SG Standard Replacement Pickups

[WillG]

Hello everyone! I recently got a Gibson SG Standard 2016 T, and I love the guitar! It feels great, but I am not loving the stock pups (498t in bridge and 490r in neck). Could you recommend pickups that fill these requirements?

Bridge pup: needs to be able to do blues to classic rock to metal. Ultra tight aggressive rhythm, scorching leads. I want some serious midrange bite but still maintain tight bottom end and good note definition under high gain.

Neck pup: less output than bridge. Not too wooly, but still warm for classic PAF sound. I want something with beautiful, clear cleans and a sustained, expressive lead tone.

Thanks!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

You can't do much better in an SG than a Custom 8 in the bridge. It does everything you have asked for.

There are several pups that work well in the neck that will play well with the C8 and give you what you want. My favorite (other than P-90) is the Screamin Demon. I play a lot of leads on the neck pup and the Demon is tops. The 59n is ok in an SG (I don't particularly care for it in a LP type guitar because the EQ doesn't sound right...too much bass and treble and not enough mids. The Jazz is also a good performer, but in my opinion neither compare to the Demon.

 

[hydro]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

You can't do much better in an SG than a Custom 8 in the bridge. It does everything you have asked for.

There are several pups that work well in the neck that will play well with the C8 and give you what you want. My favorite (other than P-90) is the Screamin Demon. I play a lot of leads on the neck pup and the Demon is tops. The 59n is ok in an SG (I don't particularly care for it in a LP type guitar because the EQ doesn't sound right...too much bass and treble and not enough mids. The Jazz is also a good performer, but in my opinion neither compare to the Demon.

To add to this, I recently replaced the 498T/490R with the Custom 8 (bridge) 59n (neck) along with a 50s wiring harness in a 2008 SG Standard and was pleased with the results; was seeking the same outcome as the OP.

The Custom 8 is high output compared to most of my pickups and has a different feel/dynamics as a result, but that may suit the OP's requirement.

 

[WillG]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Thanks for the feedback! Is the custom 8 hugely different from the regular custom (SH-5)? I'm willing to upgrade but if the SH-5 works, I'd be fine with it.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Bridge pup: needs to be able to do blues to classic rock to metal. Ultra tight aggressive rhythm, scorching leads. I want some serious midrange bite but still maintain tight bottom end and good note definition under high gain.

Neck pup: less output than bridge. Not too wooly, but still warm for classic PAF sound. I want something with beautiful, clear cleans and a sustained, expressive lead tone.

Thanks!

I don't get it. You are basically describing the pickups that come in the SG. I think the neck can be somewhat too warm compared to the bridge, so I replace the neck with a Duncan 59, but i honestly can't think of a bridge pickup that matches your description much better than the 498t. It takes a lot of adjustment to find the perfect balance between the two that come in the SG, but they can compliment each other well.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Thanks for the feedback! Is the custom 8 hugely different from the regular custom (SH-5)? I'm willing to upgrade but if the SH-5 works, I'd be fine with it.

The Custom 8 is the same pup as the Custom (SH-5) but with an A8 magnet instead of the ceramic. It has a warmer smoother sound to it. Highs that aren't so piercing and brittle, and a big tight thumping low end. Articulate, great clean sound, handles distortion well. If you already have a Custom, just take out the ceramic mag and replace it with an A8. Now you have a Custom 8.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Am I an idiot for thinking Distortion for the bridge? Too bright in an SG?

 

[jonsick]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I'll point you to my thread here:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?316386-2016-Gibson-SG-passive-recommendations

I've decided to keep with the Duncan Custom/Jazz set. It just seemed to work really nicely in the SG. I did try all the pickups I mentioned, but this is what I wanted in the guitar. Currently it's in pieces on my bench as I'm waiting on a new set of electronics because the stock pots just made me want to hurt myself. I decided the Gibson logs were not worth bothering with. One of them was rated at 300k instead of 500k and one of the 500k rated pots measured 400k.... a mess basically.

I'm waiting on some new pots to wire up a proper circuit instead of the factory seconds Gibson seems to be using. I'm done recutting a new nut! The factory one was too narrow and deep to be any good at all, so I've replaced it with a new Graphtec nut. Mine didn't really need that much of a fret level, it was only higher up the neck that needed a little bit of levelling. They are now all crowned nicely and polished. The guitar is ready to go as soon as my pots arrive.

£10 will get you £20 that setting the guitar up properly will make the biggest tonal difference!

