Dull sounding Gibson SG Junior - where to start?

[Mpcoluv]

I have a 2019 Gibson SG junior that plays great and rings acoustically, but plugged in, it sound like the tone control is rolled down about 3/4 the way.
im getting the meter out to check if it really Has 500k pots and good solder joints. Any other ideas? Could the pickup magnets not be magnetized to full strength?

 

[beaubrummels]

My experience is guitars that are bright acoustically are dark when plugged in and guitars that are dark or dull acoustically have a full range when plugged in electrically. The nuance is sustain will be the same, but the tone can be the opposite. My only guess why that might be is what you hear acoustically is the vibrations that were lost into the body and neck that don't get picked up by the electronics. Changing bridge and tuner hardware sometimes can help. Anything that keeps all the vibration in the strings.

 

[Mpcoluv]

My experience is that if they sound good acoustically, I should be able to get it to sound good electrically.

 

[DonP]

I really don't care how an Electric sounds acoustically. I don't use it that way.

 

[Mpcoluv]

If it matters, the magnetic pull from the pole piece to a screwdriver is much weaker than other P-90s I have.

 

[Mpcoluv]

Pickup measures 6.4k in the circuit and the volume pot seems to be 480k using the six strings supplies method.

 

[Mincer]

I could be just a dark sounding pickup. A dark sounding pickup is a good candidate for change if everything is working correctly (and amp tone controls can't compensate). Check out some of the P90s available.

 

[Seashore]

Wire the pickup to the jack to check it before you buy anything.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The simplest thing to try would be height adjustment and use of the EQ on guitar and amp.
If it sounds dark, even at 6.4k, it's probably not a problem with the pup. A 6.4k P-90 should be bright as heck!
Lower the pup and raise the poles to compensate for the lower height. Your guitar tone pot should be fine. Turn up your treble on your amp and/or turn down the bass.

 

[ErikH]

Yeah. That P-90 should be bright. That's vintage wind territory. What does the tone pot measure? And what is the tone cap value? I like a 500K volume, 250K tone w/ .022uf cap, wired 50's style (tone pot connected to the center lug of the volume pot).

 

[GuitarDoc]

wired 50's style (tone pot connected to the center lug of the volume pot).

Not necessarily to the "center" lug. Only if the pup hot wire is connected to the left lug and the output jack is connected to the center lug.

If tone pot is connected to the same lug on the vol pot (either left or center) as the hot lead from the pup, then it's "modern" tone. If tone pot is connected to the same lug on the vol pot as the lead going to the output jack, then it's "Vintage or 50s" tone.

 

[ErikH]

Not necessarily to the "center" lug. Only if the pup hot wire is connected to the left lug and the output jack is connected to the center lug.

If tone pot is connected to the same lug on the vol pot (either left or center) as the hot lead from the pup, then it's "modern" tone. If tone pot is connected to the same lug on the vol pot as the lead going to the output jack, then it's "Vintage or 50s" tone.

Yes. In a two pickup guitar where the volumes are wired "independent", then pickup hot goes to center and the output jack (via the toggle switch) goes to the outside non-ground lug (left).

In the OP's single pickup guitar, stock wiring will be the pickup hot to the left lug and the output jack on the middle lug. The tone will be connected to the left lug as well.

 

[GuitarStv]

Measure the 500k pots, don't trust the number written on them. There can be a wide variance . . . I've found some that are as low as 400k and some up at 600. Higher measured values will sound sharper and lower values duller.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Yes. In a two pickup guitar where the volumes are wired "independent", then pickup hot goes to center and the output jack (via the toggle switch) goes to the outside non-ground lug (left).

In the OP's single pickup guitar, stock wiring will be the pickup hot to the left lug and the output jack on the middle lug. The tone will be connected to the left lug as well.

That IS correct if his guitar was "stock wired" (which IS a logical assumption to make). But that info was not actually given so I just gave all the parameters, to cover the bases.

 

[ehdwuld]

I agree the pickup height could be the culprit

If its too low it will be weak and dark

If its too high it will deaden the strings
And choke the notes

I dont know what pickups you have
Dog ear pickups are notorious for needing shims under them

Thats why they make shims for them

They are probably just too low

 

[freefrog]

Problem solved, apparently.

https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/2019-sg-jr-p-90-is-very-dull.484056/

 

[Aceman]

Way to be beaten by MLP forum.

I would like to personally express my disappointment in the overtly slow response.

If I could make you all run laps around a winding machine, I would.

 

[GuitarDoc]

It's good to know we've been talking to the air and giving advice to a ghost.

 

[ehdwuld]

so he changed the pickup?

ok

 

[Mincer]

I believe I gave him that advice a few hours after his post.