Pearly Gates and a JB?

[OandAkid1027]

Anyone here use this combo? - Im new and had never used Seymour Duncan p'ups ( always have been a gibson man! ) , however I'm thinking of putting soem SD p'ups in my 1960 Les Paul Re-Issue. I play mostly Led Zeppelin-esque and Queen type of music. I want to put a Pearly Gates in the neck and a JB in the bridge. What do you guys suggest? :saeek: I want some warm tones that can gimme some bite with the distortion knob dimed - not too much like an EMG or Invader. I also want to maintain the classic rock sound.

Like I said, what are your experiences with the Pearly Gates and the JB? ( I hear the JB is quite popular in the bridge ). Also another IMPORTANT thing, are both of those pickups 4-conductor? Any suggested pickups must be 4 conductor because I have the Jimmy Page series/parallel/coil tap/phase in/out wiring. :smack:

Any suggestions will be appreciatted. As for budget - unlimited, my music has no price for it to be the way I want it to be.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

I love the Pearly Gates in the neck of my Lester. It's fat, thick, but it still has great chime and is not boomy at all. It's the perfect pickup for a LP's neck slot (in my opinion).

As far as the bridge is concerned, I really didn't care for the JB in my LP. Lots of people swear by it in theirs, making me assume that you can get good tones out of it in a LP, but in mine the high mids were way too pronounced and there was not enough clarity for my tastes. I replaced it with a Pearly Gates in the bridge and am much, much happier with that set up. If you do need more beef from your bridge position than a PAF type pickup can give you, I would look at the Custom or the Custom 5.

Neither of these pickups is going to sound exactly like a PAF, but they'l get you closer to that sound than the JB wil. :burnout:

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

I too am a faithful PG user.

I have a set in a LTD Ec-1000 (mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard).

That guitar came stock with a JB/'59 set... The JB didn't really do it for me (but soooo many people here will defend it until they die, I'm sure it's a great pick-up for a lot of purposes, just not what I was looking for).

I'm really really happy with the tone I get with a PG/set in this guitar through my JCM800... The neck is warm and creamy while retaining clarity and the bridge is just really nice and crisp, while not being nasally or thin. When combined you just get the best of both worlds... The bridge is also very very versatile once you start playing with the tone knob a little...

I guess this would be a very nice combination and I'm sure a lot of people here will tell you it should sound great.

Enjoy!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

i use the pg set as well and love it. im assuming you want the jb for the extra output?

 

[BadJaxx]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

i have 2 Czech made Dean EVO Premiums which come stock with PGs....great pups, especially the neck....i find the bridge a bit bright but can roll off the tone a bit and get very nice crunch....
i'm gonna replace one set...probably with gold covered JB/59.....had a LP DC copy with a JB in the bridge and loved it...sold that axe and miss the JB...

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

I've used the PG bridge in the neck and it sounded nice and fat. I eventually turned it into a CC/PG hybrid for my bridge and it's probably my all-time favorite.:arms:

 

[OandAkid1027]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

yeah Jeremy, you are right. I was going to go with a PG and a PG, but i do want that little extra output out of my bridge humbucker.

 

[spidey]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

you may not need the extra output for the bridge - depends on the rest of your rig.
I use a PG set and with my amp I can go from vintage PAF blues, to ZZ Top, to Warren Haynes and even a Zakk Wylde kind of thing. Because they are potted you can crank the gain and the harmonics just rip out of it! If the sound you are going for is a Led Zep / Queen kind of thing, Jimmy and Brian weren't using high output pups. You might be surprised at just how cool the PG bridge is.
Let us know what you decide to do and how you get on!

 

[JeffB]

Re: Pearly Gates and a JB?

I don't care at all for the JB in a LP. Too much high mid spike/shrieky. Better in a non maple cap gibson like an SG/V/Explorer, etc

I really like the PG in the neck of a Les Paul but again, dont care for it in the bridge. That high end "sizzle" they (Duncan) speak of annoys me. Perhaps with darker voiced amps, or lower value pots it would be OK.

If you want the classic sounds you described, buy a pair of 59s.