Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Ive been wanting to try a set of PG's since i think 1985. lol...no rush hey?
They currently reside in my 335. Really really good pickups. Vintage feel and sounds with the right amount of muscle in the right places and a forgiving feel.
There is a big contrast between the bridge and the neck pickups. The bridge has a really cool snarl in exactly the right frequency range. I find that i can roll use the tone control much more effectively now to dial in just the right amount of bite. The bridge is a nice contrast in that it is voiced deeper and warmer, so it accentuates the natural differences between the 2 positions. Clean or overdriven, these pickups "feel" good to play. I guess they are the kind of set that make you feel like you are a better player. They also sound great when using all the various nuances provided by using both volume and tone controls. For those who are interested im using 500k bourns pots all round and mojo paper/oil caps.
The 335 the PG's live in has had gibson 57's (stock), SD 59's and 59's with a2 magnets. I think the PG set is the best set yet. I am the kind of player who is always using the volume and tone knobs to get different sounds because i usually use single channel amps with either a well chosen fuzz or overdrive pedal - or nothing if the amp has its own dirt.
I have both pickups set almost flush with the mounts and this gives a cool spongy feel with plenty of natural string sustain.
Compared to Gibson 57s...Bridge: more meat in the lows, sweeter highs and a slightly higher and less prominent spike in the upper mids. The 57s always sounded both honky and muddy at the same time. The PG has more lows, a lot more detail and the resonant peak (or whatever it is) seems to be in just the right place. More detail and nuance by the bucketload. More grunt too.
Neck: no comparison. BIg sounding but balanced. Sweet and sustaining.The 57's sound constipated by comparison.
Compared to SD 59's: Both pickups: 59s have more low end, less mids and more treble, but to my ears the treble is too thin, and the mids too hollow. The pg's have less high end, but what is there is much more forgiving and useable, so i can dig in and get cool sounds. The mids push through in a much more muscular and warm manner. The lows are plenty fat enough- and i'm an addict for low end.
Compared to 59 A2's: The Pg's have somehow got more meat as well as more definition. I don't know how exactly. I generally like a warm, spongy pickup tone and ive enjoyed the 59 A2's, but the PG seems to have more life in it - a more clear harmonic presence, but plenty of sponge and forgiving feel. I find i can use the tone control at 10, but it still sounds great rolled back, whereas the 59s become too dark rolled back. The PG's even when dialed quite low seem to have the ability to grind and really get some drive - perhaps it is the harmonics coming through. Very forgiving, yet agressive sounding at the same time.
So...to sum it up: I can see why people like them. They are more or less exactly the sound and feel i've been looking for. I've jumped the fence and the grass is most definitely greener over here.
They currently reside in my 335. Really really good pickups. Vintage feel and sounds with the right amount of muscle in the right places and a forgiving feel.
There is a big contrast between the bridge and the neck pickups. The bridge has a really cool snarl in exactly the right frequency range. I find that i can roll use the tone control much more effectively now to dial in just the right amount of bite. The bridge is a nice contrast in that it is voiced deeper and warmer, so it accentuates the natural differences between the 2 positions. Clean or overdriven, these pickups "feel" good to play. I guess they are the kind of set that make you feel like you are a better player. They also sound great when using all the various nuances provided by using both volume and tone controls. For those who are interested im using 500k bourns pots all round and mojo paper/oil caps.
The 335 the PG's live in has had gibson 57's (stock), SD 59's and 59's with a2 magnets. I think the PG set is the best set yet. I am the kind of player who is always using the volume and tone knobs to get different sounds because i usually use single channel amps with either a well chosen fuzz or overdrive pedal - or nothing if the amp has its own dirt.
I have both pickups set almost flush with the mounts and this gives a cool spongy feel with plenty of natural string sustain.
Compared to Gibson 57s...Bridge: more meat in the lows, sweeter highs and a slightly higher and less prominent spike in the upper mids. The 57s always sounded both honky and muddy at the same time. The PG has more lows, a lot more detail and the resonant peak (or whatever it is) seems to be in just the right place. More detail and nuance by the bucketload. More grunt too.
Neck: no comparison. BIg sounding but balanced. Sweet and sustaining.The 57's sound constipated by comparison.
Compared to SD 59's: Both pickups: 59s have more low end, less mids and more treble, but to my ears the treble is too thin, and the mids too hollow. The pg's have less high end, but what is there is much more forgiving and useable, so i can dig in and get cool sounds. The mids push through in a much more muscular and warm manner. The lows are plenty fat enough- and i'm an addict for low end.
Compared to 59 A2's: The Pg's have somehow got more meat as well as more definition. I don't know how exactly. I generally like a warm, spongy pickup tone and ive enjoyed the 59 A2's, but the PG seems to have more life in it - a more clear harmonic presence, but plenty of sponge and forgiving feel. I find i can use the tone control at 10, but it still sounds great rolled back, whereas the 59s become too dark rolled back. The PG's even when dialed quite low seem to have the ability to grind and really get some drive - perhaps it is the harmonics coming through. Very forgiving, yet agressive sounding at the same time.
So...to sum it up: I can see why people like them. They are more or less exactly the sound and feel i've been looking for. I've jumped the fence and the grass is most definitely greener over here.
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I'm a fan of the '59 too!
