Pearly Gates - What's The History??

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

On the contrary, they're precisely up to spec. Adding winds would kill that "Texas Sizzle" the PGs are famous for.

Any PAFish HB neck p'up should range from 7.15K to 7.35K. And up to 7.68K if they're mimicking T-Tops. Any more turns just take away the "sizzle".

I LOVE "sizzle"! :cool2:

I completely disagree.

That 8.00K PGb that use in the neck has a lot of sizzle. It is a bit darker and thicker.

B

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

i actually like the lower dc of the pgn, i think it balances better with the pgb.

Me too. When I was in my 20's and owning and playing what were to become vintage Gibsons from the late 50's and early 60's as my everyday guitars, I always wished the neck humbucker was a little lower in output for a little for a clearer less woofy, less bass heavy tone. Loved the lead tones from the neck pickup when played at high volumes, but hated the muddy rhythm tones. Saw Clapton with Cream a few times, twice playing his painted up SG. His lead tone was to die for and his rhythm tone was muddy as all get out.

Lew

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

I'm sure this has been probably been discussed before on this Forum, but I'm very curious about the creation and R&D that went into creating the Pearly Gates pickup. They are my new favorite pickup and I literally just bought 3 sets (covered)!

It's billed as "Originally designed as a recreation of the pickups in the '59 Les Paul® Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues-rock" which I'm sure everyone has assumed to mean Billy Gibbon's Pearly Gates Les Paul.

What songs/albums of ZZ Top was Seymour listening to when he designed these pickups? I believe that most people originally thought all the early ZZ Top guitar parts were done w/ Pearly (e.g. La Grange, Tush, etc.), but Billy has admitted in recent years that a lot of the early stuff was done on a hard tail Strat that was "doubled by Pearly Gates."

If that's the case, is the PG pickup really a humbucking version of a single coil? Maybe, I'm splitting hairs, but I'm really interested in knowing what Seymour was thinking, listening to, etc. when he designed these pickups. They're really great!

Seymour wasn't listening to any ZZ Top when he worked ont he PG...he was measureing the pickups in Pearly Gates!

Billy has never hid the fact that he uses lots of guitars in addition to Pearly and the old hardtail Strat is one of them thats seen a lot of active duty along with other vintage Gibsons, other Strats, Tele's, Gretches, etc...thats not to say that the Duncan PG was wound to sound like a Strat or a Tele or anything besides Pearly.

Duncan PG's are not the exact same specs as the pickups in Pearly but they were changed around so that the sound is very similar and Billy is happy enough to use Duncan PG's in almost every guitar he has custom made for him that uses humbucking pickups...that is enough for me!

Maybe Evan will chime in and explain the differences between a Duncan PG and the pickup in Pearly.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

For years I've wanted to try a PGn. I've been thinking more and more about getting one for the neck position for my Hamer Monaco Elite to go with the Duncan Custom I have in there. I may just do that now =).

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

For years I've wanted to try a PGn. I've been thinking more and more about getting one for the neck position for my Hamer Monaco Elite to go with the Duncan Custom I have in there. I may just do that now =).

The PGn is, hands down my favorite non custom shop neck humbucker.

 

[Austy009]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Does anyone know what year the Pearly Gates pickups were released? The bridge pup is awesome in strats much better than the PG+ in my opinion.

 

[cvansickle]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

PGn in my Charvel So-Cal = BLISS!

It matches well with the Custom Custom in that guitar, and they sound great together in the middle position at full output and split.

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

PGn in my Charvel So-Cal = BLISS!

It matches well with the Custom Custom in that guitar, and they sound great together in the middle position at full output and split.

my PG will be going in the bridge spot of a so cal:naughty:

 

[flavorednation]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

On the contrary, they're precisely up to spec. Adding winds would kill that "Texas Sizzle" the PGs are famous for.

Any PAFish HB neck p'up should range from 7.15K to 7.35K. And up to 7.68K if they're mimicking T-Tops. Any more turns just take away the "sizzle".

I LOVE "sizzle"! :cool2:

Hi Lt.Kojak. Sorry for the resurrection (Holy week ya know?)
I recently got a used pearly gates neck.It's reading 6.85KOhms.

I haven't installed it.But I know it's working--
it's just that the reading is not correct.Is this normal? Do you know a neck humbucker lower than 7 KOhms?
Thanks .

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Pg's are my favourite pickup set.

....im waiting for blueman tho....it almost disappointing that he hasn't chimed in with his usual "The pgn is too dark and the PGb is too weak, seths are much better".
This forum never ceases to surprise me.:dance:

 

[flavorednation]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

LOL'ed at the gif!:18:

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

....im waiting for blueman tho....it almost disappointing that he hasn't chimed in with his usual "The pgn is too dark and the PGb is too weak, Seths are much better".

You said it for me, although it's not that the PGB is woo weak, it's brighter and thinner than I'd like an A2 bridge PU to be. There's better PAF copies out there.

 

[Artie]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Is the PG short or long legs?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

PGb is the JB of Duncan PAF types. In some guitars there is no equal and others it is horrendously bright and thin. You need a big clear warm toned axe.

The neck is far more forgiving to varying wood.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Is the PG short or long legs?

Short..4 con.

 

[Artie]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Thanks for the info Jeff. While I have you "on the phone", so to speak . . .

You need a big clear warm toned axe.

The neck is far more forgiving to varying wood.

. . . so, would the PG set work good in a basswood axe?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

PGb is the JB of Duncan PAF types. In some guitars there is no equal and others it is horrendously bright and thin. You need a big clear warm toned axe.

The neck is far more forgiving to varying wood.

Yeah, I see a lot more fans of the PGN than the PGB. My personal taste is for bright neck PU's, especially important to me in LP's and 335's. PGN's are one of the darker neck PAF's, and just don't have enough treble, cut, sizzle, or whatever you want to call it. Not a bad PU by any means, just not as good as others.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Hi Lt.Kojak. Sorry for the resurrection (Holy week ya know?)
I recently got a used pearly gates neck.It's reading 6.85KOhms.

I haven't installed it.But I know it's working--
it's just that the reading is not correct.Is this normal? Do you know a neck humbucker lower than 7 KOhms?
Thanks .

that is pretty low but i bet it will be a very clear sounding neck pup

 

[JeffB]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

Thanks for the info Jeff. While I have you "on the phone", so to speak . . .



. . . so, would the PG set work good in a basswood axe?

In general I do not really care for Duncans in a quality basswood axe. I think the natural compression of the highs and lows of the wood just suits different brands better, like DiMarzio. Low output PAF types tend to get real squishy in basswood, IME. I like something with really clear cutting highs, and clear defined lows in basswood. The PG set has bite,that sparkling sizzly top end and a complex thick midrange, but not super definition in either register.

BUT...if you have one laying around, why not give it a try? every guitar and pup and amp combo is different, some guitars/pup combos can surprise you. I just ripped out a C5/Jazz which by all "technical" reasoning should have worked awesome in my 335 and did not..even with a mag swap to RCA5 on the Custom. I bought another Duncan set that my technically minded brain said was possibly a very bad idea....but my gut feeling was "yes" , so I did it...and its like I got a brand new completely transformed guitar. Perfect match up.



@Blueman

Rick, I do not find the PGN neck dark really...but it *is* thick in the mids and low mids, and can mud up an already not so clear/warm/middy sounding piece of wood....just like the AP2 neck can. Or a Duncan Custom SH5.

 

[jimo]

Re: Pearly Gates - What's The History??

PGn may be THE quintessential neck humbucker.......or not....I don't have one, but for a while it was the "Pickup du jour"......hahahaha