Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Axl H

Axl H

Blowthebloodydoorsoffologist
Hey,

I am rewiring my Epiphone Les Paul and need a new bridge pickup. I tried a lot of these and finally found a Epi that sounded good and played well.

The pickups suck though. I use the bridge pickup mainly so thats the first to go. I have the opportunity to swap some gear for either a Alnico II Pro or a Pearly Gates.

Basically I play in a covers band and need to cover a bit of territory. I like the tones of John Sykes, Mick Mars, Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore and Slash. My own sound is somewhere in between Billy and Gary Moores tone, but the stock pickup is muddy and doesn't have any kind of character.

It needs to be defined and clear, with a present bass, but not too much. I like a lot of mids.

I know the Alnico II Pro is great for my use, but I am very interested in the Pearly. What difference would I experience between the two? Does the PG handle high gain as well as the APH? And is the PG very raw or does it still have some smoothness?

Thanks bros :)
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Sounds like you'd like an A2P better, as it's warmer with more mids. Definitely my choice. PGB's surprise some people with how bright they are, because it's a contrast to how warm the neck model is.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

I do not hear the PGb as bright...at least no brighter than a typical PAF type sound.

However, like many PAF's it does have a upper midrange sort of cut to it that a lot of bedroom players seem to be bothered by. My guess is most of those guys don't have a clue what it's like to play live, in a real band, in a live setting and have to worry about fitting in a mix and still being able to be heard.

The Alnico II Pro is a very smooth, polite pickup and has a bit of almost single coil like chime on the top end but it will still get nasty if you want it.

I have used both PG's and A2P's but much prefer PG's...it's just a more familiar tone to my ears.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Thanks for the replies.

I have tried the PGB in a Strat once and it sounded great there, so I can hardly imagine it being brighter in a Les Paul.

The trouble I have is that the rhythm guitarist in the band uses a very distorted and almost muddy guitar sound, he always plays on the neck pickup, so his sound is very bass heavy and thick in the low mids. I boost my treble and mids so I cut through, so perhaps the PGs upper mid spark aint bad. As long as it is not shrill. I liked the A2P when I last triet it, but fear it might get too polite in the context of this band. Especially as we have some higher gain Clutch and Metallica songs. Its a tough choice, and I still cant wrap my head around what is right. Might just have to try the PGB in a les paul to see what is what.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

You should first start off by smacking the other guitar player upside the head.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

the guy who invented fire said:
However, like many PAF's it does have a upper midrange sort of cut to it that a lot of bedroom players seem to be bothered by. My guess is most of those guys don't have a clue what it's like to play live, in a real band, in a live setting and have to worry about fitting in a mix and still being able to be heard.
Click to expand...

That must be it. Few guys have logged in the stage time you have.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

I have an Epi LP that came with an Alnico II Pro set. The bridge pickup was smooth but in the end a little too 'nice'.

Put a Pearly Gates bridge in it and it got more attitude. Stayed in for about a year and I started getting tired of the pushed high-mids and treble.

Put a '59/Custom hybrid in with a UOA5 magnet. Along with a DiMarzio 35th Anniversary neck pup, that guitar is now outstanding. Great tones in every setting. Goes from clean to mean with just a volume adjust.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

If it was me I'd use the Slash Alnico 2 Pro set. Same attitude of the Pearly Gates but with more low end.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

scorch said:
I have an Epi LP that came with an Alnico II Pro set. The bridge pickup was smooth but in the end a little too 'nice'.

Put a Pearly Gates bridge in it and it got more attitude. Stayed in for about a year and I started getting tired of the pushed high-mids and treble.

Put a '59/Custom hybrid in with a UOA5 magnet. Along with a DiMarzio 35th Anniversary neck pup, that guitar is now outstanding. Great tones in every setting. Goes from clean to mean with just a volume adjust.
Click to expand...

This is funny because I had the opposite experience - I swapped out the pgb for a uoa5 59/custom and the low mids make it sound kind of obese to my ears - fatter but not in a good way. The pgb feels surprisingly hot and the way it's eq'd it just sounds amazing - I'm swapping it back in first chance I get.

