'59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

[jonnymangia]

Guys,

I can't discern any difference btw these two pups on the clips page, especially for the neck (I can detect a little more sizzle with the PG bridge). How would you distinguish them and which pup would you recommend for a neck position on an SG Standard (coupled with a '59 bridge)? I play a lot of clean, fat leads from my neck and need a pup that can deliver that.

Thanks.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

In an SG I'd go for a set of 59's, you get the nice high end then.

On normal computer speakers it can be hard to tell the difference between one clip and another, but when I started listening to them on my home stereo the difference was huge.

Luke

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

In an SG I'd go for a set of 59's, you get the nice high end then.

On normal computer speakers it can be hard to tell the difference between one clip and another, but when I started listening to them on my home stereo the difference was huge.

Luke

I agree.

Due to the thin body and long neck, SG's are somewhat thin and twangy sounding guitars (although in a very good way!) and the alnico 5 59's will help fatten up the lows. The 59's are alot like the pickups used in the early 60's SG's used by Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and others.

I think Derek Trucks may use alnico 2 pickups (57 Classics?) in his SG though, and he gets a great tone too!

Lew

 

[jonnymangia]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

I agree.

Due to the thin body and long neck, SG's are somewhat thin and twangy sounding guitars (although in a very good way!) and the alnico 5 59's will help fatten up the lows. The 59's are alot like the pickups used in the early 60's SG's used by Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and others.


Lew

Lew, didn't you say you thought Clapton's SG tone from the neck pup was muddy when you saw him live? If the '59 is going to be inarticulate I don't want to go down that road!!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

Lew, didn't you say you thought Clapton's SG tone from the neck pup was muddy when you saw him live? If the '59 is going to be inarticulate I don't want to go down that road!!

Yep...I did say that. I wouldn't say the 59N is inarticulate, but in an SG, I was more voicing an endorsement of alnico 5 pickups, which, generally speaking, do have more low end than alnico 2 pickups like the PG.

Yes...if clarity is a concern go for the alnico 5 Jazz Neck. You'll probably like it better than the alnico 5 59N.

The highs of the Jazz Neck have a little more extended harmonic content and shimmer and the overall tone is a little more articulate than the 59N.

Personally, I do prefer the Jazz neck to the 59 neck.

Lew

 

[jonnymangia]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

Yes...if clarity is a concern go for the alnico 5 Jazz Neck. You'll probably like it better than the alnico 5 59N.


Lew

Wow Lew, i never thought about the Jazz. I thought it was a high output pup that alot of shredders used (name be damned). Does it have a vintage vibe at all, b/c I dig the Beano, Angus, Reverend tones. I just love that neck pup and want to make sure it's articulate yet still "vintage-esque".

Jonny

 

[ex-250]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

the jazz is only like 0.3k more output than the '59, or something miniscule like that. ive never heard it called a "shredder pickup" before.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

I wanted to mention another thing about my comments about seeing Eric Clapton with Cream in the 60's and his tone being a little muddy when he played the neck pickup of his SG. In those days both pickups were wound the same so he probably had two 8.2K Gibson patent number humbuckers in that guitar. The Duncan 59's are similar to those pickups but there is a big diff: the Duncan 59's are calibrated for the neck and bridge position. So the neck 59 is NOT an 8.2K pickup...it's more like 7.5K which results in a slightly lower output and a clearer tone.

Lew

 

[gripweed]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

I wanted to mention another thing about my comments about seeing Eric Clapton with Cream in the 60's and his tone being a little muddy when he played the neck pickup of his SG. In those days both pickups were wound the same so he probably had two 8.2K Gibson patent number humbuckers in that guitar. The Duncan 59's are similar to those pickups but there is a big diff: the Duncan 59's are calibrated for the neck and bridge position. So the neck 59 is NOT an 8.2K pickup...it's more like 7.5K which results in a slightly lower output and a clearer tone.

Lew

He would also often crank the tone control or put his wah on full bass which would also make a muddy tone.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

BTW, my Jazz weighs in at around 7.3K, which is a bit lower in output than the last 59n I had (7.6K).

 

[jonnymangia]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

I think I am going with the '59 neck to couple with my '59 bridge. The Jazz sounds great, but since I am trying to get a "fatter" tone out of the SG, it looks like the '59's extra-bass will bring home the bacon. I really considered the Seth Lover neck as well, but it seems like the Alnico 2's are not very popular in mahogany-bodied guitars like the SG.

 

[JWR]

Re: '59/Pearly Gates - What is the difference?

I have done alot of searching for the right pickup for me and my Les Paul. First I tried a Screamin Demon, nope, then a Pearly Gates, nope, then a Custom 5, hmm, almost, a little hot nope, then a '59, this will work for now.

The difference with the Pearly gates compared to the 59 to me is this. The Pearly has not bottom. no chunka chunka. It has great harmonics and I guess the best word is actually sizzle. The '59 to me is just right on the lows and highs. I could use just a bit more output, but I'm tired of messing around. BTW, the Pearly Gates neck is the best neck pickup I have ever tried.