Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

[Lewguitar]

Pulled out my '59 RI Gibson Les Paul Historic today...the one I put some double cream Tom Holmes humbuckers in a few years ago.

What a great sounding guitar! Very sweet and full sounding. Very vintage and Duane Allman like.

Wailed for an hour or so through my Deluxe Reverb amp and then got curious how this ax would compare to my Strat with the PG/Custom combo in it.

Gotta say I prefer the Strat!

The PGn neck pickup is brighter and clearer than the neck Tom Holmes in my Les Paul and the Custom bridge pickup is ballsier, pushes my amp harder and is just more to my liking than the Tom Holmes bridge HB.

I know comparing the pickups in a Les Paul to the pickups in a Strat is not the most scientific way to compare pickups, but when all was said and done my Strat with the PGn and Custom came out the clear winner.

The PGn remains my favorite neck humbucker of all time...as does the Custom bridge pickup.

Again: highly recommended.

And when split, the single coil tones from the PGn and Custom are to die for...as nice in some ways as the tones from my favorite Strats.

Lew

 

[larry_emder]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

Cool....i have a custom custom and a 59 waiting to go in my hardtail ibanez strat (gotta make the pickguard first).

Maybe if i put the A2 magnet in the 59 (neck) and a ceramic in the custom custom it would sound similar?? I'll do some magnet fiddling once i get the guitar setup and report back

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

Cool....i have a custom custom and a 59 waiting to go in my hardtail ibanez strat (gotta make the pickguard first).

Maybe if i put the A2 magnet in the 59 (neck) and a ceramic in the custom custom it would sound similar?? I'll do some magnet fiddling once i get the guitar setup and report back

There's a nice open quality to the mids of the PGn that comes in part from Duncan winding one coil a little stronger than the other. Also, that stronge coil is the slug coil and when it's used as a single coil it gets a great Tele-esque tone.

The 59's have matched coils and the tone would not be quite the same as PGn...even if you put a alnico 2 magnet in one. Great pickups though...I love 59's especially the 59B. Reminds me of Clapton's tone with Cream and John Mayall.

Lew

 

[Fiesta Red]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

Now Lew, pop these pickups into yer Les Paul and lets hear what you think.

-MArk

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

59n with alnico II mag is one of my fave neck pickups for a LP. It's great for fat, juicy blues leads and warm, woody jazz comping.

I think I'm going to have to make one again.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

Now Lew, pop these pickups into yer Les Paul and lets hear what you think.

-MArk

I second that. Or you can use this as an excuse to buy another guitar.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

My Tom Holmes HB's are great pickups and look killer in my Les Paul...Tom told me he wound the same pickups for Billy Gibbons. Mine are a double cream set too. Truth is, I rarely play my Les Paul...I like my Strats and Teles better than Les Pauls. So I doubt I'll be messing with the pickups in my Les Paul. Don't want the same set in every guitar after all...

Lew

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Tom Holmes HB's vs Pearly Gates/Custom combo

Hi Lew, great you here that you like the Custom in your Strat. That was my fav too until i got a Alnico 8 from Zhang. The A8 smoothed it out a little bit in the highs, made a tighter bass and brought out the harmonics. Since then the C8 is my fave in the rosewood board strat and the C3 with the one-piece-maple/ no pickguard strat. Give it a try!