need pickups for my les paul

Re: need pickups for my les paul

Pearly Gates set. Have that in my #1 LP. Awesome sound. Nails classic rock. Turn the gain up, and you have metal. As a matter of fact, Godsmack uses the PG in their LP's to get that rediculous over-gained/scooped sound.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

yeah, i think i'll just go ahead and give a pearly gates set a try. a zebra set should look sweet against the wine red finish of my les paul.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

my only concern is that the PG bridge will be too bright.

I agree, only because its a Classic I had a 1995 Classic and for some reason maybe because I heard they lightend the wood up in this guitar compared to a standard, but I feel this guitar needs a FAT sounding bridge pickup! I tried the screamin deamon and burst buckers and none did the trick for me.

I say CC for that guitar.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

I wonder if we are being helpful or just confusing the &^%^ outta this guy as we tweek around classic PAF land....
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

There's no tweeking around !
Get a Custom or custom 5 for the bridge and forget about the PG, keep it for the neck.

The pearly gates was designed for brighter instruments, and is low output.
This is obviousely NOT what you described

I don't see how a low output pickup that was originally designed for Stratocasters could give an AC/DC or GNR vibe on a Les paul, that's a dark and warn instrument...

I'm just pasting the product description for the Custom 5:
"the Custom 5’s tone is more vintage, with less distortion, but it’s still very strong and powerful. Clean sounds are rich and full with enhanced presence (...) for real-deal P.A.F. tones (...) Works especially well
with rosewood fingerboards.(...)used by Paul Stanley / KISS"


So do me a favor and foreget about the Pearly gates for the bridge, it's definitely NOT what you're looking for.
It's was designed with FENDER in mind and can be found on the official FENDER catalog.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

Orange, you lie everyone says they rule in a les paul and on the seymour product info it says "Originally designed as a recreation of the pickups in the ’59 Les Paul® Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues-rock." I also read a review on musicians friend about a fender with PG pickups and said they didnt like it in that guitar.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

There's no tweeking around !
Get a Custom or custom 5 for the bridge and forget about the PG, keep it for the neck.


I agree totally but, it aint our money bro! :)
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

A Pearly Gates set is a great place to start. The PG neck is really hard to beat and if you need a little more output and less bite in the bridge I would go to a Custom Custom.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

OK guys, don't get me wrong, the PG IS a great pickup for the classic tone that's fine by me, (amd i'm not "lying", please...) - If you play Gov't mule or Zapa it's probably good.
But not for GNR, AC / DC, Kiss, Led Zep, Aerosmith etc...

Now, it's fun to try pickups, so i totally agree if you feel like trying it, i would do the same thing if i were you.

Like ratkent said it's a great place to start: means you'll probably start with that and then change the bridge pup...
So what ? that's what we do all day long here on the SD forum ^^
 
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Re: need pickups for my les paul

The pearly gates was designed for brighter instruments, and is low output.
It's definitely lower output, and may not be the better pickup for War Pig, but I just have to wonder how much brighter Billy Gibbons' LP is going to be than War Pigs'. No doubt Pearly is going to sound a little different, but enough to make that statement?
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

It's definitely lower output, and may not be the better pickup for War Pig, but I just have to wonder how much brighter Billy Gibbons' LP is going to be than War Pigs'. No doubt Pearly is going to sound a little different, but enough to make that statement?

I totallly agree with you, but we're talking about AC / DC and GNR
the PG is awesome, but it's better, IMO, for blues or vintage stuff...
...like ZZ top, Gov't Mule, or Cream ^^
Texas sound > ZZ top....

I think Gibbons plays on a gretsch BTW

Any way let's stop debating about this, i think War Pig got the picture already.
Choose either one, the PG or the Custom, both are cheap, you can't really go wrong.
Then compare both. It's half of the fun of buyig new pickups...
 
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Re: need pickups for my les paul

I totallly agree with you, but we're talking about AC / DC and GNR
the PG is awesome, but it's better, IMO, for blues or vintage stuff...
...like ZZ top, Gov't Mule, Early Led Zep or Cream ^^

I think Gibbons plays on a gretsch BTW
The Pearly Gates is named after Gibbons' Les Paul. ;)


I'm not trying to argue with you about what he needs to get, just curious as to why you would say the pickup was designed for brighter guitars. You may be right about what he needs.
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

I totallly agree with you, but we're talking about AC / DC and GNR
the PG is awesome, but it's better, IMO, for blues or vintage stuff...
...like ZZ top, Gov't Mule, or Cream ^^
Texas sound > ZZ top....

I think Gibbons plays on a gretsch BTW

Any way let's stop debating about this, i think War Pig got the picture already.
Choose either one, the PG or the Custom, both are cheap, you can't really go wrong.
Then compare both. It's half of the fun of buyig new pickups...

Billy has played through TONS of amps with TONS of guitars....but in the end it is all about Pearly Gates his 1959 LP. That's the pup's namesake. Although they read lower DC Resistance-wise that's not the whole story on output.

In any case I agree comparing is half the fun!

Luke
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

Ok, didn't know about Gibbons LP....

Orange, you lie everyone says they rule in a les paul and on the seymour product info it says "Originally designed as a recreation of the pickups in the ’59 Les Paul® Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues-rock." I also read a review on musicians friend about a fender with PG pickups and said they didnt like it in that guitar.

Oh no, i'm not lying, Look:
0992135000_xl.jpg

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992135000

We collaborated with Seymour Duncan® on this specially designed humbucking pickup which is used on our new American "Fat Strat®" and "Double Fat" Stratocasters®. Made to accommodate the string spacing of American Series and Vintage instruments, the sound is fat and full, with balanced out put
that works well with single coil equipped instruments. We also included 4-conductor wiring to allow for a variety of switching options to increase your tonal possibilities (see 5-way Super Strat Switch in "Hardware"). Get a little slice of heaven with the Pearly Gates Plus!
 
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Re: need pickups for my les paul

The Pearly Gates Plus is actually as different from a Pearly Gates as a Custom Custom is from a Custom 5.

Luke
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

:smack:

OK so this was actually a different pickup..................


:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :

Ok so i learned something today. I guess the + is a pickup that is supposed to make a strat sound like Gibbbons then ?
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

this is going to sound crazy, but i dug out the '59 set that i've had stored away since i took them out of my 335 to put a set of seths in. the '59's sound PERFECT in my les paul. they sound as perfect as the seths do in my 335. weird cause i HATED them in my 335. thanks to everyone for all of the help. BTW, PAF output pickups can do GNR, aerosmith, and ac/dc easily.
 
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Re: need pickups for my les paul

:smack:

OK so this was actually a different pickup..................


:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :

Ok so i learned something today. I guess the + is a pickup that is supposed to make a strat sound like Gibbbons then ?

No no not at all. Fender (from my understanding) wanted something that would balance well with the Texas specials on the Lone Star Strat. For whatever reason they passed over the 59B and decided to put an A5 magnet in a Pearly Gates. I think the PG+'s also have the consistently hotter winds of the +/- 5% tolerance that the pups are able to have and still be "correct".

I had the 59n/PGb combo in my double fat strat I thought the 250k pots needed replacing because it sounded muffled. The 500Ks were a bit bright, but I think a 350K pot (if you could get them) would work really well with a PG+ and a strat.

Luke
 
Re: need pickups for my les paul

Ok, didn't know about Gibbons LP....
Dude...you need to chill. That is blasphemy. And if you are French, it's only going to go worse for you....

A PG was MADE to recreate the sound of one of the holiest of holies in LP tone. And if you can't play AC/DC with it you need to get off the board and practice!!!!

Are you really French?
 
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