Duncan Pearly Gates neck vs. DiMarzio 36th PAF neck?

[Speeddemon]

Guys, I have this Burny RLC-70 Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom 'replica' from '83, that I've basically exchanged all the hardware on
(Grover Rotomatic 18:1 tuners, Graptech Tusq nut, Bourns pots, PIO caps, Switchcraft switch and gold jack) and after a 7 year long stint with GFS pickups in them (before I had the original pups (VH-1?) and a Duncan JB/59 set for awhile), I decided I wanted to improve that as well.
Had a Duncan Custom 5 in the bridge; loved it. Still replaced it (after some recommendations from a Duncan connaisseur/Les Paul-aficionado) with a Custom/59 Bridge. Love that too. Neck pickup became an Alnico Pro II, but while nice and creamy, it was too dark for my taste. I needed some sparkle. But I didn't want the scooped mid sound+woofy lows of a Duncan '59 in the neck (which I sold anyway). So in came a DiMarzio 36th PAF Anniversary neck (DP-103), which I have also in a 2nd Burny LPC (with a Super Distortion in the bridge).
While I really like the tone of this, I wonder if a Pearly Gates neck would give me some more 'pizzazz' than the DP-103? And also, to make that guitar all Duncan again.
It's really basically the only Duncan neck pickup I'm considering, save from throwing a Screamin' Demon in the neck, like I did to my ESP Horizon NT-II.
I didn't like the Jazz neck; too clinical to me. '59 was too boomy and scooped in a Les Paul. Almost the pickup cousin of a Celestion T75 speaker.
Seth Lovers and Antiquity's would be a bit too rich for me. Not to mention un-waxpotted or minimally...wouldn't gel well with a 5150III's red channel, eh?

I like a good PAF tone, that remains clear, open, juicy, bell-like, handles high gain really well as well as sounding great when playing clean. A convincing split-tone (I wire all my 2 HB guitars to split the 'buckers with push-pull pots) would be the icing on the cake.

Whaddaya guys think?

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I have a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary's in my Trad + LP and they kill it that guitar and well balanced together.

I gave a Duncan Antiquity set in my R7 Gold top LP. They are awesome and if I would have had them before the 36th's I probably would have the in all of my LP's

 

[fuzzyguitars]

been through a long list of neck pickups and all the duncans that you have mentioned

my favorite is the pearly gates neck.

a trick is to set the overall height of the pickup low and then crank up the adjustable pole pieces like jeff beck used to do with his les paul

really tames the low end mud and restores a lot of clarity.

u should actually try that on your guitar now too see how much it can change the sound of the pickup.

but yeah, the pg is my favorite.

 

[Speeddemon]

I have a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary's in my Trad + LP and they kill it that guitar and well balanced together.

I gave a Duncan Antiquity set in my R7 Gold top LP. They are awesome and if I would have had them before the 36th's I probably would have the in all of my LP's

Would you consider the 36th to be close in tone to the Antiquities?

@fuzzyguitars, how would you describe the low-end and high-end on the PG neck? Did you try it in a Les Paul as well?

 

[Shawn Lutz]

I have a DiMarzio 36th Anniversary's in my Trad + LP and they kill it that guitar and well balanced together.

I gave a Duncan Antiquity set in my R7 Gold top LP. They are awesome and if I would have had them before the 36th's I probably would have the in all of my LP's

Would you consider the 36th to be close in tone to the Antiquities?

@fuzzyguitars, how would you describe the low-end and high-end on the PG neck? Did you try it in a Les Paul as well?

Tough to say as I didn't have them in the same guitar and the same caps and pots. The 36ths seem to be hotter output wise, ore gain when you open up the volume. In the neck position you can get that thick and gooey LP neck PU tone. I have 300k pots on V's in my Trad and 500k on the R7. The 36thss seem to have more mids and lows but that may be because the 300k pots and bumble caps on that guitar. The antiquities are tough to put a finger on...they have a raw raunchiness and pleasurable tone to the ears. On the 36th's the can be bright and I back off the tone a bunch on the bridge and a hair off the neck. The Antiquities I leave the tone on 10.

