Should I swap my Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates neck pickup for a DiMarzio Liquifire?

[playas]

Well anything here from the US, and anything out of the ordinary in particular from SD is very expensive due to shipping and import duties.

:smack:


I also get the impression that they really don´t give a **** and there aren´t many official dealers anywhere nearby. There are a few other dealers but they aren´t official and basically just stock a few typical SD pickups, if you want anything else you´re out of luck. It´s either the offical dealer or no-one.

I inquired about ordering an antiquity P-90 with a non-aged cover - something which I imagine would not have been a problem as a shop floor custom and they said they could order one but they then quoted me over twice the price for it. They didn´t seem too interested and I get the impression that they may even have done it just to put me off. I have no idea if there should be a mark-up or not, but it certainly did put me off.

...for that price you could get many/most european boutique builders to hand build a pickup to your individual specs a la custom shop.

Later I bought a Seth set through the same place and they were dead set on trying to sell me Lindy Fralins even though I specifically requested the SH-55 set and really had to insist before they left me alone on that one and ordered the pickups I requested.

 

[Mincer]

Usually the high prices are due to import taxes, etc. It isn't that the actual pickup itself is so expensive. Another option is to have someone you know and trust get it in the US and ship it over, or better yet, bring it with them on the way back.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Can't a 4 conductor Slash be ordered as a shop floor custom?
If you really wanted one it would be no harm to ask your local dealer for a price.

Here in Spain shop floor customs are prohibitively expensive, but may be much more reasonable in Mexico.

Actually, I just found the Slash neck pickup in one of my trusted stores in the city. It is not that expensive as I thought, it´s almost the same price as inside the USA. I would only have to do (or have it done) the 4c mod.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Modding a single conductor pup like the Slash to a 4 conductor is a pretty simple procedure. Nothing to get intimidated by if you know how to solder 2 wires together.

However, the A2P is a fine pup (as has been suggested/recommended) and not much different than the Slash.

I have a Liquifire in one of my guitars and really like it, but it doesn't sound like that is really the pup you are looking for. The A2P (or a Jazz with an A2 magnet or Jazz bridge with an A2) would be a good choice.

I think in the end I´m going to buy it, but I would want some other suggestions, specially to know what you all think.

 

[Bogner]

Sentient

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Usually the high prices are due to import taxes, etc. It isn't that the actual pickup itself is so expensive. Another option is to have someone you know and trust get it in the US and ship it over, or better yet, bring it with them on the way back.

Yeah! Never fails!

 

[Ace Flibble]

In regards to my comments on the 4-C wiring, yes, for people in the US it's a simple 'floor custom' option, but I'm not in the US and here it is absurdly expensive to order such things. (If you can even find a dealer who will handle the order; most refuse.) Modding a pickup from 2-wire to 4-C certainly is not complicated and I've done it a few times, but when the regular A2P already has it and is so close to the Slash, and when you can resell the Slash here for the same that a new A2P costs, well, no point doing the extra work.

In any case, either one will work for this application, I wouldn't worry about the differences here.

 

[alex1fly]

What hasn't been mentioned is lowering the polepieces. This will usually reduce some highs. Then raise the pickup if you lose too much output compared to the bridge. You also don't mention the knobs. Is it a 1 volume knob only setup like the Washburn? Even kicking the volume knob down a notch or two will often round out those extreme highs. And unless you need instant switching between pickups for your playing style, it isn't much to take 1/2 second to adjust your volume knob when you switch :headbang:

 

[Ace Flibble]

^ That, or you can add in a resistor to the neck pickup so it effectively works as if the volume control is permanently backed off a little just for the neck pickup, or you can even wire up a resistor and capacitor to act as though a tone control has been permanently rolled back a little bit, only affecting the treble of the neck pickup. But that can take a while to tweak to get exactly the right amount of roll-off you want and though it's cheaper than buying a whole new pickup, often it's not worth driving yourself insane testing different capacitors back-and-forth.

 

[Ascension]

Well, I don´t really mind if the pickup is (slightly or heavily) hotter than the PG. What I am trying to say is that I´m looking for a big lead sound with the plus of having a decent clean sound for other genres. And of course, I'll check the Sentient out too. Actually, it was one of my former pickup options.

