CUSTOM SHOP Queen Bucker
- Thread starter Rwalley
- Start date
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Well, the formula is a Pearly Gates mixed with some of Joe Bonamassa's pickups. They are hotter than the PGs, and have covers, long legs, and single conductor. They sound like great pickups I would love, but I hadn't ever tried them. MJ knows what she is doing, and this is her signature pickup.
Well, the formula is a Pearly Gates mixed with some of Joe Bonamassa's pickups. They are hotter than the PGs, and have covers, long legs, and single conductor. They sound like great pickups I would love, but I hadn't ever tried them. MJ knows what she is doing, and this is her signature pickup.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
I thought the Queens were supposed to be closest to the Bonamassa Magellans, but different enough to not get anyone into trouble over the deal they had? So I would expect possibly the most stellar Antiquity PAF that is likely unpotted (but need to see some specs or hear from someone who has a set).
LesPaulPlayer
New member
I have a set of Queen Buckers that were made in 2018. They are not potted and appear to have black screw bobbins under the covers. I haven't checked to see what color the non-screw bobbins are. The covers on mine are aged like the Bonamassa Magellan covers...almost as if they were left over from that run. They look distinctly different than my Antiquity covers and completely lack the funky "grime lines" that those have. Instead, they have many tiny dings/checks that, when combined, create a dull patina. The polepiece screws look similar to Antiquity screws.
Compared to my Antiquity bridge humbucker, the QB bridge is not as loud and doesn't push an amp as hard. It has a clearer sound (less of that "ratty" harmonic content of the Ants) with a broad vocal midrange and mellow treble. It is punchier than the Ant and somewhat more aggressive and ripping. It reminds me of Paul Kossoff's tone on Fire and Water on Free Live.
The QB neck, when compared to the Ant neck, is more mellow with a frequency range that seems shifted down a bit from where an Ant neck's response is. Less upper midrange and more warm bass. Almost like a mellowed out Seth Lover neck. It sounds and feels familiar. With SD Ants or Seths, the neck and bridge models are pretty similar to each other in character...especially the Ants. With the QBs, the neck and bridge are quite different. This could be due to the A3b/A2n magnet choice.
The QB set doesn't have an abundance of treble but they don't sound muddy either. Just warm, clear and smooth. I've never tried a Pearly Gates set of any kind so I can't compare to that. They DO sound very similar to recordings of Bonamassa's Magellan 'burst. It has that same mellow-neck and ripping-midrange-bridge tone.
While Ants and Seths may seem voiced to work well across lots of styles, tones and guitars, the QBs seem more specialized to achieve a specific thing and I think they might not work in as broad a context as Ants and Seths. Maybe they're more like other boutique PAF-style humbuckers in that way. They do have character and don't seem generic.
They didn't stay in my guitar long because they didn't push my non-master volume amps as much as I needed at the time. I definitely didn't give them a fair shake though and plan on putting them back into my main Les Paul with plenty of dial-in time since I have other guitars that can serve as backups now.
Compared to my Antiquity bridge humbucker, the QB bridge is not as loud and doesn't push an amp as hard. It has a clearer sound (less of that "ratty" harmonic content of the Ants) with a broad vocal midrange and mellow treble. It is punchier than the Ant and somewhat more aggressive and ripping. It reminds me of Paul Kossoff's tone on Fire and Water on Free Live.
The QB neck, when compared to the Ant neck, is more mellow with a frequency range that seems shifted down a bit from where an Ant neck's response is. Less upper midrange and more warm bass. Almost like a mellowed out Seth Lover neck. It sounds and feels familiar. With SD Ants or Seths, the neck and bridge models are pretty similar to each other in character...especially the Ants. With the QBs, the neck and bridge are quite different. This could be due to the A3b/A2n magnet choice.
The QB set doesn't have an abundance of treble but they don't sound muddy either. Just warm, clear and smooth. I've never tried a Pearly Gates set of any kind so I can't compare to that. They DO sound very similar to recordings of Bonamassa's Magellan 'burst. It has that same mellow-neck and ripping-midrange-bridge tone.
While Ants and Seths may seem voiced to work well across lots of styles, tones and guitars, the QBs seem more specialized to achieve a specific thing and I think they might not work in as broad a context as Ants and Seths. Maybe they're more like other boutique PAF-style humbuckers in that way. They do have character and don't seem generic.
They didn't stay in my guitar long because they didn't push my non-master volume amps as much as I needed at the time. I definitely didn't give them a fair shake though and plan on putting them back into my main Les Paul with plenty of dial-in time since I have other guitars that can serve as backups now.
