Wizz Pearly Gates pickups

[sputnik]

I just ordered a set of the Premium Clone PAF's from Wizz using his Black Friday discount code and am SO excited for when they arrive. Can't wait!!

Same here!

 

[stephen78]

I just ordered a set of the Premium Clone PAF's from Wizz using his Black Friday discount code and am SO excited for when they arrive. Can't wait!!

Nice! I have that set in my R9. They are perfect for that guitar.

 

[Metlking]

Damnit! I wish I had seen that coupon code before it expired!

 

[AJK1]

My SD Custom Shop Pearly Gates are Divine !
Best pickups I’ve ever had
Unpotted goodness

 

[hamerfan]

I have stinking normal stock PG set, put an A6 in the bridge and i am done. Bridge is now louder and fuller than neck.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Bump. Any reviews on these?

 

[AJK1]

Bump. Any reviews on these?

Just buy a set of Duncan Custom Shop Pearly Gates
I have two sets, best pickups money can buy

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Just buy a set of Duncan Custom Shop Pearly Gates
I have two sets, best pickups money can buy

You wanna sell me a set?

 

[Knoby]

Just buy a set of Duncan Custom Shop Pearly Gates
I have two sets, best pickups money can buy

Is there a difference between the custom shop pearly gates and standard pearly gates?

 

[AJK1]

Is there a difference between the custom shop pearly gates and standard pearly gates?

Oh yes, different in every way

 

[AJK1]

You wanna sell me a set?

Sorry, they are in two of my guitars !

 

[KS 5150]

Is there a difference between the custom shop pearly gates and standard pearly gates?

Probably just the price

 

[AJK1]

Probably just the price

Price, build, aged, sound just to name a few

 

[Knoby]

Price, build, aged, sound just to name a few

That's what i don't get. It either sounds like pearly gates, or it doesn't. Therefore if it don't, then it ain't.

I bought a production Duncan pearly gates a couple months ago to replace a bb1. Haven't installed it yet. Will compare at some stage.

 

[VictorB]

Is there a difference between the custom shop pearly gates and standard pearly gates?

Potted versus unpotted, hand wound, and I believe they are scatter wound.

 

[cooljuk]

I tried to look on the SD site to check but I can't find a listing for "Custom Shop Pearly Gates" pickups. I know they will make you whatever, though.

What I was looking for was the covers. The "antiquity' covers they usually use on fancier models are unplated raw nickel covers and are brighter sounding than original PAF covers. They don't roll off much high end and don't increase the upper resonant peak much. The regular nickel / chrome shiny covers that come on most Duncans are very dark sounding, rolling off a bunch of treble, much darker than original PAF covers.

So, that alone - difference in covers, will make a significant difference.

It's pretty easy to tell if you have raw nickel covers or not by just looking at them.

 

[VictorB]

Read the description.

Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Antiquity Pearly Gates Set, Aged Gold | Reverb

Description The original boutique humbucker set makes your Les Paul look vintage and sound priceless.The Antiquity neck humbucker delivers an articulate, yet mellow tone that results from a perfectly balanced frequency response that combines a soft, sweet treble attack with a warm, full sounding ...

reverb.com

 

[cooljuk]

The set in that ad is not raw nickel covers. They are either gold over chrome or gold over nickel, as you can't plate gold straight onto nickel silver (plus you can tell by the shine). They will actually sound even darker than a non-gold chrome or nickel cover, as the gold does take away a hair more top end.

In a bright guitar / bright rig - could be nice to have the smoother top and more resonance. For me, knowing how the Duncan A2s, especially the degaussed ones, sound so warm and weak already, I would probably pop the covers off.

 

[AJK1]

I buy mine from JMI Music

 

[jbash]

That's what i don't get. It either sounds like pearly gates, or it doesn't. Therefore if it don't, then it ain't.

I bought a production Duncan pearly gates a couple months ago to replace a bb1. Haven't installed it yet. Will compare at some stage.

The original PG Duncan pickups were designed to make every guitar Billy put them in to sound like Pearly (the guitar) so that he could just switch guitars live and not have to mess with his amps/EQ, etc.. IOW they were engineered/designed/wound to give a VERY specific EQ in other guitars and they are NOT clones. As an example Seymour has said the original PAFs in pearly are not A2. Seymour used A2 in the Duncans because that's what got the midrange to sound right in Billy's other guitars compared to Pearly. It's kind of like a SuperD or a Duncan JB- the overt voicing of the pickup takes over the natural voice of whatever guitar you put it in. That's what the production PG are supposed to do- make your guitar sound like the sum of all the parts, not just the pickups. Whether they succeeded or not, is a completely different conversation and highly subjective (I say nay)

The Custom Shop versions are not exact clones either (they use A2 for example, but I'm sure "dun-aged" in a specific way) but the winds and outputs are supposed to be much closer to the actual PAFs in Pearly. Based on my very limited experience with the CS versions (and tons of experience with the production models) The bridge on the CS Pearly is a huge improvement over the production model- it's still bright, beefier on the unwounds, and much clearer on the wounds with gain. The neck sounds better too, but I don't think it's as drastic a change from the production model that the bridge is. In fact if you got a shop floor custom production model PG neck without being wax potted and put it up against the CS PG, I'd wager they would be pretty close.