Seymour Duncan SH-PG1b Pearly Gates pickups worth it?

[Mike Drop]

Anybody playing through these? If so, I'd like your impression.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Anybody playing through these? If so, I'd like your impression.

Ive got a pair on the way, theyre supposed be low gain paf style, zztop uses them. I'll let you know when I get them.

 

[Mike Drop]

Ive got a pair on the way, theyre supposed be low gain paf style, zztop uses them. I'll let you know when I get them.

Outstanding, pedecamp! Keep us updated, please!

 

[jeffb]

I've owned a bunch of sets.

Billy Gibbons has not played the production models for a long long time- He's been using the Custom Shop versions for many years and they are different (IMO, the best set out of the Duncan Custom shop). The CS version is a different wind, hotter, features no wax potting- It's a very noticeable difference to the production pearlies. Billy in recent years has been using another winder who did a clone/recreation of the actual pickups in Pearly. I believe they are in Europe, but the name escapes me.

The Duncan production model PG pickups are not a recreation the pickups in Pearly, but were designed BITD to make Billy's touring guitars all sound the same, and sound more like Pearly (Kinda like the newer Slash set, in principle).

The production Pearly neck is the star of the set. Great A2 mids and is great clean or gainy- nice top end for some bite/sparkle in the neck. The Bridge is polarizing for most players. Many find it very thin and piercingly bright. It really depends on the guitar you put them in and what kind of pots/caps/wiring. I've hated the PGbridge in most of my Les Pauls, but liked it in all mahogany Vs and Explorers.

 

[johnny q]

The production Pearly neck is the star of the set. Great A2 mids and is great clean or gainy- nice top end for some bite/sparkle in the neck.

I had the Pearly neck in 2 guitars - my PRS Custom 22 and currently in my Charvel Strat. You are right about the "bite/sparke." I was actually surprised how bright it is - not in a bad way mind you, but if someone is looking for a mud free neck pickup, this is it. Great for leads under high gain.

 

[Thevenin]

I have them in two guitars, a Baretta copy and a 92 LP Classic. I like the ability to roll off the volume and it doesn't sound thin. Still enough gain wide open.

 

[StrummerJoe]

I've owned a bunch of sets.

Billy Gibbons has not played the production models for a long long time- He's been using the Custom Shop versions for many years and they are different (IMO, the best set out of the Duncan Custom shop). The CS version is a different wind, hotter, features no wax potting- It's a very noticeable difference to the production pearlies. Billy in recent years has been using another winder who did a clone/recreation of the actual pickups in Pearly. I believe they are in Europe, but the name escapes me.

The Duncan production model PG pickups are not a recreation the pickups in Pearly, but were designed BITD to make Billy's touring guitars all sound the same, and sound more like Pearly (Kinda like the newer Slash set, in principle).

The production Pearly neck is the star of the set. Great A2 mids and is great clean or gainy- nice top end for some bite/sparkle in the neck. The Bridge is polarizing for most players. Many find it very thin and piercingly bright. It really depends on the guitar you put them in and what kind of pots/caps/wiring. I've hated the PGbridge in most of my Les Pauls, but liked it in all mahogany Vs and Explorers.

'Whiskerbucker' Humbuckers by Cream T Pickups (creamtpickupsdirect.com)

 

[jeffb]

'Whiskerbucker' Humbuckers by Cream T Pickups (creamtpickupsdirect.com)

Thank you- that is the culprit!

 

[StrummerJoe]

Thank you- that is the culprit!

 

[Wildeman]

I've owned a bunch of sets.

Billy Gibbons has not played the production models for a long long time- He's been using the Custom Shop versions for many years and they are different (IMO, the best set out of the Duncan Custom shop). The CS version is a different wind, hotter, features no wax potting- It's a very noticeable difference to the production pearlies. Billy in recent years has been using another winder who did a clone/recreation of the actual pickups in Pearly. I believe they are in Europe, but the name escapes me.

The Duncan production model PG pickups are not a recreation the pickups in Pearly, but were designed BITD to make Billy's touring guitars all sound the same, and sound more like Pearly (Kinda like the newer Slash set, in principle).

The production Pearly neck is the star of the set. Great A2 mids and is great clean or gainy- nice top end for some bite/sparkle in the neck. The Bridge is polarizing for most players. Many find it very thin and piercingly bright. It really depends on the guitar you put them in and what kind of pots/caps/wiring. I've hated the PGbridge in most of my Les Pauls, but liked it in all mahogany Vs and Explorers.

So, the production one's are waxed? I heard they weren't and that appeals to me.

 

[jeffb]

So, the production one's are waxed? I heard they weren't and that appeals to me.

All production humbucker pickups except the Seth Lovers, and Antiquities are wax potted**, unless you do a "shop floor custom" order- which would consist of things like: no wax potting/wax potting, a non standard cover or adding covers that certain models don't normally come with, 4 conductor or vintage braid for a pickup that normally doesn't come that way, a long leg baseplate for some models (or vice versa), weird bobbin colors, etc. They usually have an extra charge applied

The recently started making non aged cover Antiquities for example, because they would get lots of "shop floor custom" requests for them. Same issue years ago with people wanting 4 con wiring for 59s, so now it's a production model.

So as an example- you could order a set of the production PGs with no wax, vintage braid wiring, and long leg base plates as a shop floor custom for a nominal upcharge.

Since Covid, IDK if they are still offering such things or what pricing is.

** These use butyrate bobbins, and if you want them waxed you would have to go to the cheaper modern bobbins- butyrate cannot take the heat of the waxing process. BITD when the 59s were a much better pickup, they used butyrate as well- they were not waxed and had a very different wind pattern and magnets than they have for the past 20-ish years. Newer ones are completely different.