Pearly Gates vs. Pearly Gates Plus

[Dr.Mavashi]

Ok guys what is the difference between the standard Pearly Gates and the ones fender put in Lone Star Strat and Big Apple Strat in the nineties(Pearly Gates Plus)? Also on epenions.com its says there was a difference between the two guitars as well.
1 Custom Wound Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker For Lone Star Strat and For Big Apple Strat Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker, what is the difference with the Custom Wound? Thanks again.

[Benjy_26]

Don't know about the Epinions comment, but I have 4 PGb and 3 PG+ pickups currently installed in different guitars. The older PG+ pickups tended to be wound in the 8.6-8.9k range (at least mine do).
I have a newer model that comes in at 8.3k. That might be a fluke. The standard PGb, in my experience, goes from 8.3 to about 8.5k. As far as sound goes, the PGb seems to push a but harder in the high mids while still having a good amount of sparkle and a decently tight bass. The PG+ seems more aggressive in the highs, has a tighter bass, and seems like a punchier (if not louder) pickup.

This is all IMHO, YMMV, and all the usual caveats.

[Dr.Mavashi]

Thanks bro, keep 'em coming dudes.

[JOLLY]

I'm just going by memory here man. The PG plus is a 59 for the most part. The dude at the time at Fender really dug the 59 sound, but he didn't want it to be called a 59. It really is a 59 for the most part. There might be a tad of a different wind or something. But it really is a 59. Someone (Evan) correct me if I'm wrong. I can't really remember the whole story at the moment.

[Robert Delahunt]

I have never played a Pearly Gates (but think Heart, among other bands).

The Pearly Gates Plus is Alnico V and wound louder. I hear it's sort of like a '59 bridge but with .5k more ohms, and possibly (not sure if Fender kept it) mismatched coils for a slightly rebellious sound. In the bridge of my Fender Showmaster FAT HH (basswood body, rosewood fretboard, set maple neck, floating trem, strung with D'Addario EXL110's) it is bright, but not like almost overly bright like a Strat. It can do metal with the right amp (tm). It's got tight lows, and a phat mid range (almost too phat). It seems to pick up harmonics very well. It is also not overly high in output, so you don't have to worry about it ripping off faces.

Pick up any Fender Showmaster HH: they should all have Pearly Gates Plus bridges. Try one out.

EDIT: while I'm thinking about it, the '59 neck and PG+ bridge don't seem "out of character" to each other. If I didn't know better, I'd think they were a matched set. It's not like the Jazz and JB combo where the Jazz is definitely scooped and low output while the JB is super loud with tons of mids. Both pickups seem to be in character with each other (i.e. the '59n and PG+b), just that the bridge is brighter, a tiny bit louder, and punchier.

[JOLLY]

found it;

"What's the difference between your Pearly Gates pickup and the Pearly Gates Plus found on some Fender® guitars?
The Pearly Gates is rather different than the "Pearly Gates Plus" that is on various Fender instruments including the Lone Star StratT®, Fat Strat, Big Apple Strat and some Showmaster® guitars. The Pearly Gates Plus is only available on select Fender guitars or from Fender dealers. The main difference in these pickups is that a Pearly Gates has Alnico II magnets, while the Pearly Gates Plus has Alnico V magnets. Alnico V magnets tend to give a brighter, glassier tone, while Alnico II magnets tend to have a warmer, rounder, more mid-rangier tone. The closest pickup available in our regular line to a Pearly Gates Plus is a '59 Model with 4-conductor cable. The '59 is an Alnico V pickup with a wind very close to that of the Pearly Gates Plus. The '59 usually comes in single conductor cable, but it can be ordered with the 4-Conductor wiring option. "

[Robert Delahunt]

Yep.

What Are The Specs On The Pearly Gates Plus?

What are the specs on the Pearly Gates Plus?
We do not list the specifications of the Pearly Gates Plus in our Tone Chart because this pickup is not sold retail and can only be found in the Lone Star Strat®. For comparison purposes, here are the specs:
Hum canceling: Yes
DC Resistance: 8.65k
Magnets: Alnico 5 bar
Resonant Peak: 6.62khz
4-conductor wiring

For what it's worth, that link on the Seymour Duncan FAQ is old. The PG+ also comes in Showmasters, and can be purchased, but it's sold by Fender (see MusiciansFriend), not Seymour Duncan, yet still retains the Seymour Duncan logo.

[Dr.Mavashi]

Wow, guys great, so basically '59 is sort of classic LP sound pup for LPs right ? So PGP would sound great in LP/Epihone ? Especially if one would compare PGP to stock pups in Epiphone from the early 90s?

[Robert Delahunt]

Wow, guys great, so basically '59 is sort of classic LP sound pup for LPs right ? So PGP would sound great in LP/Epihone ? Especially if one would compare PGP to stock pups in Epiphone from the early 90s?

I wouldn't count on the PG+ being identical to a '59, but yeah, it's close, I guess. As for what I would use, however, if you want the PG+ sound, sure, buy one, but otherwise, my opinion is use the tone wizard and listen to pickups. The PG+ is significantly higher in cost than a bridge model Duncan, and I don't think the difference between it and the '59, or in general, is really worth the extra money. However, I like having it in a guitar, since it came stock, and I wouldn't swap it with any other pickup unless I had a good reason. A four wire '59 on musicians friend is $82, and the PG+ is $89, while the trembucker spaced Custom (and probably the JB as well) is $72. You get my point....

