Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

[SunIsLoco]

I'm looking for a replacement for a Pearly Gates bridge in a Les Paul studio. The PGB sounds very harsh and ice picky in the bridge of this one, and I've been looking for something sweeter and smoother. I'll be pairing it with a Jazz neck, which I love.

I've narrowed it down to A2P, Slash or Seth Lover amd was wondering if anyone could describe the differences between them and/or recommend one over the other to pair with a Jazz. I play mostly clean and light drive bluesy leads but want something that can sound clear for crunchy rhythm as well.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

I think the Seth will take away the Ice Pick factor. The PG has an upper-mid spike to it.

However, for maximum smooth and sweet, an A2P would significantly up the butter & sugar factor.

As for matching with the Jazz - output-wise you will be fine.

 

[SunIsLoco]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Would the A2P or Slash get muddy at all, compared to the Seth? I like a bit of chime and sparkle, which the Seth seems ideal for, but if the A2P or Slash have that as well I would rather go as buttery and sweet as possible!

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

The APH and Slash do not have the same sparkle and chime that the Seth Lover has. The APH is smooth on top, but still has good crunch in the bridge. It fixes the issue you're having with the PG yet still gives you that A2 character that so many of us like in the bridge. Now the Slash bridge is something very cool; and I recently put one in a favorite guitar.

Let's describe the Slash like this... the WLH is like a 59', but with more of everything that makes the 59' good. The same can be said of the APH vs. the Slash. The Slash is a bit hotter without losing the character of the APH, a bit more crunchy without being too bright or crisp. It's just more of the good stuff. I've been so impressed with the Slash bridge.

With all of that said, if you don't play with a ton of gain, there isn't a bridge pickup I like better than the Seth Lover. It will handle gain up to hard rock levels, but it thrives in low to medium gain. The sparkle and chime along with the great crunch makes it special.

You really can't go wrong with any of your three choices. It's just a matter of which flavor you prefer. If you said you regularly played with medium to medium high (hard rock) levels of gain, I'd say the Slash is what you want. But since you play lower than that; Seth Lover.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

A2P and slash sets are described smooth all the time, but I find his actual bridge tone anything but... They are supposed to refer to his Derrick LP tones right? Harsh and flat. Neck does sound awesome though.

Where as Gibbons does have one of the biggest smoothes tones heard from said guitar...

What's the thing. Just so different rig otherwise?

 

[Karan D. Taktawala]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Having used the PG, A2P and A2P Slash.

I can tell you that if your finding the PG harsh, the A2P will add back the warmth you crave whilst dialing back the highs a bit

The Slash ones I feel are very different from the regular A2Ps. They are definitely more powerful but also carry more mid range than the standard. So if your experiencing ice pickiness it might not fit the bill as well as the regular A2P

Seths are brilliant overall and will let your guitars natural character through but the do have a bit of chime to them


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[LLL]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Start with an A2 magnet.

I'd go SH-55 (Seth Lover)

 

[Mincer]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

This is another vote for the Seth Lover here.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

i have and use the pg, seth, and aph. for smooth and and sweet you want the aph. i love the seth but you get the chime at the expense of sweet. the pg is terrific but the upper mids dont like some guitar/amp combinations. i havent tried the slash yet but what ive heard makes it seem brighter to me. do you have a cover on your pgb? i prefer mine that way sometimes

 

[Davii]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Going by the YouTube video, I think of the Seths as being quite sweet. Never managed to have the spare cash handy to try them out mind you. Slash bridge is worth trying, though I ended up going custom shop after a few years because I could never get the set to sit together well in terms of output.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

You need some chime? Then Seths

 

[Discharged]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

I'm looking for a replacement for a Pearly Gates bridge in a Les Paul studio. The PGB sounds very harsh and ice picky in the bridge of this one, and I've been looking for something sweeter and smoother. I'll be pairing it with a Jazz neck, which I love.

I've narrowed it down to A2P, Slash or Seth Lover amd was wondering if anyone could describe the differences between them and/or recommend one over the other to pair with a Jazz. I play mostly clean and light drive bluesy leads but want something that can sound clear for crunchy rhythm as well.

I've installed several dozens of PGbs in LPs and semis and unless the p'up's not properly setup, I've yet to experience what you're describing. Could you post some close-up pictures of that p'up to see if there's some not-so-obvious thing causing this? Take a DC reading of the p'up, does it clock near the 8.5K mark?
Get back to me and I'll try to help you out.

/Peter

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Vintage output in the bridge is very crisp and even harsh regardless of the voicing. If you want smoother bridge tone, you really have to go for higher output. A2 also helps.

 

[Diego]

Re: Need a smooth, sweet bridge HB

Vintage output in the bridge is very crisp and even harsh regardless of the voicing. If you want smoother bridge tone, you really have to go for higher output. A2 also helps.

I really agree with this. When you drop output below a certain amount, certain raw edges flare up and it's hard to get a smooth signal without some inherent compression or dropping your tone pot until it's borderline mud.

I'll still vote for an A2 Pro. The neck A2 Pro doesn't really sound that smooth in my Ibanez SZ. Spanky, sweet but warm as such? Hell no. But it might be the closest you'll get in the vintage output range. Warmest bridge humbucker I've ever tried was actually a Dimarzio Breed, but it's probably too hot for the OP and I'm not sure it was that good; too many years without playing one.