Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Where are you getting this info?? I saw FAR more CS Fenders and Gibsons then I did Epis and Squires...I saw FAR more high dollar amps (Dr. Z, Fuchs, Germino, /13, Matchless, etc) than I did things like Blues Jr's and DRRI's.

Low end and mid-price guitars have always outsold high-end ones, going back to the 1950's (look at sales of LP Jr's and Specials vs LP Stds and Customs). Epi's outsell Gibsons unit-wise, and low-end Gibsons outsell the high-end and Custom Shop ones. The average player doesn't spend 2 or 3 grand on a single guitar and another 2 or 3 grand on an amp. Most people have families and other priorities and just can't put that into music gear. There are places where you may see a higher percentage of expensive guitars and amps, but that's not a random sample of what people have bought across the state.

[rumblebox]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Speaking of the PG

http://youtu.be/k0GnGKV3-68

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

I understand why you use 250k pots with humbuckers but you have to understand that is not the norm and most players do not do that.

I'm well aware of it, but I want players who think their bridge PU's are too bright, to know what options they have. It's up to them to decide what route to take. I don't care what they end up doing, I just want them to be aware there are different approaches. Over the years, many players have sought my advice here on those options (on threads and PM's) and have been pleased with the results of using warmer PU's, magnets, pots, and resistors in the bridge slot. I realize they're a small percentage of players, but it doesn't make them wrong to not follow the crowd.

Recently I've started approaching it from the other end, by using unconventional ways of brightening neck PU's, using spin-a-split and making hybrids. Again, not what the bulk of players do, but I'm impressed with the tones I'm getting, and as I do with all my guitar-related experiments, I'm sharing that info with those that may be interested. Forum members have taught me a lot; I'm adding my experiences to that and passing it along.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Fender frontman 212r

There is your problem.

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Hi guys! Thought I'd throw in my two cents.

1. I prefer nickel covers on my humbuckers. When I was a kid in the 60's I always removed them to get a brighter, sizzlier, more aggressive tone. Over the last few years I've decided I like the slightly warmer tone of a humbucker with a cover on it better and that's the way they are on my ES-335. That's also the way humbuckers were designed to be used. PG's are based on the pickups in Billy Gibbons Les Paul, Pearly Gates - and Billy leaves the covers on the pickups in that guitar.

Zhang's copper tape trick sounds like a good alternative to putting the covers back on and its effect on removing some of the brilliance or sizzle must be related to the way having the cover on warms up the pickup some.

2. TGWIF's comment about not seeing many budget guitars on the gig seems right on. I get out a lot these days both gigging and jamming onstage. Most of the players I see are not using budget import guitars. Don't see many Epiphones at all. Don't know who's buying them but it's not the players who are out there gigging and playing onstage. Onstage, I see a lot of high end Gibson Les Pauls, and Fender USA Strats & Teles. Players who really want them and need them find a way to pay for them.

[rumblebox]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

on top of that, i like to install the chrome covers without soldering them to give a vintagey microphonic effect.

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Onstage, I see a lot of high end Gibson Les Pauls, and Fender USA Strats & Teles. Players who really want them and need them find a way to pay for them.

They 'want' them, and have the disposable income to get them; it's not necessarily because they 'need' them.

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

They 'want' them, and have the disposable income to get them; it's not necessarily because they 'need' them.

That's an assumption.

The guys I know well and see playing nice Gibsons and Fenders are not wealthy and don't necessarily have disposable income. They're just gigging musicians who want and need a professional instrument that's a joy to own and play, and they are willing to make the sacrifice to own one.

Anyone who's gigged for a living in bars knows you don't make much of a living - you do it because you love making music.

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

they are willing to make the sacrifice to own one.

And the decision to put big money into a guitar also involves the people you live with and who depend on you, like spouses and children. Are they supposed to make the sacrifice too when dad wants a high-end guitar? I've seen so much advice given on this forum telling people they really need to get this or that $2,000 or $3,000 guitar. No, they don't need that. If their financial situation allows it, fine, but for many people there's other bills and expenses that come first. That's the real world. I've seen and known enough players to know that the gear they're able to afford is not necessarily correlated to their talent level. Two different things that may or may not converge. I've seen national touring blues bands that play Korean/Chinese Epis, and then I've seen local musicians bring a guitar and amp to a gig or jam worth $5,000 in total, and some of them (but not all) are quite average, and sometimes mediocre, players. Who's impressed by that? Spending more on gear doesn't make people better players, practice does. Buy what you can afford and play it alot.

When it comes to 'full-time musicians', it's not always the romantic profession it may seem. Some of those guys that are doing that can't hold a regular job, which may be because of substance abuse, or that they can't manage to get out of bed in the morning. A certain percentage of them are just lazy, and not particularly gifted musicians. They have lots of spare time, you'd think they'd spend more of it practicing and learning new material. If gigging is someone's main or only source of income, they may feel forced into taking some pretty cheesy gigs, which can include playing 'dance hits' and Top 40 pop, stuff they don't like. It's not always the 'love of making music' that's behind all of that; there's a very real need to make the rent and car payment. I've seen guys take gigs and play some really crappy music because their old lady is on them to come up with grocery money for the week. It's easy to wax poetic about a man and the expensive guitar he cherishes, but it's often more complicated than that.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

You guys who arguing over justifying your choices of guitars whether they be cheap or expensive: None of this helps the OP.

[Kais]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

You guys who arguing over justifying your choices of guitars whether they be cheap or expensive: None of this helps the OP.

Interesting discussion tho, I'm not a gigging professional such as some of you all, just a hobbyist.

Btw I ordered those resistors from ebay, should be arriving tomorrow possibly. We'll see how the taper is affected. But for the meantime, everyone's suggestions have helped me out greatly.

I'm going to upgrade the pots and caps to cts eventually. Just now sure on all this wiring stuff, I'll have to research some more

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Interesting discussion tho, I'm not a gigging professional such as some of you all, just a hobbyist.

Btw I ordered those resistors from ebay, should be arriving tomorrow possibly. We'll see how the taper is affected. But for the meantime, everyone's suggestions have helped me out greatly.

I'm going to upgrade the pots and caps to cts eventually. Just now sure on all this wiring stuff, I'll have to research some more

Doing the wiring is a lot easier than you think and IMO and IME pickup testing and making decisions about pickups is a waste of time until you have good pots and caps in place....it's like trying to look at a beautiful painting through a nasty/dirty window...

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

That's a very interesting trick. I haven't heard of that before.

Can you explain how that works? And how much effect will it have on the tone (for example: does it have as much/more effect as changing from a 500k pot to a 250k pot)?

Duncan does it with their Custom Custom. The effect would vary depending on how thick the tape is, whether you do a whole turn on each bobbin and/or just one or both bobbins, etc. Both bobbins wrapped would have more of an effect than going from 500 to 250, but as you can see, you can tweak it to your needs just by altering the amount of tape.

[SJ318]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

Hi,
This seems to be an unpopular suggestion, but, turn it around-lower pup- slightly raise screws- a little, as they will be closer to bridge, and that would do it. I've done it on all my neck pickups to get a little more brightness, with the screws closer to the bridge, and it worked, so the theory should work w/a bridge. If it is the look of it that makes this suggestion suck, the P. Gates is all white I think, so it would not be nearly as obvious. Just a thought.
Steve B.

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Bridge Too Bright!

You guys who arguing over justifying your choices of guitars whether they be cheap or expensive: None of this helps the OP.

He's got suggestions and options & will proceed as he sees fit. Mission accomplished. At this point the thread is a conversation. Relax.