Bridge P.U to match a pearly gates neck

[big kurka]

So long story short I have a 335 type guitar with whatever p/u's that came in it that I want to replace. I have a pearly gates neck p/u laying around that I decided to put in this guitar. So now I need a bridge p/u to go with it. I had the PG's set in a les paul guitar before and liked the neck p/u but I didn't care for the bridge that much. I felt it was lacking in power and the bottom end for my likings. I no longer have the PG bridge p/u so I can't try in this guitar.
I'm looking for a p/u that will mix well with the neck but has a little more power and bottom end. What do you guys recommend.

 

[Blille]

How about mids? Warmer or scooped?

 

[big kurka]

Blille Hi there, I guess scooped. I remember when I had the pg set in my les paul I replaced the bridge pu with a custom59 and afterwards the pg neck sounded dull compared to it. Some of the other members here said it was because the custom59 was brighter and had more mids.

 

[Mincer]

A 59/Custom Hybrid will work well with a PG.

 

[big kurka]

Mincer I tried that combo before in my les paul and the 59/custom made the pg neck sound dull. So I'm a little iffy about doing that combo again

 

[Blille]

That would have been my recommendation too.

Maybe a screaming demon with the tone rolled off a bit? Don’t get scared by the name. Check out the samples: https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/screamin-demon

 

[big kurka]

Blille I read good things about the screaming demon. By chase have used one and if so how hot of a p/u is it and how are the lows? Looking at the EQ it seems like it might to bright of a p/u.

 

[big kurka]

Anyone have experience with the saturday night specials? Looking at the specs it looks like what I might be looking for for the bridge.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

OP, I'm not sure scooped is what you really want - sounds as if you aren't 100% certain either.

Semihollows can vary a lot in their natural tone. Hybrid is an excellent choice for a warm guitar.
Demon is quite tight & bright, also good for warm or dark instruments.
Still, if the guitar is thin or brightly voiced I'd consider the A2 Pro or Slash bridge.

For something a bit scooped yet with bigger low end than a PGb, you might check out the Whole Lotta Humbucker.
Or even a Custom 5 for a little extra juice. IMO this one's not as scooped as some seem to believe.
Yes, it does well in midrange-heavy guitars, but I think it only really sounds scooped in bright ones.
Plenty of lows. Roll back the tone & volume and it's sweet; open it up and it or soars.

You definitely should consider the Saturday Night Special - A4 generally has a nice balanced voicing.
Full disclosure: I haven't owned the SNS myself yet. But A4 normally reflects the character of the wood it's in.
And while A4's lows generally are full, they tend to feel a bit tighter than A5, especially with gain.

 

[big kurka]

eclecticsynergy Hello there, I'm not really looking for a scooped p/u per se. When asked if I wanted warmer or scooped I figured scooped because I had the pg set in a les paul and I swapped the pg bridge with a 59/custom and the pgn neck went from sounding bright to dull so hence I figured scooped but maybe I'm wrong in my thinking about that.

As for what I want if possible I would really like a pg bridge that has more low end and a little bit more power. I wonder if I got another pg bridge and put a A5 mag in it how that would sound. any thoughts?

 

[beaubrummels]

An A5 in a PG would be moving toward a scooped sound in the mids. I don't think it would do anything about the brightness of a PG. A cover on a PG or a roughcast magnet might tame the brightness. Or an A8 in a PG might give it power, bottom and and solve the other issues you didn't like about it.

FWIW for power and bottom end, I'd be looking at a Distortion or Black Winter. I haven't tried either of those with a PG neck, however.

Whole Lotta Humbucker is a solid suggestion and would be hotter, have some bottom end thump and mix with a PG neck. It's like a much improved 59.

 

[Bogner]

First of all, what kind of music do you play? Second, what are the natural attributes of the guitar? What are its natural strengths and weaknesses? You need a pickup that will cooperate with those things because they are fixed and not variable. Suggestions are great but not every guitar is the same. On multiple occasions I have thrown the exact same set of pickups in the same brand and model guitar only to get different results with said guitars because no two guitars are identical. I can help further if you can get back to me with those answers. Good luck!

