Quick Comparisons: PRS Vintage Bass & HFS vs 85/15 Pickups

[@mybiggrin]

Holy Heck, that is my exact guitar there in the black. I've been looking for some comparisons. Thanks for doing this.

[@OscarBenben]

Thank’s for that comparison my prs mate 🤘🏼I prefer 85/15 personally but all tastes are like colors…

[@maximilianmoy]

thank you for watching!

[@ShaneStoneOfficial]

Put the hfs in the bridge and the 85/15 in the neck 💚

[@tencoot]

I like 85/15 more because it brighter tone.

[@Jonathan-bx1po]

I have 2011 PRS SE Custom 24 so it at least has the SE versions of Vintage Bass and HFS treble. I like them a lot better than the 85/15s. The neck pup is very bassy and smooth and the bridge is ridiculously trebly and sharp. They come together for a beautiful combo.

[@pieterjansenvanrensburg7322]

85/15 for the win

[@guitarandotherthings6090]

I havent been able to look back since I personally tried the HFS and Vintage Bass pickups, I wish they never switched outta that.

[@teruki302293]

Good comparison! I like VB / HFS sounds. It’s more focused and articulate. Nothing wrong with 85/15 and in fact it’s more balanced pick ups I think. I just prefer more characters that VB / HFS brings to the tones. Thank you for your video!

[@maximilianmoy]

Thank you for watching

[@manifestgtr]

I have both of these sets and they’re actually pretty complimentary. The hfs/vintage bass is my favorite pickup set of all time, period. They record better than any other pickup pair I’ve ever heard. It’s just impossible to get them to sound bad...but they’re a little more chewy and mid-focused. What the 85/15s really excel at is high end detail and classic single coil emulation. The 2, 3 and 4 position on my old cu24’s rotary are *killer* sounds but they’re very “PRS”. The 85/15 split coils in my ce semihollow are actually really convincing when it comes to tele bridge and strat neck impressions. Honestly...between those two guitars, you could cover just about anything. Throw a strat into the mix and it’s pretty much game over...

[@brieantoine963]

HFS for me. Better personality, more power

[@geoffh8077]

Favourite high output humbucker by far, serious crunch under high gain

[@andreil1234]

85/15 sound weak and derrivative in this comparison. Maybe it's also each guitar. But, I'd rather have a separate tele for sc tones and contour than miss out on the muscle of vb hfs.

[@bassyboii]

It’s alarming how much better the HFS/VB combo sounds. The guitar is so much more articulate, focused and powerful. 85/15 sounds like it has a blanket over the tone compared to the others

[@oliwermuller]

intending to buy one soon, probably going to go with an old one after watching this, 85/15 sound sort of too 'compressed' to me Great video tho

[@WednesdayWorship]

I have a lot of experience with these pups. 91 and 94 CE 24, 98 CU 24 10 top all w/ HFS/VB. New 2020 Mira SE w/85/15s. Love the Mira so much I'm buying another to put a spare set of old HFS/VB and experiment with some other mods including a possible 3rd puppy and custom pickgaurd... Love the older wide thin necks. The SE wide thin is even more effortless. The Pattern Regular on my Vela is awesome too...the wide fat on and old McCarty Soapbar is nice, but chunkier than I like. The wide fat on a couple 2000's SE Singlecut Soapbars was pretty much perfect...man, I really wish they'd bring those SE Soapbars back sooner rather than later! Thanks for the video

[@fuzzatface]

Hi! Just out if curiosity, would you say that your 91' CE24 is bright or too bright? I have one and lastly I think It is. How would you describe its sound? Thanks!

[@bradt.3555]

The first Mira/245 pickups are my fav next to my 57/08's put the 245's in both my other CU 22's and my CU 22 SE take on trips with my wife guitar.

[@maximilianmoy]

thank you for watching!

[@SANDMANN517]

Thank you for the comparison!

[@maximilianmoy]

Thanks for watching!

[@judestv]

That was great man !…thanks for doing a solid job on clean tone comparison…for me if the clean tone is not enjoyable ta play….it goes down hill from there….lol Thanks again man

[@maximilianmoy]

thank you for watching!

