replace the Vintage Bass / HFS in an '89 CE with a 5 way rotary switch. So you're saying that the resistors dont come with the pickups? Did you end up finding any wiring diagrams? I've got a core McCarty with 58/15 TMs... I might have to compare the LT to those, it might have the same wire colours.
I have no yet found a accurate diagram with the correct colors. I will have to find the diagram I used and link it.
The resistors do not come with the pickups. Easily found on Amazon or a local part supplier.
Here is where I found a wiring guide. Once I figured out the colors of my wires i just adjusted and did some trial and error.
forums.prsguitars.com/threads/prs-wiring-mods-resource-thread.45759/page-7
@@thatsoundsterrible Brilliant! Saved in my bookmarks. You've got a new sub - top work fella
Thanks. Good luck with your wiring!
@@thatsoundsterrible Thanks - I found this, putting it here in case someone in the future needs this:
*Note on wiring:
The 4-conductor wire used on PRS 85/15’s has the same functionality as the 5-conductor wire used on 58/15 LT’s. The only difference between the two is the chassis ground wire. The 4-conductor design uses the shielding of the hot wire as the ground. The 5-conductor design uses an orange wire as the chassis ground.
If the low turn is a trick for a greater clarity, why is nobody putting a neck pickup on a bridge position? To see how it works.
In my experience in the past, I have tried a neck pup in a bridge position and it’s usually dark sounding which wasn’t my taste. I do have a friend who only uses a neck ‘59 for his bridge and works really good for him.
I liked the prs better myself.
58/15 LTs
That's a really nice guitar
Thanks!
how would you say the 58/15 LT compare to the 58/15s ?
The “S” models to me, have a slight compression to them. Not as “open and airy”. The EQ curve on the LT is more pleasing to the ear for me. I don’t remember who made the video but there is a fantastic comparison video UA-cam.
Edit:
Here’s the video: ua-cam.com/video/8f0zcNyzVbE/v-deo.html
I have a Core PRS Hollowbody II piezo with 58/15, and an Asian PRS SE Hollowbody II piezo with 58/15 'S'. The 58/15 'S' pickups are OK but very muddy compared to the USA built 58/15 and single notes do not sound very clear. I have ordered a pair of PRS 58/15 LT pickups to replace the Asian 'S' ones.