[Aceman]

I was gonna say it's a PG with an a5, trem spaced.

[Benjy_26]

The PG+ is standard spaced, to match the AM STD trems. As far as how it'll sound in a LP, it sounds fab. I don't think it's much like the 59. It's in the ballpark, but it isn't exactly the same.

Go ebay hunting or keep your eyes open here on the board. Lots of folks sell them off. I've gotten all of mine used for around $50.

[Robert Delahunt]

The PG+ is standard spaced, to match the AM STD trems. As far as how it'll sound in a LP, it sounds fab. I don't think it's much like the 59. It's in the ballpark, but it isn't exactly the same.

Go ebay hunting or keep your eyes open here on the board. Lots of folks sell them off. I've gotten all of mine used for around $50.

I don't have the guitar in front of me to test that theory, but if I had to decide right now, and my life depended on it, I'd say it's trembucker spaced. I'm not finding "lone star" or "big apple" on the Fender website, so I can't compare that trem, and the Showmaster specs don't say it's an american standard tremolo either. Not calling you a liar, just that I could swear it's a trembucker. Now I wish I hadn't left my Showmaster at church after Wednesday's service.... :S

[Alvin Lee Fan]

How does the PG+ stack up against a Burstbucker Pro bridge pickup? The specs sound very similar. My BB Pro bridge is about 8.5k, A5 mag, mismatched coils.

[Robert Delahunt]

How does the PG+ stack up against a Burstbucker Pro bridge pickup? The specs sound very similar. My BB Pro bridge is about 8.5k, A5 mag, mismatched coils.

They'd probably be a lot alike. My Showmaster (PG+ and Pure Blues 10s) and the Les Paul that was in the music store both sounded muddy, until I swapped the strings for D'Addario EXL110s, then it sounded like the Swamp Ash Special Les Paul

[lemonman]

I don't have the guitar in front of me to test that theory, but if I had to decide right now, and my life depended on it, I'd say it's trembucker spaced.

It's standard spaced, I have a Texas Special Fat Strat with one and it's the same spacing as all the Duncan PAFs.

Has anyone tried a regular PG with an A5? Does it sound like a PG Plus? I doubt it, but I wish it did. The PG+ sounds like it's less symmetrical than a 59, but not as uneven a wind as the A2 PG. Unless the A5 magnet tightens it up that much...

[Benjy_26]

It's not a theory that it's standard spaced, it is. I've been using this pickup in my Gibsons for years. After measuring and comparing them to my SH and TB series 'buckers, I can tell you they're definately standard spaced.


BTW, if your Showmaster doesn't have a Floyd, it's standard spaced.


I've never A/B'd it with a BB Pro, but when I played my LP Std back to back with a new Std with the BB Pro's, the bridge Pro was a bit thinner and had a raspier top end than the PG+. If I had been playing them through a dark, giny amp like a Mesa, the BB Pro's might have fared better, but through a Marshall, I'll give the nod to the PGn/PG+ set up.

Ihave tried a "normal" PG with an alnico V mag. It isn't quite as growly or as bitey as the production PG+. To my ear, there has to be a difference in the wind, but hey, I might just be hearing things.

[Robert Delahunt]

It's not a theory that it's standard spaced, it is. I've been using this pickup in my Gibsons for years. After measuring and comparing them to my SH and TB series 'buckers, I can tell you they're definately standard spaced.

BTW, if your Showmaster doesn't have a Floyd, it's standard spaced.

Oops....

[Dr.Mavashi]

I wouldn't count on the PG+ being identical to a '59, but yeah, it's close, I guess. As for what I would use, however, if you want the PG+ sound, sure, buy one, but otherwise, my opinion is use the tone wizard and listen to pickups. The PG+ is significantly higher in cost than a bridge model Duncan, and I don't think the difference between it and the '59, or in general, is really worth the extra money. However, I like having it in a guitar, since it came stock, and I wouldn't swap it with any other pickup unless I had a good reason. A four wire '59 on musicians friend is $82, and the PG+ is $89, while the trembucker spaced Custom (and probably the JB as well) is $72. You get my point....

Well Dude, I have an old PGP sitting in a box as I've took it out of my LoneStar strat and installed an Invader. But I have a bro that is kind of subborn in way that he has a early nineties Epi and a korean made Peavey Rotor(explorer typa clone) both axes have stock pups, yack! I know. So I was just wondering.... As far as "the real" pearly gates does anybody have a clip with piece that is in Mark Knopfler/Chriss Rea/Phish kinda playing style with Pearly Gates in bridge/Neck, Jolly's metal thing is awesome but for my other bro I wanna find Pearly Gates clip that has the non-metal Pearly Gates tone
...
Thanks Dudes !!!

[BFahz]

Give the PG+ a listen... pretty cool tone IMO.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cFjXlXD-l7Q

[Stratcat]

Both great pups, like others have said, the PG+ has a bit more high end.