Speeddemon
Well-known member
So my Burny Les Paul Custom (Randy Rhoads model, from '81) was itching for a new neck pup, mainly to make the guitar 'all Duncan'.
Bridge pickup is a Custom/59 Hybrid and the neck pup was a DiMarzio 36th Anniv. PAF neck (DP103).
Mind you, that DiMarzio is great in its own right and if I didn't have one too in a different Les Paul Custom, it would probably stay here.
But I've been curious about the Pearly Gates Neck (PGn) for years, so I decided to heat up the ol' soldering station.
I left the same, reasonably new strings on to make a fair comparison and my initial findings are those of expectation as well as surprise.
Expectation:
-a slightly hotter PAF tone with more focus on the upper mids and highs, nice crispiness/jangliness.
-useable, if not very nice split tones.
-nice character to it.
This was indeed the case.
Surprise:
-The overall feel;
While the PGn is sporting an A2 magnet, its response is actually more stiff than the Dimarzio DP103(that has an A5). I also have a 3rd Les Paul (standard) that has a DiMarzio Air Norton (flipped) in the neck (the honeyburst with the double creams). That one is also ever so spongier/chewier than the PGn as well. Both these Les Pauls have a thick maple cap and mahogany body, to make the comparison less apples vs. oranges.
When painting in broad strokes, the PGn sacrifices a little thick/chewy low-end for more clarity and an almost singlecoil-like response (even in HB mode), compared to the DiMarzios.
The clarity is especially prominent with low/medium gain sounds, but still noticable in high gain shreddy runs as well.
A very nice pickup indeed, especially if you like your neck humbuckers to be on the brighter side. It has (way)more character than a SH-2n Jazz, isn't scooped like the Jazz or '59Neck.
Just don't use it if you want something to beef up a thinner sounding guitar, unless you're replacing something that's very anemic or otherwise bland in tone.
Bridge pickup is a Custom/59 Hybrid and the neck pup was a DiMarzio 36th Anniv. PAF neck (DP103).
Mind you, that DiMarzio is great in its own right and if I didn't have one too in a different Les Paul Custom, it would probably stay here.
But I've been curious about the Pearly Gates Neck (PGn) for years, so I decided to heat up the ol' soldering station.
I left the same, reasonably new strings on to make a fair comparison and my initial findings are those of expectation as well as surprise.
Expectation:
-a slightly hotter PAF tone with more focus on the upper mids and highs, nice crispiness/jangliness.
-useable, if not very nice split tones.
-nice character to it.
This was indeed the case.
Surprise:
-The overall feel;
While the PGn is sporting an A2 magnet, its response is actually more stiff than the Dimarzio DP103(that has an A5). I also have a 3rd Les Paul (standard) that has a DiMarzio Air Norton (flipped) in the neck (the honeyburst with the double creams). That one is also ever so spongier/chewier than the PGn as well. Both these Les Pauls have a thick maple cap and mahogany body, to make the comparison less apples vs. oranges.
When painting in broad strokes, the PGn sacrifices a little thick/chewy low-end for more clarity and an almost singlecoil-like response (even in HB mode), compared to the DiMarzios.
The clarity is especially prominent with low/medium gain sounds, but still noticable in high gain shreddy runs as well.
A very nice pickup indeed, especially if you like your neck humbuckers to be on the brighter side. It has (way)more character than a SH-2n Jazz, isn't scooped like the Jazz or '59Neck.
Just don't use it if you want something to beef up a thinner sounding guitar, unless you're replacing something that's very anemic or otherwise bland in tone.
