Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

[vashondan]

I was all set to order a set of PG's and a knowlegeable friend suggested that If I didn't want too much treble that I should get them nickel covered which adds potting and the nickel to subdue some of that. He also seemed to think that in general the PG's are bright and not very warm sounding. Now I'm confused. I think I only heard one sample that sounded treble to me but this friend usually knows what he's talking about. I've already ordered without covers but can change that.

He also offered Rolling Mill pickups as an option. They sound pretty warm in comparison.

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

If you're worried about brightness check out the alnico 2 pros. From what I understand they're similar in the moderate output region but have less top end bite. Pearly gates have some "sizzle" in the sound - think zz top. I'm not sure if covers will help too much, but someone else here will!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

The PG bridge is bright, but not excessively so. It has high end bite like a P90, but with PAF style mids and a vintage/loose low end. I like it for a lot of styles. It's probably the twangiest oF the SD humbuckers.

 

[toneseeker74]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

I had a Pearly Gates Plus in the bridge of my SG and a regular Pearly Gates neck model in the neck position. The PG+ was pretty bright and twangy when clean. I would expect that a regular Pearly Gates bridge model would reduce the highs a little and fill the mids in a bit. With that said, I still liked the PG+ because I could get a snappy clean tone or a raunchy overdriven tone.
The PG neck model, by contrast, is less bright than my Seth Lovers. It has a warm yet clear sound. A very nice complement to the bridge pickup, adding a lot of color versatility in the middle position. And it sounds great on its own for overdriven leads.
In a nutshell, get them. They sound great.

 

[vashondan]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Thanks Guys!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

PGB's are bright & thin, PGN's are warm and fat. If you like a big difference in EQ between bridge and neck PU's, this is a good PAF set.

If you're like me & like bridge and neck PU EQ's to be closer to each other, than you'll like Seth's and A2P's. The bridges are fuller and a little warmer, and the necks have a little more high end.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

I wouldn't really say the bridge is thin - it's not thick like a Super Distortion or Tone Zone, but you can get huge sounds with it if you want to. It's just sharper than most humbuckers and cutting. It works great in a multiple-guitar mix, with a lot of focus in a part of the EQ spectrum (the upper mids and treble).

I use the Pearly Gates with a black nickel cover, just for the record. I've never tried it uncovered, because I just prefer the look and shielding that a cover provides.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

I'm inclined to think that the PG bridge isn't so easily described as treble-y or thin. Likewise, the neck isn't overly dark or muffled.

What the PG set has is a very "peaked midrange"... this extra midrange resonance in the 2000Hz-5000Hz band gives the pickup it's edge and ability to cut through a mix.

Yes, 2000Hz-5000Hz are not "highs" they are midrange/upper midrange. These peaked upper mids are only engaged with harder picking attacks. When picking softly, that extra peaked resonance is subdued.

Those peaked midrange frequencies impart extra touch sensitivity, articulation and definition.

That's all good and well but the BEAUTY of the Pearly Gates set is it's MIDDLE position. The bridge and neck are carefully calibrated to yield a gorgeous almost strat-like sound when combined.

That "peaked midrange" is absolutely responsible for that incredible middle position sound of the PG set. It's a throwback to the early PAFs that had single coil like qualities and behaved almost like a P90 as far as upper level detail and touch sensitivity/expressiveness was concerned.

Yes Billy Gibbons used all manner of guitars especially teles and strats, but a lot of the early (1st 5 albums) sounds we think are strats are really the middle position of Pearly.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

That's all good and well but the BEAUTY of the Pearly Gates set is it's MIDDLE position. The bridge and neck are carefully calibrated to yield a gorgeous almost strat-like sound when combined.

Depends on your approach. I want both my PU's to have the tones I really want, individually. It's a bonus if the middle position sounds good too, but that's not the priority for me. Besides, there's a million Strats out there and most players have one or more; not like you need a twin HB guitar to also sound like your Strat.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Depends on your approach. I want both my PU's to have the tones I really want, individually. It's a bonus if the middle position sounds good too, but that's not the priority for me. Besides, there's a million Strats out there and most players have one or more; not like you need a twin HB guitar to also sound like your Strat.

To me it's not as simple as having a 2HB guitar sound like a strat in the middle position... it's much more sonically complex than that.

You get strat-like tones on certain notes and with certain dynamics.

There is the low end and sort of compressed yet powerful sonic signature of a humbucker but you also get a bonus of the delicate vocal like upper midrange of single coil pickups (layered on top).

I definitely have the best results with the Pearly Gates in a lower gain rig... the more touch sensitive the rig the more the PG set can shine (I also keep them a bit lower in the ring than I would any other pickup).

My first few run ins with the PG set were not positive I have to admit.

I however, about a year ago, changed my practice rig and started using different amps to record than I normally did (I'm using Marshalls less and less these days). It was a big sonic overhaul with an emphasis on sweetness and touch sensitivity over "juice" and power. Practicing with less gain made me sound horrible for about a few months. I was gradually able to bring my hand and finger strength back up to be able to play the stuff I use to play with more gain with the new lower gain rig(s).

So then I tried the Pearly Gates set again and actually fell in love with the set this time around. The new set-up was just the right vehicle for the PG set to become quite enjoyable and inspiring. The new experience I had just totally changed how I feel about the set.

