Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
My first replacement pickup was a JB I bought for a plywood LP copy in 1982. Since then, I have used all kinds of pickups from all kinds of pickup makers. Over all, Seymour Duncan has always been my favorite; but there are some from other makers that I like as well.
My favorite humbucker used to be the SH-5 Custom. I like how much more balanced it is than the JB. Anyway, I bought a Hades Gates for my PRS Swamp Ash Special SE. I wanted to match it with a Pearly Gates in the neck position. I installed it and was not overly impressed. It was nice, but I didn't like it as much as the SH-11/PG-n combo. That guitar now has a DiMarzio Air Zone in the bridge, Chopper in the middle, and Air Norton in the neck. I don't look to move that combo.
I had the Hades Gates sitting on the shelf doing nothing. I had it up for sale some time ago. I bought a Schecter Nick Johnston signature model. It's an HSS setup. The stock pickups were very nice. The guitar is an import but the pickups are Schecter American Custom Shop pickups; so, pretty decent. I decided to install an EMG set (85/SA/SA). They were decent but not what I was looking for. I had a two Alnico 2 Pro Strat pickups on the shelf as well. I decided to install them as well as the Hades Gates. I ordered a new wiring assembly from 920D Custom. Since the stock pots were 500k, I was leery. 920D told me their wiring assembly came with resistors to make the single coils see 250k ohms. That's what the stock wiring was.
I got everything wired up and was blown away. It's been a long time since I was truly impressed by a set of pickups. The Hades Gates, in this guitar, is exactly what I was looking for; a PAF that was kind of turbo-charged, but not super or hyper-charged like the SH-5. The EQ of the Hades Gates is cool also. It is balanced but with a nice mid push; but not an upper-mid bark like the JB. And it's not too thick. It has an open, hollow quality I like that I have experienced with other PAF types.
My favorite humbucker used to be the SH-5 Custom. I like how much more balanced it is than the JB. Anyway, I bought a Hades Gates for my PRS Swamp Ash Special SE. I wanted to match it with a Pearly Gates in the neck position. I installed it and was not overly impressed. It was nice, but I didn't like it as much as the SH-11/PG-n combo. That guitar now has a DiMarzio Air Zone in the bridge, Chopper in the middle, and Air Norton in the neck. I don't look to move that combo.
I had the Hades Gates sitting on the shelf doing nothing. I had it up for sale some time ago. I bought a Schecter Nick Johnston signature model. It's an HSS setup. The stock pickups were very nice. The guitar is an import but the pickups are Schecter American Custom Shop pickups; so, pretty decent. I decided to install an EMG set (85/SA/SA). They were decent but not what I was looking for. I had a two Alnico 2 Pro Strat pickups on the shelf as well. I decided to install them as well as the Hades Gates. I ordered a new wiring assembly from 920D Custom. Since the stock pots were 500k, I was leery. 920D told me their wiring assembly came with resistors to make the single coils see 250k ohms. That's what the stock wiring was.
I got everything wired up and was blown away. It's been a long time since I was truly impressed by a set of pickups. The Hades Gates, in this guitar, is exactly what I was looking for; a PAF that was kind of turbo-charged, but not super or hyper-charged like the SH-5. The EQ of the Hades Gates is cool also. It is balanced but with a nice mid push; but not an upper-mid bark like the JB. And it's not too thick. It has an open, hollow quality I like that I have experienced with other PAF types.
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