spidermissile
New member
Experiences with Whole Lotta, Pearly, Li'l 59, Antiquity PAF, C.C., Distortion & JB
Hey, I thought I would lend my recent experiences with these variations on the vintage theme 'buckers:
CUSTOM CUSTOM BRIDGE: got it to put in the bridge of a very nice rather midrangey to sparkly PRS MCCarty. This one, among many I've owned or played, has an almost small range...very live midrange with shimmer on top, not a lot of bottom end...quite warm, but with less bottom than most other McCartys, none the less my choice among ten or so.
The CUSTOM CUSTOM BRIDGE was SO understated in this guitar it was puzzling. I get that the bottom end wasn't strong, but the whole sound, top to bottom (although quite musical) was very tame. I was looking to "grit up" or sort of "Gibsonize" the longer-scaled PRS...looser bottom, less refined. The C.C. was just too smooth all the way around, so I traded it for a Pearly Gates Bridge.
PEARLY GATES BRIDGE:
This has only been in two days, but with lots of playing, and I'm quite pleased; it seems quite well balanced, and has great perceived output despite my very light custom gauge strings. Nice cutting highs that are none the less sweet. Surprisingly strong yet balanced midrange that seems to integrate well with the highs. I hear some nice harmonics in there; need time to coax them more. It's pretty darned alive. It does not have very much of the PAF scoop in this guitar...more full throughought the mids, but in no way stuffy.
PEARLY GATES NECK: I put this one in about two weeks ago, and from the first second, I knew it was a winner. The first neck pickup I've EVER liked. Open, beautifully voiced, nice output ( I believe due to excellent peaks ). Quite useable in place of the bridge, and for me, that's AMAZING. One can certainly hear it's neck position, but that's just the richness of the wood...the agression is still there if you want it, and again, the clarity...wow. It yields a decent vintagePAF general tone...a bit on the sparkly/light side, but at least NO MUD. In parallel with the PG bridge, it kind of loses the classic two pickup PAF sound...both together are just too trebly...not in the least unmusical...just not as much of the scoop you'd hope for. I feel those tones are approachable, though...I sense both PG PuPs are pretty sensitive to touch. Overall, the pair are beautiful, and, yeah, it's true: Don't let the moderate DC resistance mislead you...they have excellent perceived volume, with the necessary musicality to make them excellent. At least in this guitar, the caveat that applies to this whole post.
ANTIQUITY PAF SET : I put them in a Les Paul Studio Premium Plus (A 7.5 lb. chambered 2006) that is by everybody's account, about the most balanced, well-endowed guitar you could ask for. It has great tone in the entire spectrum. Pretty much every pickup you put in it, sounds like THAT PICKUP...it's a perfect test-bed, and it in fact adds a bit of luster to any PuP that goes in it. It even played well with the Burstbucker Pros it came with (and I think those are pretty limited-use PuPs...too gritty, too harsh, kind of full of sonic sand...OK for snarl).
Anyway, The Antiquities, replacing the BBPros, naturally sounded quite tame/understated at first, but then I came to appreciate they were REAL PAFS in tone. Sure, different than all the other antiquities, each being a bit unique, but they captured all the great 50's tones, and in the end, I got them to broadcast my very light strings well enough. Just a bit noisier than my other humbuckers, supposedly because of the lack of wax potting, though many would say that has nothing to do with shunting 60 cycle hum. I would not say the noise is a serious issue. My house has some serious radiating RF beaming through it, otherwise I might not notice any higher noise with these. I would not decline to get them based on noise. The Bridge (always my go-to), is clear, musical, with just enough grit...and compression on top. Not aggressive, but good O.D. does it's work. IN parallel, both yielded the classic 50s scoop. Real Pagey tones. The Neck was nice, but to my surprise, really not as clear/ open as I wanted. OK...
WHOLE LOTTA HUMBUCKER NECK:
I put this in a 1993 PRS EG bolt-on (Alder body, trem, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood board). A very balanced guitar in an H-S-H configuration...Quite full range, diverse. I was totally FLOORED that the Whole Lotta' Humbucker Neck makes it indistinguishable from the most classic, desireable Les Paul neck tones...scooped, clear, warm, strong, gentle, I still can't believe what it can do. My 2nd neck PuP that's totally useful to me.