I guess my playing improved a bit too, so that probably tilts my subjective experience a bit... but I'm a total believer in the PG set now. I took a more jazz/blues approach to the PG set (instead of a strict rock and roll direction) and that might have influenced my newfound appreciation for the set as well.

 

[vashondan]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Fascinating. So many ways to describe this stuff. Great conversation. I'm rather thin on pickup comprehension so it's great to read everyone's experiences.

Guess I'll have to wait and see what they sound like in my PRS.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

All pearly gates are potted, so you can ignore the thing your friend told you about the nickel covers being necessary for potting.
The pearly gates neck model is one of the warmest, sweetest pickups out there.
The bridge on the other hand leans more towards the treble....but that is humbucker treble, not single coil treble which means its never going to be ear piercing. Add to the that the fact that is wound slightly hotter than most vintage pafs, and the sound moves a little more toward the midrange. So you have a slightly overwound humbucker...not a recipe for too bright. Add to that the fact that it is an alnico 2 pickup at its heart and again, any chance of piercing shrillness is attenuated by the softer magnet.
Seymour reverse engineered the pickups on billy gibbons number one les paul to make this set. I don't think anyone has ever accused the zz top guitarist as sounding too bright or shrill.
All in all this is a diverse pickup set, with a deep warm neck and a funky twangy and biting bridge pickup. As far as brightness goes, i reckon you can get pretty much any alnico 5 based pickup and find more treble in one of those. The biting, stinging high end of the PG bridge is pretty far down on the frequency spectrum compared to more modern sounding pickups. It is a ton of fun and where it does bite is in the exact frequencies that really make a marshall amp crunch. Vintage twang from a humbucker? Hell yes. too Bright bright and not warm? Never. Think of the PG bridge as a paf that is heading towards gretsch territory.
I'd say get them. Covers on or covers off is up to you. I dont think your friend is the expert he is claiming to be.

 

[htwheelz67]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

I've found if the PG is too bright, try 300k pots and 50's wiring. I like it bright though,

 

[vashondan]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

All pearly gates are potted, so you can ignore the thing your friend told you about the nickel covers being necessary for potting.
The pearly gates neck model is one of the warmest, sweetest pickups out there.
The bridge on the other hand leans more towards the treble....but that is humbucker treble, not single coil treble which means its never going to be ear piercing. Add to the that the fact that is wound slightly hotter than most vintage pafs, and the sound moves a little more toward the midrange. So you have a slightly overwound humbucker...not a recipe for too bright. Add to that the fact that it is an alnico 2 pickup at its heart and again, any chance of piercing shrillness is attenuated by the softer magnet.
Seymour reverse engineered the pickups on billy gibbons number one les paul to make this set. I don't think anyone has ever accused the zz top guitarist as sounding too bright or shrill.
All in all this is a diverse pickup set, with a deep warm neck and a funky twangy and biting bridge pickup. As far as brightness goes, i reckon you can get pretty much any alnico 5 based pickup and find more treble in one of those. The biting, stinging high end of the PG bridge is pretty far down on the frequency spectrum compared to more modern sounding pickups. It is a ton of fun and where it does bite is in the exact frequencies that really make a marshall amp crunch. Vintage twang from a humbucker? Hell yes. too Bright bright and not warm? Never. Think of the PG bridge as a paf that is heading towards gretsch territory.
I'd say get them. Covers on or covers off is up to you. I dont think your friend is the expert he is claiming to be.

Thanks Gibson, good to know about the potting and I appreciate your sound descriptions. Very consistent with a few others that I've heard. Well, they arrive today so looking forward to actually getting them in and hearing first hand.

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

And just remember, you can always turn your tone down

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

I've found if the PG is too bright, try 300k pots and 50's wiring. I like it bright though,

My advise for sure. I didn't like PGb with 500k pots, and the PGs are my favorite pickups.

 

[Synapsys]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

From the few clips I heard on YT, the PGb sounds a bit thin for my taste, but it doesn't come acrossa as overly bright. On the other hand, the PGn sounds fantastic to me, creamy it defined with gain, and I loved so much how the clean sound is so rich and detailed that my next pickups, to be installed on a PRS SE Custom 24, will be a Custom trembucker for the bridge and a PGn for the neck.

 

[DreX]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Pearly Gates tone is hard to describe, it's response seems kind of lumpy. It can seem to be more one thing or another depending on how you attack the strings. It never sounds as balanced as most other PAFs, so it can be tough to use for cleans, feeling like you have to constantly negotiate with them to get a good even sound, but on the flip side they have a lot of character under gain, so that tendency to be all over the map then becomes it's strength.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Pearly Gates tone is hard to describe, it's response seems kind of lumpy. It can seem to be more one thing or another depending on how you attack the strings. It never sounds as balanced as most other PAFs, so it can be tough to use for cleans, feeling like you have to constantly negotiate with them to get a good even sound, but on the flip side they have a lot of character under gain, so that tendency to be all over the map then becomes it's strength.

I'm going to agree 100% with this.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Pearly Gates Overly Bright?

Personally, I've always thought that the Pearly Gates had more of a "presence" to it that being a trebly pickup. Take that for what it's worth.