I play 70-80's and early 90's melodic rock/neo neoclassica styles and generally prefer lower output pickups and both of these work well for me..so VH, Rhoads, Malmsteen, Dio, Sabbath, Priest, Maiden etc

 

[lespaul6]

Antiquities are too soft, so is the use of an alnico II in the neck in general.... Ive had a hard time with this myself. The alnico II in the Pearly is great for the bridge but has too soft a bottom with less clarity than a V magnet for the neck. You mentioned the scooped nature of a PAF- that's the way a PAF is eq'd. I ended up with the 59 adjusted to eliminate the booom. Good luck

 

[sleewell2]

Those are my 2 favorite pickups. I'd go 36th in the neck and pearly gates in the bridge.

 

[RockyStar]

I would suggest the Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell's. Great pickups and wonderful in the neck as well.

 

[LanierP]

What I can say is I had DP 103's in both neck and Bridge of my LP,,, loved it in the neck but couldn't bond with it in the bridge. Switched both out to Seth Lovers, and Damn were they great, but as you mentioned in your post, the unwaxed nature of these put me in feedback Hell with any amp that was hi-gain. So they too both came out and now the DP103 is back in the neck and an Arcane Brownbucker is in the bridge. Finally happy with this combo

 

[Speeddemon]

Just to be clear, no need to recommend me another BRIDGE pickup at this moment, as I'm set there (for now).

I've read more than one story where the bridge version of both the DP103 and Pearly Gates are not considered as overall winners as their neck versions. So I definitely am not considering a 36th Anniv bridge or a Pearly Gates bridge.

@Shawn Lutz, I play mostly the same stuff as you, being in a Priest/Maiden tribute as well as an all round classic rock/hard rock/80's metal coverband.
Favorites are Mr. Rhoads, Adrian Smith, Ace Frehley, George Lynch, Glenn Tipton, Angus Young, Vivian Campbell, Mr's Sherman and Denner, John Norum, Warren DeMartini & King Crosby (R.I.P.), Ritchie Blackmore and many more.

 

[lespaul6]

I would be careful of majority opinions... best to try for yourself and form your own opinion.

 

[SpiderWars]

Have you tried the Sentient? Description says in-between a Jazz/59n.

 

[Speeddemon]

Have you tried the Sentient? Description says in-between a Jazz/59n.

Given that I don't like BOTH in a Les Paul neck position, why would I consider the Sentient?

The only thing with a '59n I'm willing to entertain some day (given that I have an unused '59n from my ESP lying around), is throw in an Alnico IV magnet and see how that fares. A lot of folks suggest that mag-swap to make it less boomy, give it more mids and make the highs less strident.

Any more folks with PG neck experience?

 

[Progbusters]

i believe there is a new custom/59 neck out already at duncan. or coming out soon

 

[Speeddemon]

Necro-bump to my own thread; I don't know exactly when I threw it in, but I found a Pearly Gates Neck locally years ago and it went in the Les Paul Custom. So now it's Custom/59 Hybrid bridge and Pearly Gates neck. Awesome match! Does exactly what I wanted it to do.

In terms of low-end clarity and juicyness, the DiMarzio 36th Anniv PAF neck may have been ever so slightly better, but that raw kerrangy top-end of the PGn is something else too.
PGn when split is kinda thin though. This is where a split Air Norton fares better, but it can be too woofy/muddy on the low strings in humbucking mode. Has more output and a bit more of a shred pickup than the more classic rock/hard rock oriented PGn.

 

[johnny q]

PGn when split is kinda thin though.

Yeah, I agree. I have one in the neck of my HSH Charvel Strat with the option to split. Not a fan of the split tone, but as a full on neck bucker - zero mud and lot's of chime and those woody/reedy mids. Sort of the tamer baby brother to the A2 Pros or Slash pickups.

 

[Speeddemon]

Sort of the tamer baby brother to the A2 Pros or Slash pickups.

I wouldn't make that comparison myself. I had the A2Pro in the same Les Paul Custom for a while, and while I liked its thick, juicy qualities, big low-end etc, it was also too smooth for me. Not enough clarity and that's where the PGn (and DiMarzio 36th Anniv PAF neck) delivers.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

been through a long list of neck pickups and all the duncans that you have mentioned

my favorite is the pearly gates neck.

a trick is to set the overall height of the pickup low and then crank up the adjustable pole pieces like jeff beck used to do with his les paul

really tames the low end mud and restores a lot of clarity.

u should actually try that on your guitar now too see how much it can change the sound of the pickup.

but yeah, the pg is my favorite.

Gary Richrath did the same thing with his pickups. He made that guitar scream, first with a screwdriver, then with a pick.

Here's Gary killing it live in REO before they pussied out.