PGb vs PGn in neck position

[frankencat]

Hi all, I have a Jackson SLSMG Flametop, mahogany neck/body neck-through that is a great sounding guitar. Kind of PRS'ish but not as fat. I am trying to hit on the right pickup combo and I have tried a few pickups in it as follows...

59n/C5b - 59n a little too bassy and maybe a tad too hot for my tastes. C5b sounds god in the bridge but is missing something, maybe highs or harmonics.

59n/PGb - PG sounds good in the bridge and is usually my favorite bridge pickup. It has the highs that I want but not enough uummmph. 59n still too "big" in the neck.

So at this point I figure I am probably going to try a Custom in the bridge and either try a Jazz neck or stick with the PGb in the neck. Before I do that I try the following combination - notice the PGb is in the neck position.

PGb/C5b - Very well balanced combination. Close to perfect but I'm splitting hairs here. C5b is nice but still feels like it could have more highs and maybe a touch more output. PGb sounds pretty good in the bridge but wondering if the PGn is maybe a little better in the neck position - i.e. less bass and less output.

So, what I have is usable but I am not totally satisfied with it. I am thinking of swapping the C5 for a Custom in the bridge but here is my question:
The PGb is just about perfect in the neck but would a PGn be better? If I could tweak this current pickup I would ask for a touch less output and a touch less bass/a touch more clarity. Is the PGn what I am after? How about the APII or the Jazz neck?

Thanks in advance. Frank

 

[Surgeon]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

Hi all, I have a Jackson SLSMG Flametop, mahogany neck/body neck-through that is a great sounding guitar. Kind of PRS'ish but not as fat. I am trying to hit on the right pickup combo and I have tried a few pickups in it as follows...

59n/C5b - 59n a little too bassy and maybe a tad too hot for my tastes. C5b sounds god in the bridge but is missing something, maybe highs or harmonics.

59n/PGb - PG sounds good in the bridge and is usually my favorite bridge pickup. It has the highs that I want but not enough uummmph. 59n still too "big" in the neck.

So at this point I figure I am probably going to try a Custom in the bridge and either try a Jazz neck or stick with the PGb in the neck. Before I do that I try the following combination - notice the PGb is in the neck position.

PGb/C5b - Very well balanced combination. Close to perfect but I'm splitting hairs here. C5b is nice but still feels like it could have more highs and maybe a touch more output. PGb sounds pretty good in the bridge but wondering if the PGn is maybe a little better in the neck position - i.e. less bass and less output.

So, what I have is usable but I am not totally satisfied with it. I am thinking of swapping the C5 for a Custom in the bridge but here is my question:
The PGb is just about perfect in the neck but would a PGn be better? If I could tweak this current pickup I would ask for a touch less output and a touch less bass/a touch more clarity. Is the PGn what I am after? How about the APII or the Jazz neck?

Thanks in advance. Frank

Hi, I'm sorry, I don't have experience with the PGn but I do love the PG in the bridge position, really really nice... As far as you bridge pick-up goes, I'd give the custom a try, it's nice and crunchy with nice low-end too... You might not like the clean tone tho, it's much more sterile than the C5... they are really useable, not lifeless at all but they're not real smooth... Just buy a ceramic mag from ampge.com (or something like that, maybe somebody can correct the url) so you'll be able to go back to C5 if you don't like the custom, it's much cheaper...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

If the 59N sounds to bassy the Jazz will probably sound to bassy too. Those are both alnico 5 pickups.

Try alnico 2 for your neck pickup: Antiquity, Seth Lover, PG, etc. More mids and less bass.

Lew

 

[frankencat]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

Question: The PGb is just about perfect in the neck but would a PGn be better?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

The PGn would have less bass, less mids, less output and a brighter, clearer tone.

 

[BS123]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

You have found what a lot of others say is THE best neck humbucker. The PGb in the neck. I've never tried it; but some folks say it is without equal...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

Probably depends if you're going for a semi distorted tone most of the time or if you REALLY want a clean tone from the neck humbucker.

I tried a neck Seth Lover and loved it...but I tried a bridge Seth Lover as a neck pickup anyway, just to see.

I didn't like it. To much midrange and I couldn't get the clean tone I got from the Seth Lover neck.

So the Seth neck is what I continue to use to this day in my Hamer Monoco.

 

[frankencat]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

Cool. Thanks for the info. I may try a PGn but for the moment the PGb is just fine.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: PGb vs PGn in neck position

I love my 8.00K PGb that I use in the neck! While I agree with Lew that the clarity is an issue (e.g. my 7.40K PGn with an a3 has way more strat-like clarity) for a deep thick creamy neck tone it is a great pickup.

YET if you want to get the best of both worlds, get a hotter antiquity neck ~7.80K!