High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

[cokekolev]

Hi, I have a Gibson SG in which I put a Custom SH-5 and a Distortion neck. I put Schaller chrome covers on them. When plugged into the amp, they have a lot less volume than for example a Les Paul with a Jazz neck and Custom bridge. It's as if the tone or volume pots are not fully turned up, but in fact, they are. The pickups are as close as possible to the strings. When I lower them, the volume gets even lower. When I turn the amp volume up, they sound fine, but when I plug in another guitar, it sounds way louder. They measure 14k for the Custom and 12+k for the Distortion neck, so they don't seam broken. I also tried wiring them directly to the guitar cable and the volume is still low, so the pots aren't the cause. It bothers me that I had to get high output pickups and that the guitar still sound quieter than a guitar with low output pickups. When I play it acoustically, the volume seems just fine.

Now I think of a few possible causes:

-The Schaller pickup covers make them lose volume and high end
-The guitar (or bridge, frets,...) has a frequency that doesn't match that of the pickups, so it isn't amplified
-The strings are not optimal for this guitar (it currently has 0.010 Fender strings on it, but I can't remember which type)

Any other suggestions?

 

[Larioso]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Is it the SG Standard or I think it's called Special which were $500, which can be suspected to have less quality woods and hardware?
SG Standard is in the range almost 3 times in price, got to count for something.

Anything fixed like broken headstock/neck with a bad job?

Custom jobs on electronics anything?
Wiring screwup, colder soldering somewhere?

What kind of tuners, since some are real heavy - like Grover and whatever the autotuner package was.
I swapped, not on a SG, but 335 with Grover to Schaller Keystone - and instrument changed dramatically.
High mass in headstock make it sound colder and less resonant. I would not say volume is less though, just a thought.
So many things affect tone.

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Is it the SG Standard or I think it's called Special which were $500, which can be suspected to have less quality woods and hardware?
SG Standard is in the range almost 3 times in price, got to count for something.

Anything fixed like broken headstock/neck with a bad job?

Custom jobs on electronics anything?
Wiring screwup, colder soldering somewhere?

What kind of tuners, since some are real heavy - like Grover and whatever the autotuner package was.
I swapped, not on a SG, but 335 with Grover to Schaller Keystone - and instrument changed dramatically.
High mass in headstock make it sound colder and less resonant. I would not say volume is less though, just a thought.
So many things affect tone.

It's the SG Faded, certainly not $500, more like $900 new. It hasn't been repaired, it's a 2016 model and as good as new. There is no wiring screwup as the problem persists when I connect the pickups directly to the guitar cable. It has Gibson branded Kluson-style tuners. The hardware looks just as solid as on my Les Paul Traditional.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Are you sure they are wired in series?

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Yes I am 100% sure because I measured them.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Try taking the covers off them. I've never used Schaller covers, but that could be a culprit. If that doesn't work, compare the volume to other similar pickups not by strumming, but by tapping the polepieces with a screw driver, that way you can test if it's a problem with the pickup or the guitar itself by eliminating anything connected to the strings as a variable.

 

[nexion218]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Sorry for the question, but do you have any sort of buzz or hum? Are red&white taped off and separated properly from anything else?

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Sorry for the question, but do you have any sort of buzz or hum? Are red&white taped off and separated properly from anything else?

No buzz, no hum. Pickups are installed like they should, I've been replacing pickups since 2006. It's just that this guitar is queiter when amplified. When I turn up the volume everything sounds normal, but it bothers me because I have the feeling something is wrong.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

I suspect the covers, or possibly something with the grounding of the covers. Should be plenty thumpin with a Custom in an SG. I had that in my SG Standard and it had balls and punch and volume and top end for days.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

When you say you wired the pickups direct do you mean you bypassed everything, or just the pots? A dirty or faulty switch can reduce output, although it would be odd for it to do so on both pickups.

I put a Custom into one of my guitars and it seemed quiet to me as well. I assumed it was a mismatch between the pickup's frequencies and my amp but you are comparing to another guitar with the same model pickup, right?

Try without the cover. I can't think of anything else besides switch or covers, assuming the output jack is properly connected.

 

[Mincer]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

I know you said that everything is OK, but it clearly isn't. Those pickups shouldn't sound like that. Do you have any other pickups sitting around to test in that guitar?

 

[Tone-Analyst]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

An SG has a much thinner body than a LP, often resulting in less bottom or balls generally, may lead you to feel the guitar has less power. Are both pots 500k? Maybe the magnet is discharged too. I ran into many JBs with very weak magnets. I buy everything used so not sure what happened.. hot trunk?

 

[David Garner]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

Something is wrong for sure. Guitars sound different, but the pickups are dictating output, not the wood.

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

I know you said that everything is OK, but it clearly isn't. Those pickups shouldn't sound like that. Do you have any other pickups sitting around to test in that guitar?

No, but I have other pickups in other guitars if I decide to compare them.

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

An SG has a much thinner body than a LP, often resulting in less bottom or balls generally, may lead you to feel the guitar has less power. Are both pots 500k? Maybe the magnet is discharged too. I ran into many JBs with very weak magnets. I buy everything used so not sure what happened.. hot trunk?

Both pots are 500k. i doubt the magnets on both pickups got discharged, I bought them new less than 4 years ago.

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

When you say you wired the pickups direct do you mean you bypassed everything, or just the pots? A dirty or faulty switch can reduce output, although it would be odd for it to do so on both pickups.

I put a Custom into one of my guitars and it seemed quiet to me as well. I assumed it was a mismatch between the pickup's frequencies and my amp but you are comparing to another guitar with the same model pickup, right?

Try without the cover. I can't think of anything else besides switch or covers, assuming the output jack is properly connected.

I connected the pickup wires in the back cavity directly to the guitar cable to test the volume. Tonight I'll make a recording to compare the SG to other guitars.

 

[Larioso]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

If you do that while electronics is still connected to cord outlet, position of volume control matters how much resistance to ground your pickup get.
You sort of connect to wiper, since that is going to outlet, and if that knob is not on top, full volume, you load pickup a lot.
Just mention it, if you did not think about it.

I don't think that is good test for saying pickup is working, IMO. Unsolder stuff instead.

 

[cokekolev]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

If you do that while electronics is still connected to cord outlet, position of volume control matters how much resistance to ground your pickup get.
You sort of connect to wiper, since that is going to outlet, and if that knob is not on top, full volume, you load pickup a lot.
Just mention it, if you did not think about it.

I don't think that is good test for saying pickup is working, IMO. Unsolder stuff instead.

I connected the pickup wires directly to the guitar cable, that means disconnected from the pots , switch etc.

 

[Hecubus]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

I would take covers off and redo all solder joints. Sounds like a cold joint or something not grounded to me.

Sent from my SM-A750GN using Tapatalk

 

[Larioso]

Re: High output pickups have low output in Gibson SG

I connected the pickup wires directly to the guitar cable, that means disconnected from the pots , switch etc.

That sounds like primary side of pots, you disconnected, where pups go.

Did you disconnect where output jack hot was connected?
It goes to wiper of volume pot, which still has connection to ground.

Flipping guitar over could easily move volume control, I mean, making maybe very much load on pickup to ground sounding weak - for this test that is.

The test was to secure that pickup was ok, or?

If volume is at 10, probably ok, but just mention a possible cause test fails.

With wiper at 10, there is 500k to ground, and ok.
With wiper just above 1, it could be 1k or less to ground, strangling pup.