PRS ASSEMBLIES

Available in 3 configurations

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Since 2002, Rothstein Guitars has been building high quality prewired "drop-in" PRS® assemblies. These use only the finest electronic components, and offer player a great degree of versatility. All components are treated with Caig Deoxit for long trouble free use. Read about the available wiring configurations below.

 

We are offering the following 3 wiring configurations

 

          VT-ST: Master Volume, Master tone and 3 way selector switch. Includes what we like to call a Smart coil-tap. This is an upgrade to stock wiring and you can read about it below. This is the model we are using in the sound samples.

          VT-T: Master Volume, Master tone and 3 way selector switch. Includes coil-tap on the tone pot.

          VT: Master Volume, Master tone and 3 way selector switch. No coil tap on this model.

           

          The problem with stock wiring


          Assuming you have a PRS® at home with either stock wiring, or an upgrade kit from another vendor try the following experiment. First, set your amp reasonably loud and preferably with some gain. Use the 3 way selector switch to select your bridge pickup, then engage the coil-tap by pulling up on the push-pull pot. As expected, you will notice 60-cycle hum. This is totally normal, and to be expected. Cool. Now, disengage the coil-tap by pushing down on the tone pot. Next, select your neck pickup and do the same thing (that is, lift the push-pull pot). Again, you will notice the same 60-cycle hum. Again, this is totally normal, and to be expected. OK, so where is the problem? Now, put your 3-way switch in the MIDDLE POSITION, and engage the coil-tap by pulling-up on the push-pull pot. What do you hear? You hear pretty loud 60-Cycle Hum. That is what we believe to be a problem.There is absolutely no reason to hear 60-cycle hum when the coil-tap is engaged and both pickups are selected via the 3-way switch. The problem is that the coil-tap on stock wiring is shorting coils of the same polarity on each pickup (assuming you are using pickups from the same manufacturer). In other words, when tapped you are listening to two NORTH coils (one from the bridge and one from the neck), or two SOUTH coils (one from the bridge and one from the neck) simultaneously and naturally the resulting sound is not hum-cancelling. FYI, the reason we specify either two north, or two south coils, is because this depends on which brand of pickups you are using.


          The Solution - The "Smart Coil-Tap" Option (VS-ST Wiring Configuration)


          The Rothstein wiring for PRS corrects this problem by using what we like to call a "Smart Tap" system. The Smart Tap system will short the NORTH coil from one pickup with the SOUTH coil from the other pickup so the resulting sound will still be hum-canceling when both pickups are selected via the 3-way selector switch. For example, when implemented with Lindy Fralin humbuckers (or unbuckers), when tapped the slug coil of the bridge pickup is left "live" with the screw coil of the neck pickup. The resulting combination is still hum-canceling!