Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

DesertRat

DesertRat

New member
Hi peeps,

I've been swapping mags out on the bridge position Pearly Gates in my Les Paul studio. Did a few gigs w/the A8 and then switched to the un-oriented A5 last night.

A8 boosts the output by 10-15% or so to my ear, adds lows and low mids, and smooths the top. The overall feel is pretty compressed though. Probably great for hard rock but was too much for me. Again, very nice frequency spectrum but up and away from PAF output range and dynamics.

UOA5 Wow! I just loved using the bridge PU last night! It has about the same output as the stock A2 Pearly Gates but tighter lows (not more but tighter), an ever so slight reduction of mids, and very clear highs. More dynamic than stock both clean and overdriven. Fantastic sound for slightly distorted country rock type leads. Overall a very versatile PAF vibe which is what I was looking for. Can't wait to play it more in rehearsal and gigs this week!
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

You described the exact feeling I have with the A8: too much for me. The UOA5 is way better for my applications, although it can get a little "spongey" sometimes.
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

DesertRat said:
Hi peeps,

I've been swapping mags out on the bridge position Pearly Gates in my Les Paul studio. Did a few gigs w/the A8 and then switched to the un-oriented A5 last night.

A8 boosts the output by 10-15% or so to my ear, adds lows and low mids, and smooths the top. The overall feel is pretty compressed though. Probably great for hard rock but was too much for me. Again, very nice frequency spectrum but up and away from PAF output range and dynamics.

UOA5 Wow! I just loved using the bridge PU last night! It has about the same output as the stock A2 Pearly Gates but tighter lows (not more but tighter), an ever so slight reduction of mids, and very clear highs. More dynamic than stock both clean and overdriven. Fantastic sound for slightly distorted country rock type leads. Overall a very versatile PAF vibe which is what I was looking for. Can't wait to play it more in rehearsal and gigs this week!
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What about if i swapped out the a2 in the neck for UOA5 think it would be the same and this is in a alder body maple top super strat
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

Rockstar216 said:
What about if i swapped out the a2 in the neck for UOA5 think it would be the same and this is in a alder body maple top super strat
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Yes. UOA5's add a little treble, which gives more clarity and bite to an A2 PU. It's a good middle ground, as opposed to the extreme changes an A5 makes.
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

Now you have done it. Bunch of ruiners....The Pearly Gates is exactly the way God , Seymour, and the Rev. Billy G. Intended it. This is Blasphemy!!!!

In all honesty, that UA05 mode seems pretty cool....
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

It is all in the tastes...

While I loved the crazy screaming attitude of a PG+ (with the good old "oriented" a5), I kinda think that PG is supposed to be loaded with an a2. The op, please don't get me wrong, as I have said in my first sentence, it is all about tastes. And your tastes cannot be wrong. Yet, waht I mean to say is that PG with an a2 mag is a pickup one of a kind. It has them a5 highs, bite, but with the spongy and chewy a2 lows... See?

I've tried lotsa and lotsa mags in PGb's (which I believe to be the best non-custom shop PAF clone out there). Aged a2s, a3, a4, a5, the unoriented nonshiney a5s, a6s, a8s... My favs are its regular mags and aged a2s. Hated the a8s on account of the stuff you too have observed. Aged a5 was cool actually, not that different from an a4. ... anyways, I don't want this to turn into the mag swapping things again... What I mean is that I kept on returning to the "original" as long as PGb goes.

This is not like that when it comes to other pickups. For example, I think (and would argue quite strongly) that 59N's should be manufactured with a4 mags, not a5s... I don't wanna go into the reasons here, as the message is about my opinion that a2 is sorta "right" for a PGb. (Of course, according to my tastes and all...)

B
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

I love the PGn with the stock A2 ive never played or owned the bridge version. I love the thickness and sweetness of it when used with a lil dirt to get a great lead tone or use it clean to get a great clean tone or even jazz tone. And believe it or not I even like the Lil screamin demon and use it like a higher output single coil very articulate can get great a clean tone kinda transparent and with alil or a lot of dirt still remains very clear and articulate
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

Aceman said:
Now you have done it. Bunch of ruiners....The Pearly Gates is exactly the way God , Seymour, and the Rev. Billy G. Intended it. This is Blasphemy!!!!
Click to expand...

Not really. I have all of Duncan's PAF's (and a few other brands of PAFs) and am not impressed by the PGN. Seth's are better in all respects.
 
Re: Pearly Gates w/ A8 & UOA5

Rockstar216 said:
I love the PGn with the stock A2 ive never played or owned the bridge version. I love the thickness and sweetness of it when used with a lil dirt to get a great lead tone or use it clean to get a great clean tone or even jazz tone.
Click to expand...

How many PAF models have you played? The bigger the pool you experience comes from, the more weight your favorites carry.
 
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