LITTLE '59: I put a NECK little 59 in the middle position of the vintage PRS EG. WOW. It functions as either a neck or a bridge PuP, close enough to true PAF tones to really be quite useful as such. With technique, it would easily fool anyone as the real deal, despite the very narrow aperture. Love it. Not much more to be said there, except we're talking an Alder bolt-on. Amazing.
WHOLE LOTTA' HUMBUCKER BRIDGE: Again, in an unlikely PRS '93 EG. I expected this to knock my socks off, but it did not. The WHH Neck is the most georgeous PAF in my memory, but (IN THIS AXE), the WHH Bridge comes accross as more even-bodied...less scoop than I expected from the descriptions, more trebly. Still quite musical. Lively. Not exactly brilliant in it's overtones, or snarl, or harmonics, but I believe it has plenty of potential. It replaced a very high DC resistance PRS PuP that though thick, had amazing sparkle at times, great harmonics and some distorted snarl...good for Mark Knoppfler in the present day. So The WHH had a tough act to follow. The change is welcome; the WHH is far more open than the thicker PRS PuP, and may yet give me enough PAF tone to keep, though I'm ordering a regular Duncan '59 on Monday, because I (think) it will actually be the best match for the WHH neck in this guitar...I need it a bit more scooped.
JB:
I have owned a JB trembucker for about five years: got it without noticing it was a trembucker & put it in a rather brittle all-mahogany 2008 Les Paul Studio (chambered, 7.5 lbs.), that sounded like a slightly richer, if very snarly SG with it's original BB Pros. The JB actually just highlighted the high- end of the LP, and sounded more sterile than the super-gritty BB Pros, so I took it out. (Put in a Duncan Distortion, which I had for 20 years...previously felt the Distortion was fine but unremarkable). In this very bright LP, it was a total transformer. NoW the all-mahogany LP has a classic 50's sound...great high end detail, yet with warmth...just enough to make it a beautiful sound. I can pull off Brian May tones, classic page, etc. Splits very, very nicely. I put a DUNCAN JAZZ in the neck, and I am indifferent to it...even in this very bright LP, it is kind of muddy...I never stay on it. But it also splits nicely, and split or not, running both PuPs in parallel, yields perfect 50s both-pickup sounds. I mean just beautiful.
I GOT A SECOND JB this round...not a trembucker this time. Put it in the bridge of the PRS EG...not surprisingly, it was full of midrange power, and an almost smooth voice, but to my ears, again, almost no distinct character. This is hardly news. Good for volume & power, pretty yawnful for actual character. I traded it for the WHH Bridge, which is equally useful as a powerful lead PuP, but with much more musical overtones and some nuance.
I ran all these recent tests, because I have a great Tom Petty tribute project coming up, and I (would) use my Lesters, but I really don't want to hassle with the rather typical Gibson headstock angle/ compound string bend at the nut issues, (AKA tuning stability) with lots and lots and lots of bends. All my career, PRS simply leaves Gibson far off in the dust in this respect, but we all know about their relative sterility. A bit harder to get truly vintage tones, until the more recent 57/08 and, I assume, 59/ 09s.
Last comment: I have a 25th anniversary PRS SC 245 with the awesome 57/08 PuPs. It is such a stellar guitar in every respect, and it's tones are just drop-dead 50s classic. Again, string gauges are quite light, my own custom selection. And it's loud as it needs to be, despite quite vintage DC resistance.It has peaks and scoops that bring out all the beauty and volume you could ask for. Every sound. I actually prefer the Duncan WHH NECK in the PRS EG for purely beautiful neck tones with clarity, and the Pearly Gates Neck in the McCarty also may exceed the 57/08 neck for ultimate clarity, but of course the sc245 is but a short 24.5" scale. It has some BOOM to it, and that's a good thing. It has a miraculous clarity at the same time, and yet it's anything but sterile...it's a guitar that can stay in your hands the whole show.
Well, I hope you're all thoroughly confused. I hope to tell you the Duncan '59 will be the answer for the BRIDGE of my old EG, in tandem with the killer WHH neck.
