Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

[Fenderbendr]

I'm looking to get some new pickups for my Gibson SG standard, which came with Duncan Seth Lover Pickups. I'm looking for something with some more output that will hold up under low-medium gain better than the Seth's can, which get kind of hollow-sounding when a decent amount of gain is applied. The bridge pickup actually takes gain decently, but the neck pickup is pretty weak even when adjusted.

I'm going for 70's-80's classic rock and some modern rock type tones, with Foo-fighters and AC/DC being expalmes of the amount of gain I'd use.

The Saturday night specials look perfect for what I'm going for, as they're supposed to be hotter than the normal 59 PAF pickups but not as hot as the more modern sounding pickups. I'm also looking at the Whole Lotta Humbucker set and a 59n and Custom 5/8 bridge combo for the SG, but I'm not sure which would be better for me.

So I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with the SNS pickups, specifically in an SG. I'm also planning on changing the volume pots to CTS 500k, which will be brighter than the stock 300k Gibson pots.

Are there any other sets I should be looking at?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

you should re-do the wiring and then evaluate the seths again. you likely will be surprised at the difference with 500k pots

 

[voggin]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

I haven't tried the SNS set, but the Whole Lotta Humbuckers I have in my Les Paul Studio come pretty close to what you're after, I think. I have the Seth's in another Les Paul, so I think I know what you're getting at, and I think the WLH are different enough in the way you want while still maintaining a hint of vintagy-ness (new word. Please feel free to use it in ad copy)

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

Use the search function for existing SNS threads. I've had a set since they first came out and I've already made the comparison to the Seth set you're talking about.

You can also look at my site for an independent review of the SNS set, as well as a comparison of it to other similar alnico 4 options.

 

[Guitar Rod]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

The SNS sound good from the demos I've heard. I have the WLH and they are very much how you describe what you want. Set at the standard Gibson pickup height, they are quite hot and compressed with a tight breakup, very nice for the mid to late 70s -80 classic rock and even metal. Lower them a bit more and the PAF side of their character come out. They are a full-bodied pickup tone-wise, so keep that in mind. The SNS seem a bit brighter. So it all depends on what you're looking.

 

[Douguitar]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

Hi
I have just had a set of SNS fitted to my LP '97 Classic. I play through a Blackstar 45w valve combo.
The sound of these pickups is excellent. I had the original pickups 500T and 496R since new in '97 and these SNS are a world apart.
When I first plugged in I was pleasantly surprised at how 'heavy' they sounded on the crunch channel. Although they sound quite vintage, as the publicity says. I thought I might need to use a pedal for extra overdrive for those rockier moments, but there is no need. There is a trace of the PAF 'honk' which I like.
The controlls on the guitar work much better with these pickups, with a smooth roll off and the p/ups clean up very well. On the super crunch channel they sound heavy enough to play metal and on the normal crunch channel the sound is perfect for me, no pedals required, nice classic rock tones are easy to dial in.
I kept the original pots/caps which I believe are 350. The p/ups have plenty of mids, and react well to slight changes on the amp or guitar settings. I feel like I have a new amp and new guitar.
These pickups, at least in my case, do exactly what the publicity says they will.
Sorry for posting a non technical opinion...there are plenty of those around anyway...but I am a VERY happy customer )

 

[vinnie1971]

Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

No, but I would love to, that video demo is superb as are all the Seymour Duncan vids


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

Hi
I have just had a set of SNS fitted to my LP '97 Classic. I play through a Blackstar 45w valve combo.
The sound of these pickups is excellent. I had the original pickups 500T and 496R since new in '97 and these SNS are a world apart.
When I first plugged in I was pleasantly surprised at how 'heavy' they sounded on the crunch channel. Although they sound quite vintage, as the publicity says. I thought I might need to use a pedal for extra overdrive for those rockier moments, but there is no need. There is a trace of the PAF 'honk' which I like.
The controlls on the guitar work much better with these pickups, with a smooth roll off and the p/ups clean up very well. On the super crunch channel they sound heavy enough to play metal and on the normal crunch channel the sound is perfect for me, no pedals required, nice classic rock tones are easy to dial in.
I kept the original pots/caps which I believe are 350. The p/ups have plenty of mids, and react well to slight changes on the amp or guitar settings. I feel like I have a new amp and new guitar.
These pickups, at least in my case, do exactly what the publicity says they will.
Sorry for posting a non technical opinion...there are plenty of those around anyway...but I am a VERY happy customer )

Thanks for the review! So far, these have sounded great in every guitar I've heard.

 

[BWK]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

I put a set in my PRS SE. It went from sounding OK to Amazing! I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

[ncrock]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

How would they be in a Les Paul when you play mostly rhythm/chords?

 

[Emopunk]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

How would they be in a Les Paul when you play mostly rhyhtm/chords?

You have very good chances that they would be awesome [emoji6]

Inviato dal mio MotoG3 utilizzando Tapatalk

 

[Davii]

Re: Has anyone tried the Saturday Night Specials?

I'm still trying out some in my '95 LP Standard. I'm a bit unsure of how I feel about the neck position, though I've got what looks to be a dud volume pot there, so have put the guitar to one side until I can sort that out. From what I've heard so far, they'd do you fine for what you're after, even more so in an SG judging by the demo video