When it comes to pure tone it’s no secret that some players have it and some players don’t. Those that know amazing tone know that Billy G. is full of it… tone that is! While chicken or egg scenarios abound, the question of whether Pearly Gates gets her tone from the good Reverend or the good Reverend gets his tone from Pearly G. is a real head scratcher, and being the trickster that he is, the truth is rather elusive and it is supremely difficult to determine where one leaves off and the other begins as they meld together seamlessly.
That said, recreating the magic that is Pearly Gates has been no mean feat and we had to rely on one of the most acoustically intricate devices known to man (the human ear) in order to recreate that perfection. We found early recordings, such as the studio version of Brown Sugar, and early live recordings to be the most faithful; and therefore, that is the tone we set out to clone. And we do believe we cracked the code!!
The re-creation of any set of PAFs starts with the foundation. Wizz Premium Clones are the foundation upon which all of our Tribute Sets are built upon. Those, in and of themselves, represent what we deem the best of the best, yet since no two sets of PAFs are exactly alike, perfection can be tweaked in many different directions. This is what makes PAFs amazing, i.e., they can be so different in terms of impedance and inductance, yet retain that characteristic PAFness... that thing that makes them unique, yet alike… unmistakably!!
Determining the output and offset of each set of coils, along with the corresponding strength and metal mixture of each magnet took a tremendous amount of trial and error, which is why it took so long to be able to offer these to you. That and the level of perfection required to slap the Wizz label on them. But we do believe we’ve achieved that perfection and are proud to offer our Tribute Set to the Reverend Billy F. Gibbons and that majestic tone of Pearly Gates. But don’t take our word for it, try them for yourself and let us know what you think. Is this sonic perfection or what?