What's in Your SG?

I picked up another Craigslist orphan last week, and it's the Anti-Tele. An MIK faded brown Epi Vintage G-400.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/529/SG_6215.jpg

I don't have plans to replace anything. Just curious about why yanking Epi pickups seems to be the trend, and what replaces them (in your SG).

Even though I saw AC/DC live back in the beginning, I'll never be playing Angus. If I could walk in and grab a new SG of my choice, it would probably be the Gibson P-90 model. So I'd guess that if I get around to it, the GFS Mean90 might be interesting.

I have an SG Classic that's 7-8 years old. I'm not incredibly knowledgegable about P90's, but those pickups sound like classic P90's to me - a cool middle ground between Fender single spank and articulation, and the meat and grind of a humbucker. A stock/true P90 is about as inherently noisy as a single coil can aspire to be, which is to say, fairly obnoxious in a club that contains neon signs and questionable wiring.

I don't gig my SG, but I do record it, specifically for rock rhythms and slide tones. For this, I absolutely love it. I recently sold a double cut TV yellow LP Special with P90's, as the SG is just a more balanced and practical tone for my purposes.

One thing I'd suggest is to try before you buy. The quality control is apparently variable among different production runs. A friend of mine fell in love with my SG Classic, ordered one, and it was a dog, so he returned to sender.

I have an early 70's SG that doesn't have anything in it currently. When I bought it in a pawn shop in the late 80's it had a bartolini humbucker and some nasty single coil.... it was nasty!

After listening to a bandmate's and then a fellow TDPRIer's guitars with p-90's, I'm hooked.

I've been looking at P-90's. Lollars were suggested to me the other day, I've been thinking about Fralins (cause he's a virginia guy)

Anybody had experience with Lollar or Fralin P-90's?

Wholeheartedly agree with Tim Bowen. I picked up an SG Classic the other week and I can't put it down. The P-90's in there do everything he described. It seems that GC has a bunch of these now that they are selling off. Mine was made in 2000 and I looked at maybe 6-7 of them until I found one that was great.

For the OP, I have a Mean 90 in an Epi Jr. and it sounds very nice and P-90ish. I bought a Vintage 59 pickup as well but it is still in the box since the Mean 90 sounds so good. At that price you really don't have much to lose.

A stock/true P90 is about as inherently noisy as a single coil can aspire to be, which is to say, fairly obnoxious in a club that contains neon signs and questionable wiring.

Just playing at home keeps me happy.

I don't gig my SG, but I do record it, specifically for rock rhythms and slide tones. For this, I absolutely love it. I recently sold a double cut TV yellow LP Special with P90's, as the SG is just a more balanced and practical tone for my purposes.

I do have the older version Melody Maker with a Gibson P90, and really like it. Sort of like a single cut, single pup version of the Double Cut LP.

One thing I'd suggest is to try before you buy. The quality control is apparently variable among different production runs. A friend of mine fell in love with my SG Classic, ordered one, and it was a dog, so he returned to sender.

Already bought the Epi above and it feels great. I can't bring myself to order a guitar without touching it. On my rare GC trips I always pick up a few LP and SG to see. Haven't found a feel-good LP yet, and always puzzled about the SG. After having this one around the house, I like it, I can live with the general feel and shape.

I've been looking at P-90's. Lollars were suggested to me the other day, I've been thinking about Fralins (cause he's a virginia guy)

Hey, I have a friend in Luray.

Mine was made in 2000 and I looked at maybe 6-7 of them until I found one that was great.

Yep, I buy based on the feel. Never plugged in a LP or SG until I got this one home. It sounds fine, but those humbuckers are just a bit of culture shock. I'm used that sound from radio and CD's, but not coming from my own fingers.

For the OP, I have a Mean 90 in an Epi Jr. and it sounds very nice and P-90ish. I bought a Vintage 59 pickup as well but it is still in the box since the Mean 90 sounds so good. At that price you really don't have much to lose.

That's good news, and I've thought the Vintage 59 would be fun for a Fat Tele.

