'59 or Pearly Gates?

[DI_IORIO]

Hello brothers

At Seymour's website is said that, the Pearly Gates are recreations of the 59' Les Paul pick ups. How about the '59? What are the diferences between both models on the bridge?
To play classic rock like Zeppelin, Skynyrd , Cactus and AC/DC, and some hard rock like Van Halen, early Dokken & Ratt, Whitesnake, which one is more recommended? The guitar is a Gibson Explorer Thanks!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Hello brothers

At Seymour's website is said that, the Pearly Gates are recreations of the 59' Les Paul pick ups. How about the '59? What are the diferences between both models on the bridge?
To play classic rock like Zeppelin, Skynyrd , Cactus and AC/DC, and some hard rock like Van Halen, early Dokken & Ratt, Whitesnake, which one is more recommended? The guitar is a Gibson Explorer Thanks!

The PGB has some sizzle over the notes and a bit more "snarl" on the notes also in the mids...Might be good to listen to the clips for both pickups and also take a look at the specs...The PGB is A2 magnet and the 59B uses A5..

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Also, the PG has mismatched coils. I personally love the PG set. Listen to the first or second ZZ Top album and you'll get an idea of what they sound like in a LP.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Well I like my PG more than I like my 59
Got all that old PAF vibe I love, and that sizzle that I dig.
And the mids are so sweet.

 

[Martian]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I'd go with the Pearly Gates without hesitation.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I prefer A2 magnets and am not a huge 59 fan. The 59 works for almost any style of music, but I find it a tad sterile compared to other models that i have come to LOVE.

I have had decent experiences flirting with the PG. I have rarely been wowed by the 59, and I have gigged with one plenty in the neck.

I happen to love the the APH1s and DMZ VPAFs

 

[RevJToad]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Hello brothers

At Seymour's website is said that, the Pearly Gates are recreations of the 59' Les Paul pick ups. How about the '59? What are the diferences between both models on the bridge?

To be clear, the website's wording is fairly clever:

"Originally designed as a recreation of the pickups in the ’59 Les Paul® Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues-rock."

The Les Paul that is being referred to, in this instance, is not just '59 Les Paul Standards in general, but a specific one: that belonging to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, which goes by the same name as the pickup. I've always been curious, actually, as to whether Rev. Gibbons used to endorse the pickup but no longer does for some reason. There's probably an interesting story in there, if anyone knows it.

I'd go with the PG, were I you - I've got one in my LP Studio right now, and the sound is exactly as the website describes, a little bit meaner than the standard '59 model. Plugging this in was the first time I actually was able to hear the harmonics people talk about. I'm actually kind of curious to try a Screamin' Demon now, since I've been told it's got a lot of that going on...

 

[DI_IORIO]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I don't know.. i'm trying to choose an option... today i went to the guy who take care of my guitars and he was with a Zakk Wylde's EMG kit..and i think I will try those...if i think more about what to put in my Explorer, I will go crazy!
The 500T is too hot, even in low gain amps.. I know the EMG81 is hot too, but i think it's easer to control
Well..let'see..this week I will choose one of those options
Thanks guys!

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I prefer A2 magnets and am not a huge 59 fan. The 59 works for almost any style of music, but I find it a tad sterile compared to other models that i have come to LOVE.

I have had decent experiences flirting with the PG. I have rarely been wowed by the 59, and I have gigged with one plenty in the neck.

I happen to love the the APH1s and DMZ VPAFs

I prefer a PG neck these days myself but the 59 bridge is a whole other kettle of fish. Its really a question of application for me when choosing between the 2 in the bridge slot

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I'm actually kind of curious to try a Screamin' Demon now, since I've been told it's got a lot of that going on...

I'd stick with the PGB...It's a better pickup and I've used both....I have a SD I'd sell pretty cheap! It's too bright and lacks the lowend balls I Like...A Fred pickup has replaced this SD in one of my strats now..

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

I love them both but I think the PGn is one of the best neck humbuckers ever created...and feel the same way about the 59B: one of the best bridge pickup ever created, especially for Clapton/Cream tone.

I used a PGn and 59b combo for years in my dual humbucker Strat. The only reason I changed was to see what a Alnico 2 Pro neck HB would sound like.

I like the A2Pro neck alot too, but not more than the PGn...in fact, I recently went back to the PGn!

Lew

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Depends on your guitar.

If it has a naturally dark tone, then go with 59s.

If it has a bright tone and you LOVE that a5 attack from the wound strings and do not mind the loss of clarity a lot then go with a rio grande BBQ/texas.

If it has a bright tone and you love spongy bass and cutting uppermids, then go with a Pearly Gates set.

And finally if it has a bright tone and you don't want that much of them cutting uppermids, and would rather want a flatter eq, then go with a a2p set.

Of course you can mix those with the exception of BBQ/Texas.

B

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59 or Pearly Gates?

Depends on your guitar.

If it has a naturally dark tone, then go with 59s.

If it has a bright tone and you LOVE that a5 attack from the wound strings and do not mind the loss of clarity a lot then go with a rio grande BBQ/texas.

If it has a bright tone and you love spongy bass and cutting uppermids, then go with a Pearly Gates set.

And finally if it has a bright tone and you don't want that much of them cutting uppermids, and would rather want a flatter eq, then go with a a2p set.

Of course you can mix those with the exception of BBQ/Texas.

B

I kind of agree...except the 59 has alot of bass and treble. Sometimes it sounds muddy as a neck pickup because of all that bass...even though it does have alot of treble too. For that reason, sometimes an alnico 2 pickup like the PG, A2Pro or Seth Lover is a better choice as a neck pickup: they have more mids and less bass and treble. Even though they have less treble than an alnico 5 59n, the alnico 2 pickups still might sound clearer because they don't have all that bass of the 59n. As Doc Barlo says: it just depends!:laugh2: Personally, I use alnico 2 or alnico 4 HB's for my neck pickups...and save the alnico 5 for the bridge HB. Lew