I had a Liquifire for a while in one of my guitars and never could make it work in the neck for me. Was to hot kind of muddy and lacked clarity in the neck I swapped it for a Sentient and ran a Hybrid in the bridge. Like the Liquifire as a big round hot PAF with attitude in the bridge but do not care for them at all in the neck.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Hi guys! I´m finally back after a while, sorry for the absence. After thinking and overthinking about it for some time, I came to a decision: I´m keeping my PG neck. I recently discovered I´m more of a PAF guy, and by swaping the pickup I'd be sacrificing most of its tonal characteristics. Actually, I realized the pickup was not that trebly, it just had a more pronounced upper midrange, which is great to cut through the mix when playing hi-gain solos (sometimes it seams it's louder than the Super Distortion). I use my tone knob whenever I want a darker sound for musical contexts that require so, like jazz, for example. Also, I love how it drives the amp (not as much as the Super D), but its on its way. As an additional fact, it splits very well and creates a great sound when both pickups are connected at the same time, kind of like the "woman" tone. Nevertheless, I wanna thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciated the input.

 

[Mincer]

Hi guys! I´m finally back after a while, sorry for the absence. After thinking and overthinking about it for some time, I came to a decision: I´m keeping my PG neck. I recently discovered I´m more of a PAF guy, and by swaping the pickup I'd be sacrificing most of its tonal characteristics. Actually, I realized the pickup was not that trebly, it just had a more pronounced upper midrange, which is great to cut through the mix when playing hi-gain solos (sometimes it seams it's louder than the Super Distortion). I use my tone knob whenever I want a darker sound for musical contexts that require so, like jazz, for example. Also, I love how it drives the amp (not as much as the Super D), but its on its way. As an additional fact, it splits very well and creates a great sound when both pickups are connected at the same time, kind of like the "woman" tone. Nevertheless, I wanna thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciated the input.

Good to hear! The tone knob, as obvious as it is, is forgotten way too much. It is a really expressive control.

 

[ToneFiddler]

well for years i never used the tone control either. the pearly gates was actually the first humbucker to really make me use the tone control.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Sometimes bright mids that sound a bit exaggerated on their own are just what you need to stand out over other guitars.
Aside from the Pearly Gates, a classic example is the Tube Screamer. By itself, kinda nasal. But in a mix? Just marvelous.

 

[Ascension]

Well, I don´t really mind if the pickup is (slightly or heavily) hotter than the PG. What I am trying to say is that I´m looking for a big lead sound with the plus of having a decent clean sound for other genres. And of course, I'll check the Sentient out too. Actually, it was one of my former pickup options.

I'm running a Sentient with a Hybrid in my Carvin DC 400 and think it is a good tonal and output match. The Sentient has a very nice singing solo ton at high gain but can also do nice cleans. To me that is a very nice combo.

 

[hamerfan]

If you happen to come across a PG Bridge you will see it is just the neck with some more wire on it. A bit more volume and a tad less highs. Highly recommended for a fuller neck!

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Good to hear! The tone knob, as obvious as it is, is forgotten way too much. It is a really expressive control.

And I recently discovered my guitar had 250k pots... lol.

I wanted it to be way more darker but now I think it doesn't need a darker sound haha.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

well for years i never used the tone control either. the pearly gates was actually the first humbucker to really make me use the tone control.

Yeah! A really useful tool. Actually, I learned to love that single coilish kinda texture since some PAFs tend to have that property.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

Sometimes bright mids that sound a bit exaggerated on their own are just what you need to stand out over other guitars.
Aside from the Pearly Gates, a classic example is the Tube Screamer. By itself, kinda nasal. But in a mix? Just marvelous.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[FerMetalhead1]

I'm running a Sentient with a Hybrid in my Carvin DC 400 and think it is a good tonal and output match. The Sentient has a very nice singing solo ton at high gain but can also do nice cleans. To me that is a very nice combo.

Yeah! I liked the sound of that pup. However, I wouldn't change my PG for the Sentient since I really find a lot of advantages by keeping it.