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i have a chambered les paul and i was wondering what pickups are best for music like the allman brothers, phish, pink floyd and classic rock? What is the tonal difference between the pearly gates, '59, jb, and jazz?

Thanks

thanks for the help man you know your guitarists thats for sure

You cannot go wrong with a set of Pearly Gates. Tone to the Bone.

Pg

i noticed that you did not suggest the jb/59. Why not, and why are the pearly gates better? by the way thanks again for all the help

I personally think the JB is too hot and has and upper midrange peak that bothers me....but that's just my opinion. I think other pickups do quot;classic rockquot; much better than the JB.

The first thing you have to ask yourself is this. How does your guitar sound accoustically? Is it naturally bright, naturally dark or what? Then you can make a better choice about what to put into it.

59's - A5 magnets. Will be brighter on the top end and have an overall tighter sound in both the bass and treble frequencies. It is not scooped, but some percieve it that way because of the tightness of highs and lows. This should not be a problem in the LP. These will work well if your guitar is a little dark.

PG's - A2 magnets. Will be smoother on the highs and lows, but the mismatched coils give a midrange tone that can sound bright to some ears, or muddy and unclear to others. Many say this is one of the best sets of HB's you can put in a Les Paul. They are not to my taste, but are excellent pickups. My opinion is these work best in a guitar that has an inbetween sound...not to dark, but not too bright. The only one they may not work well in is one that is overly bright.

APH - A2 magnets. These are the smoothest, most well balanced and articulate PAF type pups SD makes, IMO, and sound the best...again IMO. They will work well in all but a dark guitar. They smooth out the sound, retain articulation under even the higest of gain and are never boomy or harsh. With that said, some feel they do not have enough bite....again YMMV.

There is also the Seth Lover and the Antiquity. The Seths are a smoother version of the 59', but they have somewhat of a PAF midrange honk. You either like this or not. I personally like the tone...but it has to be in the right guitar.

The Antiquities take the best of the 59' and the Seth, roll them into one, and then lay you gently on the pillow while they blast out classic rock sounds. Smooth, airy, delicate yet clear...not too smooth, not too harsh...just right. I played a Gibson V with Ants thru a JCM 900 1/2 stack, and these pups were incredible. Expensive, but incredible...worth every penny.

Hope that helps a little

For the most versatility in classic rock, I would go with the 59 bridge and the alnico II pro neck. Or the 59/59 or the Alnico II pro/Alnico II pro. Though the 59/alnico II pro would be my personal choice or the 59 bridge/peraly gates neck.

I agree with Jeff 100% on the JB. I love the pearly gates neck but cant stand the pearly gates bridge (too bright and trashy sounding for me?


Originally Posted by Boleslaw Gers 666I'm not crazy about the PAF bridge models either. Neck though.... they're a great match and they make the guitar sing. I'd stay with a Jazz or one of the 3 customs for the bridge. Unless you want to get balsy, then DD comes into play.

Hold the phone here!!!!!! I must be loosing my mind!!!

Why did I forget my most favorite pickup combo, The custom bridge/pearly gates neck!!!! I can get PAF sounding stuff with the bridge or I can get wild stuff with it also. Those 2 balance perfect with each other also. It really couldnt balance any better!!!!! Jeff H could probally vouch for it. He checked it out in my Explorer.

man i cant thank you enough

which of the customs is best? is the custom 5 too high of an output to where it would kill your ears with piercing highs

My vote goes to the Custom for the best. I also play a Custom 5 in another guitar and I think the custom has more of a classic vibe to it. The custom 5 is a great pickup but it is a bit bright. I love it for 80's metal kind of stuff. If you want a very warm pickup go for the custom custom. Over all, my pick is the custom.

but is my chambered les paul going to be to dark for the custom

i was thinking of going the pg nck/ custom bridge

I'm actually facing the same question as I want to load new pups in my SG Standard. Would you go with a 59/59 or a PG neck/59 bridge? I'm even open to a Seth or AIIPro

I like the Seth Lover bridge/ '59 neck combo in LP or PRS style axes .

That's my favorite combo for classic rock .

[QUOTE=Boleslaw Gers 666]Trey uses vintage voiced PAF style buckers.

I've read on more than one occassion that Trey uses a JB in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. Guitar Player magazine November 2001 issue, page 23, has a little write up on it.

I'm quite confident that he rolls his tone pot off a little bit. I have the same setup in a copy of Trey's guitar that I had built for me (25 1/2quot; scale length, dual humbucker, thin hollowbody) and they nail his tone exactly through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Just food for thought.

Take care all...........

Alnico II Pro set OR Stewmac Golden Age Humbuckers!