Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

[Degradation Trip]

Hi, first post... Looking for some advice for a new neck pickup for my 08 Gibson SG Special. It still has the stock pickups (490R & 490T). I really like the bridge pickup but not the neck pickup so much. It seems a bit muddy for me and doesn't have much of a sweet or singing tone compared to the bridge. I'd also say it's a bit heavy across all the lower frequencies which I really don't like.

I was thinking of a humbucker sized P90 since I never really liked the sound of a humbucker in the neck anyway. I play a lot of alt metal/rock kind of stuff like AiC, Jerry Cantrell Solo, Pumpkins, Soundgarden etc. plus some other stuff like Zep & Floyd. Or at least they're the kind of sounds I want... I rarely use the neck pickup with distortion and if I do only with the volume rolled back.

I'm not really sure what to put there, thinking of a few things:

SD SPH90 Phat Cat
BKP Mississippi Queen
BKP Nantucket
BG Pure90
Lollar Single-coil for Humbucker
????

But I really have no idea if any of them will give me what I'm looking for. I wouldn't go any more expensive than any of them either.

If it makes any difference, my favourite kind of clean tones are ones like Breathe - Floyd, Soma & Mayonaise - Pumpkins, Satisfy - Jerry Cantrell, Ten Years Gone - Zep i.e. the kind of sounds I'd like to get out of it. I guess all or almost of them are Strats though.

Also, the other thing is my SG has a PCB instead of the wiring. I guess I'll just have to cut the wires of the old pickups? I looked up to buy the parts to install onto the PCB from Mouser but shipping is like $40 for a few dollars worth of parts...

Thanks...

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Welcome to the smouldering remains of ... oh, never mind.

Some of what you dislike about the 490R is because of the bar magnet material. Changing to an Alnico 4 bar magnet would affect most of the change that you desire.

In my opinion, P90 bobbins under full-size humbucker covers never sound quite right. (Same goes for Epiphone Rivera metal-covered dogear P90s.) Something about the metal covers versus the plastic ones, I suspect.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Hello, I'd go with the Phat Cat if it was me? It sounds like your looking for some clarity out of the neck & the Phat Cat will def. give you that & it pairs up with the 490 bridge pickup very well. The Phat Cat doesn't necessarily try to be or sound like a P-90, at least not as much as some of the other Bucker sized P-90's out there, the Phat Cat try's to sound like a Phat Cat, a humbucker sized single coil with P-90 overtones? This is why I think it's a better choice. I'm a bit partial though, I decided years ago that I really didn't like humbuckers in my neck slots & about the same time I bought my first Phaty for a Big Apple Stratocaster that was my main guitar @ the time & I've never looked back. I have 6 H/H guitars, 4 of them have Phat Cats in the neck slot & I'd do it to the others as well if they weren't collector's items or the kind of guitars where if any solder joints were not made in the factory it knocks off hundreds of dollars of the value of the guitar??? Just me though, I think it's a good fit for the music you said you play & they look like they belong in a L.P., some of the Bucker sized P-90's with plastic covers just look weird??? Not that it has any bearing on sound but who wants their L.P. to look like it's made out of Lego's????

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Hello, I'd go with the Phat Cat if it was me? It sounds like your looking for some clarity out of the neck & the Phat Cat will def. give you that & it pairs up with the 490 bridge pickup very well. The Phat Cat doesn't necessarily try to be or sound like a P-90, at least not as much as some of the other Bucker sized P-90's out there, the Phat Cat try's to sound like a Phat Cat, a humbucker sized single coil with P-90 overtones? This is why I think it's a better choice. I'm a bit partial though, I decided years ago that I really didn't like humbuckers in my neck slots & about the same time I bought my first Phaty for a Big Apple Stratocaster that was my main guitar @ the time

Phat Cats are pretty warm in mahogany guitars; without a lot of high end. The A2's don't have a tight low end either. They sound very different in brighter woods, like a Strat, that's where I think they do best. Agreed, they don't sound like typical P-90's in large part due to the warm magnets used. A Phat Cat in that guitar will give him more of the same of what he has now.

The OP's best bet is to put an A4 or A5 in his 490R. I've done that to a couple of mine and it really opens them up. Much clearer, with a nice high end. He can get what he wants for $5 with a brighter magnet.

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Dimarzio makes a sweet P90 sized humbucker too.

However, the tone of a neck pickup will sound warmer, not as bright, and without the bite. Its a neck pickup. Its the number 1 complaint on here about neck pickups. People don't realize its SUPPOSED to sound like that. You want clear, bright pickups, just use the bridge pickup. If the pickup is bothering you so much, put in a 250 pot instead and lower the pickup.

