SD for SG..

Dave_Mcpherson

Dave_Mcpherson

New member
Alright folks..i've had a JB in the bridge of my SG for almost a year now. But, for my fast riffing, it seems a little slack on the low-end, whilst holding up brilliantly on the high-end. I need some recommendations for possibly, a better bridge pickup, to suit my needs. I play heavy-rock, a lot of power chords, using the low-E a lot. But the JB almost always gets muddy on me. I want something with a lot of crunch, singing quality with the highs and also with a real definition with the lower notes that won't muddy up. Recommendations please? Cheers in advance,

Alex x
 
Re: SD for SG..

Custom 5 is also an alnico 5 pickup like the JB, but the bass is bigger and tighter, the mids are fairly neutral, and the highs are more like a 59b.

A few SG players here love the C-5/Pearly Gates neck.
 
Re: SD for SG..

What's the C-5 and Pearly Gates like??? A nice detailed description if at all possible :-P. And the custom..also. Cheers :-D.

Alex x
 
Re: SD for SG..

Custom or Custom 5 would probably be your best choices. They're the most versatile humbuckers in the Duncan line, IMO. Go C5 if you want a more PAFish tone that can get really dirty when you need it to. The Custom has the same PAF-like character, but not quite as much as the C5, and it can get straight up nasty. It has huge low mids; a big, fat tone; and a really nice high end bite to it, which is why I recommended it, because that seems to be what you want. The C5 will also be great, though. I'd go with the Custom, personally.
 
Re: SD for SG..

Custom 5 might work really well in an SG with the weird midspike and all.

That being said.. I'd say Custom.

And neither - The Custom 5 is called the SH - 14. SH- 5 is Custom.
 
Re: SD for SG..

I have not tried the Custom in an SG but I think it would be a good match. The SG is kind of mid-humpy without too much top or low end. The Custom has a solid low end and good top end cut which goes down into the upper mids a tad. There is a slight mid scoop with the Custom.
 
Re: SD for SG..

Cool, thank you for the suggestions! I actually love the sound of the SH-11 and the Distortion...Can someone explain to me the difference between the two? I think i might actually favour the distortion more, from the clips. Does it muddy up on the low notes?? Does it have the clarity and "singing" quality that the JB has? And is it a versatile pup? Cheers for all your help, it's much appreciated :-D.

Alex x
 
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Re: SD for SG..

The custom is a fantastic option and i spose a great alternative to the JB, if you need more mids you could always experiment with an Alnico 2 magnet and swap it to a custom custom.
 
Re: SD for SG..

The Custom and the Distortion are kinda similar, only the Custom is less compressed, more open sounding, and cleans up a bit better. The Custom sounds bigger than the Distortion to my ears. The Distortion has way more grind than the Custom, but the Custom has big, fat lows and low mids that seem to jump out of the speakers. Either will probably work for what you want, though.

Good luck. :beerchug:
 
Re: SD for SG..

Dills said:
The custom is a fantastic option and i spose a great alternative to the JB, if you need more mids you could always experiment with an Alnico 2 magnet and swap it to a custom custom.
Click to expand...

I don't think he'd like the CC because he doesn't like the JB. The CC and JB both lack low end and are kinda "loose" in he low end. He obviously wants a bigger, tighter tone. A Custom, Custom 5, or Distortion would be better for him than a CC or JB.
 
Re: SD for SG..

Good stuff. So, the custom is the SH-5? And yep, your right, i don't want another pickup in this guitar that has a "loose" low-end. The JB is fantastic at everything that doesn't use the Low-E :-P. Cheers for the suggestions and the help :-).
 
Re: SD for SG..

Dave_Mcpherson said:
...the distortion ...Does it muddy up on the low notes?? Does it have the clarity and "singing" quality that the JB has? And is it a versatile pup?
Click to expand...

The Distortion is basically the JB's coils with a big ceramic magnet. DD does not muddy up on the low notes. More and tighter low end than the JB. Clarity and singing...the DD top end is a bit fuzzy compared to the JB, although the DD has a more extended top end and does not have the noticeable rolloff that the JB does. Versatile? It does distortion very well! Seems like I've read on the forum that it's split and parallel tones are pretty good and the clean is OK but I haven't really messed with that and the DD.

Distortion vs Custom, DD has more mids overall while Custom has a slight mid dip (aka "open" sound). DD's lows are somewhat trimmed, Custom has a big low end. Both have a good top, although the DD can be a bit fuzzy.

Give one a try and if that's not what you're looking for, use the exchange policy to get the other one...
 
Re: SD for SG..

Well, i tend to use very clear distortion, with a lot of bottom-end to get the crunch. So, i doubt the fuzzy-ness will be much of an issue. I have Jazz in the neck, so i think the Distortion will be a good match :-). If not, i'll do as you said and swap it back and try a Custom :-). Cheers for your help :-)
 
Re: SD for SG..

something else to consider...those sound clips are run through a 50 watt marshall jcm800 (which is brighter voiced already) with the bass and mids dimed (on 10) and the treble at 4 - presence is at 5.5 i believe?? anyways, my point is, notice how the distortion pushed the amp into almost dare i say rectifier territory?? if you already have a lot of gain or run through a hi-gain setup, than the custom may give you more clairty and tone, even under all the gain....where as the DD may end up being overkill...

just a thought
 
Re: SD for SG..

See I had a JB in my SG and quite liked it (bright, great harmonics, tight but still a little loose on the low end, then I switched it for a Custom and didn't like it (dark and . . . oh well I just didn't like it that much) So the Custom went into my les Paul where it rules and I got a Anderson H3 for my gwhich rules ALL!! hahaha . . . . . . so to answer your question I don't know, maybe the Custom 5??
 
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