Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

another question (a bit off topic i guess)

where does the name pearly gates come from?

pardon my ignorance
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Pearly is the name given to Billy Gibbon's trusty ol' 58 or 59 LP.
The PG hbs are based on the pickups in this guitar.
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

well, i sure as hell learn something new every day lol
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Why Pearly Gates? I think the previous post re: the Texas vibe is right on the mark. I mean you've got your LONE STAR Strat with TEXAS special pickups...why not a bridge humbucker based on a Texas guitar hero's setup.

My question is, 'Why the heck stick an alnico 5 in it?'. I know that lots of people like it, and I myself like A5's, but I think it's not a great choice in this pup (Sorry Dr. Barlo). I do like the PGn pickup (A2) and I currently use it in a Strat. For bridge, I would much rather, and actually do, use a JB in my Strats that are HB routed.

So, JB +1 ;)

Farkus
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

If the CC was around back then, that is what I would have went with.
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

I think they wanted a bridge pup that was fairly balanced out output wise, in addition to something that had a good top end ....something that could give a bit of a strat like high end (I said a *bit like*), this also mixes well with the single in the split position.
Also, I think in the application used by Fender, that the PG+ had some descent single coil split tones as well.
Summation ... I think they wanted a HB in a longer scale, brighter sound instrument that sounded like a HB, not too hot, but that still could inflect some upper end and bite, coupled with low end clarity.
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Actually, the pickup is a Pearly Gates Plus, not a Pearly Gates. Mike Lewis, who was then head of Fender's guitar marketing (he's now running Gretsch) and I were the ones who worked out the pickups on that pickup. Mike had a background in retail sales knew what the Pearly Gates sounded like and he wanted that tone for this Strat. But, he wanted around 6dB of boost over and above a regular Pearly Gates for the bridge pickup. According to Mike, "When you go into the bridge position, I want a noticeable boost. And the Texas Specials are already on the hot side." So we took a stock Pearly Gates, changed the magnet from an Alnico 2 to an Alnico 5, and added a few hundred more turns. And viola! The Pearly Gates Plus was born.

Fender still uses it on some of their Special Edition guitars, like this one:
0263080_md.jpg


I hope you enjoyed today's history lesson. :22:
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

BTW, the PG+ is SH-spaced. Not Trembucker-spaced. Interesting, eh?
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Evan Skopp said:
Actually, the pickup is a Pearly Gates Plus, not a Pearly Gates. Mike Lewis, who was then head of Fender's guitar marketing (he's now running Gretsch) and I were the ones who worked out the pickups on that pickup. Mike had a background in retail sales knew what the Pearly Gates sounded like and he wanted that tone for this Strat. But, he wanted around 6dB of boost over and above a regular Pearly Gates for the bridge pickup. According to Mike, "When you go into the bridge position, I want a noticeable boost. And the Texas Specials are already on the hot side." So we took a stock Pearly Gates, changed the magnet from an Alnico 2 to an Alnico 5, and added a few hundred more turns. And viola! The Pearly Gates Plus was born.
Click to expand...

One, I got the plus distinction ... Two, it was still based on and has a character the is still much like the PG (at least in my opinion, in other words it reminds you of one ... at least to me) ... Third, it balances well,after all you generally want the bridge pup louder, but it's not too much louder than the other pups .... Cool info, I still stand by my assessment of it though, and I think it matches with yours. :)
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

I figured it had the most to do with the Texas label, but always thought it was a tremspaced PG, not a Gibson spaced Alnico 5 PG +.

The reason I asked this question is that I'm still experimenting with HSS combinations in my Am Series strat. Right now, I've got a great sounding combo, C-5/2 Fat 50's, but I'm still thinking it's could be better. My next choice will be a Trem JB and two Ant II Surfers. I have a feeling I might nail the tone I'm after. The C-5 sounds great in Pauls and PRS's, but sounds just a tad hollow in a strat. I still think it sounds better than the Lone Stars I've picked up with the PG+, tho.
I'm gonna keep moving stuff around till I find the magical combination.

Evan, what would it take to make a Custom 5 with slightly fuller mids without changing the magnet? I have a feeling that would be my favorite humbucker in the Duncan line.
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

I love mine. I tried mine also on the bridge of a LP and believe me it was great. Did not look right (:duh: ), yet sounded excellent.

B
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Gearjoneser said:
Evan, what would it take to make a Custom 5 with slightly fuller mids without changing the magnet? I have a feeling that would be my favorite humbucker in the Duncan line.
Click to expand...

I think it would take adding a few hundred or more turns of wire to add more mids. But then you'd have a JB! Lew
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Lewguitar said:
I think it would take adding a few hundred or more turns of wire to add more mids. But then you'd have a JB! Lew
Click to expand...

Hey Lew, is that true?

Adding winds would make it gain mids and lose bass - turning it into a JB?

So the C-5 is an underwound JB?

Also can you add winds to existing winds or would you have to have the whole thing rewound?

Thanks :)
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

I think the C5 uses heavier gauge wire than the JB.
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

As Seymour mentioned when he was in the Chat Room the other night: all other things being equal, adding a few hundred turns of wire will increase the mids of a pickup. Also the bass. The pickup with more turns will not be as bright though....it'll lose some treble.

Here's some more info: http://www.seymourduncan.com/website/support/seymours_q_and_a.shtml#9
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

The JB uses 44 guage wire and the Custom series uses 43 guage wire which is slightly thicker!
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

Cool. That I did not know, I thought as Lew did, that is I thought JB was just a hot c5. THANKS.

B
 
Re: Why Did Fender/Seymour decide on the Pearly Gates?

I don't think SD has ever identified the actual gauge of wire used in the JB and Custom series pickups. But I have also heard that it is 44 in the JB, 43 in the Customs and 42 in the 59. The insulating coating makes a differance too. A pickup wound with 42 gauge poly coated wire will sound a little differant than the same pickup wound with enamel coated 42 gauge because the thicker coating will place the actual copper in the windings further away from the layers below, above and around it. Lew
 
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