PRS has exclusive rights to original wire

[kevinT]

Came across this while on harmony-central checking out the new stuff from NAMM. Isn't this a crock


"Paul Reed Smith acquired exclusive rights to the original pickup wire from the original machine used to make the most revered '50s era pickups in 2008"...


http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...8-Pickups.html

[greenfingers]

There was a brief discussion on this not long ago here.

http://music-electronics-forum.com/s...ad.php?t=10697

[kevinT]

hmmmm... didn't see that thread....oh well.

[Andy]

What exactly do they mean "exclusive rights to the wire"? Are they saying that nobody else can get wire of the same chemical composition that theirs is made with? highly unlikely. any wire manufacturer could take a sample of the wire and recreate it and sell it. and when it comes right down to it, does wire make that big of a difference? sure, resistance matters, but 42ga wire is 42ga wire, regardless of who makes it, and who has "exclusive rights" to it. I'd say that just because that wire was used to make the pickups that everyone likes, it doesn't mean that equal or better pickups can't be made with other wire. In my opinion, it's extremely presumptuous of PRS to think that their pickups are going to be that much more desirable because of this. I consider this to be just like Mesa's actual tube rectifier versus a voltage dropping resistor. sure, there is a slight difference between the two, but it is one that very few people will be able to detect with their ears.

[greenfingers]

Yours has a better thread title, the other could have been about anything so it's easy to miss.

It would be better to post here if people want to comment on PRS's wire i think.

[belwar]

in the words of my grandfather, what a bunch of malarky!

I can't remember if I mentioned it before but I talked to the wire manufacturer and they offered to sell me the wire. they said no exclusive right to prs. also, the machine they have was used in the 60s not the 50s.

im all for good accurate marketing hype (ie throbak has good accurate marketing) but im perturbed when there is lies in it.

[kevinT]

IMO, this is an excellent example of "Hype". We (being pickup makers) know it is a bunch of bunk, but, unfortunately, to the buying public/average player, it sounds like it's the best thing since sliced bread...

I'm surprised that a company like PRS, with thier reputation and all, would come out with something like this.

[Carlsoti]

have an original saw that was used to cut down brazilian rosewood tree's way back in the 30's. Anyone want to buy a REALLY expensive guitar? It's so worth it, because the saw's unique tooth patern is what makes that old brazilian rosewood sound so good.

[David Schwab]

have an original saw that was used to cut down brazilian rosewood tree's way back in the 30's. Anyone want to buy a REALLY expensive guitar? It's so worth it, because the saw's unique tooth patern is what makes that old brazilian rosewood sound so good.

Hey, I've got a board of Brazilian rosewood! They would perfect together!

This PRS thing is the perfect example of hype. Real pickup makers know that the wire is just a small part of the picture. Did they also get exclusive rights to the old magnets, screws, and what the heck, the bobbin plastic?

PRS should be more concerned with learning to make good sounding pickups and forget the hype.

[madialex]

PRS should be more concerned with learning to make good sounding pickups and forget the hype.

Man you got that right. I dont think I have ever heard a PRS PU that I really liked. Not trying to dis PRS or anything but I have not heard a single one that blew me away, wire or not.

I think he has gotten to the point that Larry D got to trying to patent everything that wasn't moving. People like that are always looking for a way to own everything so no one else can make a dime from it. Next thing you know one of the 2 of them will try to patent air.....

[Possum]

...

I'm sorry but you can't get old magnet wire analyzed and have it recreated, no way. I'm sure a spectrum analysis in detail would show the copper back then had trace elements that identify geographically where it came from. The copper back then was from a different source, I think it was from South Africa or somewhere like that. Does it make a difference? I don't know, but sometimes things like that can make a difference. The insulation used back then is different, probably magnet wire makers today would consider what was used back then as shoddy material, I ran across some mention of this for insulations done in the 40s. The sample of PAF wire I saved seems to have noticeably more ohms per foot, you can't duplicate something like that I don't think and keep the same O.D.
But, yeah this PRS/wire thing is just a bunch of media hype, they had a custom batch of wire made, so what, anyone with enough bucks can have some custom wire made, its done all the time.

[JGundry]

Copper has always been a world commodity. South Africa just failed to be a possible source once trade restrictions with them went into effect. There are big Copper mines in North America that have been here for more than 100 years. I spoke to one of the production guys on the floor of Essex a year ago who said they made their own PE formulations and always had and drawing a batch of old style PE was a no brainer for them. It was only a matter of getting a go ahead from the sales department.

I heard about the PRS wire when a customer called me to ask how my pickups differed from the PRS pickups that use NOS wire and are wound n one of Gibson's old winding machines from the 50's? Huh? I had never heard of this so looked on the PRS site. The most I could find there was a very vague description of wire that made it sound NOS but not. No mention of vintage winding machines etc.. So I called PRS and they said the wire was not NOS and they machines they wound with were modern machines and not vintage Gibson winder. But there is an entire fiction floating around about these pickups and how and what they are made out of.

If you are looking for current production old style PE wire All Star Magnetics is trying to sell what they describe as American Manufactured old formulation PE wire. They want about double the price per pound that it should really sell for. They contacted me and I asked a few questions. The price seemed way out of whack but they offered to send me a sample of the wire but wanted me to pay for shipping so I said for get it. I have not seen this wire but I'm guessing this may be the same wire that PRS is using.

[SlidePicker]

I'd bet on Bisbee, Arizona as the most likely place the '50s copper came from.

[JGundry]

I'd bet on Bisbee, Arizona as the most likely place the '50s copper came from.

I'm sure some of it did. Phelps Dodge had good reason to be located in the same town as a copper mine. The old Gibson machine I bought had an empty 42 AWG Phelps Dodge spool on it when I picked it up from the old Gibson plant.