-cheers
Hey, I thought I would lend my recent experiences with these variations on the vintage theme 'buckers:
CUSTOM CUSTOM BRIDGE: got it to put in the bridge of a very nice rather midrangey to sparkly PRS MCCarty. This one, among many I've owned or played, has an almost small range...very live midrange with shimmer on top, not a lot of bottom end...quite warm, but with less bottom than most other McCartys, none the less my choice among ten or so.
The CUSTOM CUSTOM BRIDGE was SO understated in this guitar it was puzzling. I get that the bottom end wasn't strong, but the whole sound, top to bottom (although quite musical) was very tame. I was looking to "grit up" or sort of "Gibsonize" the longer-scaled PRS...looser bottom, less refined. The C.C. was just too smooth all the way around, so I traded it for a Pearly Gates Bridge.
PEARLY GATES BRIDGE:
This has only been in two days, but with lots of playing, and I'm quite pleased; it seems quite well balanced, and has great perceived output despite my very light custom gauge strings. Nice cutting highs that are none the less sweet. Surprisingly strong yet balanced midrange that seems to integrate well with the highs. I hear some nice harmonics in there; need time to coax them more. It's pretty darned alive. It does not have very much of the PAF scoop in this guitar...more full throughought the mids, but in no way stuffy.
PEARLY GATES NECK: I put this one in about two weeks ago, and from the first second, I knew it was a winner. The first neck pickup I've EVER liked. Open, beautifully voiced, nice output ( I believe due to excellent peaks ). Quite useable in place of the bridge, and for me, that's AMAZING. One can certainly hear it's neck position, but that's just the richness of the wood...the agression is still there if you want it, and again, the clarity...wow. It yields a decent vintagePAF general tone...a bit on the sparkly/light side, but at least NO MUD. In parallel with the PG bridge, it kind of loses the classic two pickup PAF sound...both together are just too trebly...not in the least unmusical...just not as much of the scoop you'd hope for. I feel those tones are approachable, though...I sense both PG PuPs are pretty sensitive to touch. Overall, the pair are beautiful, and, yeah, it's true: Don't let the moderate DC resistance mislead you...they have excellent perceived volume, with the necessary musicality to make them excellent. At least in this guitar, the caveat that applies to this whole post.
ANTIQUITY PAF SET : I put them in a Les Paul Studio Premium Plus (A 7.5 lb. chambered 2006) that is by everybody's account, about the most balanced, well-endowed guitar you could ask for. It has great tone in the entire spectrum. Pretty much every pickup you put in it, sounds like THAT PICKUP...it's a perfect test-bed, and it in fact adds a bit of luster to any PuP that goes in it. It even played well with the Burstbucker Pros it came with (and I think those are pretty limited-use PuPs...too gritty, too harsh, kind of full of sonic sand...OK for snarl).
Anyway, The Antiquities, replacing the BBPros, naturally sounded quite tame/understated at first, but then I came to appreciate they were REAL PAFS in tone. Sure, different than all the other antiquities, each being a bit unique, but they captured all the great 50's tones, and in the end, I got them to broadcast my very light strings well enough. Just a bit noisier than my other humbuckers, supposedly because of the lack of wax potting, though many would say that has nothing to do with shunting 60 cycle hum. I would not say the noise is a serious issue. My house has some serious radiating RF beaming through it, otherwise I might not notice any higher noise with these. I would not decline to get them based on noise. The Bridge (always my go-to), is clear, musical, with just enough grit...and compression on top. Not aggressive, but good O.D. does it's work. IN parallel, both yielded the classic 50s scoop. Real Pagey tones. The Neck was nice, but to my surprise, really not as clear/ open as I wanted. OK...
WHOLE LOTTA HUMBUCKER NECK:
I put this in a 1993 PRS EG bolt-on (Alder body, trem, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood board). A very balanced guitar in an H-S-H configuration...Quite full range, diverse. I was totally FLOORED that the Whole Lotta' Humbucker Neck makes it indistinguishable from the most classic, desireable Les Paul neck tones...scooped, clear, warm, strong, gentle, I still can't believe what it can do. My 2nd neck PuP that's totally useful to me.
