help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

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MonkeyDungologist
DISCLAIMER: they're both used pickups.

i know this is sacrilege here, and that it's very early days...
but i'm decidedly underwhelmed so far!

old gibbo (chambered LP mkIII w/ebony) needed a bit of love, so i didn't get finished until late in the evening and have only made minimal adjustments so far, at relatively* neighbour-friendly levels...

what have you guys done with these to make them happy?
i'll be doing the obvious stuff ASAP, ie setting all the screw poles flat and dialing them both in from scratch and raising and lowering them obsessively while plugged in to as many amps and speakers as possible.

have only tried them through a v30 quad so far, via a night train and a JMP1/EL34100-100 (yes, my neighbours love me. but i've been super-nice to them and they're rude to me, so stuff them).
maybe they're more suited to gigging than recording? i can see how they'd be quite bold in a band mix.
and i have certainly been spoiled for pickups, there's no doubt about that.

love the attack and clarity on the PGP, and the PGn cuts through more than any A2 neck bucker has a right to; but so far they're both sounding too bold and too bright, without being particularly loud or hitting the preamp in any satisfying kind of way, regardless of height...

so far, would much prefer an A2Pn/demon set in this particular gui.
or a demon in the neck and a JB or distortion in the bridge.
no-one saw that coming.
might be time for me to hunt down some seths?

what do you think? am i just not a 'hot PAF' guy? is this the generation gap?
is my LP really that freakish?
 
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Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

That they're used has no bearing on this (unless someone changed the mags). Do all the set-up tweaking before you make up your mind.

I have one set of PG's, and several sets of Seth's, whch I think are a better PU. To me, PGN's are pretty rounded on top, and PGB's are fairly bright and not as thick as I would like (seen that mentioned here many times). Seth's fixed both issues. I have an A2P set which I prefer over PG's, at least in that guitar. Not that I don't like PG's or that they aren't high quality PU's, I just think Duncan makes PAF's that I like better.

The way I look at it, if I'm limted to a set or two of PAF's, why use PG's or '57's when I could have Seth's?
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

My SDJB and my BKRY are great in a mix and operate best with a high dose of volume. Neither of them sound very inspiring through my little Microcube at home. My 498T sounded absolutely wonderful at home and useless at gigging levels. So perhaps the PGs are better for gigging.
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

I don't think A5 will work in the PG in the bridge slot of a Les Paul.

If you liked the Demon in the neck you LP might be very boomy in the neck position, then you can't use a PG in there.
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

The Pearly Gates Plus (PGP) was so far the brightest and most gutless bridge pickup i had in my 99 Classic. Its now the happy home of Will Boggs VTHPaf. The PGP though works great in a Strat (Lone Star).
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

i dont care for the pg+ either. swap that a5 for an alnico II.

i wouldnt call the pg's hot paf's. they are just plain old paf type pups
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

cool, good to know that i'm not alone in these observations

i'll get a bit tweaky with them, and if still no joy i'm sure I can put them to use somewhere else

cheers!
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

conclusion: they'll sound awesome in my tele.
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

an interesting aside to the "settle?" discussion:

so i let them sit for a couple days.
i then came back to it with the intention of lowering them to an extreme, then listening as i raised them back up to what might be a muted-but-usable sound.

i'll note that:
i doubt the strings are an issue.
the strings went on when the pickups were fitted. because i checked neck relief and reset the bridge height over the next couple days, the pickups were intentionally set low so as not to interfere with the adjustments. i didn't wire the pickups in and actually hear them for several days; the Eb tuning hasn't changed since this point;
i'd already lowered the tops of the screw poles to the surface of the bobbins;
the pickups were both already at least as low as any of the 21 other pickups this guitar's seen;
and that i invariably set pickups lower than recommended, and am no stranger to height adjustments.

so the neck pickup was down in the body, and the bridge pickup just above it's ring; and the set suddenly sounds awesome, better than i'd originally hoped or expected.
i tested it through 2 amps and 2 cabs and couldn't fault it, all the positive reviews and recommendations were justified, these can do anything from jazz through to metal (with enough juice), and they do seem to have their own vibe. really looking forward to hearing these in a band mix. fingerstyle players must love these.

another day later, and it sounds like they're too far away from the strings heh heh heh
but i have an idea of what they can do.

pretty sure the onset of colder weather here is a major factor in this confusion, but it's worth mentioning that
the PGn and PG+ respond to height adjustments.
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

A couple of things - as always, make sure they are adjusted properly (screw arc, general height, pole tweeks etc..)

And of course live with them a bit.


Still, I do not like the PG+ - it's awesome in a strat for whatever reason, not so much an LP (the one/two I've ever heard, plus intarweb rumor)

Also, you mention the A2P. Yes - Pg's are A2 mag pups and share a couple of characteristics, they are pretty much opposite ends of the tonal spectrum as a whole.

If you really dig the A2P, I can see the lack of love for the PG.

You may just need to live with them for a while and get throught he "WHoa - that's different, don't know if I like it" to find out if you do or don't.

In the mean time, I suggest a little English on the tone knob.
 
Re: help me bond with the PGn and PG+ set i just fitted to my LP

Don't discount the prospect of a Demon, especially in the neck, if you finally decide that the PG just isn't working for you. The Demon is one of the best neck pups I can think of. I actually love the PG in the neck, but love the Demon more.

The PG+ with an A2 or UOA5 may be a better choice than with the stock A5.
 
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