Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

[benjaturner]

This could be quite a long one, but hopefully a fun too!

First I'll fill you in on the details. My Uncle has a Yamaha SG700S which he's owned for as long as I can remember. He's not really a serious player so the guitar sits around gathering dust a lot of the time, hence it's in a really bad way. As he's getting older he's decided that now is the time to really learn guitar properly and so was going to get a 'proper guitar'! (His words, not mine) I convinced him that the Yamaha was potentially an awesome guitar, he just needed to invest a bit of money in it. So basically that is my task, to fix up his guitar.

He's into heavier classic rock, I haven't heard of most the bands he's into though, kinda like Free and Bad Company but heavier. For this reason I figured a set of '59's would do the trick pickup wise. Is this a good assumption? I'm not going to bother putting new push/pull pots in, I don't think he's going to miss the coil tap. Can anyone suggest more appropriate pups?

Other than that I'm pretty comfortable with upgrading everything else. I don't think I'll bother with the bridge or maybe the tuners, but the electronics are going to get completely replaced/upgraded. Then it's just a basic setup job, which I'm starting to get the hang of, kind of!

So I guess all I'm really asking is for recommendations of pickups! Heavy Classic Rock type sounds, from a Yamaha SG700S. The guitar's body is all mahogany, as is neck, with a rosewood fingerboard. Though I did read a Harmony Central review saying the fretboard is Ebony, so I could be wrong. If anyone knows for sure what wood is used please let me know. Thank you for reading my thread, hope you can help me.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

If I recall correctly, that Yamaha is a thru-neck axe, and on the bright side of things, at that.

For the sounds you describe, I'd go with a Pearly Gates in the neck, and a Custom 5 in the bridge.

As far as the control set up goes, a set of 500k CTS pots would work great, and I'd go with .022mfd Orange Drop caps.

As far as strings go, I've had very good results with DR's Pure Blues Round Core strings. They sound great, stay in tune, and last a long time.

Set up that guitar properly with those components, plug her into a hot Marshall style amp, and it'll romp for the styles you want it tio.

Good luck. :burnout:

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Thanks Benjy. I've got the Custom Custom (SH-11, I think) in my LP bridge which I'm very keen on. Though I always thought of the pearly Gates as being a very 'Modern Metal' sounding pickup. I've never actually knowingly heard one, that's just the impression I've always had. Though, to be honest, I don't remember anyone ever actually telling me that, so I'm probably wrong I guess, oh well.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

I get all the Yamaha SG guitars under SG 100 mixed up...how close to a Yamaha SG 2000 is the SG 700?

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

2000 is top of the range. then next is the 1000. The comes the 700. I think there's a 500 and a 300 as well. So the 700 sits right in the middle. Costs about £700 ($1300) in the U.K. but probably a lot cheaper in the U.S.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Thanks Benjy. I've got the Custom Custom (SH-11, I think) in my LP bridge which I'm very keen on. Though I always thought of the pearly Gates as being a very 'Modern Metal' sounding pickup. I've never actually knowingly heard one, that's just the impression I've always had. Though, to be honest, I don't remember anyone ever actually telling me that, so I'm probably wrong I guess, oh well.

The Pearly is by no means designed to be a modern metal pickup (though it can definately do that sound with the right rig). To hear the more traditional side of the Pearly's, listen to "Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top. :burnout:

 

[big_black]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

I thought they Yamaha SG series had maple caps, like an LP. Those are some nice guitars. He should cetainly upgrade that 700. For your unlce it sounds like he may dig a set of Pearlies...maybe a Phat Cat if he's into P-90s? I've totally fallen in love with the DD in mahogany. That may be a little much for him though.

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

I'm pretty sure the 700S doesn't have a maple cap. ZZ Top is the sorta sound I'm trying for though. Do those guys use Pearly Gates then?

 

[big_black]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

The Pearly Gates pickup was designed after the ones in Billy Gibbons' LP- Pearly (?). I don't think there is a pickup that will get you closer to that sound.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

The Pearly Gates pickup was designed after the ones in Billy Gibbons' LP- Pearly (?). I don't think there is a pickup that will get you closer to that sound.

