Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

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namklak

New member
Hi,
I've been a Strat guy for decades, but I'm now into a new realm - SG style guitars. I bought an Daisy Rock SG clone, sycamore body, mahogany set neck and rosewood fretboard. When around large PAs with the stock pickups (PAF looking HBs), I get squeal, so time for potted pickups. The stock pickups are hot, 15K, probably because sycamore is I believe a fairly dead wood. I'm in an Allman Brothers tribute band and I need this guitar to sound like an SG (but not with those crappy 70s mini-HBs). And I NEED potted. I don't desire that hot of pickups, but with sycamore???
Many suggestions please. I will read them all.
Thanks,
-Bob
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

I have no idea about the tonal qualities of sycamore to be upfront. But i think if you are playing at gig levels then whatever the guitar is made of matters less. If it sounds good just now with whatever brand 70s unpotted pups in it then its probably going to sound as good or better when you put some duncans in it. If you are doing allman brothers then i would recommend 59s or pearly gates. For some comparison, warren haynes uses PGs and jimmy herring used to use 59s, now he uses lollar imperials, but they are both in essence mild vintage style buckers. Get them potted and covered and i think you will be golden.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

The only ones that AREN'T potted are the Seth Lover and some stuff in the custom shop. Pretty much every other humbucker is potted.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

I recommend either a Pearly Gates, or a Custom in the bridge and a Jazz or 59 in the neck. You can also try out the new Whole Lotta Humbucker set modeled after that Led Zeppelin guy.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

review: SGish guitar, 24 3/4" string length, dual humbucker, sycamore body, mahogany set neck with rosewood fret board, guitar weighs 6 lbs. Plugged into Digitech modeler into a power amp. Southern rock.
I put a PGn in the neck and a Custom Custom in the bridge. The PGn is fine, but the CC is too bright. I put a 250K vol pot in which helped. But the CC is still too bright. I now have the CC lowered to a point where the PGn is louder, but I generally like my bridge pup to be a little louder than neck. Also, the CC in this sycamore body seems a little wimpy... I'd like a bridge pup with a little more low-mid warmth and more balls (are very technical term).
Suggestions please? I'm still with in my 25 day SD swap if you don't like it period.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

Whole lotta humbucker should be perfect, but less hot than the CC. Invader might work and but is much hotter than the CC.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

sycamore is an unusual choice for a solid body. It is more well known to be used in upscale archtops like Benedettos etc. I used to have a yamaha martin taylor model that had a sycamore top. I cant say if it was the wood species or just the nature of the axe because ive only ever played that one guitar made of sycamore, but it was clear, present and with a strong top end - something along the lines of maple.
If that is the case with your solid axe then i guess you are looking for something with plenty of hefty low end and a less strident top.
I reckon falloffthbonetone has nailed it. WLH set for 70s rock tones with grunt, or if you are a high gain freak then possibly an invader.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

I'm the "Warren Haynes thru a Soldano" guy in the band, so moderate-to-high saturation, but no metal tones. Although I do have to do Dickey Betts mostly clean sometimes.... But I use bridge/neck on for that.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

namklak said:
I'm the "Warren Haynes thru a Soldano" guy in the band, so moderate-to-high saturation, but no metal tones. Although I do have to do Dickey Betts mostly clean sometimes.... But I use bridge/neck on for that.
Click to expand...

Wlh seems right then.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

It was explained to me by a British Luthier that Sycamore is the British equivalent of maple, and it's what he uses for caps on his LP style guitars. So Gibson175 is probably not very far off at all when he described the tone as sounding like maple.
 
Re: Humbuckers for SG with sycamore body

Final solution (in the bedroom at least, won't gig for another 3 weeks) - PGn in the neck and JB in the bridge. 250k pots. Sounds great in the bedroom. Neck sounds good clean to saturated, bridge sounds good mild distortion to saturated. If this doesn't work gigging I will update.
 
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