Ibanez SG Question

[buzztown]

Hey, I'm the new guy here...

I bought an old Ibanez SG "lawsuit" guitar a few years back, and decided to replace the pickups. I have a Gibson SG and had the bridge pickkup replaced with a Duncan JB and it sounds great for the types of music I play. It's got a good punch for punk, metal, and rock.

I thought that the JB would sound great in the Ibanez, too, but it sounds thin and I couldn't even get the repair guy at my local shop to figure out why it sounds so wrong. Aren't these guitars made with the same types of wood and stuff? Could it be the older wiring? My Gibson's probably a model from the eighties.

I don't know anything about this type of thing... I just know what types of sound I want and I was wondering if anybody might have any suggestions?

I appreciate it!:smack:

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Hey I have 2 Gibson SG's both with Demon bridge pups and one sounds way thinner than the other. Go figure. Same wiring, pots, wood yet still very different. I'm replacing the thinner Demon with a Custom or Distortion for more thickness.

 

[buzztown]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Hey Thanks for letting me know! I was afraid no one would answer and I'd be stuck waiting for a reply...

Any idea if it's the actual pickup or do you think it's simply the way each guitar works with each pickup? Just curious. I hope I find one that works better! I also have a '59 in the neck and it doesn't sound very good, either. The repair guy said that he had problems with pickup/guitar configurations in the past, but they always worked in other guitars. Go figure?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

What does your Ibanez sound like unplugged? Is there a big difference between it and the Gibson?

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Any idea if it's the actual pickup or do you think it's simply the way each guitar works with each pickup?

I think it's a little of both. One of the Demons was 15yrs old and just sitting on a shelf un-used, the other was brand new. I think the A5 mag in the old Demon was aged enough sitting 15 some odd yrs to sound alot fuller than the new one. This is why I wanted a Brobucker for its Dun-aged A5 mag.

I just assumed that since my first experience with the Demon was so good that I couldn't go wrong with another. WRONG. There just like women, just because they have the same parts doesn't mean they'll play or feel the same. HA :smack:

Which is why I now think its better to keep things mixed up with different pup's. Just so you won't get board.

 

[big_black]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Hey I have 2 Gibson SG's both with Demon bridge pups and one sounds way thinner than the other. Go figure. Same wiring, pots, wood yet still very different. I'm replacing the thinner Demon with a Custom or Distortion for more thickness.

The SG-X is an abnormally dark SG model anyway. The lack of neck pickup has a lot to do with it I think. It's really awesome with a bright pickup.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

The SG-X is an abnormally dark SG model anyway. The lack of neck pickup has a lot to do with it I think. It's really awesome with a bright pickup.

Totally, The Demon in my SG X rules, but in my Gothic its thin.

Hey BB, you had a Distortion in your X. How did it sound vs. the 500t?

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

A thin JB? Are you sure it's wired correctly? If it's a thin sounding guitar a Dimarzio Tone Zone could do the trick. I have a bit thin sounding Gibson and it sounds really nice and big with the TZ. I haven't tried a JB in the same guitar so I don't really know how big the difference would be, though.

 

[buzztown]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Unplugged, my Ibanez sounds about the same as my Gibson. Again, I really don't understand the electronic parts of the guitar, but I do know what I like to hear... and that wasn't it. I checked with my brother, who's pretty good with this stuff, and took it into a custom place here and neither of them could figure out what the problem was. I love the JB in my Gibson, and would like something with similar dynamics for my Ibanez. I'll have to see what I can afford now, though.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Ibanez SG Question

Check the pot and capacitor values on both guitars. Make sure to check the pots with a quality multi meter. Perhaps one or more of the pots in one of your guitars have a diifferent value or are out of spec.