What were the Prestige 150 pickups like - or what's a current equivalent?

Hi all, new member here, from the UK.

I was really lucky that my first ever electric was a wine red Prestige 150, about 25 years ago. I won't ever part with it - although I'm disturbed to read on here that it will eventually become useless when the tailpiece snaps, which is a shame!

But when I originally got it, I can see now that it already had replacement pickups. One's cream and matches the hardware, one's black (think it's a Dimarzio something or other but I've never taken it out to look).

I was just wondering, if I were to try and make it more like the makers intended (and get a matching pair because the look has always bothered me a bit), what do you think the originals sounded like? I've no sense of whether this was an 80s shred machine or a mellow LP bluesy thing. 

Not important or urgent but I've never known anyone else who owns one until I just found this site.

Hello and welcome.

Yes the Prestige is a beautiful instrument and unfortunately does have that stop tail material flaw as you've found out. But with care and a close eye on string tension (and maybe going to a lighter gauge) the part may still survive.

It originally came with Matsumoku's MMK75 pickups which were also covered, not open coil.

You can review the original specs in this 1983 product scan: LINK

Also see these posts for more info on the MMK pickups:
• Pickup Magnet Types
• MMK pickups revisited


I have no direct experience with the 75's but from those that do I understand that they are beautiful clear sounding pups. From what you're describing the pickups you have sound like they might be hotter, maybe even a distortion type which would be out of character for this player i.e. not a Les Paul clone

Perhaps one of the member owners can chime in with a recommended substitute for you if you want to move it back closer to the original configuration. Or if you're really lucky, someone may actually have a pair of MMK75's available!

Thanks Barry. After reading your reply I took the guitar to the tech/luthier I use yesterday. He sees a lot of 80s and 90s Japanese guitars, Matsumoku especially, and thought one of my pickups was original, just missing its cover. If that's right, then for what it's worth it was a pretty hot pickup. 

I've never seen another transluscent wine red Prestige 150 and it's staying with me for life so I'm actually having it refretted - the tech thought this was sacrilege but as there's less than 0.5mm of fret left in places, I've decided to make it playable again.

here is another (currently residing in SF)  

That's like seeing a ghost! Glad there some others out there. Don't have any good photos of mine to hand but here it is on the bench yesterday before I left it to be refretted

Thanks to Mike for the picture.
Webnik, now you have a reference to go by. 

I strongly suggest you or the tech lift the pickups out and turn them over. If one is indeed an original Matsumoku it will be stamped "MMK75" inside a black rectangle.

If not you may have some other markings there that will identify what you have.

Will do!