 

[Degradation Trip]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Phat Cats are pretty warm in mahogany guitars; without a lot of high end. The A2's don't have a tight low end either. They sound very different in brighter woods, like a Strat, that's where I think they do best. Agreed, they don't sound like typical P-90's in large part due to the warm magnets used. A Phat Cat in that guitar will give him more of the same of what he has now.

The OP's best bet is to put an A4 or A5 in his 490R. I've done that to a couple of mine and it really opens them up. Much clearer, with a nice high end. He can get what he wants for $5 with a brighter magnet.

Well that seems like a good option to try first. What are the differences in terms of tone between A4 & A5.

Would I need something like this?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mojotone...28?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3a85eb0a0c

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Phat Cats are pretty warm in mahogany guitars; without a lot of high end. The A2's don't have a tight low end either. They sound very different in brighter woods, like a Strat, that's where I think they do best. Agreed, they don't sound like typical P-90's in large part due to the warm magnets used. A Phat Cat in that guitar will give him more of the same of what he has now.

The OP's best bet is to put an A4 or A5 in his 490R. I've done that to a couple of mine and it really opens them up. Much clearer, with a nice high end. He can get what he wants for $5 with a brighter magnet.

Oh yes, by all means try swapping the magnets first, I'm pretty sure I saw a "variety pack" on eBay for like $13 & it came with several different magnets of different values that you can try out & it's much cheaper than a new pup. I just like Phat Cats better than any neck Humbucker, that's just my opinion, I never use dirt with while using the neck slot anyway so I don't really need it to buck hum & if you don't have to buck hum then there's really no sense in having a humbucker? I know that's not true for a lot of guys, some dudes just love Humbucking pickups no matter what. Personally I think S.C's always sound better than buckers do "clean"... But like I said, that's just me?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Well that seems like a good option to try first. What are the differences in terms of tone between A4 & A5.

Would I need something like this?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mojotone...28?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3a85eb0a0c

That's just what you need. I keep a bunch of spare magnets on hand so I can tweak my EQ's to fit each PU and guitar. BTW, P-90's use the exact same magnets.

There's an art to using magnets to get the tones you want. A lot of us here take advantage of the possibilities:

- A5's are fairly high output with a sharp high end, scooped mids and a lot of bass. It's used in more PU's than any other alnico, and like any magnet, it has it's good points and weaknesses.

- A4's have a fairly flat EQ (a little less treble and bass than an A5, and a little more mids). Output is a little less than an A5. In the bridge slot some players find A4's to be a little bland because they doesn't push any one section of EQ like other magnets do. And that's exactly why A4's can be nice in the neck slot, because there's naturally a lot of bass and mids there from the extra string energy. A4's tend to have a tight piano-like low end.

- A3's have fat mids, not much bass, and a softer high end. They're low output. These are usually used in the neck slot when A5's are too bassy and A2's are too warm. They're also starting to be used in the bridge slot, which is an interesting idea. When an A5 in the bridge is too sharp and thin, an A3 will fatten it up and smooth out the treble.

- A2's (which your PU's have in them now) also have a lot of mids, along with a looser low end, and not much treble. They have a richer texture than other alnico magnets (the only other one with similar texture is an UOA5). A2's are low output. They can work well in the neck slot if the PU is underwound enough. If the wind is too hot, they can be dark and muddy.

- UOA5's have that vintage A2 feel and texture, but with a sharper high end, and not as thick mids. When an A2 is too rounded on top or too loose in the bottom (bridge or neck), an UOA5 may be ideal.

You don't have to live with a PU and say: 'If it only had a little more of this or a little less of that.' You can change a lot of that yourself. Much less expensive than to keep buying new PU's and hoping for the best.

 

[Degradation Trip]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Ok thanks so much for the advice! From that I think maybe the A4 sounds the best. But if it's not too much of a p.i.a. to change I'll try A3 & A5 as well. I don't like too much lower frequencies overpowering the sound.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Ok thanks so much for the advice! From that I think maybe the A4 sounds the best. But if it's not too much of a p.i.a. to change I'll try A3 & A5 as well. I don't like too much lower frequencies overpowering the sound.

Look at some video instruction on swapping mags. No skills needed. It only takes a few minutes and most of that time is loosening and retightening strings. To orient the new mag: pull the old one out halfway and hold the new one up against it so the ends repel and sides attract.

 

[Degradation Trip]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Yeah I looked it up, looks super simple.

Would you agree that A4 would be the best bet though?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson SG Special Neck Pickup

Yeah I looked it up, looks super simple.

Would you agree that A4 would be the best bet though?

Great mag for the neck slot.