It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since PRS launched its game-changing S2 series – a line of stripped-down, US-made models for working musicians. In 2024, the firm is celebrating the S2’s decade of service by revamping the line with hand-wound, USA 58/15 LT pickups and electronics.
GW’s Tech Editor Paul Riario got his hands (and ears) on one of the new S2 Standard 22s and put those new humbuckers through their paces.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Paul’s pickups,” explains Paul. “These 58/15s really have a great vintage voice. They’re not really high output, they’re almost low, but everything has that full-bodied character. It’s just a great vintage-style pickup.”
In keeping with their vintage inspiration, the 58/15 LT (the LT stands for ‘low turn’) are made the old school way – hand-wound in-house at PRS’ Maryland facility – giving it that authentic warmth, alongside the tonal flexibility of a five-way pickup selector.
However, as Paul notes, the first thing you’ll notice before it’s plugged in is that Satin White open pore finish.
“It’s a nitro finish,” explains Paul. “It’s super, super thin – you can feel just how little of the finish is on there - so it really adds to the resonance of this guitar and allows this wood to breathe. You can feel the grain of this all-mahogany body.”
The S2 Standard 22 (as with all PRS ‘Standards’) pairs that mahogany body with a set mahogany neck – here featuring the firm’s supremely comfortable Pattern Regular carve – then there’s a rosewood fingerboard, PRS Low Mass locking tuners and PRS’ Patented Tremolo.
The headline feature, though, remains those new pickups. You can check out the clip above to hear Paul put them to the test in a number of scenarios – throwing different levels of amp-based dirt at them, from country cleans to all-out rock crunch.
We have to note – and, no, he has not paid us to say this – that Paul’s playing is sounding particularly on-point here. Is that the guitar or the guitarist? Well, er, let’s just agree it’s probably a bit of both.
“You just heard how responsive these pickups up are,” concludes Paul. “[They’ve got] that vintage sound that really brings out all the nuance in your playing… I love the mojo this guitar has.”
For more information, head to PRS Guitars.