[@KennethKassabian]

This is truly an excellent comparison video. He understands that we can’t hear the subtle differences in pickups when played through a metal rig. I have the VB-HFS pair but definitely prefer the 85/15’s. I’m going to use this video and try to come close with an eq pedal. Once again, Kudos for a job well done.

[@maximilianmoy]

Thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching!

[@benjaminwong4184]

which pick up do you think sounded better? HFS/VB? or 85/15?

[@maximilianmoy]

I like the 85/15s but I might change the neck pickup in the near future just for some variety

[@cpamiseso]

That CE 24 (modern one), what saddle did you put there? Looks not stock

[@maximilianmoy]

graph tech saddles. The bridges are the same however. KGC aluminium tremolo, you can see my comparison video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKvQc2Zubsibl5o

[@cpamiseso]

@@maximilianmoy Thank you, graph tech I would seek then.

[@Erickchicas]

85/15 sounds so much better to me

[@carlossalazar4508]

Do you still have the black guitar??

[@brandonbryson3317]

Preferred the HFS. I have 3 PRS with 85/15 and I think I’m gonna replace the bridge pickups…tremonti, \m/, or HFS

[@comeback1827]

I'm a buyer for your 85/15 set if it's the us made 😉

[@carlossalazar4508]

What type and gauge string are you using?

[@russellcrea9701]

Can any one suggest a reasonably priced [under $90] bridge pickup that tonally is right between these two?

[@TargetHHH101]

Seymour Duncan JB

[@TimMilliken]

I have a 96’ custom 24 and I’ve been debating changing out the HFS. Can’t really say why I don’t like it maybe it’s a bit too 80s. I do think the VB and the combination tones are nice. Thicker in a good way. The 85/15 tones I’m hearing here sound a bit thin and I could do those with my Fender.

[@GuvnaOnSpotify]

It could possibly be the way these samples are recorded. I am also thinking of switching out the HFS/VB combo to the 85/15's, I dont recall them being as thin in person

[@TimMilliken]

@@GuvnaOnSpotify I don’t think any prs core pickups were ever voiced thin. They did a blend of humbucker single from what I understand.

[@minnesotajack1]

Both sets of pickups made your high E String sound out of tune. Seriously though… 85/15 lacked punch and clarity that the other set did.

[@JamesNewsomeCaiLeighAnna]

I'm considering purchasing a 2015 SE 24 Custom vs buying a new 2020 SE 24 Custom or Standard. This video is very helpful as far as the differences in the pickups. I believe that both the SE 24 Custom and SE 24 Standard 2020 models use the 85/15 pickups. I guess it's a personal preference as to whether one likes the VB & HFS vs 85/15 S pickups. I think the newer 85/15 have a cleaner sound but I may be wrong. My choice is to spend $500 for a 2020 SE 24 Standard or $500 for a 2015 SE 24 Custom. Thoughts anyone?

[@thanhhuynh2044]

2021 SE 24-08 ;-)

[@dvdprtz70]

Thanks - really helpful!

[@francisdenis2405]

really dont like those 85/15... too thick sounding pickups at least an ordinary tone... stick with my 20th ann 2005 ce 24

[@CocoKoi321]

20th anniversary is a 1995 Maybe we even had the same exact guitar lol I sold mine long ago I got this mistake too thinking was 2005 lol it was like a dark burst le Paul ce24 but yee those are some of the best prs guitars never get the new crappy versions of the ce24s, I think it was a botched vid anyway being different guitars diff pickups

[@Em7Vids]

@@CocoKoi321 PRS opened it first facility on Virginia Ave in 1985, so PRS's 20th anniversary was 2005. Post-2016 CEs are not crappy. A post-2016 CE is still a high quality build just a different build, that is, except for the decision to use the crappy imported SE trem. I have been a PRS owner since 1995. I own a 2019 CE24 in addition to several core PRS guitars. The biggest improvement one can make to a post-2016 CE24 is to replace imported trem with a core Gen 2 or MannMade trem. I replaced the trem on my 2019 CE24 with a MannMade 2040 trem, which is like a PRS Gen 2 trem, but better (John Mann was co-designer and the manufacturer for the Gen I trem).