59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

J

J.LaGrassa

New member
Just curious what the majority likes here, i just Installed a pair of 59's in my Less Paul Classic. I like the 59n especially with distortion its sounds very full with plenty of sustain but clean i hear the common complaint about it being a little Bass heavy.

I've seen a lot of suggestions about using the PGn in a less Paul, can i still get that beefy 59 sound with a PG neck minus the Bass heavy clean tone?
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

I much prefer the PG over the 59 in both the neck and bridge spot. FWIW, I have less mud but I am still able to get a nice full tone with a nice solid bass.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

I have had both in Les Pauls and while I do like the 59n and still have it in a couple guitars, I prefer the PGn in Les Pauls.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

I prefer the PGn...it's my very favorite neck humbucker and I like it better than anything else I've owned. I even like the PGn better than any of the expensive boutique HB's I've owned. And it splits into a single coil that has a killer Strat/Tele tone. The 59n is a great pickup but has more bass than I can use when I play it loudly. Lew
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

One more for PGn. The 59 is probably my least favorite vintage-output Duncan and the PG's I installed in Olin's PRS really impressed me. Granted they were both bridge pickups though, due to his PRS being 24 frets.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

I don't have much experience with the '59n, but a lot of people complain about it's "boomy-ness". I don't find any of that in my PGn. It's got plenty of fullness and bass, but it's also clear and pretty articulate for a neck 'bucker.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

The 59n has a great clear tone if you're playing jazz at non-rock volumes through a 100 watt amp. You could even use the the 59B as a neck pickup and still get a great clear tone. Back in the early 60's, the Gibson humbucker the 59 is based on was a 8.2K pickup like the 59B and it was used by Gibson in both the neck and bridge location by players like BB King and Wes Montgomery.

So it's capable of a gorgeous clean tone...just listen to Wes's clean tone and that was from a 8.2K HB not a 7.4K HB like the 59n.

But at loud rock volumes it gets muddy...so I prefer alnico 2 neck humbuckers and the PGn is my favorite of those.

Alnico 2HB's have less bass...more mids.

Lew
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

Thanks for the Info guy's might give the PGn a shot.........who knows maybe the PG bridge as well!
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

I'll tell you this...I have gone throigh a LOT of buckers to find the best tone for me and the PG set ios my favorite non Custom Shop set of buckers ever. I love them...I put them right up there with my Antiquity set, my other CS Duncan buckers not to mention quite a few other high dollar boutique pickups!
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

PGN by large margin!
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

Lewguitar said:
The 59n has a great clear tone if you're playing jazz at non-rock volumes through a 100 watt amp. You could even use the the 59B as a neck pickup and still get a great clear tone. Back in the early 60's, the Gibson humbucker the 59 is based on was a 8.2K pickup like the 59B and it was used by Gibson in both the neck and bridge location by players like BB King and Wes Montgomery.

So it's capable of a gorgeous clean tone...just listen to Wes's clean tone and that was from a 8.2K HB not a 7.4K HB like the 59n.

But at loud rock volumes it gets muddy...so I prefer alnico 2 neck humbuckers and the PGn is my favorite of those.

Alnico 2HB's have less bass...more mids.

Lew
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What about a Seth Lover neck? It's has an Alnico II magnet. I haven't tried them and I'm curious. I would assume that a set of Seth Lovers in a LP would be as close to a 50's LP as you could get, with the exception of Antiquity's.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

what the diff between an antiquity and a seth lover model anyway? based on the specs, they seem the same except for the "aged" looks of the antiquity
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

PGn/CCb is a sweet SWEET combo....both pickups split well too, if you want a little more single coil flavor on hand:bigthumb:
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

Stratsky said:
What about a Seth Lover neck? It's has an Alnico II magnet. I haven't tried them and I'm curious. I would assume that a set of Seth Lovers in a LP would be as close to a 50's LP as you could get, with the exception of Antiquity's.
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The Seth is a great pickup too. If you're looking for an alnico 2 humbucker with a nickel cover the Seth is a great choice. But the PGn has a little more edge to the highs and the mids are a little more transparent. I've used both...and they're both killer pickups. The Seth sounds a little fatter to me.

Lew
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

Clean I love the 59N and it seems to spilt pretty well too. Under gain it does get rather boomy, less so than a BBV but it can be a bit much. I've been thinking about a PGn for my LP lately, I think this put me over the top.
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

PG Neck - It's like free Pie and Chips...It's Pie, and Chips -for free! Just use a little tone & volume to get it back to pure 59 land (or close to it)
 
Re: 59N or PGn which do you like in a Les Paul?

lupito said:
what the diff between an antiquity and a seth lover model anyway? based on the specs, they seem the same except for the "aged" looks of the antiquity
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The Ant is wound by MJ....she's a master at winding pickups. The Seth Lover is wound by a skilled pickup winder...but not a master winder like MJ. :laugh2: MJ is one of the best pickup winders on the planet. Also, I have heard from Christian that Antiquitys use a special copper wire that is slightly more deluxe in some way than the normal copper wire used on Duncan's standard models...don't know how it's differant. Bottem line is: the Antiquitys are worth the extra dollars. Lew
 
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