Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

appar111

New member
Putting together an alternate HH pickguard for my strat (it's currently a single humbucker) and wondered how these two would go together. Looking for something, big, ballsy and rockin', with a gritty warm sounding neck pickup sound.

My other alternate would be PGn and a Dimarzio PAF Pro at the bridge which would get me much cleaner more articulate sounds out of the bridge.

The middle position w/ both pickups on also intrigues me as to which combo would yield a more interesting tone.
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

A Super Distortion and a PAF-type are a classic combination.
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

Sounds like a killer combo.

That said, the Super Distortion in the neck slot is one of my favorite neck humbuckers ever.

Also, the Super 2 paired with a Super Distortion is also a killer combo.
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

I have never done that. However, I will absolutely positively guarantee it is!

I have had more than enough PGs and SuperD's to know.
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

Cool... I've had the Super D in a similar guitar before (alder, hardtail with maple neck & fretboard) so I know that one should rock. Never tried a PGn before though-- I wanted something rude and not all smooth and liquid for the neck position.

My other guitar (an EVH Wolfgang Special) has the stock Wolfgang neck pickup in it and it sure took some getting use to! I was planning on swapping it for something lower output/less bassy because that sucker is FAT! It's like someone stepped on a Fuzzface when switching to the neck position (especially after coming from the pre-36th Dimarzio PAF I put in the bridge), but I'm starting to like that! Just don't want that for this alder hartail strat..
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

I have that very combination in my Gibson Explorer. Sounds great to me.
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

I'm not generally a brand mixer. But yeah - A Super D and PG is probably better than a SuperD and a PAF, or 59!
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

i haven't done it, but i could see how that pair could really complement each other
it'd be worth putting some series/parallel switching on there too, IMO
 
Re: Pearly Gates neck + Super Distortion = good combo?

I have a super distortion and Paf 36th in an alder body floyd rose equipped superstrat. It is a fantastic combo for anything from blues, classic rock to 80s metal. I would imagine the PGn would also be good, but haven't tried it. The SD bridge is great for clean lead passages and is very well defined under gain. The paf36th has a juicy bluesy feel to it, doesn't get muddy and has great note clarity.
 
Putting together an alternate HH pickguard for my strat (it's currently a single humbucker) and wondered how these two would go together. Looking for something, big, ballsy and rockin', with a gritty warm sounding neck pickup sound.

My main guitar is a modified Washburn N1, loaded with the exact same set you mentioned, and I couldn't be more happy. At first, I found the set really weird since my guitar formerly had a 59/Custom Hybrid pup in bridge, which was bright AF. Certainly, both pups were very clear, articulated, and bright. I wanted something more aggressive yet vintage, so I decided to buy a Super D for my Washburn and what a change!! The bridge position lost some dynamics and high-end, but it gained a lot more low-end, punchy lower mids, and chug, perfect for classic hard rock and metal. As I mentioned, I found the change a bit disturbing, but over time I learned to love that mismatch. Actually, I think both pickups complement each other pretty well: while the Super D offers aggressive riffing and face melting soloing, and surprisingly decent cleans, the PG neck offers a nice, warm, and clear full sound, perfect for playing clean chords and for fast runs when the overdrive is crancked up, and when combined, you get a great kinda bell sound, almost like Eric Clapton´s woman tone.

I would only say: go ahead and try! Maybe you will love the combination.
 
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