LITTLE '59: I put a NECK little 59 in the middle position of the vintage PRS EG. WOW. It functions as either a neck or a bridge PuP, close enough to true PAF tones to really be quite useful as such. With technique, it would easily fool anyone as the real deal, despite the very narrow aperture. Love it. Not much more to be said there, except we're talking an Alder bolt-on. Amazing.
WHOLE LOTTA' HUMBUCKER BRIDGE: Again, in an unlikely PRS '93 EG. I expected this to knock my socks off, but it did not. The WHH Neck is the most georgeous PAF in my memory, but (IN THIS AXE), the WHH Bridge comes accross as more even-bodied...less scoop than I expected from the descriptions, more trebly. Still quite musical. Lively. Not exactly brilliant in it's overtones, or snarl, or harmonics, but I believe it has plenty of potential. It replaced a very high DC resistance PRS PuP that though thick, had amazing sparkle at times, great harmonics and some distorted snarl...good for Mark Knoppfler in the present day. So The WHH had a tough act to follow. The change is welcome; the WHH is far more open than the thicker PRS PuP, and may yet give me enough PAF tone to keep, though I'm ordering a regular Duncan '59 on Monday, because I (think) it will actually be the best match for the WHH neck in this guitar...I need it a bit more scooped.
JB:
I have owned a JB trembucker for about five years: got it without noticing it was a trembucker & put it in a rather brittle all-mahogany 2008 Les Paul Studio (chambered, 7.5 lbs.), that sounded like a slightly richer, if very snarly SG with it's original BB Pros. The JB actually just highlighted the high- end of the LP, and sounded more sterile than the super-gritty BB Pros, so I took it out. (Put in a Duncan Distortion, which I had for 20 years...previously felt the Distortion was fine but unremarkable). In this very bright LP, it was a total transformer. NoW the all-mahogany LP has a classic 50's sound...great high end detail, yet with warmth...just enough to make it a beautiful sound. I can pull off Brian May tones, classic page, etc. Splits very, very nicely. I put a DUNCAN JAZZ in the neck, and I am indifferent to it...even in this very bright LP, it is kind of muddy...I never stay on it. But it also splits nicely, and split or not, running both PuPs in parallel, yields perfect 50s both-pickup sounds. I mean just beautiful.
I GOT A SECOND JB this round...not a trembucker this time. Put it in the bridge of the PRS EG...not surprisingly, it was full of midrange power, and an almost smooth voice, but to my ears, again, almost no distinct character. This is hardly news. Good for volume & power, pretty yawnful for actual character. I traded it for the WHH Bridge, which is equally useful as a powerful lead PuP, but with much more musical overtones and some nuance.
I ran all these recent tests, because I have a great Tom Petty tribute project coming up, and I (would) use my Lesters, but I really don't want to hassle with the rather typical Gibson headstock angle/ compound string bend at the nut issues, (AKA tuning stability) with lots and lots and lots of bends. All my career, PRS simply leaves Gibson far off in the dust in this respect, but we all know about their relative sterility. A bit harder to get truly vintage tones, until the more recent 57/08 and, I assume, 59/ 09s.
Last comment: I have a 25th anniversary PRS SC 245 with the awesome 57/08 PuPs. It is such a stellar guitar in every respect, and it's tones are just drop-dead 50s classic. Again, string gauges are quite light, my own custom selection. And it's loud as it needs to be, despite quite vintage DC resistance.It has peaks and scoops that bring out all the beauty and volume you could ask for. Every sound. I actually prefer the Duncan WHH NECK in the PRS EG for purely beautiful neck tones with clarity, and the Pearly Gates Neck in the McCarty also may exceed the 57/08 neck for ultimate clarity, but of course the sc245 is but a short 24.5" scale. It has some BOOM to it, and that's a good thing. It has a miraculous clarity at the same time, and yet it's anything but sterile...it's a guitar that can stay in your hands the whole show.
Well, I hope you're all thoroughly confused. I hope to tell you the Duncan '59 will be the answer for the BRIDGE of my old EG, in tandem with the killer WHH neck.
-cheers
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