Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

lazyfinger

lazyfinger

Member
Years ago when I joined this forum and was an active member, I was crazy about chasing tone by changing pickups. Between 3 guitars, I think I tried most of the popular pickups from Duncan, Dimarzio, and a few from Bill Lawrence. Not only have I tried changing capacitors and pots, but I've tried most of the mag swaps and hybrid coils. Then I put the pickup obsession in the back burner for years. A week ago when I wasn't happy with the high output of the bridge pickup in my LP copy, I went back and forth again. Then settled on 80's JBJ, and thought that was it. But just for kicks, I put the Pearly Gates Plus back in the guitar, not expecting the low output and glassy treble to wow me. But DAMN! The guitar found it's mojo again. It's so damn expressive. What I also noticed is that, I could get the PGP to sound kind of like JB by tweaking the amp and guitar controls, but could never get the JB to sound like a PGP. This pickup to me covers almost all genres and then some. On top of it, it's lively characteristics isn't duplicated easily by higher output pickups. I love it!! To pair with the PGP, I have Seth/59 hybrid in the neck.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

for just about any sorta rock - blues PGs in a pre weight relief LP are truly incredible....like they were meant to be....weight relief LP...don't know...
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

try flipping the magnet in the neck and add push pulls or a "freeway switch" can add some new quacky Les Paul tones.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

I have one right here. Says "PGP" right on it. Is that the one?
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

Yes Ben, your PGP is the Pearly Gates Plus. It's not just a PG with an A5 magnet. Evan told us repeatedly that if we wanted to get the closest thing to a PGP in the regular SD line, the 59' was it.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

Thanks Jeff. I was torn between using the PGP or the 59/Custom in my next project.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

I had one from a 90ies Lone Star Strat. Kinda cool with the Texas Special Singles in the middle and neck. Just for giggles i put i in my 82 Les Paul. They did not match up with Gibson Shaw neck. Much too bright and not enough growl in the Bridge.
My personal Pearly Gates Super Plus is a standard PG bridge with a A8 - more balls and less highs.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

hamerfan said:
I had one from a 90ies Lone Star Strat. Kinda cool with the Texas Special Singles in the middle and neck. Just for giggles i put i in my 82 Les Paul. They did not match up with Gibson Shaw neck. Much too bright and not enough growl in the Bridge.
My personal Pearly Gates Super Plus is a standard PG bridge with a A8 - more balls and less highs.
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I have it in a LP copy, and it's true that it's bright in a way that it has no mud. It's the anti-mud PAF/humbucker, but not cold, sterile or Hi-Fi sounding. Just warm and sweet. And personally I can get some growl back by backing off the tone and volume pot, and increase the volume on amp. With this pickup, it's really easy to get Back in Black or Achilles Last Stand sort of tones. I may try the PGP on a Fender strat with SSL-2 in the neck.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

eclecticsynergy said:
Great pickup. I've always wanted to get another one and try it in a Les Paul.
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Great pickup in my LP (with '59n) and HH tele (with Phat Cat, great pair). I don't find it excessively bright (and I'm not a fan of '59 bridge). And yes, it is expressive and versatile. My current favorite (affordable) PAF.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

I had a 2001 Fender USA hardtail Double Fat Strat with the PGP and '59 and loved the sounds I got out of it with its five-way switch.

The PGP has an A5 magnet and is slightly brighter with a tiny bit more gain than the regular PG. Duncan always said the closest pickup to it was the '59.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

They were only made as OEM pickups for Fender, right? So in order to get one, you need to buy it used, pulled from a Fender Strat that came form the factory with one.

They are basically a slightly overwound PG Bridge, and they are always trem spaced. [Edit: That is incorrect; they are all regular spaced.]

I had one at some point. I think I ended up selling it, but it might still be around if I go digging.
 
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Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

ItsaBass said:
They were only made as OEM pickups for Fender, right? So in order to get one, you need to buy it used, pulled from a Fender Strat that came form the factory with one.

They are basically a slightly overwound PG Bridge, and they are always trem spaced.

I had one at some point. I think I ended up selling it, but it might still be around if I go digging.
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The PG+ was available from Fender as an aftermarket part and might still be as far as I know. I bought a couple of them that I still have to use in the future, they are still in a box of pickups and parts I have. I wonder how they would sound in an SG, I never thought to try one in my SG Standard. Has anyone tried that?. Do the wire colors follow the Duncan scheme or the Fender one?.
Al
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

I don't remember if my PGP was trem-spaced or not, it was a hardtail, but I believe all Fenders are F-spaced/Trem-spaced, anyway.
 
Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

Benjy_26 said:
My PGP isn't trem spaced at all.
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What is the pole spacing? Maybe the weird spacing thing I was remembering about them is that for some reason they *weren't* trem spaced, even though they were intended solely for Strats.

I also think they might use an A5 magnet, now that I think more about it.
 
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Re: Man I just love the Pearly Gates Plus

It's boosted. With A2 like regular PG, it would be too middy. So they decided to use A5.

Mine isn't trem spaced judging from the baseplate. Maybe it came from Fender FMT HH tele. I could be wrong though.
 
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