Everything is bigger in Texas—and it’s hard to imagine a bigger tone than Texas-born Billy Gibbons’ 1959 Les Paul, Pearly Gates. When you have a good thing, more of it is better too. Never one to limit himself to a single guitar, Billy insists on the same humbucker tone he knows and loves in his ’59 when he plays anything else. So, after a call to La Maestra, Maricela “MJ” Juarez, a new pickup set was born. All the fat, P.A.F. tone and Texas hot-sauce sizzle of Billy’s favorite was recreated in a pickup that will fit in any Strat-sized single coil route—proving tone as big as Texas can come in deceptively small packages. The Red Devil for Strat set features a unique wind, with specially calibrated Alnico 5 magnets. The bridge is wound like an extra spicy P.A.F., with enough meat to beef up your Strat and provide the fat tone of Billy’s #1. The neck model steps back the heat a little and brushes on sweet, smoky blues—ideal for cleans, rhythm, or lead. Hand built in our Santa Barbara, CA factory; the Red Devil model for Strat uses alnico 5 magnets, 4-conductor lead wire for multiple wiring options, and vacuum wax potting for squeal-free performance.
