Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

[gibsg99]

Hi,

I have a Gibson SG Standard, with stock pickups, 490/498T.

I am pretty happy with my tone, but would desire a little more clarity/punch, and a little less warmth/muddiness.

The specific tone I am searching for is something close to the tone heard on Metallica's master of puppets/Ride the, but not limited to. I want to be able to handle anything from Dr. Feelgood-era Motley Crue, to AC/DC/Led Zeppelin/Rush, to Metallica/Anthrax/Dream Theater.

I am not searching for ultra high gain, but enough to be able to handle 70/80's metal, and some modern rock. I want good crunch, good mids, but not super amounts of treble. I need a pickup that sounds good with both soloing and chord-work. If I need gain, I have more than enough from my amp (a Peavey Bandit 112 TT- don't laugh, as I am very happy with it, for the price).

Clarity, and the ability to handle various styles is my main concern.

The bottom line is: what will bring me closer to my ideal tone than my Stock P.U's?

I am considering the Duncan JB, since it is known for it's accentuated midrange, and ease of pinch harmonics. Since I have a mahogany-bodied guitar, I figure that the pickup sounding too bright will not be an issue.

Any suggestions, and input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

In an SG I really like alnico 5 Seymour Duncan 59's. Played through a nice Marshall they really do a great job of getting my favorite humbucker tone: Clapton's tone with Cream. They're also very close to the pickups AC/DC used in the old SG heard on all of thier classic recordings.

If you want a little more clarity and less mud from the neck pickup, the Jazz neck has a little less bass and little more upper harmonics and clarity than the 59N. Very similar to the 59N though. Usually I prefer the Jazz N to the 59N for that reason.

Truthfully, when I saw Clapton play his famous painted SG in '67 I thought his lead tone was to die for and his neck pickup chordal tone was a little muddy...the Jazz neck pickup hadn't been invented yet, but it would've been an improvement, IMO.

The Jazz/JB combo is classic and I've had it in quite a few of my guitars over the years. Mostly Hamers, but in a couple of Les Pauls too.

I've never heard it in a SG, but I'd think it'd be a great combo in an SG.

The JB is a little thicker and less vintage sounding than my tastes run, but it's a great pickup and might help fatten up that thin bodied SG.

With Duncan's 21 day exchange policy, you're safe to try any set and see for yourself. If it doesn't work out you can just exchange for another humbucker or another set. And you'll have a reference point so you're not shooting in the dark.

 

[gibsg99]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

Thanks for your response. Just to clarify, I am looking to replace the bridge pickup, and I am looking for more clarity and punch than my current pickup, which is a 498t, in a mahogany-bodied guitar (SG).
I need enough gain to handle bands like Metallica/Anthrax/Dream Theater, but not so much gain that there is any muddiness. Also, I like the 498t, but am only looking for more clarity/top end/punch. I don't want any drastic change, just an improvement.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

The JB would be an excellant starting point but it is alot stronger than a vintage paf pickup. The Custom Custom would be a good choice too and has a smoother treble with prominant alnico 2 style mids that I find a little more responsive to my touch. The mids in the JB are a little harder sounding, IMO, and not quite as shape-a-ble. I don't know if you'll get the improvement in clarity you seem to be looking for though. To be honest, I'm not that familar with many of Gibson's pickups except those from 1956 - 70, and the newer ones like the 57 Classic and the Burstbuckers. Lew

 

[bryvincent]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

if your electronics(pots & caps) are stock, upgrade them to cts 500k pots and decent caps(orange drops, bumblebees, hovland, mallory, etc.) before changing your pickups.

 

[gibsg99]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

I have gotten some really interesting responses so far...thanks for everybody's input. FYI, I am not an expert when it comes to guitar electronics, so any information is probably helpful. How would changing the pots to 500k alter my sound? What type do Gibsons usually come with? Thanks.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

Most guys feel that 500K CTS sound best with humbuckers. But some Gibsons used 300K pots that allow treble loss. Bryvincents suggestion is a very good one. I have never found anything except 500K labeled pots in the Gibsons I've worked on, but some of those measured much less than 500K...even though they were labeled 500K. And getting rid of the cheapie disc caps in favor of a .02 Sprague Orange Drop cap is also a good suggestion. When you change your pickups it'd be a good time to change those pots and caps too. Or do it first if you want to see how the change affects your tone. It might make a big diff or none at all...but it's worth looking into. If you can read the stamped writing on your pots and find that they are 500K, changing them for another 500K pot will make a very little change in the tone...slight at best. But if they are labeled 300K the improvement might be dramatic.

 

[bryvincent]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

gibsg99, if your sg's(i assume its a '99) electronics are stock, they definitely have 300k vol. and 500k tone pots(it says 'gibson' on the pot cover and no pot value stamp at all) and ceramic caps.gibson usa(non-historic) uses 300k vol and 500k tone pots in all their models since late '70's i think and at one time even used 100k tone pots. there's a slight treble loss if you use 300k pots kinda like a 500k vol pot on '7'

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

gibsg99, if your sg's(i assume its a '99) electronics are stock, they definitely have 300k vol. and 500k tone pots(it says 'gibson' on the pot cover and no pot value stamp at all) and ceramic caps.gibson usa(non-historic) uses 300k vol and 500k tone pots in all their models since late '70's i think and at one time even used 100k tone pots. there's a slight treble loss if you use 300k pots kinda like a 500k vol pot on '7'

I just did some work on a '99 Les Paul 56 Historic. The pots were all labeled Gibson and were all 500K. So...who knows????

The only reason I know these were 500K is that the terminals came off when I unsoldered the original pickups, :smack: so I replaced them both with new CTS 500K pots.

But the volume controls were definately 500K...though one measured about 460K if I remember right.

Lew

 

[gibsg99]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

Thanks everyone. You have all been really helpful. If anyone has anything else to add to this topic, please do.

 

[jimmy]

Re: Improving tone (clarity) in Gibson SG STD (JB?)

You should really check out a Dimebucker (SH-13).
I have them in both of my SG's and they sound killer!
It gives SG's a nice thick sound, almost like a les paul.
It has a lot of calrity, its not a super high gain pickup like you would think.
It's great for leads and even better for rhythms.