Yup, it doesn't get much better than a Pearly Gates in a LP, and indeed, the Pearly Gates model pickups are basically clones of the pickups in Rev. Gibon's '58 Sunburst.

Put the Pearly Gates through a Marshall and you can get anything from Clapton's "Beano" tones, to Free style noises, Allman Brothers tones, Peter Green style wails, and of course, the Reverend's raunchy grind.

Put them through a modern high gain amp and you can get sounds in the styles of STP, Pearl Jam, Collective Soul, Foo fighters, and others.

I love the PG set in my LP, but some people find the bridge model a bit on the bright side, that's why you might want to try the C5 in the bridge. It'll stil have a lot of the open PAF type vibe as the PG, but it will be fatter and friendlier than the PG, especially through a brighter amp or in a double cut guitar.

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Apologies for my ignorance. When you say the Custom 5, are you talking about the

1, SH-14 Custom 5

or,

2 SH-5 Custom

I bet I sound really stupid asking this, sorry.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

NO stupid questions

I meant the SH-14. the one with the Alnico V magnet. The Custom is cool too, but it's a bit edgier and more aggressive than you might want for the intended use.

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

I've read a little about the SH-14 in the last half an hour. I'm not sure from the describtions I've read that it's aggressive enough. But it sounds to be in the right ball park. Is there anything similiar but with more guts? I've got an SH-11 in the bridge and an SH-55 in the neck of my LP and my Uncle was saying earlier today that this sounds quite refined to him, I think he wants something much ballsier, for lack of a better term. Thanks for all your help so far Benjy, I do appreciate it.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Well, the C5 is a bit more "Vintage" sounding than the Custom Custom. Maybe your uncle would be happier with the Custom. The only pickups hotter than the Custom and the Custom 5 are the JB and the Distortion, both of which have a voicing that might not work for the tones your uncle is looking for.

As far as the neck pickup goes, the Pearly Gates is still my first choice for a mahogany bodied guitar.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

My Yamaha is the SG 2000, and I use an Alnico II pro in the neck and a CC in the bridge, and I love it...I am soon gonna swap the Alnico II Pro for a PGn, but that is purly a personal taste...the Alnico II pro is a great pickup. If you want to go with a more vintage set (by this I mean not using a hotter bridge) I would try a set of PG's or a set of 59's, if you do want the hotter bridge try either a PG or a 59 in the neck and if the guitar does have a maple top go with the CC if it does not have a maple top go with ethe Custom 5...all new CTS 500k pots, a switchcraft 3 way, an orange drop cap, and if you really wanna go nuts, get 4 push pull 500k pots (do not waste your time and money of the push pull pots form Warmoth...go with DiMarzio push pulls) and do the Jimmy Page wiring...if I have confused you in any way, please feel free to PM me...I spent a lot of time dialing in my Yamaha to get it sounding the way I wanted!

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Thanks Guy Who Invented Fire.

I think I'm going to steer clear of any push/pull pots for my Uncle's sake. He's the textbook definition of plug in and play, hehe. The stuff that he wants to play has no call for single coil tones and it's only going to make things unneccessarily complicated for him. I think I'm going to go with the Custom 5 in the bridge and a Pearly Gates in the Neck. Thanks again to Benjy 26 for his recommendations.

A site in the U.K. does ready made electrics for most of the more popular guitar types, namely LPs, Teles, Strats and SGs, so I'm just going to order one of those, solder it up and drop it in. I was looking more closely at the guitar today and I hadn't realised how bad a state the hardware is in, most notably the tuners, so I think they're going to need replacing. I've budgeted £40 ($75 approx.) for them. Is this reasonable? Most of the sets I've seen seem to be about this price. I don't think I need to get 'top-self' stuff but if it's worth doing... etc.

Depending on how much he wants to spend I might even put gold pickup rings in, not sure gow tasteful this would look though! New bridge maybe as well. The current hardware is all gold and I don't want to change the appearance to much. Any suggestions regarding cosmetic changes would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Yamaha SG700S: Total Upgrade

Grover makes great, non-locking tuners for not a lot of bread. Their Rotomatics run about $45 here in the states. You might want to see how much you can get them for on your side of the pond. :burnout: