Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates

Pickup features: humbucker - passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: "the heritage" les paul style guitar
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: shaller
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: billy gibbons
You musical style(s): blues/rock
Reason for pickup change: needed p/u w/ more body

Perceived output level: slightly more than paf
Tone: slightly middy
Sonic evaluation: I am using a custom modded, point to point wired, 50 watt head into two cabinets, each with a 12" jbl speaker.I split the cabinets on either side of the stage.The amp has 3 channels and I can use either 6L6 or EL34 tubes. - No effects.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a good p/u for blues/rock. It is a detailed and dynamic p/u but can sound very smooth mated with a warm guitar.

Comments: With my set-up, this p/u is amazing. Very dynamic. I have no tone control on my guitar, so with the guitar volume on ten, I can get bright, screaming harmonics. Turn down the volume and the sound gets warmer and cleaner.
For me, this is a wonderful p/u. - It does everything I ask of it.
The top end is bright and the bottom is warm and detailed - not muddy. But keep in mind that the character of a p/u can depend on your amp, the settings, the speakers, your guitar and the way you play.
Get yourself a good amp, a good guitar, some decent speakers, heavy strings, guitar lessons and this p/u won't do you wrong.

Pickup features: Humbucking / Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Heritage H-150CM
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Custom ordered on the guitar from Heritage
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan JB (bridge)
Artists using this pickup: Billy Gibbons......dont know who else.
You musical style(s): Classic rock, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, U2
Reason for pickup change: No change, ordered the guitar from Heritage with this pickup.

Perceived output level: Sounds like a hot rodded Duncan 59, its louder and more aggressive.
Tone: Good balance between bass/mids/treble-more muddy than a 59.
Sonic evaluation: Using it in the neck position of a Heritage H-150CM (basically a Les Paul, only better). Using Fender tube amps w/Visual Sound Ultimate OD pedal and EH Small Clone Chorus pedal. Also have a Heritage H-150CM with Duncan 59's in it. This pickup sounds very full, with a nice balance of bass, mid, and treble. Compared to the 59's, which are my favorite pickups, it sounds louder and darker. It definitely has more gain, and has more of a "rude" sound. If you look at the tone chart on Duncans website, you would think that this pickup would sound very close to a 59, but it does not. They are night and day. The Pearly Gates is very full and warm distorted, and has a lot of sustain. I can get some very nice sounds by rolling the volume off a tad. This pickup is a little muddy sounding compared to my 59's, but still sounds great on its own. It does what I wanted it to do: give me nice fat neck humbucking tones without being a wall of mush. As mentioned earlier, it sounds like a hot rodded 59 or PAF style humbucker. Sounds good clean, or distorted. I can still get enough clarity in my notes to satisfy me, although the 59's are much clearer/brighter.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for classic rock/blues, bad for metal.

Comments: If I had to order my guitar again, I would still have this pickup installed. I wanted a neck humbucker that was hotter than my 59's. I also wanted the pickup to retain some clarity, and not be muddy. For me, the Pearly Gates is the right fit. It sounds much better than the stock pickups in my friends Gibsons, and suits my style well. I have had Dimarzio pickups in the past, and like Seymour Duncans better. The pickup balances well with my JB in the bridge, the two work well together. I like the pickup, and if I could change anything, I might give it just a tad more treble. Other than that, I think it is a great value.

Pickup features: 4 Conductor Alnico 2 Humbucking (Passive)
Impedence or other specs: DC Risistance: Neck= 7.3K Bridge= 8.5K Resonant Peak: Neck=7.5khz Bridge=6.5khz

Model of guitar or bass: PRS McCarty
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock McCarty Humbuckers http://www.prsguitars.com/showcase/current/current.html
Other pickups on guitar: Have had SD Jazz in Neck was cool but to clean,SD JB in Bridge to bright and harsh,Pealy gates in neck is killer stayed with it need brge pu . Tried Fralin,Suhr,and many others than tried Pearly gates bridge keeper
Artists using this pickup: Billy Gibbons ZZ Top
You musical style(s): Jazz,Blues,Fusion,Rock,Country,80's metal
Reason for pickup change: The PRS Stock pu's where to mudy through my rig there not bad pick ups but just doesn't complement my tone.

Perceived output level: Pearly gates not an ultra hot pick up is has more treble than a PAF sounding pick up. Pearl gates have good harmonic tone and when the treble is to much I roll off my tone. You really need a Tone Controll with these pick ups to get a number of tones other wise can be to harsh some times but over all a killer pu for my gtr rig and the Tones I love.
Tone: The Pearly Gates are not a Muddy or Bassy pick up It does have bite/Treble blance is cool.
Sonic evaluation: I use The SD Pearl gates in my PRS McCarty I have changed the Bridge to a tone Pro tune-O Matic rap around Bridge this bridge,killer! in tone to the stock PRS Bridge highly recomend this mod. I use a stereo Rig Wet/Dry/Wet think EV,Steve Lukather,Micheal Landau. My rig is as such: Rivera 100W Custom Rake head tone are dumble and marshall mix very cool. This is my Dry set up using a Marshall 4X12 Loaded with (2) weber 60 watt Chicago speakers and (2) 60 watt Thame speakers.
Rack: Pl8 Pwr supply,Bob Bradshaw/CAE Mini Mixer,
Carvin DCM-1000 Pwr amp for Tc D-Two,TC G-Force run these units 100% wet. Cabs for my wet set up are Rivera 2X12 loaded with (2) Chicago 60 watt speakers and Vincenzo 2X12 loaded with (1) Vinatge 30 and (1) Thame. after the DCm-1000 in my rack there's a rack drawer keeley comp,Analog Man Jucier exact like dan armstrong Orange squeezer killer! Voodoo Lab Micro-Vibe,Arion Chorus Pedal,Fantone Peach Fuzz Pedal. after the rack drawer there is a Bob bradshaw/CAE Interface, Bob Bradshaw/CAE 2X4. Pedal Board: Bob Bradshaw/CAE RS-10 Controller,(2) Boss FV-300L Vol. Pedals for TC D-Two and G-Force Vols;Boss 100 Guitar Vol Pedal no longer made,Vox wah moded by Bob Bradshaw/CAE.
http://www.rivera.com/
http://www.webervst.com/hps.html
http://www.customaudioelectronics.com/
http://www.robertkeeley.com/Audiokt88/okguitar.html
http://www.analogman.com/rossmod.htm

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Blues,Rock,Country,Jazz,Fusion, 80's Metal the Pearly Gates are a very good match for all these styles through my rig . The tone I went after are Larry carlton,Robben Ford,Micheal Landu,Steve Lukather of Toto,Mark Knofler,Black crows,EV.

Comments: I would buy the SD Pearly gates again I have been playing since I was 12yr old now 39. What I love about these pickups are that they cut through a trio or a full 5 pice or more group very cool pick ups. I have tried other product Fralin,Anderson,Tom Holmes,John Suhr Humbuckers,other Duncan's just to name a few thes are killer pickup for my style. Through a rig like mine you need a pickup that will cut through and keep the high's alive the Pearly Gates do this very well and I have seen Billy Gibbons rigs that are close to my set up and his Les Pauls are hollow has his tech scoop out the wood in the body all use thes on his reissue Les Paul. The search is over ver cool Pick ups.

Pickup features: Humbucker, Alnico II
Impedence or other specs: 8.51K DCR

Model of guitar or bass: 93 Strat Plus with nothing original left except the body and neck, and half the bridge
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan c5
Other pickups on guitar: rio single coils
Artists using this pickup: Monkeyman Tate, Apeman Nate, Spaceman Pete, Poop Shanmugan
You musical style(s): Folkabilly Blues Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more highs, less output

Perceived output level: PAF ish
Tone: Balanced, with enough treble and mids - not as much bass or low mid umph as the C5
Sonic evaluation: This is a great pickup. I've been blown away by my last two Duncan purchases. This and a Broadcaster tele lead that happened to be overwound to about 8K.
Anyway, this pickup is great. I don't dig Alnico II magnets, never have, never will. Except for this one. I've tried the C5, '59, Alnico II Pro, and others I can't remember. This is my favorite in the strat. I've found Alnico II mags to mush out on the clarity and low end when driven, but this pickup doesn't. It's snappy and articulate, chimey. Yes it has some high end presence, but it's sweet, yet nasty. The mids and highs are balanced and have character. I love it. It responds well to tone knob adjustments throughout the spectrum. I use it with 500K pots in the strat. Matches pretty well with single coils as far as output. I don't know how it would work in a LP or a 335, etc. I don't think I'd ever try the neck version, no way I'm putting anything but an Alnico 5 in the neck (can you say mush?)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rockamonkey (it's well suited for this)

Comments: At least for now, I'm satisfied. I'm now in a chime phase and this pickup works great for chime but has bite and a woody timbre when you really dig in. The last guy said it was like a tele and a PAF got together, and that's an apt description. It doesn't compress as much as other hb'ers, or maybe the compression is just more useful and suits the tonal spectrum of this pickup. It responds better than most humbuckers I've tried for dynamic playing. Better than Duncans I've tried, more like a PAF replica (i.e. Peter Florence voodoos which are chimey and respond very well to picking nuances). Pretty versatile, fairly classic tone.

Pickup features: (Passive humbucking)
Impedence or other specs: 8.5 K or so, bridge position

Model of guitar or bass: Warmoth "Tele-Paul" with mahogany body, maple neck, 2 HB
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan JB
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Jazz in neck position
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rockabilly, blues , honky-tonk country, alt-country
Reason for pickup change: JB is a great rock pickup, but a bit too much output and too middy for what I'm doing.

Perceived output level: In the range of a vintage PAF as far as output, maybe a tad hotter. Medium output.
Tone: It's like a cross between a PAF and a good tele bridge pickup - a humbucker that never gets muddy. Has a high end that rivals a Gretsch Filtertron, but with more mids. Fantastic pickup for texas blues-country-rock . If you're not into the tele sound at all, you probably won't like this pickup. I wanted the result of a Les Paul and a Tele who got drunk at a party and did the nasty. The alnico 2 magnets take the harshness out of the high end. You get a nice compression similar to a vintage PAF.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a ho-made '59 Bassman circuit and jump it into a ho-made 5E3 tweed deluxe. I use 12 inch speakers, so they smooth out the highs even more. I plug my guitar into a Reverend Drivetrain and an Ibanex Analog Delay, then into a Fender outboard reverb, then into the amps. Sounds very fat but sparkly.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a vintage humbucker with bite - a perfect pickup for Texas blues-rock and alt-country. I use TV Jones Filtertrons in a Guild Starfire as my main rockabilly axe. I use this one for loud Texas stuff and alt-country (Joe Ely, Wilco, etc.). This pickup gets a great "redneck humbucker" tone. If your into a dark-sounding, non-Fender, "woman tone" or metal, I'd steer clear of this one. Great for those who like some bite from their vintage humbuckers.

Comments: A great all-around humbucking pickup if your taste leans more toward 4X4 pickup trucks than Mazda Miatas. Not for jazz, metal, or anything else more "city-fied."

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: 8.1 k-ohms

Model of guitar or bass: gibson usa les paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: pafs
Other pickups on guitar: only 2
Artists using this pickup: people who like bright crappy tone
You musical style(s): hard rock, blues, jazz
Reason for pickup change: heard the hype of this being the holy grail les paul pickup

Perceived output level: weaker than a gibson 57' re-issue
Tone: waaayyyyy too much treble
Sonic evaluation: les paul into budda stringmaster and marshall 2204 heads with weber silver bell and blue dog 12" alnicos. this pickup is weak and way too much ear-bleeding treble. don't buy if you plan on playing the g,b and e strings! guitar was wired correctly, i had to double-check after the disappointing weak sound. if you find yourself turning the treble to 10 on everything then these are your kind of pickups!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: hard rock, blues or jazz i lose with this pos. i replaced neck and bridge with these turds!

Comments: already removed from les paul. 23 years of playing and these are some of the crappiest sounding pups i've ever heard. if they sound weak in a les paul imagine how they sound in a lesser guitar. the gibby 57 re-issue sounded better! all you idiots with a strat and a crate amp should not be allowed to do reviews. how about a high-end review section where only gibson and hamer owners using all-tube amps contribute reviews? this pickup is a lame, weak pos!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ummm???

Model of guitar or bass: Fender '97 Lonestar strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none - came on the guitar
Other pickups on guitar: fender texas specials in the neck and middle
Artists using this pickup: I thought that Pearly Gates is the name of Billy Gibbons les paul
You musical style(s): anything except Nu-metal, rap and country
Reason for pickup change: none it came in the guitar... But I bought the guitar beacuse I wanted something better than the Jagmaster I was playing on at the time.

Perceived output level: Normal, not high output, it works well with the texas specials, no real drop off when switching.
Tone: I find it is very balanced, was trebly, but after a little adjustment of the low end screws, it came out very balanced
Sonic evaluation: Playing through the strat, it sounds great, it's wired so that the neck and mid pick up use the first tone control, while the bridge has the 2nd. I normally play through either a Fender Hotrod Deville 2x12 or a Peavey Classic 20. And through either it sounds great, it has a beautifully clear tone clean, and it holds through very well distorted. For heavy stuff I run it through a Boss super Dist or Metal Zone, and it holds the distortion well, and can crank out some great leads, while also being able to maintain some crunch..

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It works great for blues and rock, and I haven't had a problem with it for punk and some metal type things.

Comments: I would definatley buy another, I'm actually thinking of getting one for my Les Paul Custom. I've been playing for 7 years and I just love the way this pick up sounds, compared to some of the Ibanez and Dimarzio P/u's on some of the other guitars I tried that day, This one was the better, it was a little trebly at first, but after I took it home and adjusted the height of the screws, it sounded great.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Studio
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan '59, Dimarzio PAF Pro
Other pickups on guitar: Pearly Gate
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock, Fusion, Funk, R&B
Reason for pickup change: Didn't like PAF Pro, Duncan '59 too common - wanted something different

Perceived output level: A little hotter than typical "vintage" replacement
Tone: Tight bass, warm middle, bright on top
Sonic evaluation: Fender Blues Jr Amp. I have neck and bridge pickup wired to individually switch coils from series to parallel. I also use WAH, tube screamer, digital delay, flanger, and Peavey "Dirty Dog" from time to time. When playing clean, these pickups sound quite good with the coils in parallel. Very articulate with plenty of harmonics and chime. IMHO this pickup wired in parallel is the very best sounding neck pickup I've heard in a Les Paul. In series, you get a good PAF tone with good harmonics and little extra top end. These pickups have a very long, smooth breakup region, which makes them ideal for blues, but great for most styles of rock and new country. Using only tone controls, I've been able to get convincing tones of Tony Iommi (early days), AC/DC, Page, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jeff Beck (Les Paul Custom days), John Mclaughlin, etc. It's also easy to get real close to a vintage P-90 sound. If you're into metal, you might want something different. On a Les Paul your tone control will probably be more useful than ever before, mine were stuck on 10 for years!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, Rock, Fusion, Funk, R&B

Comments: I can't see having a Les Paul without these pickups, so I would definately replace them. I also use a PRS Custom 24, Cavin TL-50, Peavey Firenza, and a "Frankencaster" with a Warmoth Swamp Ash body, early Fender Strat neck, and Peavey pickups. I've been playing about 20 years. All my guitars except Les Paul and Frankencaster have the stock pickups. In Les Paul I've used PAF Pro, Duncan '59, Classic '57, JB, and EMG's. With the Peraly Gates, I've got the Les Paul sound I was looking for.

Pickup features: passive humbucker w/ 4 conductor wiring
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: washburn bt-6
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock junkers
Other pickups on guitar: texas special (mid position)
Artists using this pickup: zz top
You musical style(s): blues & rock
Reason for pickup change: stocks sounded awful

Perceived output level: near normal
Tone: sweet with clean volumes but a bit harsh and bright when pushed
Sonic evaluation: guitar goes straight into a beringer stereo 210 combo w/ chorus & reverb.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: good for blues but not much else.

Comments: if it were destroyed or stolen i would probably go with a different seymour duncan model because these tend to get a little shrill when they're driven hard. but when coupled with the texas special the PG-1's take on a sweet fender "quack" that has to be heard to appreciate. when the humbuckers are linked together the tone is open & smoother than when used separately but still trebely. also, splitting the coils should be avoided because the signal gets pretty weak.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Fat Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Holy Grail Lace Sensors, LR Baggs X-bridge
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): rock, hard rock, numetal, acoustic rock, blues
Reason for pickup change: the stock pickups weren't doing it for me

Perceived output level: definetly hotter than stock pickups, more volume and tone
Tone: more on the trebely side of balanced,
Sonic evaluation: I have a Fat Strat with the LRbaggs acoustic bridge and preamp in it. I use a Digitech GNX 1 processor and a Hot Rod Distortion through a Fender Bassman 2x15 half stack. The pickup gives off great harmonics. You can hit harmonics almost anywhere on the fret board. I am more of a neck pickup player so I use the Pearly Gates for soloing mostly and it works great. It really cuts through the mix when playing in a live situation.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: for most of what I play I use the neck pickup but it is great for solos... provides great harmonics

Comments: If it were lost or stolen I'd probably get it agian. I might try a different humbucker though, like a Screaming Demon or a Lil' 59. I like the sound it has but use it mainly for soloing. If you are soloing at all it is a great pickup. Cuts through the mix. This is what Fender uses on the Texas Special Fat Strat and that is why I got it.