The pickups take their name from the fact that they are modelled on classic humbuckers from 1957, and were originally released in PRS guitars in 2008. Designed by Paul Reed Smith himself, the 57/08’s are made with vintage-style wire and are wound in-house by PRS’ electronics department. Their warm, even and responsive tone has been a major component of the PRS sound, so the opportunity to buy the pickups separately is certainly a tantalising one for guitarists of all persuasions.
“When we first came out with 57/08’s, we had just gotten exclusive rights to the wire made by the same machine that made all the wire in 1950’s pickups. Learning from that exclusive wire, we were able to make really great recreations of those early pickups with what we felt were some improvements in consistency, clarity, and tone,” says Paul Reed Smith. “57/08’s were embraced by our artists and our customers right away, and we have always been so appreciative of that. Until now, you have only been able to get 57/08’s in a guitar. We wanted to share these special pickups with a broader audience, so we’re now making them available for individual sale.”
PRS Guitars are distributed in Australia through Electric Factory.
