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PG/CC 1st Impressions

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  • PG/CC 1st Impressions

    Finally decided on a Pearly Gates neck to go in combination with the Custom Custom I had. Put them in a Carvin DC400T (maple through body neck and cap w/ mahogany body wings, active/passive electronics). It's a completely different guitar! Where the Carvin M22V and M22SD pickups were powerful, a bit compressed and pretty even in response (read "hi fi") from highs to lows, the Duncans, (well, the Custom Custom) was actually overpowering at times (not a bad thing), but not that compressed for a hot pickup (CC), as a matter of fact, the CC retains better dynamic response than the M22SD; and nice warm mids (missing from the guitar's tone in general), and just enough top end in the pickup. With the active module, even with the treble and bass in flat, you could hear the very top end come through, which you wouldn't normally hear in passive mode. I'll keep my comments to the passive mode, but the active electronics really seemed better suited to the Duncans than to the Carvin pickups. While both sets of pickups reacted well to the electronics, the Duncans were WAY more complex and interesting. . .

    The M22v/M22SD DC400 combo had good sustain (but not as good as the all koa Carvin/M22T I've got), but that definitely improved with the Duncans. The guitar is just a touch more noisy in active mode but passive, it's nice and quiet.

    The general combination works well on that guitar. It reacts similar to the APH1/PGb combination I've got on the Brian Moore, but just a bit warmer, and definitely more powerful. (acoustically, the DC400T is a bit brighter and definitely flatter sounding than the Brian Moore i21 which is mahogany body-neck-set neck, thin maple cap, rosewood fingerboard and lighter, shorter scale).

    That's all for now. I've only had the chance to try it through a POD (clean amp) and my main pedalboard. I also received a Barber LTD yesterday afternoon and had to spend some time with that.

    Brett
    Hamer XT Sunburst Archtop Flame- Phat Cats; Hamer Sunburst Archtop Quilted- Jazz(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Brian Moore i21 - Alnico 2 Pro(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Tex Mex Strat - Classic Stack(n)/Lil' 59(b); Carvin DC135T - used oval HotRails(n)/CustomCustom(b); '68 Gibson ES-335 - Jazz(b); RI Fender Bass VI (bari-electric Hot Rails bridge?); Standard Tele-Ash(SE)pickups?

  • #2
    Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

    hows the tone with both pups on?

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    • #3
      Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

      the 2 p/u tone has got that slightly jangly tone of 2 humbuckers, but very rich and warm. What's interesting about it is that it's just a touch "clearer" sounding than the APH-1 neck/PG bridge combo on my i21. I wasn't expecting that, but I think the wood combination has a good part in that.

      In single coil mode, it has that slightly "in-between Strat" tone (inner coils of each p/u in single coil mode). The PG neck is clearer and crisper than the APH-1n in single coil mode (inner coil). The CC is more powerful and "live" sounding than the PG bridge which is quieter but clearer and crisper (inner coil). The 2 p/u single coil tones are similar in character (inner coils - "in-between Strat" tone) with the PGn/CC coming off sounding a bit more "Stratty" due to the greater clarity of the PGn, the extra power of the CC in the bridge, and the brighter wood combination (in an earlier post, I described the CC as darker and not enough top end when I tried it out in the Brian Moore).

      Brett
      Hamer XT Sunburst Archtop Flame- Phat Cats; Hamer Sunburst Archtop Quilted- Jazz(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Brian Moore i21 - Alnico 2 Pro(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Tex Mex Strat - Classic Stack(n)/Lil' 59(b); Carvin DC135T - used oval HotRails(n)/CustomCustom(b); '68 Gibson ES-335 - Jazz(b); RI Fender Bass VI (bari-electric Hot Rails bridge?); Standard Tele-Ash(SE)pickups?

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      • #4
        Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

        True story as a follow up.

        Took the Carvin to a regular private jam. The other guitarist there couldn't stop talking about that guitar. He actually asked if it was a new guitar, and that he didn't remember me bringing it there before.

        Actually, I had, and fried the active electronics (long story). Anyway, I'd used it there more than once. Since then the electronics were replaced/upgraded - active/passive, and then the pickups. Well, he couldn't get over the tone, picked it up and liked the feel (he's got a bunch of LP's, Strats and Teles). The big difference was the pickup swap. Now the tone matches the look!!

        Brett
        Hamer XT Sunburst Archtop Flame- Phat Cats; Hamer Sunburst Archtop Quilted- Jazz(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Brian Moore i21 - Alnico 2 Pro(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Tex Mex Strat - Classic Stack(n)/Lil' 59(b); Carvin DC135T - used oval HotRails(n)/CustomCustom(b); '68 Gibson ES-335 - Jazz(b); RI Fender Bass VI (bari-electric Hot Rails bridge?); Standard Tele-Ash(SE)pickups?

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        • #5
          Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

          very sweet. its always nice when others like your new toys as much as you do

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          • #6
            Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

            The CC is a great bridge pickup, and I'm sure your new combo sounds much better.
            Since the CC has more buttery highs, it excells in brighter guitars. I never liked it in any guitars with pickguards, only because that plastic chokes off the highs, whereas a solid top doesn't. If you decide you'd like a more articulate and open sounding humbucker, go straight to the C-5 in that guitar. You could either trade pickups with someone or just swap the magnet for an A5, if you know how to do it.
            My two main guitars have a C-5/59 and a CC/Seth, and I love the sound of both.
            Originally posted by Boogie Bill
            I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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            • #7
              Re: PG/CC 1st Impressions

              I still have a friend's Epi Les Paul to gut and re-wire/refit, so that C-5 might be the way to go (the stock bridge p/u has a pretty nice, bright sound (if you don't count the microphonics). The PGb sounds just a bit warmer and rounder, so I was thinking the '59b, but the C-5 might just be what the doctor ordered.

              Brett
              Hamer XT Sunburst Archtop Flame- Phat Cats; Hamer Sunburst Archtop Quilted- Jazz(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Brian Moore i21 - Alnico 2 Pro(n)/Pearly Gates(b); Tex Mex Strat - Classic Stack(n)/Lil' 59(b); Carvin DC135T - used oval HotRails(n)/CustomCustom(b); '68 Gibson ES-335 - Jazz(b); RI Fender Bass VI (bari-electric Hot Rails bridge?); Standard Tele-Ash(SE)pickups?

              Comment

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