Best SG Replacement pickups??

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manoverboard_21

New member
I have an Epiphone G400 and I think it's time to replace the pickups. I was going to go with Gibson Classic 57's but I want to do the Page mod and they're only 2 conductor. Which Duncan pickup gives that Jimmy page tone the best and has 4 conductors??
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Despite many recordings and stage appearances with other guitars, Jimmy Page is strongly associated with the Gibson Les Paul. IMO, some of the sound that this design produces is only possible with a ruddy great chunk of mahogany for a body and a single cutaway, glued-in neck joint.

The SG is a different beast. It has a different voice, so to speak. My taste in slim-bodied Gibson type guitars is for P90 pickups. On a guitar routed for humbuckers, I would get P-Rails and employ some clever wiring.

If you wait long enough, blueman335 and other forum SG fans will post better suggestions than mine.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Well, Page did play an SG double-neck here and there. But now that I know he used his Tele for the "Stairway" solo, it leaves a lot of questions as to what tones/guitars you were actually hearing from song-to-song. He layered so much, getting "his tone" is dang-near impossible.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

lemonman said:
59s- taylor made for SGs, IMO.
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Definitely. It's becoming my stock answer. In a world of "too many" choices, I think most people would be pretty happy with a '59 set. There is also then, the option of magnet-swapping, which can make your '59's impart all kinds of various "PAF tones". Neck too boomy? Put in an A3 or A4. Bridge too weak? Put in an A8. Like the output of the bridge but want more mids? UOA5. Etc, etc.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

manoverboard_21 said:
What are they main differences between these sets and which can include chrome covers??
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I can only comment on the 59n/custom 5 bridge set, which I currently use in my own SG. Coming from stock pickups for a Gibson SG, the 59n really cleared things up in that position. It should be also noted that I put 500k pots in as well when I installed the 59n. You gain top end clarity and keep all the rich low-mid goodness. The custom 5 is kinda like a 59 on steroids. Blows the 498t out of the water. I've heard great stuff on the custom 8 for the bridge too, which I may try later.

A good p90 set is also great in the SG, like the SG classic. Just ask sosomething.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Funny thing woemoejack, I just found a video on Youtube with a Faded Epi G400 with the 59/Custom 5 set. They rip.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

I have a C/59 bridge and a Screamin Demon neck. The Demon is so good I am considering using a pair of them
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Hmm...

Normally I would recommend a Custom 8 for an SG because it is GODLY in that guitar.

But in your case I'd recommend a set of '59s.

BUT...

If you're doing the page wiring, you may find the split tones a little weak, so I'd recommend a Custom 5 in the bridge; just to keep a little meat and output in the split tones.

Also, '59s generally come stock with two conductor wiring. They're readily available in four-con so it's not much of a problem...just be careful when you're ordering. :)
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

youll want to make sure you get a 4 cond 59n if thats what you go with since usually they are 2 cond. 4 cond are available though so it wont be a big deal to find one.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Honestly, the only Epi I'd be interested in is the G-400. Of all the comparisons I've done between real Gibbys and Epis, the top-level SG's are the best. Stick some good pups in there and you're rockin'.

A C8 in the bridge and a GFS Mean 90 in the neck... and you've got yourself a bonified rock machine!
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Kam said:
Good luck finding a four-con Mean 90.
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Not so much that it applies to the poster, but why would you want a "4 conductor" single-coil? You could wire it to a splitter or other multi-switch and get all kinds of tones, when combined with a 4-conductor humbucker. He's already asking the impossible in getting "Jimmy Page tones" out of an SG, so perhaps trying a P-90 might rock his world and make him forget about Jimmy Page. ;)
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

The most popular pair here for SG's is a C8/'59N. They rock. You can get them 4-wire, and put in the 4 push-pull Jimmy Page system, which I have done (I've even put that pair in a Sheraton, with the Page system).

I'm a huge Page fan, especially early Zep, and am one of the few guys that acually plays in his style. It is possible to get good Pagey tones from an SG; remember amps and pedals are all part of your sound. There's a number of Plexi pedals out that get you part of the way there. Page switched between various LP's and a Tele, so with the right choices, you can get in the ball park with an SG with 4 push-pulls.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

Well this guitar is alot thinner than a LP, and on top of that, I'm splitting the coils, so I don't want a thin humbucker, a slightly bassier bridge pickup will sound better.
 
Re: Best SG Replacement pickups??

manoverboard_21 said:
Well this guitar is alot thinner than a LP, and on top of that, I'm splitting the coils, so I don't want a thin humbucker, a slightly bassier bridge pickup will sound better.
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Which is why a C8 is a better choice for what you want, than a '59B. Customs are 14,000 ohms, spilt they're 7,000. PAF's are aorund 8,000, and 4,000 split, which is thin and bright. A8's add mids and output, and take off excess treble. Great magnet for rock.
 
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