If you're really not a Gibson pickup guy, I suggest you try HD Z90s.

They are on the expensive side, so maybe you could start with one for the neck pos. - possibly shift it to the bridge position? Just a thought...

Bill Frisell used them on Good Dog, Happy Man, IIRC.

I'm sure that your G400 would be quite a monster with Mean 90's - just not sure if that's your cup of tea.

The Z90's are about the best PAF sized single coil that I've had the luck to try that don't sound like P90s or PAFs (generally a good fit for primarily Fender players). They've got their own thing going on, so you might want to start with that B.F. album.

Grabbing my old SG made me all aggressive so the only pickup for me were the Gibson Tony Iommi Signature Humbuckers (http://www.gibson.com/Products/Accessories/Gear/Pickups/Tony%20Iommi%20Signature%20(1)/).

Really dislike the sounds coming out of Derek Trucks SG, just ain't right!

...my el cheapo sg copy was absolutely transformed by a set of bare knuckle "the mule" humbuckers.

-dh

Fralin PAF's 8k neck/9k bridge in a '61 SG RI. Like a real articulate yet ballsey Les Paul. No mud at all.

The neck pickups on a lot of the Epi SGs I played last summer were really muddy. I believe that's a pretty common complaint. Though from what I've read the pickups in the vintage series are supposed to be voiced a lot better in that regard.

I think a lot of people use the G-400's as modding platforms. At only $300-350 brand new you can throw in Gibson pickups, upgrade the tailpiece, bridge, knobs, pots, switch, nut and tuners and still not be even close to the price point of a Gibson SG Special, let alone the Standard.

Hey, and with the vintage you even get the neck binding. :grin:

Custom custom [sh-11] bridge and Jazz [sh-2] neck in this '76 Aria 'SG'

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m216/rkbspics/Ariacropped.jpg

the anti-tele about describes it. i have an ibanez axs32, very sg like, but not a copy. its equipped with the stock pups with covers added. they are quite hot, 14.9k for the bridge and 14k for the neck. if i do replace em, i think i would get an angus young signature for the bridge, and maybe a 57 classic or something similar for the neck.

i have an epiphone sg and it already had SD seth lovers in it...if you like angus these are awesome! and they sound reeeeeal jazzy when cleaned up and it looks like this....and the tailpiece is classy
http://everythingsg.com/images/epiphone/epi_limited_g400bk.jpg

I put in a set of Gibson 57 Classic/57 Classic + pickups in my SG. They sound great in it.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b267/xStonr/SG7.jpg

Thanks for the ideas and comments.

I think the stock pups are actually okay, but being so opposite from a Tele, they've got me off guard. And Epi is very vague with their pup descriptions. Best info I found is that this model has a 57 type neck,and a Hot bridge.

This is the first guitar I've owned that I can play with just my left hand (no picking is weird), and even though the tone is clear enough, the texture is just rugged. Now I see why the youngsters love these things - they cover up the slips and slops that would make you cringe playing a Tele.:lol:

i have an epi catalog that has the pup applications and spec if you would like me to post them.

ok, according to the 2007 epi cat, the faded (formerly vintage) g-400 has classic alnico pups in both positions. alnico v magnets, output, on a scale of 1-10 is listed at 6.5, d.c. resistance of 8.5Kohms, and inductance of 4.45H. decribed as having "vintage vibe with rich warm tone", whatever thats supposed to mean. the standard g-400 has a hotter alnico plus in the bridge with 13.85Kohms resistance and 7.15H of induction.

That's interesting. I wonder if the Faded (MIC 06-08) still uses the same pups they had in the Vintage (MIK 04-05).

My faded had 490s, my '61RI has '57 Classics. I like the '57s better, they feel (oh boy will this sound odd), like they've go more soul. There's a touch more punch, but you can max out the mids and get some incredible blues tones out of it.

IF I ever get into an SG I'd definitely go for the P-90's in it. Woodstock-era Pete Townshend and Robby Krieger immediately come to mind.

I'd go with P90's any day over humbuckers. Though I did like the '57's in my SG standard.