SG Standard pickup question

S

sombersoul

New member
Hi!

I intend to change the stock pickups in my Gibson SG Standard, since I've grown tired of the harsh and thin sound they give me. I play through a 6505 head and cab. In my previous guitar, an EP SG-400, I have a Duncan Distortion at the bridge and a PG at the neck position. This was definitely a big improvement over the original pickups in that model. Comparing my old SG-400 with the SD setup to the sound of my SG Standard, I recently noticed how much more I like the beefy sound I get from the SH-6, although it sometimes seems too much output for an already extreme gain amp such as the 6505. The PG gives me very fat and warm clean sounds, perhaps a bit too fat for crunch/distortion for my taste.

Anyway, now I want to perfect my SG Standard. The question is: Should I go the same way as with the SG-400? SH-6 at the bridge and PG at the neck? Or should I consider a different setup, such as the suggested SH-5 at the bridge and a 59 (SH-1) or Jazz (SH-2) at the neck?

What I want is this: Fat and chunky distortion with lots of low end at the bridge. A warm, clean tone at the neck.

I would welcome suggestions and help by those who are more experienced. Thank you! :)
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

I'd suggest Custom or perhaps Custom5 if you feel need slightly lesser mids. In neck I'd go Jazzn or '59
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

Iron Horse said:
I'd suggest Custom or perhaps Custom5 if you feel need slightly lesser mids. In neck I'd go Jazzn or '59
Click to expand...

I see. This is what the Tone Wizard suggests. I have no experience with the SH-4 or SH-14. How do they compare to the SH-6? Slightly less gain I would assume, but just as fat-sounding?
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

A common complaint, many players don't like the PU's in their Gibsons. They are high quality, the biggest issue is the choice of magnets they use. What PU's are in your Std?

If you buy a few magnets at $5 each (see Wymore Guitars), you can substantially change the EQ & output of a HB. So instead of dropping almost $200 on new PU's, get some surplus magents for this (and any future guitars). You never know how a PU will react to your guitar's wood, so you need to be prepared to make a minor mod or two.

Your neck PU should be fine with a magnet swap (I'd go with an A4 or A5). Is your bridge a PAF type or high output (498T)? If its a 498T, you could put in a ceramic magnet & sound pretty close to a DD. If its a PAF type, you could try a ceramic or an A8 to give it some muscle. Try that before you buy a new PU. I like A4's in many bridge HB's, as they have a balanced EQ, so the mids are plentiful, and the highs don't dominate.

With their thin bodies, SG's don't have the low end of some guitars (like a LP), so to get some of that, you need to tweak a thing or two. I use 250K pots on my bridge PU's (volume & tone) to shave off some of the high treble, and bring out the mids & lows. I like different PU combinations in each guitar of mine (variety is the spice of life) so I'd try something similar to, but different than the PGN/DD pair you have in you Epi SG. I've put these pairs in Epi SG's:
- 490R (with an A5), 498T (with an A4)
- '59N, '59B (with an A4)
- 50SR, 60ST (with an A4)
- '59N, C5
These give me full, rich bridge tones, with the neck having clarity & definition (all of the neck PU's I listed have A5's for teh additional treble). A neck HB will always be warm, what you sometimes need to add is treble to keep it from being muffled. The A2 in your PGB is giving you a lot of mids with little treble, & getting a little too dark with overdrive.
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

I would just use what you know you like. If your G400 is still around I would just swap the pickups between the two guitars...get the set you love in your sweet new Gibson and put the less-good Gibson pups in your Epi. Then you've got your sweet professional guitar set up exactly how you want it, and it's 'little brother' as a back-up.
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

I've had a JB, and it had nice fat chunky distortion, but the Distortion also should have that.

Do you like Queens of the Stone Age? Josh Homme uses a Custom Custom.

Just check out what bands use what pickups and you'll start to see what I mean. There are just so many to choose from.
 
Re: SG Standard pickup question

Thanks for all the good advice! I'm leaving the SD pickups in my SG-400, since I need it as my backup guitar (and therefore outfitted with good pickups). As for a magnet change in the Gibson pickups: Wish I could do it, but I'm technically not really versed. I have modifications to my guitars done professionally. This means that, yes, I will most probably invest the money in new SD pickups, but I'm pretty sure it will be a good investment.

As for the choice of pickups, I have sort of decided to give the '59 in the neck a try. I am still torn between the SH-5 and SH-6 in the bridge, though. Get something good I already know, or get something new, which might even be better (read lots of good stuff about the SH-5 on here). The point is that I am playing distorted most of the time. Not metal exclusively, but definitely hi-gain riffing. That's why I need a warm, fat tone with lots of low end, good palm mutes and enough power and sustain. I am certain the SH-5 will deliver that just as well as the SH-6. I only wish I could test the sound of these two pickups directly against each other. The ToneChart says that the SH-5 has more bass and less mids than the SH-6. Still thinking...
 
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