Seymour Duncan SH PG1N Pearly Gates Humbucker Pickup (Nickel)

The Seymour Duncan SH PG1N Pearly Gates represents a neck humbucker engineered around Billy Gibbons' 1959 Les Paul, a guitar that defined Texas blues rock tonality. Rather than chase vintage mystique, Seymour Duncan reverse–engineered the original pickup's character: a P.A.F. with pronounced midrange that cuts through without sacrificing treble clarity. Hand–wound on the original Leesona machine from Gibson's Kalamazoo factory, this passive design prioritises articulation and dynamic response over raw output.

Construction centres on an alnico 2 bar magnet paired with a nickel silver bottom plate, yielding a warm low–end and focused high–end character. The pickup measures 1.57 cm in height and weighs 0.225 kg, fitting standard neck cavities. Four–conductor lead wire enables flexible wiring configurations for series, parallel, or split–coil operation. Vacuum wax potting eliminates microphonic feedback, critical for high–gain applications. The design emphasises midrange presence–—a deliberate departure from many P.A.F. reproductions–—delivering the sizzle and growl associated with classic Texas blues tone.

This neck pickup suits musicians seeking clarity and sustain without volume compromise, particularly those favouring single–coil dynamics through a humbucker format. Rhythm players benefit from the open treble attack and spongy lows when comping chords, whilst lead players appreciate the midrange definition for solos that sit high in a mix. Bedroom producers and gigging performers alike find the vacuum potting invaluable in higher–gain settings where feedback becomes problematic. Paired with complementary bridge pickups, it delivers a coherent tonal palette.

Features

• Alnico 2 bar magnet for vintage–focused, airy treble response
• Hand–wound on original Leesona winding machine from Gibson factory
• Four–conductor lead wire enables series, parallel, and split configurations
• Vacuum wax potted for squeal–free, feedback–resistant operation
• Nickel silver bottom plate for warm, controlled low–end character
• Dimensions: 1.57 cm height, 0.62 cm width, 0.59 cm length
• Weight: 0.225 kg; fits standard neck humbucker cavity
• USA designed and manufactured; Part No. 11102–45–NC