New bridge pickup for SG

F

Fuhgawz

New member
I am currently looking to change the pickups in my Gibson SG to something less shrill. I am pretty sure I want the Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck. Now for the bridge pickup I want a somewhat hotter version of the 59 and these two pickups caught my eye:
1) SD SH-11 Custom Custom
2) SD SH-14 Custom-5

I am looking for a vintage sound, medium output, rounded/warm highs, plenty of midrange growl and enough bottom end to compensate for the thin SG body. I play heavy grooving stonerrock.
Now, the Custom Custom is supposed to have plenty of midrange, which I love, but according to the SD tone chart it also has little bass. Will it have enough bass to compensate for the thin body? The custom 5 has plenty of bottom end, but may be too scooped for my likings, again according to the tone chart.
Does anyone have any experience with either of these pickups in an SG style guitar? Can you recommend other pickups? Thanks in advance!!
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

everyone around here says the Custom 5 is by far the best sounding pup in an SG. I've never heard a complaint about it; just raves
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

A C5 wont give you "rounded/warm highs, plenty of midrange growl and enough bottom end". I would look into the 'Brobucker' of the Custom Shop. This was made for that purpose!
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Remember that with an SG you are working with a guitar design that by design and nature is very resonant and has a strong mid range. This is why the C5 is such a popular pickup for the SG, because the two EQs weave together very well and generally produce a very balanced instrument.

The C5 will give you plenty of bottom end. The mids aren't absent, but there is some scoop. The highs aren't exactly rounded or sweet, though. They can be biting in the wrong rig.

Beyond that, a little searching will bring up a lot of information and many opinions on pickups for the SG. Especially in recent history, as the topic has come up several times.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Thanks people! I was afraid of it being too bitey, but I will definately check the search. I have, but did not find nearly as many SG topics as LP topics though. I also could not find any users that had the Custom Custom in their SG, so if anyone can comment, please do.
By the way, the BroBucker is a little expensive for my taste. Maybe any suggestions in the $100 region?
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

MikeS said:
Remember that with an SG you are working with a guitar design that by design and nature is very resonant and has a strong mid range. This is why the C5 is such a popular pickup for the SG, because the two EQs weave together very well and generally produce a very balanced instrument.
Click to expand...

And yet Gibson pairs it with mid heavy pickups that actually sound great - 498T (Standard) or 57 Classic (61RI). A pot/cap change brings these two pickups to life, I wouldn't dismiss them outright and if they're not cutting it for you, please identify what they lack and shop for a new pickup that will fill that void.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Fuhgawz said:
Thanks people! I was afraid of it being too bitey, but I will definately check the search. I have, but did not find nearly as many SG topics as LP topics though. I also could not find any users that had the Custom Custom in their SG, so if anyone can comment, please do.
By the way, the BroBucker is a little expensive for my taste. Maybe any suggestions in the $100 region?
Click to expand...

A C5 will have a boomy bottom and a bitey top. Personaly I don't like them.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

The problem with the Custom Custom is it's really dense in mids and compressed on the top, and an all mahogany guitar doesn't really need that. It'd be better in a basswood or ash superstrat to thicken it. In solid mahogany, it'll cloud the clarity and nuances that a "scooped" pickup will give you....ie..C5, 59, or Brobucker. Scooped is the wrong word because everyone associates that word with an amp with the mids turned off. For pickups, scooped just means natural sounding mids with no accentuation.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

I'm a big SG fan, and I think the C5 is an excellent choice. The CC has some compression on top, but you can live with it if you EQ your amp right. You definitely need 500K's pots with a CC.

To me the C5 is best with 250K pots, which take off a little treble & bring out the mids. Gives it more body & punch, and a vintage tone, ala late 1960's British blues/rock, and eliminates the impression of being scooped. It will still have enough bite, & will cut thru for solos. The top is more open than a CC, and it also has more bass than it too. A C5 with 250K's is well balaned EQ wise.

First thing to do though, is to work with what you have, and you may be able to get what you want with your existing PU's, and save yourself a lot of money. The 490R/498T combo is a challenge as the neck is too dark & the bridge too bright. If you put an A5 magnet in the neck PU with 500K pots, and 250K pots on the bridge, you'll bring them closer in EQ & get a much improved tone on both PU's. The 498T has about the same resistance (ohms) as a C5, although the windings are a little different; gets you in the ballpark. The 490R is a PAF type PU, and I like it much better with an A5 to open it up.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

+666 for the C5

just try it. I sincerely doubt you'll be dissapointed. I've got C5's loaded into 3 different guitars. Thats how good it sounds.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Okay, thanks for the responce people! The problem with my bridge pickup now is that is too shrill, and lacking in the bass department. It's an SG Special, so it has a 490t btw, not the 498t. A little more output wouldn't hurt.
I like what you people are saying about chaning pot values. I never knew it would have such an influence! And what about those magnet changes, where can I buy these magnets? The less money I spend the better.. ;)
Right now I'm thinking about getting the C5 with the 250k pots (both tone and volume!?) and some magnets to change the sound of the neck pickup. Thanks!!
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Never mind the pots for now. Just get a C5 and see how you like it. If it needs tweaking then look at pots.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Diocletian said:
Never mind the pots for now. Just get a C5 and see how you like it. If it needs tweaking then look at pots.
Click to expand...

Change the pots, you're already in there so do it right. They are only a couple bucks.

Now I'm thinking I might want to try another C5 in my SG. I didn't care for them when I had them in a strat and a DC Les Paul (chambered), but I've heard good things about them in SG's particularly. But I like that middy growl and wouldn't want to lose it.

I'm also a big fan of the SH-5 Custom - my favorite pickup for Les Pauls in particular. In case you didn't know, the C5, Custom, and CC are all the same pickup with different magnets. C5 is A5, Custom is ceramic, and CC is A2.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

'59/Custom is what's in my SG. Think of the '59 as vintage stoner and the Custom as modern stoner.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

The best match for the 59 neck would be the C5. Personally, I think the C5 and 59 sound too scooped in the midrange. I would rather have a CC/PG combo.

My cousin has a CC in a Les Paul. Just playing around the house, the CC sounds a little too thick and muddy, but on stage with the band, the mids really cut through and are unbeatable.
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

For all of you which are searching the middle of a scooped '59 or C5 and the CC should try a Custom 8. Less highs, more mids and more overtones. Great!
 
Re: New bridge pickup for SG

Perhaps I'm wrong about the '59 in the neck after reading all of the replies. I don't mind the neck pickup being more trebley than the 490, but I still want a fat sound. Maybe the Pearly Gates would be more suited.
As for the Alternative 8, I'm afraid it would have too much output and be too modern sounding. I want a mid-heavy "vintage" sound with enough lows to compensate for the thin SG body, and smooth highs, so no ice-pick sounds etc.
By the way, what about those Gibson '57 Classic (plus) pickups they put in the '61 reissue SG? How do they compare to SD's and 490's?
 
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