maestroberetta
Member
Hey guys,
I’m looking for a hotter PAF-style humbucker set with some extra push, but still plenty of dynamics, touch sensitivity, and vintage character.
I’m after something fat and full-bodied, with strong mids, nice upper-mid presence, and a creamy, vocal lead tone. I really like pickups with that chewy feel, sweet sustain, note bloom, and rich harmonics, but without sounding overly compressed or too modern.
Main styles are blues rock, jazz fusion, and occasionally some ‘80s hard rock like Great White, Ratt, and Cinderella. So I need enough output to push the front end of an amp, but still keep articulation, clarity, and good cleanup with the volume knob.
These pickups will be going into a custom-built guitar from a local luthier. It’s basically a headless design somewhat similar to a Kiesel M6, with:
lightweight mahogany body (slightly thinner body, so probably not super dark or overly warm sounding)
set neck construction
mahogany neck
rosewood fretboard
25” scale length
Because of the lighter/thinner mahogany build and 25” scale, I’m expecting the guitar to be fairly balanced overall rather than excessively dark or muddy, with some warmth but still decent snap and articulation.
Right now I’m torn between the Saturday Night Special and the new Hades Gates set.
From what I understand, both seem to live in that hot PAF / slightly overwound vintage lane, but maybe with different personalities:
Saturday Night Special = fatter, thicker, more lower-mid punch, slightly smoother
Hades Gates = hotter Pearly Gates vibe, more bite, upper mids, harmonic content, and attitude
For those who have played both, how do they compare in terms of:
overall body and fullness
vocal mids / singing lead tones
creaminess vs bite
harmonic richness and note bloom
low-end tightness
versatility for blues rock / fusion / ‘80s hard rock
I definitely don’t want anything scooped, thin, sterile, or overly bright/ice-picky. I’m chasing a fat, mid-forward, slightly greasy hot PAF tone with attitude, sustain, and a vocal quality for leads.
I’m looking for a hotter PAF-style humbucker set with some extra push, but still plenty of dynamics, touch sensitivity, and vintage character.
I’m after something fat and full-bodied, with strong mids, nice upper-mid presence, and a creamy, vocal lead tone. I really like pickups with that chewy feel, sweet sustain, note bloom, and rich harmonics, but without sounding overly compressed or too modern.
Main styles are blues rock, jazz fusion, and occasionally some ‘80s hard rock like Great White, Ratt, and Cinderella. So I need enough output to push the front end of an amp, but still keep articulation, clarity, and good cleanup with the volume knob.
These pickups will be going into a custom-built guitar from a local luthier. It’s basically a headless design somewhat similar to a Kiesel M6, with:
lightweight mahogany body (slightly thinner body, so probably not super dark or overly warm sounding)
set neck construction
mahogany neck
rosewood fretboard
25” scale length
Because of the lighter/thinner mahogany build and 25” scale, I’m expecting the guitar to be fairly balanced overall rather than excessively dark or muddy, with some warmth but still decent snap and articulation.
Right now I’m torn between the Saturday Night Special and the new Hades Gates set.
From what I understand, both seem to live in that hot PAF / slightly overwound vintage lane, but maybe with different personalities:
Saturday Night Special = fatter, thicker, more lower-mid punch, slightly smoother
Hades Gates = hotter Pearly Gates vibe, more bite, upper mids, harmonic content, and attitude
For those who have played both, how do they compare in terms of:
overall body and fullness
vocal mids / singing lead tones
creaminess vs bite
harmonic richness and note bloom
low-end tightness
versatility for blues rock / fusion / ‘80s hard rock
I definitely don’t want anything scooped, thin, sterile, or overly bright/ice-picky. I’m chasing a fat, mid-forward, slightly greasy hot PAF tone with attitude, sustain, and a vocal quality for leads.
