Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

[erpece]

I was just skimming threads on this topic. I'd really appreciate a bit of your time to help me sort this one out:

I am basically a single coil player, i love the tone of my Strat and Tele (kinman Avn-60). I'm looking for a cross-over between a single-coil bridge pup and a humbucker bridge pup. I believe the SD Pearly Gates will basically do the trick, or should I go for PG Plus?

In a message from another thread, Evan Skopp mentioned that the Plus was designed for more output. Is there no other tonal difference? I will be using the bridge humbucker in combination with SD Duckbuckers, so I won't be looking for a super-hot humbucker.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

the two pups sound different, i much prefer the tone of the pearly gates than that of the pg+. the pg has more mids with a thicker character than the brighter pg+ which has a little more bottom end, less mids and more top end. either mixes well with single coils.

 

[ranalli]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

I heard the PG+ is a PG with an A5 magnet....I wonder how this pickup compares to the Full Shred??

Both are fairly bright with an A5 mag and not a ton of bottom end.

 

[erpece]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Thanks Jeremy and Ranalli. I think I read somewhere on this forum that the PG+ is not available for retail. It will only come installed in guitars. Bummer, because being a single coil freak, I reckon the PG+ may suit me better.

 

[ranalli]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

I think you can buy them from Fender I believe:

http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0992135000

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

The PG plus is also available from Allparts as a Fender Replacement pickup. The basic difference is as Jeremy said. Alnico 5 in the Plus and alnico 2 in the standard PG.

Most find the standard alnico 2 PG to have the more pleasing tone and we read quite a few comments here about the PG plus being brighter than desired. It's bright because it is designed to be a bridge humbucker to compliment bright alnico 5 single coil Strat pickups in the neck and middle positions.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

:laugh2: I am currently gutting my strat with a PG+ and 59 in favor of single coils! Talk about irony.

I am not a proponent, or opponent, or a PG+, I'll say that first. To my ears the pup is very good but not for a strat. I think it splits well and with the tone rolled down in full humbucking modeit sounds good with overdrive. Clean it sound fairly good as well. It has good bass, fair mids, and lots of treble. It cuts through well even. Mine shipped with 250k ohm pots with I thought made everything sound muffled or dark. With the 500ks it sounded bright. So I think in a strat it's going to be hit or miss. In a mahogany guitar...I think this pup would sound GREAT! To bridge your humbucker strat single gap you might want to look into a stag mag.

All that said. Curly, I think it was, had some clips of a CC in his strat I think it was on the old forum and we came to the conclusion that it sounded good for even CHIKIN PIKIN! So don't let output figures scare you either.

Luke

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

:laugh2: I am currently gutting my strat with a PG+ and 59 in favor of single coils! Talk about irony.

I think the PG + can be a good match with single coils...but I wouldn't use it with a neck 59 or any other neck humbucker. I'd use it only with a neck and middle single coil...its intended use. For my own self, I like the bridge 59B or 59TB for use with neck and middle single coils...it's bright enough! Lew

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

I think the PG + can be a good match with single coils...but I wouldn't use it with a neck 59 or any other neck humbucker. I'd use it only with a neck and middle single coil...its intended use. For my own self, I like the bridge 59B or 59TB for use with neck and middle single coils...it's bright enough! Lew

LEW!! Don't talk like that I might change my mind! :laugh2: the 59TB that is :13:

Luke

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

I think the PG + can be a good match with single coils...but I wouldn't use it with a neck 59 or any other neck humbucker. I'd use it only with a neck and middle single coil...its intended use. For my own self, I like the bridge 59B or 59TB for use with neck and middle single coils...it's bright enough! Lew

PG+ isn't that bright! It basically sounds like a 59b, but with slightly more uppermids (more PG). In fact, I've been using my 8.75K PG+ (that came stock in my lone star strat) in my LP with other buckers, like PGs, timbucker neck, ant neck, ...

I think a bright bridge bucker with a smoother and rounder a2 PAF neck mixes very well. In fact that is exactly why Jim Rolph sometimes insists on higher resistance buckers (a2) to go into the neck, and the weaker/brighter one into the bridge. I know that's kinda extreme but still I think bright bridges (a5s) and smooth and round necks (a2s) mix very well.

B

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Doc,

your PG+ reads 8.75...are all the PG+ pups wound a tad hotter?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

When it comes to the PG+, I'm only quoting what others here have said about it rather than speaking from my own experience. Seems like most people find it to be annoyingly bright so I was passing along that feedback...but I have never owned one! So I'll defer to Doc Barlo's more experienced opinion on this one.

 

[big_black]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

PG+ isn't that bright! It basically sounds like a 59b, but with slightly more uppermids (more PG). In fact, I've been using my 8.75K PG+ (that came stock in my lone star strat) in my LP with other buckers, like PGs, timbucker neck, ant neck, ...

I think a bright bridge bucker with a smoother and rounder a2 PAF neck mixes very well. In fact that is exactly why Jim Rolph sometimes insists on higher resistance buckers (a2) to go into the neck, and the weaker/brighter one into the bridge. I know that's kinda extreme but still I think bright bridges (a5s) and smooth and round necks (a2s) mix very well.

B

I found it waaaay too bright, at least for my tastes. I got rid of it as soon as I could.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

:laugh2: I am currently gutting my strat with a PG+ and 59 in favor of single coils! Talk about irony.

SAME HERE!!!

I've got a "Big Apple" Strat, which is A 2-humbucker strat. It came stock with a '59 neck/Pearly Gates + bridge....I swapped out a Pearly Gates neck because I liked it better than the '59 when split.