 

[Blille]

An A5 in a PG would be moving toward a scooped sound in the mids. I don't think it would do anything about the brightness of a PG. A cover on a PG or a roughcast magnet might tame the brightness. Or an A8 in a PG might give it power, bottom and and solve the other issues you didn't like about it.

You know, I think a magnet swap may go a long way.

I swapped an A2 for an A6 in an A2PRO bridge and did some samples of the before and after. It’s not the same pickup (PG is definitely brighter) but the swap would be the same. It’s a chambered guitar. You can check it here: https://youtu.be/zPPT6ooOUio

Blille I read good things about the screaming demon. By chase have used one and if so how hot of a p/u is it and how are the lows? Looking at the EQ it seems like it might to bright of a p/u.

It is bright (that’s why i said with rolled off tone) and it’s higher output but not very high.

 

[big kurka]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I really do appreciate it. I think I’m going hit up eBay and look for a used pgb and try some mag swaps. I have A5’s rough and smooth an A8 and a ceramic. I might even have a A4. Thanks again

 

[eclecticsynergy]

eclecticsynergy Hello there, I'm not really looking for a scooped p/u per se. When asked if I wanted warmer or scooped I figured scooped because I had the pg set in a les paul and I swapped the pg bridge with a 59/custom and the pgn neck went from sounding bright to dull so hence I figured scooped but maybe I'm wrong in my thinking about that.

As for what I want if possible I would really like a pg bridge that has more low end and a little bit more power. I wonder if I got another pg bridge and put a A5 mag in it how that would sound. any thoughts?

Maybe search eBay for a Pearly Gates Plus. It has an A5 magnet standard and is slightly overwound to bring back some mids.

This model was only made for Fender and never sold separately, but they can be found used.
(In fact, sometimes sellers don't even realize what they're offering is a PG+ and not a standard PGb.)

Fuller, punchier, and a tad louder than a standard PGb, still has plenty of cut up top.
Borders on harsh in bright 25½" scale bolt-ons, but very very nice in a 24¾" scale one.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

If you have an A8 and are willing to swap: a 59b with A8 is full, sweet, smooth, and just a bit muscular for a PAF.
I bet it'd pair extremely well with your PGn. And it wouldn't be as cutting as an A5-loaded PG or the PG Plus.

This is similar to the formula of the old Ibanez Super 70, a well-regarded pickup in the PAF-plus category.

 

[Aceman]

I think an A2P will do you just fine. Regular one or a Slash if you want a little more juice.

I think you will find the highs match nicely, enough bottom in the A2P for you and good mids. The two will balance nicely.

 

[big kurka]

Ok so kinda funny story. I’ve been on a hiatus for the past several years from any guitar stuff, just life stuff happening. Anyways a couple of weeks ago I started getting the itch to start messing around with my guitars and today I was swapping out a set of p/u’s for a set of DD’s and I found a 59n p/u in my stash of stuff. So now I have a new decision to make.

Should I use the 59 or the pg for the neck position of my 335 copy?

If I use 59 I could just do I custom 5 in the bridge. I think that set up might be a little more versatile for a wide range of classic to harder rock music.

I think I’m really leaning towards the 59 custom 5 setup

 

[Blille]

Ok so kinda funny story. I’ve been on a hiatus for the past several years from any guitar stuff, just life stuff happening. Anyways a couple of weeks ago I started getting the itch to start messing around with my guitars and today I was swapping out a set of p/u’s for a set of DD’s and I found a 59n p/u in my stash of stuff. So now I have a new decision to make.

Should I use the 59 or the pg for the neck position of my 335 copy?

If I use 59 I could just do I custom 5 in the bridge. I think that set up might be a little more versatile for a wide range of classic to harder rock music.

I think I’m really leaning towards the 59 custom 5 setup

Lol

It’s a matter of personal preference. I generally prefer A2 based vintage pickups in the neck.

59 and Custom is a great setup though. If it’s too scooped in the neck just swap an A2 and you’re golden. I have an A2 59 in a tele and it works great.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Both 59s take magnet swaps really well.