Very light SG with snap and no sustain needs more sustain - which pickup?

[namklak]

I have a 2012 Angus signature SG, it is a very light thin guitar, including a thin narrow neck that most people hate but I love.
Anyway, this guitar has a lot of "snap", which is the opposite of the sustain my LP has. Now I need to cover some Gary Richrath (RIP), and he had a double cut LP - which means he played a lot on the upper octave (which I can do with my SG), but he also has that LP sustain.
So...
What pickup can I use in the Bridge position to increase the sustain of my SG?

Currently I have a Pearly Gates in the Neck and a Custom Custom in the Bridge. I do have a JB Bridge in a box somewhere...

I will be modeling with the Fractal AX8.

Note Gary's double cut LP had P90s, but that's maybe a secondary concern, as gigging at some venues with some stage lights prohibits real P90s. My single cut LP has SD's noiseless P90s, which I think are pretty close to P90s yet I could gig anywhere.

Thanks!!!

 

[Securb]

You might want to try a P-Rails, you can use the P90 when it allows and switch it to humbucking if you have interference from the lights. I will say some find the humbucker to be too aggressive. I love it, I use the humbucker more than the P90.

 

[Demanic]

UOA5 Custom. I'll bet that it would have a ton of sustain. Still with plenty of snap.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[Benjy_26]

Raise the action a tiny bit to see if you get more sustain that way.

 

[namklak]

You might want to try a P-Rails, you can use the P90 when it allows and switch it to humbucking if you have interference from the lights. I will say some find the humbucker to be too aggressive. I love it, I use the humbucker more than the P90.

I have the P-Rails in the Bridge of my #1 Strat, interesting idea...
Thanks

 

[namklak]

Raise the action a tiny bit to see if you get more sustain that way.

Accurate idea, but I have my luthier set my final pickup height - he lowers them until he sees no interference on his strobotuner - in-band intonation works great that way.

 

[namklak]

UOA5 Custom. I'll bet that it would have a ton of sustain. Still with plenty of snap.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

I've never done a magnet swap - almost wondering if putting a UOA5 in my Custom Custom is the better idea...

 

[Mincer]

I was going to say, a Custom Custom, or for something more dynamic, an Alnico II Pro.

 

[beaubrummels]

I think you need a different tailpiece and tuners to get more sustain out of an SG

 

[J. Burns]

If you’re open to something from Dimarzio—I used the Air Zone for years to thicken up the bridge position of an SG before catching the P-90 bug. My 2002 Special I think is similar as it has a lot of attack and that slim 60’s neck, also has a lot of sustain through an overdriven amp.

If you need something from Duncan, the Custom SH-5 might do the job. I had one in the same SG for a while and liked it quite a bit but I was playing heavy chording in a punk/hardcore context so your mileage may vary.

 

[namklak]

If you’re open to something from Dimarzio—I used the Air Zone for years to thicken up the bridge position of an SG before catching the P-90 bug. My 2002 Special I think is similar as it has a lot of attack and that slim 60’s neck, also has a lot of sustain through an overdriven amp.

If you need something from Duncan, the Custom SH-5 might do the job. I had one in the same SG for a while and liked it quite a bit but I was playing heavy chording in a punk/hardcore context so your mileage may vary.

I'm generally a SD guy, but I have DiMarzio True Velvets in the middle and neck of my #1 Strat, and I will never change those out.

 

[namklak]

I think you need a different tailpiece and tuners to get more sustain out of an SG

Did that early on... helped a bit..

 

[Mr. B]

I have never found pickups to have as much effect on sustain as the setup of the guitar, and the guitar itself. Having pickups too close to the strings can kill sustain. Bad coupling of any of the components like nut, bridge, bridge saddles can rob sustain. Cheap components/nut material can rob sustain. Crappy or old strings can rob sustain. A slightly high fret that isn't even causing buzzing can rob sustain. My SG's have never had the sustain that my Les Pauls have had, especially as you move past the 12th fret playing higher notes. It is just the nature of the guitar.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Accurate idea, but I have my luthier set my final pickup height - he lowers them until he sees no interference on his strobotuner - in-band intonation works great that way.

Occasionally, I'll setup one of my guitars with really light strings and super low action. Regardless of the instrument or pickups, sustain is noticeably less than if I'm using 10-52 or so and mediumish action. It has nothing to do with the pickups interfering with the strings, especially if we're talking humbuckers, but rather the strings not having enough room to vibrate freely.

If you're using 9s and low action, try 10s and raise it a bit. Also, set your pickups based on where they sound good, not some arbitrary setting with a tuner.

Edit- missed this in your post the first time: If Gary Moore was playing a broom stick strung with rubber bands at the volumes he played at, it would sustain more than anything at the volumes most of us usually play at. A big part of electric guitar sustain comes from the interaction between a loud ass amp and the guitar.

 

[Benjy_26]

Accurate idea, but I have my luthier set my final pickup height - he lowers them until he sees no interference on his strobotuner - in-band intonation works great that way.

I've never had humbuckers affect sustain unless they're physically touching the strings, but I have had guitars ring out longer when properly set up. Sometimes that involves raising the action a tiny bit if the guitar feels like it's choking out.

Now, I have experienced increased *perceived* sustain by going to a louder pickup in the bridge. The sustain hasn't increased, but the pickup does "hear" the string longer.

 

[pskorz]

Yeah, I think a pickup swap will get you a different vibe, perhaps, but it’s not going to add sustain to a guitar that’s lacking it.
does the guitar plugged in and through an amp cut off making sound noticeably before the string itself has stopped ringing out? If so I’d suggest looking into the wiring. A custom custom and pearly gates might not ultimately be the pickups you want, but they’re not your culprits for sustain loss in-and-of themselves.

 

[namklak]

Well, summarizing some more posts, I play my LP unplugged and the SG unplugged, and yes there is a noticeable difference in "acoustic" sustain. I guess I was just hoping a little compression from the right pickup would help...

 

[JB_From_Hell]

It sounds like your guitar needs setup differently.

 

[alex1fly]

Well, summarizing some more posts, I play my LP unplugged and the SG unplugged, and yes there is a noticeable difference in "acoustic" sustain. I guess I was just hoping a little compression from the right pickup would help...

Setup + FX settings might get you closer. So could a pickup set made for lead playing but again, it could also *not* fix the problem and could also make the problem worse.

Sometimes it's hard to accept an instrument for what it is, rather than trying to make it what you want it to be. I struggle with that a lot, lol.

 

[Mincer]

Don't forget that a compressor set properly can squeeze a little more sustain out, too.