pearly gates bright?

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mapletop1

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i just bought a fender telecaster fmt hh 2 humbuckers,neck 59' bridge pearly gates body is mahogany fretboard rosewood.and the pg to me is bright.59 is nice has a thick sound i like when i go to the bridge just doesnt has balls ive adjusted the pickup height doesnt help.plus when i put it in the middle pos still sounds thin to me.what would be a better fit for me?ive seen ppl talk about custom custom i dont know anything about that
 
The PGb has a spike in the upper mids, but isn't really any brighter than the other Duncan PAF class pickups like the 59 l, APHb, or Seth Lover.

In other words, if you think the PGb is bright, I'd stay away from all the other Duncan PAF's in the bridge.

The CC is darker than the PGb, and is also louder. It's one of my favorite pickups, but it IS a very specific tone.

What tones are you chasing with this guitar?
 
The PG sounds pretty bright to me, although in mahogany, it might be OK. If you are looking at more balls in the bridge, you might just need a higher output. A 59/Custom Hybrid might work well here. A Custom Custom is a thicker, higher output pickup, but the Hybrid has about the same EQ as the 59 you have.
 
Thick?

Get an A2P Bass, Mids, not too much treble and smooth
In middle position, it will add mids to the 59 neck
 
the aph1b is warmer than the pgb for sure but the output is about the same. the cc is warm and fuller sounding and might be more to your liking if you want a smooth bridge tone
 
CC would do it. Whole Lotta Humbucker or JB/A2 would also be stellar in a mahogany tele to solve the stated problems. Even a Slash bridge would remedy some of the problems.
 
If you don't want something hotter and the sole issue is the bridge being too bright, consider wiring the tone control to affect bridge pickup only, rather than both. Bridge-only tone wiring is a common and simple mod for singlecoil Teles; it'd be just as useful on an HH model.

I'd say it's worth a try. PG bridge is a great pickup and you might be perfectly happy with it if you can take some of the the edge off without darkening your neck tone too.
 
i have a few guitars that only have three controls. i usually wire them up neck volume, bridge volume, bridge tone and once you get used to it, its very functional allowing lots of great tones
 
If you search the internet, there is quite a lot of info that says the "Custom Telecaster FMT HH" is fitted with the Pearly gates PLUS (PG+). Fender PG+ is not the same as the Pearly gates you buy from Duncan, because the Fender OE version has Alnico 5 magnet and a hotter wind.

My first suggestion is to raise the bridge pickup closer to the strings for a hotter tone fuller mids.
 
mapletop1 said:
i just bought a fender telecaster fmt hh 2 humbuckers,neck 59' bridge pearly gates body is mahogany fretboard rosewood.and the pg to me is bright.59 is nice has a thick sound i like when i go to the bridge just doesnt has balls ive adjusted the pickup height doesnt help.plus when i put it in the middle pos still sounds thin to me.what would be a better fit for me?ive seen ppl talk about custom custom i dont know anything about that
Click to expand...

If you wanna go the custom shop route then try the brobucker. It may be great in that FMT telecaster. If not, try the alnico 2 pro or the custom custom.
 
gsammo79 said:
If you wanna go the custom shop route then try the brobucker. It may be great in that FMT telecaster. If not, try the alnico 2 pro or the custom custom.
Click to expand...

If we're going custom shop, I'd get a S Deco V. *Fantastic* sounding pickup.
 
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Might want to look hard at a Perpetual Burn in the bridge. Have 2 in play right now and really like the pickup. the Hybrid or a CC would also be decent choices and have all 3 in play in different guitars. The PB is a very sweet pickup not as rude as the hybrid and a lot more balanced and articulate than a CC. Have a PB in my Purple quit Carvin DC 127 with a jazz neck (The perfect guitar for a PB &J pickup combo LOL) and really like that set up. I suspect it would;work very well with the 59 in output and tonally also. Also the PB has a very good split tone.
 
PG Plus is a great pickup in its own right; hotter than regular PG with a few hundred extra turns of wire, yet just as bright thanks to an A5 mag.
I have two of these. Had no idea they were still being made; I though Fender severed its partnership with Duncan years ago.

PG+ likes a 250K volume pot. You can even jumper a 470K resistor across the lugs and use the original 500K pot.
Alternatively, it also nicely an unoriented A5 mag very nicely.
 
eclecticsynergy said:
PG Plus is a great pickup in its own right; hotter than regular PG with a few hundred extra turns of wire, yet just as bright thanks to an A5 mag.
I have two of these. Had no idea they were still being made; I though Fender severed its partnership with Duncan years ago.

PG+ likes a 250K volume pot. You can even jumper a 470K resistor across the lugs and use the original 500K pot.
Alternatively, it also nicely an unoriented A5 mag very nicely.
Click to expand...

I like the PG+ with 500k pots and a duncan cover in a Les Paul paired with a Pearly Gates at the neck. Nice and present, but still very solid sounding.
 
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