SH-PG1b Pearly Gates Bridge Humbucker Pickup - Black Review

10 Stars!

Wowzers! I recently installed this lovely electro magnet in my SG and I couldn't be happier! When I bought the guitar it actually had a Duncan '59 bridge pickup in the neck position and a Dimebag Darryl humbucker in the bridge. I loved the chime and sensitivity of the '59 and though the Dimebag Darryl was really good, it's tight, modern sound just didn't match the old school '59… read more to my ears. I tried a Duncan JB humbucker, and though it was closer to the mark, it still seemed too modern and was in some ways darker than my neck pickup. Thus enters the Pearly Gate Bridge pickup. I was concerned the output wouldn't be different enough from my '59 pickup but it's actually just right. It's got all the same chime and dynamic sensitivity of the '59 but it's boost in the upper mids gives it some extra crunch and bite that is oh so satisfying when switching from neck to bridge position. I can see this pickup working for any genre of music and is a perfect match for the 70s and 80s rock sound!

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Much better

I bought this for my Fender Player Series HSS Strat. I love the single coils but I wasn't crazy about the humbucker. I picked the Pearly Gates based on online reviews in Strats. Specifically those with 250k pots like this one. I like the 250k pots with the single coils and didn't want to change them. Installation was moderately difficult due to the extra hole I had to drill in the… read more pickguard. Check the Seymour Duncan wiring diagrams for installation with Fender single coils. You need to reverse the green and black wires or the 2nd position won't sound right. It has to do with the reverse polarity. Well now it sounds awesome. A lot of clarity with delay for ambient worship songs. Add moderate drive or select a dirty amp for great rock tones. The lead tones sound way better too. Now I love my HSS Strat!

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New pickup flavor

I have an older Mexican Strat HSS. The factory ceramic humbucker in position 1 left a lot to be desired. The harmonics/feedback on high gain produced a squeal rather than a tasty pitch. One more bit of info about my Strat original wiring: the H position had no tone control. I swapped the humbucker to a new Pearly Gates and wired it up with a tone knob. The 2 pickups with the… read more same tone position were very different. I instantly noticed a lower output (which I wanted), and the sound was more balanced on every string. The feedback on high gain produced a more natural lower pitch than before. All of a sudden, the guitar gave me a reason to play it. Obviously, the new tone wiring helped a lot with the versatility. With the tone backed off, I can get a good cocked wah tone with definition. All in all, I know for sure that the Pearly Gates Humbucker is a far superior pickup that's basically made for a Strat. Playing Ted Nugent is now a lot more convincing. Plus the pinch harmonics and feedback are just so easy to coax in position 1. I believe the new Alnico humbucker complements the ceramic single coils more efficiently.

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Sounds great

Buy this pup and put it under your pillow the first night. Your beard will grow 12 inches over night. Then install this in your guitar and hear the magic happen. You won't be looking for some Tush. It will look for you.

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Great Rock pick up

My guitar played great, But it lacked any real punch or excitement in the bridge pick up. The pearly gates works perfect for me. I play in a band that covers 80s and 90s Rock. I need something that has a nice bottom end, but not muddy or flabby and also has a sweet top end,but not be brittle or harsh at the top. The Pearly Gates really does the job well.

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