A perpendicular magnetic recording writer for use in a data storage device, the recording transducer has a magnetic writer pole, a pole tip facing an air bearing surface (ABS). The pole tip has a pole face, leading side wall, a trailing side wall, a first side wall and a second side wall. A trailing side wall nonmagnetic gap layer on the trailing side wall, a first side wall nonmagnetic gap layer deposited on the first side wall, and a second side wall nonmagnetic gap layer deposited on the second side wall. A high magnetic moment seed layer is deposited on the trailing side wall nonmagnetic gap layer, the first side wall nonmagnetic gap layer, and the second side wall nonmagnetic gap layer. In other aspects of the invention shields are provided that have magnetic moments less than the magnetic moment of the seed layers.