PGBJ's...

J

joeydynamite

New member
I recently bought a 1986 ES335 Studio from a small little music shop in my neighborhood (a great find) and i noticed that the stock pickups were switched out and replaced with duncans. Upon further inspection they were BOTH PGBJ's which are Pearly Gates bridge pups wound by Marciela Juarez. My question is this, why did the previous owner put a bridge pup in the neck position? Did this person not know what he was doing?
 
Re: PGBJ's...

i also have a PGb, albiet with a5 rather than the stock a2, in the neck spot of one of my guitars. bridge and neck designations aren't set in stone, they are usually just wound slightly lower output for the neck, which results in a bit more clarity. imo a PGb isn't really that high in output and would work out well in the neck spot. how's the guitar sound?

and welcome to the forum:)
 
Re: PGBJ's...

I do JBs in the neck very often. I like it better there than in the bridge. Since there's no JB Neck, I use what I got.

I've also tried a Neck in the Bridge - Hot Rails, to be exact. I liked it when paired with a JBJr, though I think the angled setup had a factor on the tone:

Warrior_pickups.jpg


I had the JBJr in the first Bridge slot (closest to bridge) and the HRN in the second one. The JBJr sounded great - like a mini-Distortion - but was a tad bassless. When the HRN was added, I got a ton of beef, twice the volume, and an all-around killer sound.


So as Ryan said - positions aren't carved in stone.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

That guitar is insane. Cool guitar. What's the rest of it look like Dr. Newc? And yeah, positions are normally just suggestions, though higher output pickups are more finicky in the neck.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

I have a weaker (8.0k) PGb in the neck of my 333. A bridge model in the neck has less clarity when played clean, but I think the bridge models sound better under gain.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

i actually find a bridge model in the neck more versatile, since that means it's lower output forms(split, parallel, etc) sound fuller, while it's series mode is great with gain, as lemonman said:)
 
Re: PGBJ's...

With PAF's (which weren't originally calibrated for neck or bridge), you can put either one in either position. For the best volume balance between PU's the bridge should be wound at least a few hundred ohms more than the neck.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

If it sounds good, then it doesn't matter - that being said, pickups wound by MJ do tend to fetch higher prices, you might be able to sell that and pick up a PGn to make the set more balanced (that is, if it isn't already). I've got the set in my les paul, and they're both stellar pickups, great clarity, I just need to find a way to get more sustain out of my lester (I'm thinking tonepros locking bridge once I get the dough)
 
Re: PGBJ's...

I use a PG bridge in the neck of my superstrat and in that guitar, it works better than the neck version. it's 8.0K on the nose and has an A5 magnet swapped in. with pickups that have PAF-level output, neck or bridge is fine.

are you having issues with output (i.e., neck pup is significantly louder than the bridge)?
 
Re: PGBJ's...

first i want to say thank you for your reply. to tell you the truth, i noticed right off the bat that the neck pickup sounded a litle hot, meaning that when i flipped the toggle switch to the neck position there was quite a boost and it sounded a little too muddy.i think i will keep the one in the bridge and replace the neck pup... i have a few ideas.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

before you cange out the neck pickup, have you tried lowering it a bit, while raising the adjustable coil screws? that should lower the output and give it more clarity.
 
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Re: PGBJ's...

The PG bridge is actually a great pickup and the neck is meh to me. I didn't try but I could imagine that a PGb in the neck is better than a PGn. A PGb with A5 for sure will kick.

If you want to trade one for a different Duncan neck pickup let me know.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

uOpt said:
The PG bridge is actually a great pickup and the neck is meh to me. I didn't try but I could imagine that a PGb in the neck is better than a PGn. A PGb with A5 for sure will kick.

If you want to trade one for a different Duncan neck pickup let me know.
Click to expand...

PGb in the neck with an A5 is killer. I've tried just about every variation of the PG and this (well, the PG+ too which is the same thing, just ~.3-.5K overwound) is the best one.
 
Re: PGBJ's...

i would definately be interested in a trade, what duncans do you have? i was interested in a greenie for the neck position...
 
Re: PGBJ's...

Lol, I've got a flipped neck PG in the bridge of my Strat. Balances so much better with the singles...

But as far as OP goes, play with the heights to see if you can balance them out.
 
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