Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

[McGurk]

So I have a Gibson SG that I'm looking to swap pickups in. It's a '19 '61 standard with the 61 Burstbuckers in it.
Here's what I'm hoping to get tonally...

Bridge:
- More output (In my current set, the neck is 7.84 and the bridge is 7.80)
- Strong bass
- Smoother top end

Neck:
- Less bass

I didn't know if anyone could help me choose between the Saturday Night Specials, Whole Lotta Humbuckers, and APH-1 set. I use a coil split, so they'd need to be 4 conductor. I don't care if they're a matching set or mismatched.

I've been thinking about getting a Lollar Imperial HW in the bridge and Imperial regular wind in the neck for a while. I just can't quite bring myself to spend $400 on a set.

Thanks,
McGurk

 

[dystrust]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

I've never played the SNS set, but I think the WLH would do what you're looking for. Compared to a typical PAF set the bridge is hotter and thicker with a nice, smooth top end while the neck has pretty much everything you're looking for without the bass being overbearing. I have that set in my 335 and I really like how the neck pickup almost does the Slash thing without getting mushy the way A2Ps can.

 

[McGurk]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

I've never played the SNS set, but I think the WLH would do what you're looking for. Compared to a typical PAF set the bridge is hotter and thicker with a nice, smooth top end while the neck has pretty much everything you're looking for without the bass being overbearing. I have that set in my 335 and I really like how the neck pickup almost does the Slash thing without getting mushy the way A2Ps can.

Thanks for the reply! I wasn’t sure how strong the mids were in the WLHs. The guitar seems to have plenty of mids on its own. I didn’t want it to get honky.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

Lollar Imperials are glorious pickups. Highly recommended.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

Try lowering your neck pickup and setting the amp for it.

Then raise your bridge pickup and start very carefully rolling its tone knob back until you have dialed out the unwanted treble.

Pickups are adjustable, and you have guitar knobs and amp knobs for good reason.

If you insist on aftermarket pickups, go with the WLH set. I just put one in an SG, and it is great. Full, but clear.

 

[Condemnedsoul]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

If you have to go with aftermarket pickups, I'll also suggest the WLH set. My second choice is the DMZ 36 / Air Zone. These two sets work best for me of all of my SG's.

I'd like to suggest giving your current equipment a fair chance.

Before you start pickup swapping, grok your equipment first. More than one person has changed a pickup for not doing what itsabass suggests.

I'd like to take it one step farther.

Here in the south, we have humidity and temp changes ...... so my stuff sounds and different and not for the better more I remember more times than not. So I got into the habit of readjusting the tone controls daily for whatever guitar I'm using that day.

Step 1 - The Amp
Turn pickups up to full volume and tone.

As you don't say what amp you are using, here goes ..... generals procedure ..... coming.

Set amp B - M - T to 0

Turn up Treble - until it is close to what your are looking for.
Turn up the Bass - until you get something close to what you are looking for.
Lastly turn up the Mids - to fill in the body of the sound.

You now have established a starting point to adjust your pickups.

Step 2 - The Guitar

Close - Good - Bad???? Get the screw driver and start turning as Itsabass suggests.

 

[beaubrummels]

Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

Bridge:
- More output (In my current set, the neck is 7.84 and the bridge is 7.80)
- Strong bass
- Smoother top end

Neck:
- Less bass

WLH is a solid set. They are evenly matched when throwing the switch, though I didn’t dig the neck. It splits well but didn’t have a classic Gibson neck sound to me in my SG. A2Ps have a mid bump that is chimey when clean but doesn’t work for everyone with dirt or full on distortion. I liked them, but I wanted more low end thump and brighter high end. A few other things I’ve e tried that worked for the above:

Jazz bridge, Seth neck
Or
WLH bridge, Pearly Gates neck
Or
Custom Custom bridge, Seth neck

Though the best classic Gibson even-sounding neck I’ve tried is a 59n with an A4 magnet swapped in.

 

[McGurk]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

I can’t lower my neck pickup very much unfortunately. Idk if it’s unique to my year of sg or not, but the neck pickup cavity is shallow enough that I can’t lower my pickup height much past 1/8” (from string with last fret depressed). After that the pickup screw poles hit the wood and start making the pickup go crooked. I actually filed the screw poles a mm or so to get them just a little lower.

Anyway, I’ve put the pickup through their paces. They’re not bad, I just am ready for a change. I also don’t want to go overboard EQing my amp to correct a sound I don’t like, since it’s not my only guitar.

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[donaldr]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

I have a set of Gibson '61 pickups in my Les Paul LPJ and hated them at first but now I liked them once I adjusted them (height, screw poles), as already suggested. You might want to lower the screw poles on E/A strings on the neck pickup more that you already did. Raise your bridge pickup closer to the strings for more output and turn the tone knob for more smoothness.
I would also suggest trying different strings. I played with DR Tite-fit for years but they were not doing it for me on my LP. I put a set of EB Slinky 11-48 which sounded better on this guitar and gave me more output on eBC strings.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

Alnico II Pro in the Neck, and a 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge will take care of all of your issues here.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Comparing 3 Pickups for my SG

AS soon as I read what you wanted I thought of Custom 8 in the bridge and Jazz in the neck.

C8 is the ideal bridge pup for an SG, bar none.