I am thinking about making an A3 or a4 a2p/pgn hybrid though...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

The PG will be a spicier, dirtier pickup. It won't clean up as well as an A2P. With amp and technique changes, the A2P can get into PG territory more easily than a PG can get into A2P territory, so the A2P is the more versatile and dynamic pickup, the way I see it. That said, nothing sounds like a PG, and it is a great, great sound.

In the end, I'd get the A2P if you are a dynamic player (lots of right hand variation in order to control the guitar), and you like a lot of versatility. I'd get the PG if you are pretty straight-ahead dynamically (not a lot of change in the right hand in order to control the guitar), and you nearly always want a spicy, crunchy, overdriven sound.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

I feel the PG absolutely cleans up - however, it does not become a glassy, stratty clean.

It has a different fundamental/core tone than say either the A2P or the 59
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

The PG has assymetrical winding hence the upper-mid spike. And if you're playing lead or with a muddy sounding guitarist, PG will cut better

However, you could still have an APH in the neck for fluid neck leads and sweet cleans. Or a Jazz or 59 for brighter cleans.

I never use bridge pickup for cleans... Usually middle position or the neck. If you did want decent and glassy cleans, a split JB is pretty good for coil-tapping and its a great lead pickup, if you don't mind its high output character

Honestly, I don't care for either APH or PG haha. I never liked A2 magnets in the bridge...
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

marytakesadrag said:
The PG has assymetrical winding hence the upper-mid spike. And if you're playing lead or with a muddy sounding guitarist, PG will cut better

However, you could still have an APH in the neck for fluid neck leads and sweet cleans.
Click to expand...

Maybe that applies to the PGB, which is bright, but to my ears, PGN's are warmer than a A2PN. I prefer the A2P set as the bridge and neck are more similar in EQ (bridge is a little warmer, neck is a little brighter). PG's have a bigger difference between the two.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Hey guys,

I took all your advice into consideration and went with the PGb. First, I have already had the '59, A2P and A2P-Slash, so I figured I needed to try the PG. Second, from the clips I heard with it, it has that rude thing in the treble frequencies that I really like. Plus I found one in white, that I could trade some gear for. Sunburst+white pickups looks great :)

It sounds great, has that rude crunch to it, but cleans up nicely. It handles downtuning quite well.

And Jolly - I have considered that, but for the sake of the band, I wont do it ;) He is twice my size, so he could probably kick my ass too. I will just holler abuse at him. :) It is quite aggravating to constantly find ways to mix with that thick and muddy tone, but it gives it a nice depth to the sonic qualities of the band.

Thanks for all your advice :)
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Dude, if you have all of those and a PG, you can mix / match and tweak ANY guitar to a sweet sound. (see thread in my link)
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

Congrats on the PG! Glad you're liking it

blueman335 said:
Maybe that applies to the PGB, which is bright, but to my ears, PGN's are warmer than a A2PN. I prefer the A2P set as the bridge and neck are more similar in EQ (bridge is a little warmer, neck is a little brighter). PG's have a bigger difference between the two.
Click to expand...

That's interesting! I wouldn't have guessed that haha but good to know; I don't like sets that arent well calibrated.

That leaves me to wonder, what would be a good neck for PGb...
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

marytakesadrag said:
Congrats on the PG! Glad you're liking it

That's interesting! I wouldn't have guessed that haha but good to know; I don't like sets that arent well calibrated.

That leaves me to wonder, what would be a good neck for PGb...
Click to expand...

Calibration is in the ears of the beholder. Some players like a lot of difference between neck and bridge EQ, others don't.

For me, a better match for a PGB would be a PGN with a brighter magnet (UOA5, A3, A4, A5), or another HB that's brighter to begin with.
 
Re: Pearly Gates vs Alnico II Pro

The APH is very "sharp" and clear and doesn't fall apart under any form of gain.

The PG has a lot more push in the low mids.

I have come to like the APH more, especially if you really want to make a low F chord sound like a deep fryer making something really delicious. However, you might have to take additional measures to make sure it has enough warms to it and doesn't take off people's head.

The PG neck can be boomy, the APH neck can be boring. That's a whole another can of worms.
 
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