I was jamming with my roommate yesterday and he just bought a SG (Epiphone) for $ 450 new. We plugged it in my Marshall stack and i just loved the distortion. So here's my question: which pick-up to install in the bridge position to get a similar sound? My strat is made of poplar. Thanks!
SG tone in a strat?
- Thread starter rocknroll
- Start date
Re: SG tone in a strat?
I'm assuming that your friend's SG is a mahogany body with a set mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. Also, unless he's upgraded his pickups, then their probably lower output Alnico's.
So, your talking about one of the warmest setups a guitar could have with your friend's SG, then your Strat, even with a rosewood fretboard, has a trem, which thins out the sound, Poplar body, also a brighter sound, and a bolt on neck as well. With single coil pickups, these two guitars are really opposites.
You're going to need a humbucker in the bridge of your Strat to even come close to warming up the sound. I'd also suggest blocking your trem. Get a APH-1 Alnico II pro, or Custom Custom.
Honestly, my suggestion would be to keep your Strat in its configuration, save some money (Christmas is right around the corner) and look for a used Epiphone SG in a similar configuration to your friend's. Then you'll have a couple of guitars with a wide variety of sounds. Most guys who want a wide variety of tones probably have one Strat and one Les Paul or SG type of guitar.
I'm assuming that your friend's SG is a mahogany body with a set mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. Also, unless he's upgraded his pickups, then their probably lower output Alnico's.
So, your talking about one of the warmest setups a guitar could have with your friend's SG, then your Strat, even with a rosewood fretboard, has a trem, which thins out the sound, Poplar body, also a brighter sound, and a bolt on neck as well. With single coil pickups, these two guitars are really opposites.
You're going to need a humbucker in the bridge of your Strat to even come close to warming up the sound. I'd also suggest blocking your trem. Get a APH-1 Alnico II pro, or Custom Custom.
Honestly, my suggestion would be to keep your Strat in its configuration, save some money (Christmas is right around the corner) and look for a used Epiphone SG in a similar configuration to your friend's. Then you'll have a couple of guitars with a wide variety of sounds. Most guys who want a wide variety of tones probably have one Strat and one Les Paul or SG type of guitar.
JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: SG tone in a strat?
I don't know if there is such a thing like an SG tone... there are many guitars with their own specific signature features- like Teles for example... The SG has the qualities of a mahagony body with humbuckers but many SG models had nothing in common more then that...
What were the qualities of the guitar that impressed you and that you want to hear in your Strat? more warmth, more output, etc... that could be a better question for us to answer... maybe you should try to describe the distortion (bands that you think of, modern/vintage)...
I don't know if there is such a thing like an SG tone... there are many guitars with their own specific signature features- like Teles for example... The SG has the qualities of a mahagony body with humbuckers but many SG models had nothing in common more then that...
What were the qualities of the guitar that impressed you and that you want to hear in your Strat? more warmth, more output, etc... that could be a better question for us to answer... maybe you should try to describe the distortion (bands that you think of, modern/vintage)...
sufferinrewind
New member
Re: SG tone in a strat?
Why not just get an Epi SG? :eek13:
Why not just get an Epi SG? :eek13:
chill
New member
Re: SG tone in a strat?
Hotrails will give you gobs of mids with a percussive low end and shave off some of the higs. Also more output than the SG, but it will get you closer than you are with stock singles.
Maybe an A2P or Pearly, though I have not played 'em in person. DiMarzio also has some pickups which will warm up your sound...and they even have a pickup selector to help you out with that.
Hotrails will give you gobs of mids with a percussive low end and shave off some of the higs. Also more output than the SG, but it will get you closer than you are with stock singles.
Maybe an A2P or Pearly, though I have not played 'em in person. DiMarzio also has some pickups which will warm up your sound...and they even have a pickup selector to help you out with that.
Re: SG tone in a strat?
i was kinda wondering about the output of the SG humbuckers...i have a humbucker in my strat now, but it's a ****ty stock one (i have an american traditional series strat)....i'm not looking for high output pickups for metal, more medium output maybe, but that SG sound had such power, so i was wondering if i could achieve that kind of sound with my strat - many people suggested a SD jeff beck or something...so basically i'm looking for a powerfull rock n roll pickup that goes well with poplar body and rosewood fingerboards.......somebody mentioned bands, definetly led zeppelin, black sabbath, rhcp...but i want a versatile pick up as possible (also suitable for punkrock). someody also suggetsed to buy an SG...i know, that would be a cool thing, but i can't afford it right now (i'm a student)..anyway, thanks for all the help!
i was kinda wondering about the output of the SG humbuckers...i have a humbucker in my strat now, but it's a ****ty stock one (i have an american traditional series strat)....i'm not looking for high output pickups for metal, more medium output maybe, but that SG sound had such power, so i was wondering if i could achieve that kind of sound with my strat - many people suggested a SD jeff beck or something...so basically i'm looking for a powerfull rock n roll pickup that goes well with poplar body and rosewood fingerboards.......somebody mentioned bands, definetly led zeppelin, black sabbath, rhcp...but i want a versatile pick up as possible (also suitable for punkrock). someody also suggetsed to buy an SG...i know, that would be a cool thing, but i can't afford it right now (i'm a student)..anyway, thanks for all the help!
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: SG tone in a strat?
To me, SG's have a fair amount of twangy mids and highs and not alot of deep bass...certainly not as much deep bass and lower mids as a single cutaway Les Paul.
Not sure you can get that exact tone out of a Strat.
I'd just go for a humbucker that sounds great in a Strat and not worry to much more about it.
The Duncan that I've found to sound great as a bridge humbucker in a Strat and which, IMO, captures much of the tone of the SG Eric Clapton used with Cream would be the 59B, a pickup very similar to what Gibson used in the original early 60's SG Clapton used with Cream on Disrali Gears and Wheels of Fire. A very classic and fabulous humbucker tone through a Marshall!
There are lots of other good pickup choices too: the EVH/78 sounds great in my Strat as does the Custom and Custom Custom.
Those are my four faves. The 59B and EVH/78 have vintage output and the Custom and Custom Custom are hotter.
Also, I'd go for the Trembucker version to match the wider string spacing at the bridge of a Strat.
To me, SG's have a fair amount of twangy mids and highs and not alot of deep bass...certainly not as much deep bass and lower mids as a single cutaway Les Paul.
Not sure you can get that exact tone out of a Strat.
I'd just go for a humbucker that sounds great in a Strat and not worry to much more about it.
The Duncan that I've found to sound great as a bridge humbucker in a Strat and which, IMO, captures much of the tone of the SG Eric Clapton used with Cream would be the 59B, a pickup very similar to what Gibson used in the original early 60's SG Clapton used with Cream on Disrali Gears and Wheels of Fire. A very classic and fabulous humbucker tone through a Marshall!
There are lots of other good pickup choices too: the EVH/78 sounds great in my Strat as does the Custom and Custom Custom.
Those are my four faves. The 59B and EVH/78 have vintage output and the Custom and Custom Custom are hotter.
Also, I'd go for the Trembucker version to match the wider string spacing at the bridge of a Strat.
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