Phat Cat neck paired with Pearly Gates bridge

[Flores_68]

Hello everyone,

I have a 1988 Gibson Explorer and I'd always found the pickups a bit too harsh for my classic rock/ blues tone. I put a Pearly Gates on the bridge and I'm very pleased with the results. Since neck humbuckers tend to get muddy (except for the Jazz on my LP) I was considering a Phat Cat for the neck replacement. Has anyone ever tried this? Does the phat cat dound good on an Explorer? Will it go well with the PG on the bridge?

[jeremy]

id guess yes but ive never tried it

[ArtieToo]

If you go for this combo, I'd love to hear how it works out. The PGb and PCn have very similar specs and both are A2 mags. But I recall the Phat Cats as being very "polite" and mellow, while the PG's have the bite and growl that are written up for the Phat Cats. It would be interesting to hear how this combo plays together.

[Mincer]

The Phat Cat isn't muddy at all, so if that is your concern, it is a great choice. It also works well for blues, and at different gain levels. Other non-muddy neck pickups are the Antiquity and the Whole Lotta Humbucker.

[beaubrummels]

When I had Phat Cats in my LP, they were the quintessential 'PAF' sound, but the neck was loud and the bridge was quiet, and being single coil, they introduced noise. So I went the route of finding a humbucking pickup that made the sound without the noise, and that balanced better.

Personally, I think a Pearly Gates set would be better, or a Pearly Gates bridge with Jazz neck; which I used for over a year also.