 

[WillG]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Thanks everyone for the info! I've decided that I'm going to go with the regular SH-5, as I've liked demos I've heard of it, and if it's too brittle and isn't fat enough I'll upgrade it to the Custom 8. For the neck I'm still not sure; I saw the suggestion for the Screamin Demon, but I'm not sure if that has great cleans. I also saw a suggestion for the Jazz neck, which seems like my best bet, since it is bright enough for clarity but still has nice humbucker clean tones. Ideas for neck?

 

[Mincer]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

For the neck, a Demon is great (especially with a Custom). A Jazz is great if you want tighter lows, and more percussive attack but a non-compressed sound. You might also look at the 59, which doesn't work in LPs all the time, but sounds great in the neck of an SG.

 

[WillG]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Does the demon have good cleans?

 

[jonsick]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Does the demon have good cleans?

I would say no. Certainly not as good as the jazz.

If you want something between the two, I'd suggest a 59 bridge position in the neck. Especially in mahogany, it's a little brighter sounding so less muddier than a 59 neck version. It mixes well with the Custom and JB too!

 

[WillG]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I would say no. Certainly not as good as the jazz.

If you want something between the two, I'd suggest a 59 bridge position in the neck. Especially in mahogany, it's a little brighter sounding so less muddier than a 59 neck version. It mixes well with the Custom and JB too!

Thanks! I think I'm going to go with a 59 bridge in the neck and a Custom in the bridge.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I would say no. Certainly not as good as the jazz.

I don't know where you're getting that. The Demon has excellent cleans. The Jazz does too, but they are different sounding.

 

[WillG]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I don't know where you're getting that. The Demon has excellent cleans. The Jazz does too, but they are different sounding.

Does anyone have any sound clips of demon cleans? I can't seem to find any.

 

[EmiAba]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

IMHO the best combo for a Gibson SG is DiMarzio Paf pro/DiMarzio Superdistortion.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

One of the guys from Boston used a Super Distortion in the bridge of the SG, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I don't get it. You are basically describing the pickups that come in the SG. I think the neck can be somewhat too warm compared to the bridge, so I replace the neck with a Duncan 59, but i honestly can't think of a bridge pickup that matches your description much better than the 498t. It takes a lot of adjustment to find the perfect balance between the two that come in the SG, but they can compliment each other well.

I have these pickups in my Flying V copy and I am very happy with them.
I lowered the poles in the bridge so the are more flush and set the pickup 1.6 mm from the strings when fretted at fret 22, then with the neck I set the pickup to 2mm from the strings and raised all the poles half a turn then staggered the poles to match the radius but slightly higher on the B and top E and lowered G. Then made tiny tweaks to pick height to balance pickup to pickup volume and bass to treble volume on each.

Basically I made the bridge a bit more rounded and less shrill and made the neck brighter for nice clear cleans.

I have to say I can play pretty much anything on the V with that set up, and with coil splits via 4.7k resistors it's even good for country!
It's suits blues and classic rock best though but can do heavy rock too.

If you want brighter neck and more mid range you could put the A2 magnet in the neck in the bridge then put the A5 magnet from the bridge in the neck, or adjust the neck as described above and try an A2 in both.




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[LtKojak]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

Hello everyone! I recently got a Gibson SG Standard 2016 T, and I love the guitar! It feels great, but I am not loving the stock pups (498t in bridge and 490r in neck). Could you recommend pickups that fill these requirements?

Bridge pup: needs to be able to do blues to classic rock to metal. Ultra tight aggressive rhythm, scorching leads. I want some serious midrange bite but still maintain tight bottom end and good note definition under high gain.

Neck pup: less output than bridge. Not too wooly, but still warm for classic PAF sound. I want something with beautiful, clear cleans and a sustained, expressive lead tone.

Thanks!

You simply need to do this: Get an A8 magnet. Take out the A2 mag in the neck p'up, replace it with the A5 mag in the bridge p'up, then put the A8 in the bridge p'up.

Wait a couple of days, then start looking for the bridge p'up's "sweet spot", then adjust the neck to match the bridge's. Done.

Half-n'-hour job, less than ten bucks. Not too shabby for having a "new guitar", isn't it?

HTH,

 

[jonsick]

Re: SG Standard Replacement Pickups

I don't know where you're getting that. The Demon has excellent cleans. The Jazz does too, but they are different sounding.

It didn't for me, but then that wasn't the purpose in that particular guitar for me.