Pearly Gates Plus vs 59

[Ronnie_Snow]

I have just put a Pearly Gates in a Les Paul. I have a 59 Bridge in another Les Paul. I love the extra clarity with the Pearly Gates but I really miss the Alnico 5 thud from the 59. And I thought there would have been more treble from the Pearly Gates compared to the 59 but not as much as expected. I have done so many magnet swaps lately, I'm trying to avoid another so regarding the two...

How similar are the winds on the Pearly Gates and 59? Outputs are very close...

Will the Alnico 5 in the Pearly Gates (Pearly Gates Plus) make it how similar to a 59? I want to keep that extra clarity from the PG but will I lose that with an Alnico 5 magnet?

Cheers friends

 

[jeremy]

the a5 in the pg will push it closer to the 59 but itll still be different, give it a try

 

[Mincer]

The A5 is only one of the differences. The Plus has more wire around there, too. I always thought the PG/PG+ has more treble and less bass than a 59.

 

[elelpe]

Putting A5 into PG doesn't make it PG+. But I believe doing so would get you in the ballpark. And then some. PG with A5 would have less mid than PG+ that has more turns in its winding. I'd say PG+ is '59 with attitude.

 

[Ronnie_Snow]

The A5 is only one of the differences. The Plus has more wire around there, too. I always thought the PG/PG+ has more treble and less bass than a 59.

That's about right with the treble and bass. How similar are the winds between a standard Pearly Gates and a 59?

I'm chasing something maybe a little hotter than a Pearly Gates plus which is 8.65k but around 9k. Does that exist?

 

[elelpe]

WLH is around 8.8k. More low end with attenuated high than PG+. Less clarity too. And there's Brobucker.

 

[Mincer]

Yes, the closest might be the Whole Lotta Humbucker set.

 

[beaubrummels]

+1 on WLH as an improved 59 or softened Pearly Gates.

IME Pearly Gates should be brighter than both. If it's not, it could be the guitar itself and mag swaps alone won't change that.

 

[Clint 55]

Can you peeps not hear that the PGs are wound with the tone character of a strat while the 59s are wound with the tone character of a Gibson?

 

[Artie]

Can you peeps not hear that the PGs are wound with the tone character of a strat . . .

I don't hear that at all. I hear PG's as an "in-yur-face" Les Paul. I don't hear Strat in there anywhere. YMMV.

 

[Clint 55]

WAT

 

[jeremy]

i hear the 59 as brighter and scooped with a bigger, tighter bottom than the stock pg which has a bigger upper mid peak which some people hear as "brightness" similar to how some people say the jb is bright. the shape of the eq curve for the pg and jb seems similar to me in some ways.

pgs wound with the character of a strat, 59s wound with the character of a lp? WAT?!?!? pearly gates = les paul. or '39 packard

 

[Lewguitar]

The PG+ was voiced for the bridge position of a Fender Lonestar Strat. Wasn't designed for Les Pauls, although it might sound fine in one.

 

[jeremy]

the pg+ was "designed" for a strat bridge yes. few more turns and the a5 magnet per fenders request for a pup that matched the texas specials. ive never liked the pg+ very much. ive been careful to say pg, not pg+ in my posts

 

[Artie]

Sorry. My comment was about the PG. I don't know about the PG+.

 

[elelpe]

The PG+ was voiced for the bridge position of a Fender Lonestar Strat. Wasn't designed for Les Pauls, although it might sound fine in one.

It's still a PAF voiced pickup. It does sound fine in my LP. Output wise, it sits between '59 and WLH. Personally I prefer it than both of them. It opens up inherently warming sounding LP with its raunchiness and edginess. And it has adequate low end compared to regular PG.

Now if the OP wants boosted '59, WLH would be a better option than regular PG with A5.

 

[Mincer]

The PG+ has a lot of fans out there. To me, I think the 59/Custom Hybrid does the same thing better, though.

 

[Ronnie_Snow]

It's still a PAF voiced pickup. It does sound fine in my LP. Output wise, it sits between '59 and WLH. Personally I prefer it than both of them. It opens up inherently warming sounding LP with its raunchiness and edginess. And it has adequate low end compared to regular PG.

Now if the OP wants boosted '59, WLH would be a better option than regular PG with A5.

I want a boosted, louder Pearly Gates. I love the extra clarity the PG gives off compared to the 59...

 

[Artie]

I want a boosted, louder Pearly Gates.

Ahem . . .

 

[Clint 55]

I want a boosted, louder Pearly Gates.

Double thick magnet.