Rolling pickups...please help.

[toolguy]

Been putting together a nice Swamp ash/maple top Warmoth Soloist S.S.H. body this week.
My main guitar is a 90s Lonestar Strat with stock pickups (Texas special x2 single and Pearly Gates Plus bridge).
I am tonally trying to get the guitar so sound semi close because I need two guitars with current set (obviously the woods being different will not make things perfect) so the the bridge needs to be vintage to lower end med output.
I have decided to stick with Texas specials in the single slots but am having a heck of a time finding a good match for the bridge.
I 1st tried the Duncan 59 because I read it's close to the P.G.+ but it has too much mids for my liking in this body. The tone chart shows it fairly mid scooped so I was a bit surprised tbh.
I have a Dimarzio 36 anniversary on hand but found it to be much too middy as well.
The only thing else I had are a Tone Zone (actually sounded fair but has a bit too much bass and WAY to hot of a pickup) and a original parallel axis trembucker (too hot and was a bit muddy).

I don't have deep pockets so I am trying to get this next guess right.
I was going to pull the P.G.+ and try it but I don't want to tear apart my Lonestar.
Any recommendations ?
Only thing I will add it needs to be F spaced.
Thanks for any help.

 

[beaubrummels]

Get a Trembucker Pearly Gates and put an A5 mag in it?
https://reverb.com/p/seymour-duncan-tb-pg1b-pearly-gates-trembucker

Otherwise, a 59/Custom Hybrid Trembucker might do the trick

If not that, Trembucker Custom 5 might work, albeit a bit hotter maybe.

 

[Mincer]

The Hybrid would b my pick, although it will be out of phase with your neck and middle.

 

[toolguy]

Get a Trembucker Pearly Gates and put an A5 mag in it?
https://reverb.com/p/seymour-duncan-...tes-trembucker

Otherwise, a 59/Custom Hybrid Trembucker might do the trick

If not that, Trembucker Custom 5 might work, albeit a bit hotter maybe.

Yea...was actually thinking about doing this from the start but read the 59 is very close to the PG+ (it's not imo).
I know expecting same sound from different guitars is a futile effort but I am willing to bet if I pull the PG+ it will have less mids.
Honestly the 59 in this ash/maple body sounds good if I was after that 70's honky tone (nails Boston "Smokin" tone 100%) just a bit too far off my other guitar.
Just think this body must carry a bit more mid tone over anything else I own (or my Strat is unusually scooped).

I probably could have shortened this all to.
" Looking for a vintage/mid output humbucker with less mids than the '59 ".
Sorry for the long winded 1st post.

 

[Demanic]

Put a regular ceramic mag in the 59 and call it a day.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[toolguy]

The Hybrid would b my pick, although it will be out of phase with your neck and middle.

So the eq chart shows this having much more mid eq.
Assume this is where I rely on you guys...lol.
I need to swap the green and black wires on the bridge to get that pickup to play nice with the specials.
Is it safe to say this does not effect overall tone?
Not a huge expert here for sure.

 

[Mincer]

The Hybrid actually doesn't have many mids at all. I think the chart isn't accurate. Flipping the hot and ground won't change the sound of the pickup.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

It a 59B sounds too midrangey in this guitar, it seems like this one's voicing is pretty mid-forward.
I'd say buy another PG Plus. They can be had used if you look.
Likely even that will sound more middy in the new guitar than your other one.

Another advantage: levels will match so you won't need to tweak your amp settings when switching guitars.

 

[toolguy]

I ordered a custom 5. Also rolled every bridge pickup I could find this weekend (made a silly little video). Was a good way to quickly hear the differences in them (obviously my actual recording does not do YouTube funny things to the sound). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tbMRuipazc

 

[hamerfan]

I had a Custom 5 and PA-Tb1 at different times but in the same guitar. I found them surprisingly similar. The other thing about the PA-TB 1 was it reacted very nicely on height differences and mellowed out when cranked down.

 

[Cdwillis]

You might want to look into a Jazz bridge. It's supposed to be more scooped than a 59 bridge, and the overall brighter EQ may fit better with the single coils.

 

[toolguy]

The custom 5 actually ending up being perfect. It's hot enough that I can lay it down a bit to air out and it has less overall mids.
Great sounding pickup for this guitar...was instantly happy.
I pulled the neck Tex.special and replaced it with a little 59 neck I had sitting for years. After a bass cap mod (.047 cap) it blends absolutely perfectly with the custom 5.
I kept the middle Texas special for Ska stuff we do and I can't say it plays super nice with the neck and bridge...but for that Sublimish clean ska crack to bridge/gain punch it's spot on!
Very happy...wife will be happy that she gets the den table back...lol.
Appreciate the help guys.

 

[Mincer]

Happy these experiments worked out to a great combo of pickups!