HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

He did it...
Put the Pearly Gates in this afternoon. Magic! What can I say, it turned an excellent guitar into superb. Perfect fit. Fender should contract SD for Pearly Gates to put in all there HSS strats.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Dusty.Rhoads,
A regular Pearly Gates or a Pearly Gates+ ?
Thanks,
Steve Buffington
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I know the + version was in the Lone Star Strats, but I think I would've liked the regular version better.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I know the + version was in the Lone Star Strats, but I think I would've liked the regular version better.

Yeah the PG+ came in the Fender Lone Star Strat, it's not in all of them though, they switched to Fender pickups at a certain point.
And I am pretty sure you would like the regular version better, wasn't the PG+ loaded with an Alnico5 bar? I know you like Alnico 2 a lot, so no doubt you would like the original better! ;-)
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

The PG is also bitey enough without adding in the A5 treble......but I think the + wind was a bit different to account for some of that.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I like them both pg and +, I have an ash/maple HH strat, brass trem block and loaded pg from a big apple strat pg+/RP 59 neck and it is my go to strat now, even has a treble bleed and you would think "bright" guitar, hardly at all, maybe cause of the 250k pots, it was overly bright with a p-rails in the bridge and 500k's. I've been so impressed with the tone I've been buying up pg+/rp 59's when I find them. Maybe I'm wrong but maybe the PG+ was designed with 250k pots in mind.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I think the tones achieved here are great, especially around 2:16.

 
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Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Yeah the PG+ came in the Fender Lone Star Strat, it's not in all of them though, they switched to Fender pickups at a certain point.
And I am pretty sure you would like the regular version better, wasn't the PG+ loaded with an Alnico5 bar? I know you like Alnico 2 a lot, so no doubt you would like the original better! ;-)

Yeah I think the + version was more spikey, with a little more output. I remember playing one of the early Lone Stars, and not liking the + for anything that I would play. For what passes for modern blues today, I am sure it would be fine.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Yeah I think the + version was more spikey, with a little more output. I remember playing one of the early Lone Stars, and not liking the + for anything that I would play. For what passes for modern blues today, I am sure it would be fine.

And IIRC, the increased output was made to keep up with the 59n on the Big Apple Strat.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Yeah I think the + version was more spikey, with a little more output. I remember playing one of the early Lone Stars, and not liking the + for anything that I would play. For what passes for modern blues today, I am sure it would be fine.
Yeah I never liked the PG Plus MORE than a stock PG. I would always take the PG instead.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I've never played a PG+.

How is the sound of a PG+ different from a 59b?

Would an 8.5K or 8.6K 59b, like some from the 1980's measure, be about the same?

I have a couple of 59b's from the 1980's that measure in that range.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

The PG in the bridge of a strat will be more than fine to mix with the single coils. I've recorded a few sessions with that pickup in my Ash bodied strat and it always delivers great tones for the rhythm tracks. Easily manipulative too.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?


Hi, which pots did you use?
I own a 2016 HSS Shawbucker Strat and changed the Shawbucker with ja regular Pearly Gates. So, the Shawbucker Strat has a dual pot 250k for the SCs, 500k for the HB. For me is the pearly Gates to bright... :-/
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

I've never played a PG+.

How is the sound of a PG+ different from a 59b?

Would an 8.5K or 8.6K 59b, like some from the 1980's measure, be about the same?

I have a couple of 59b's from the 1980's that measure in that range.

I have an early-80s 59B in a Les Paul, and a PG+ in a bubinga top Showmaster. I like both, though it's hard to compare the pickups accurately in detail since the guitars are so different.

Speaking in broad terms, I'd say the 59B has a little more depth & smoothness and the PG+ has more bite with a little more snarl in the mids. How much of the that is due to a Les Paul's thick body and the Showmaster's longer scale & trem bridge is difficult to say. I sure love that it's set-neck, though. I have three set neck Fenders: an Esquire Scorpion. a TuffDog Tele and this superStrat. All three are a bit livelier than all but one of my bolt-on Fenders.

Despite the brighter nature of the guitar it's in, I haven't found the PG+ to be harsh, though it might have a little more treble than a 59B. Paired with a 59N it sounds great in middle position.

I don't play the Showmaster much and have considered putting in something different at the bridge, not because I don't like the present pickups but just so I could try out the PG+ in an LP. Never got around to it though.
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

They sound great

But pretty oldschool. More southern rock than scandinavian death metal


Btw Fender DOES actively use a tweaked version of the PG, known as the PGP or PG+, for HSS strats, usually with various "Texan" branding
 
Re: HSS Stratocaster - Pearly Gates bridge?

Btw Fender DOES actively use a tweaked version of the PG, known as the PGP or PG+, for HSS strats, usually with various "Texan" branding

Yep, that's the one I was talking about in the previous post.
 
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