I think they both sound great...not overly bright at all.

Anyway, I'm making it a "real" Strat, putting in single coils....if you want to try the PG+, let me know....maybe we can make a deal.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

When it comes to the PG+, I'm only quoting what others here have said about it rather than speaking from my own experience. Seems like most people find it to be annoyingly bright so I was passing along that feedback...but I have never owned one! So I'll defer to Doc Barlo's more experienced opinion on this one.

Lew, bro, when it comes to PAF tones you are the expert, I never had a real deal 50's PAF loaded Pauls. :blackeye: Have much more things to learn from you!

Now about the brightness issue: I even heard many people complaining that PG's are bright. It ain't that bright I can say that, it has a2 magnet. Go and try a timbuckers for example if you really wanna hear something bright (but not icepicky) (those buckers that the LPF dudes are giving a lot of money for). Yeah sure, all PAF clones GOTTA BE BRIGHT! It's as simple as that. Another important thing is that many people blame the pickup instead of the wood. If PG+ is way too bright in your guitar even after all the tone adjustments and all, that simply means that the particular guitar (the wood, the bridge bla bla bla) does not match that pickup. But then do not try 59b's in the same position! Get yourself a CC or something!

Anyway I love, in fact adore, my PG+. It is a great pickup. The only thing is that I wish it was zebra or something, that parchment off white doesn't look good in a Paul! :smack:

B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Doc,

your PG+ reads 8.75...are all the PG+ pups wound a tad hotter?

Dunno. I kinda remember John having one which read quite low like 8.00 or 8.10. ???

BTW I am always in the market for ~8.00K PGb's or PG+'s. They make great neck pickups (with the a2 mag mod if necessary! On a side note, dun-aged a2s in cool PGb's used in the neck sound phenomenal.).

B

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Dunno. I kinda remember John having one which read quite low like 8.00 or 8.10. ???

BTW I am always in the market for ~8.00K PGb's or PG+'s. They make great neck pickups (with the a2 mag mod if necessary! On a side note, dun-aged a2s in cool PGb's used in the neck sound phenomenal.).

B

I really wanna try a dun-aged magnet in my PG neck...but I can't get one without buying an Ant and removing the magnet... :grumble: :argh:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Dunno. I kinda remember John having one which read quite low like 8.00 or 8.10. ???

BTW I am always in the market for ~8.00K PGb's or PG+'s. They make great neck pickups (with the a2 mag mod if necessary! On a side note, dun-aged a2s in cool PGb's used in the neck sound phenomenal.).

B

Hi Doc...I still have my PG+ and it reads 8.2k...I Liked this pickup and it is a bright pickup for me in a strat's bridge position....I remember using something like a .056 cap on the bridge tone control in order to get the right tone rolloff to tame the highs down...For me,this pickup was "bright"....

I've also read that the windings on the PG+ were slightly overwound so that it would match up better with the fender's other pickup..It's written on Duncan's FAQ area...

I feel that my personal PG+ might make a better neck pickup...I don't feel the PG+ is like a 59,simply because the low mids and the highs are different...The 59 is warmer and not so toppy...

"Fender advertising claims that the Pearly Gates pickup used in the Lone Star is custom wound for them by Seymour Duncan. I figured this wasn't just advertising hype because I have a Pearly Gates in the bridge of one of my Strats, with a rotary switch so I can pick any configuration of it, and am a bit unimpressed with the PG when "split" as a single coil. So, I called Seymour Duncan (they have the best customer support operation I've ever seen, and the nicest catalog in the industry, BTW).
The Lone Star Pearly Gates Plus is, indeed, custom wound. It has different magnets and more windings than the standard Pearly Gates (I guess Fender just called it a PG+ for the name recognition).
The Lone Star Pearly Gates Plus is only available on the Lone Star Strat, Seymour Duncan can't sell you one and Fender won't (why am I not surprised"

From www.guitarnuts.com

John

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Hi Doc...I still have my PG+ and it reads 8.2k...I Liked this pickup and it is a bright pickup for me in a strat's bridge position....I remember using something like a .056 cap on the bridge tone control in order to get the right tone rolloff to tame the highs down...For me,this pickup was "bright"....

I've also read that the windings on the PG+ were slightly overwound so that it would match up better with the fender's other pickup..It's written on Duncan's FAQ area...

I feel that my personal PG+ might make a better neck pickup...I don't feel the PG+ is like a 59,simply because the low mids and the highs are different...The 59 is warmer and not so toppy...

John

Hey Bro what's up!

So it was 8.20K, cool! And I definitely agree on the difference between PG+'s and 59s. They definitely sound different due to them extra and well pronounced uppermids of PG+'s. That makes them kinda toppy doesn't it?

BTW I gotta admit: I indeed love bright pickups, and HATE icepicky tones. So it is really a fine line. That's maybe why I like PG+'s, a5 ants, timbucker bridges etc that much.

B :burnout:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus?

Hey Bro what's up!

So it was 8.20K, cool! And I definitely agree on the difference between PG+'s and 59s. They definitely sound different due to them extra and well pronounced uppermids of PG+'s. That makes them kinda toppy doesn't it?

BTW I gotta admit: I indeed love bright pickups, and HATE icepicky tones. So it is really a fine line. That's maybe why I like PG+'s, a5 ants, timbucker bridges etc that much.

B :burnout:

Doc,

So far we have been on the same page as far as good buckers and good bucker tones...I too like a good bright top end but hate the ice pick...and you're right it is a very fine line that we walk on! Seeing that we seem to see eye to eye, I have to know about these timbuckers you keep talking about.