59b vs. PGb

John E Rokker

John E Rokker

New member
Can anyone tell me about the differences between these two pickups?

1. Are they the same wind with a different magnet?
2. Which one would you recommend in a 1 Hum Floyded Strat with a maple neck when looking for a Ratt / Dokken / Tesla / Saxon type sound?

-I currently have a Custom in that guitar which I like the tone but it doesn't sound "big" enough.
-I use a Marshall with a tube screamer to get my tone.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

If the Custom doesn't sound "big enough", your best first option would be to put either an A8 or UOA5 magnet in it.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

No, the 59 & PG are not the same wind w/ a magnet change. I agree with GuitarDoc that a PAF is not going to sound bigger than the Custom. I'm no fan of A8 mags, but if you can get your hands on one it's worth a try. If it's got a 500k pot for the volume, I'd try a 250k before I did anything else.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

Check your tube screamer settings. A lot of people find they cut bass, which can make things sound small, particularly in combination with a bright amp.

Also, try lowering gain & raising the output level, if you aren't there already. Gain at the OD usually sounds smaller than boosting the level the amp is hit with. Except when it doesn't, of course.

If adjusting the OD & amp doesn't do it, see if you can try some other boosts. A "clean boost" may do better than an OD, for maintaining a big sound.

The ceramic Custom really should do fine for that range of sounds, though more Crosby than de Martini.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

I'm actually running my OD as a clean boost. I guess I really meant the Custom isn't "Open" sounding enough for what I want. I'm wanting to try some lower gain pickups through my rig to get more of an open sound with more sustain. I've got more than enough gain on tap while still using the crunch channel so these are the 2 pickups I'm currently looking at.
 
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Re: 59b vs. PGb

The Tube Screamer (unless modded) is really not a clean boost. It always cuts some of the bass and boosts mids a touch.

If you are looking for more dynamics or a more "open" sound, that's different... Though again, TS can interfere with that. Pickup interaction with dirt pedals is a lot of fun.

Lynch used a Distortion back in Dokken, DeMartini & Crosby mostly used JBs (though DeMartini tends to use an overwound A2 JB variant these days).

Don't know as much about Tesla or Saxon gear.

Sustain tends to come at the expense of openness, though sometimes you find combinations that work well. In a floyded strat, you might check out the PATB-1 or PATB-3. PATB-3 is like a bigger but still articulate '59. The Parallel Axis design is both thicker and more articulate than a conventional humbucker, lower string pull/more sustain, emphasized harmonics and improved string balance, particularly on floating vibrato bridges.

I have a PATB-1 in my basswood Ibanez RG570. It's amazing. Has most of the best features of a Custom Custom and a Custom 5 in one pickup, covers a ridiculously broad range of tones just from tweaking at the guitar. In my guitar, it manages to be both hot and open sounding, sweet for solos and punchy for rhythm.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

I don't think it's the pickup. The tube screamer, as others have already said, and your amp and speaker set up have much more to do with how "large" your sound is.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

GuitarDoc said:
If the Custom doesn't sound "big enough", your best first option would be to put either an A8 or UOA5 magnet in it.
Click to expand...

+1 you can do some mad 80's metal with a Custom 8. Only a few bucks for an A8 magnet vs $70-$100 for a new pickup.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

1. I'm using a Keeley modded SD-1 with gain off and level up. I know it's not a true clean boost. But I like what it does to my tone.

2. "Big" was not the right term, sorry about that. I'm looking for a more open and less compressed sound.

3. I'm wanting to try a pickup that is NOT high output. -I have the Custom in most of my guitars and I do love it. But with this guitar I'm looking for something different.

I hope this clears things up for all of you who keep saying "its not the pickup" and "try a different magnet". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the perspective of the people saying that. Aceman and GuitarDoc, I agree with most of the posts both of you make on here. But I want to try a lower output pickup and would like some opinions on which one.

-Thanks-
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

John E Rokker said:
2. "Big" was not the right term, sorry about that. I'm looking for a more open and less compressed sound.

3. I'm wanting to try a pickup that is NOT high output. -I have the Custom in most of my guitars and I do love it. But with this guitar I'm looking for something different.
Click to expand...

That's the same problem I'm working with, and I've heard from pros who use Seymour Duncans that Ceramic magnet pickups are more compressed. I am switching from high-output Ceramic to lower-wound Alnico PAF style pickups for the open presence and articulation, and the mysterious character.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

John E,
I have a Studio Hamer I was in a similar dilemma with. I had a JB in the bridge (always had a '59 neck which I like). The JB was not good clean and felt and sounded 'choked' under any real gain. If I had been doing rock without much change in tone, I could have made it work. I swapped in a '59 bridge. The sound 'opened up' a good bit. It was a bit harsh in the high end, so I swapped magnets from the stock polished Al5 to an un-oriented Al5. The harshness subsided and I gained a good bit of mids. Much closer to what I wanted. In the bridge of that particular guitar, the '59 didn't, for lack of a better description, 'pull it's own weight'. I realize that isn't the case for many of the guys here, however. I pulled the trigger on a Custom5 (custom wind, Al 5 magnet). My concern was much like yours: I don't want another 'choked' pickup, I want an open, big, uncompressed tone. I was worried, especially reading all the stuff about the Custom (ceramic).
The Custom5 was magic; bigger and more open than the '59, none of the 'choking' of the JB. Absolute magic. I think you are inches away from striking gold (regular A5 or un-oriented A5). I do think either the '59 or PG would be very good, but so would the C5. The Custom and Custom5 are very different animals without question. If your set on a '59, I have an almost new UOA5 '59b in zebra I would like to part with........
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

John E Rokker said:
1. I'm using a Keeley modded SD-1 with gain off and level up. I know it's not a true clean boost. But I like what it does to my tone.
Click to expand...
Nice, a lot of his mods involve letting a hair more bass in, so not as likely to be the source of the problem.

John E Rokker said:
2. "Big" was not the right term, sorry about that. I'm looking for a more open and less compressed sound.
Click to expand...
It's hard to twist words to describe tones, contributes to the general endless wrangling on guitar forums. :)

John E Rokker said:
3. I'm wanting to try a pickup that is NOT high output. -I have the Custom in most of my guitars and I do love it. But with this guitar I'm looking for something different.

I hope this clears things up for all of you who keep saying "its not the pickup" and "try a different magnet". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the perspective of the people saying that. Aceman and GuitarDoc, I agree with most of the posts both of you make on here. But I want to try a lower output pickup and would like some opinions on which one.
Click to expand...
Changing magnets makes an enormous difference, A2 vs A5 is a fair jump in output and can be a radical change in tone. You might be pleasantly surprised by the Custom with an Unoriented A5 magnet.

In a Floyded strat, I'd go for the PATB-3 over the '59. Same general tone, but thicker. A bit hotter, but you can get stunningly close to a '59 by backing down to 80-90% on the volume knob.
 
Re: 59b vs. PGb

So far I've tried all the Custom coil magnet options except the A8. And in both mohagany and Alder I prefer the ceramic.

I do find it interesting that I hear all this talk about comparisons to the 59 but nothing either way has been said about the Pearly Gates.
 
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