New P/Ups on a Gibson SG?

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badgas

badgas

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I played a Gretch Duo Jet this afternoon that had Pearly Gates at the bridge and 59s up front.
I played it through all the amps I have.
I play primarily the blues.

I've nothing against the P/Ups on my SG, but the sound of those two P/Ups on that Gretch has that little sound I've been looking for for years.
I also ran it through my pedals, blues driver, compresson/sustain, vox wah and reverb/delay.

The strings on the Gretch are the same kind I use.
The neck and body are also mahogany, so the resonance shouldn't be that much different, I don't think.

The Pearly Gates and 59 are resonably priced now.
I want. But I'm not gonna run right out and get them. Not this evening anyway.

But first I thought I'd stop in and ask what anyones thoughts are on this switch. Don't ask me what sound I'm looking for is, cuz I don't know how to right the sound out. :D

I appreciate any input, pro or con, cuz what is said will influence my final decision.
Thanks
 
if your sg has hum-bucking pick-ups, I could never advise that you switch them out...I would, however, advise that you make sure all the pots are clean and working properly...this done, you now have a great deal of tonal control...take a step back and experiment as if you had never "heard" an electric guitar...you might be surprised at how much control over the tone is already there with your current hardware.
 
I clean my pots about twice a year. I play in a lot of smoke filled dumps and outside sometimes.

I like that suggestion about experimenting as if I'd never heard an electric before. Sure.
Thanks toyL. :)
 
I don't know anything about the Pearlys...the old duojets had filtertrons, I think...and George Harrison had one with dearmonds........they're great looking LP style gits......I think if you dig the sound of the PG/ 59's, go for it......it would be kinda cool for your SG......

I don't know if the duo jets were tone chambered, that would make a diff too in the sound......

might require some re-fit/routing for the new pups, though, might wanna measure.........good luck!....gibs
 
gibs.
If I do decide to get them, no problem on the refitting. I have hammers, chizels, axes. Still have a few fingers left, too. :D

Yeah, I've a router and all that stuff.

I do like the tone quality of that Duo Jet and it was really nice playing. I still fav my SG though.
When I was looking that DJ over I noticed the body was solid, but the bridge was kinda arched up some. At the time I thought someone had done some work on it a while back. It's around a 1970 model.
You mentioned tone chambers. Could you elaborate on what those are? Could that be why the bridge looked arched? Hollow spaces beneath the pickgurad?

I'm redoing my thinking about settings like toyL suggested. Ya know, ya get stuck in a groove from one year to the next. Found some good ones this evening.

Thanks for your reply.
 
I have wanted an SG for ages; and now the prices have gone up as well, so I'll not be getting one soon-or will I.

What I am going to do is to get this epi. korina SG for £225, put some grover machine heads on, swap the nut for a graphite one, replace both the thin and muddy humbuckers for some seymour duncans, cut a new scratchplate, put a set of DR 12's on and away we go.

I really can't afford the SG or special now (I could have but I just splashed out on a Rode NTK which has pretty much wiped me out for now.

But the thing is, I've got one space left on my wall (and empty wall hanger) that needs filling. An SG has to occupy it and that's the next best thing.

Anyway; to the duncans. I have also been debating the Pearly Gates, the 59's are an obvius choice. I'm also going to buy an invader/screamin demon/JB/and if I can stretch to it a pair of seth lovers.

The only way you can decide what works well and what pick-ups match your guitar is to put 'em in and play around with different combinations. Buying several humbuckers will cost a bit but it will bring new life to your sterile/dull/boring guitar.
 
hi all,

i'm had two SG's in my playing years: a SG Standard (owned 73-77) with two humbuckers and a SG Custom (owned 78-88) with three pickups. i don't have either now. i never liked either, but i sure wish had both now.

i really never took to the SG Custom, it had had an ebony board with really low frets, basically a fretless guitar. i could never get my fingers "under the strings." i had an Invader installed and never liked it. also had a Hot Rails in the Neck and didn't care for it either. i guess if i had liked the way this guitar played, that would have helped me like the tones better.

my SG Standard (first guitar i ever owned, i wanted to be like Tony Iommi) i thought played much better, but i sold it to buy something else, probably an amp, i don't remember now. too many years ago. :confused:

my philosophy on pickups is change them until i'm happy. then change them again until happy. then repeat. find a guitar that really fits your style and hands (i.e. plays well and that you really like and that makes you look real cool), then go for pickups that do the same (i.e. sounds good and that you really like and that makes you sound real cool). you can always install the original pickups if you decide to sell the guitar later.

i'm presently playing a Screamin' Deamon on the bridge and a (i think) stacked Tele on the neck on a Kramer Striker. both are Duncans. i like this combo better than any i've had before. the two are opposites in tone. the Deamon bites and the Tele is grunge with a great Clean tone, especially the single coil setup. i love the Tele's clean tone and the Lead tone above the 10th freat is also great, real thick.

i also have the two switchable as Humbucker or single coil. the Tele's single Coil with the Deamons's humbucker in parallel delivers a great Strat type clean tone, scooped with bite, but not at all like the Deamons's bite. i don't care for the Deamon clean. i only use it for drivin' distortions and leads.

this combo works for a lot of different situations and delivers a lot of diverse tones.

-kp-
 
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Beautiful....mmmmmm....duo jet...........gibs

6128L.html
 
Thanks for all the ideas, links and tips.
Now that the effects of that Duo Jet sound has worn off, I think I'll wait on those P/ups for a week or so.
Been tweaking my setting and switching between amps (solid state and tube).
Even trying some different cab combos.
Like I said, I've gotten kind of lazy in my old age and seem to have slipped into a rut.

If I do get a new P/up though, I'll know I'll get one, at least. The 59 has always tripped my trigger.
Since it's pretty definate that I'll snag a 59. I do have another question about it.
Most gits I've played with a 59 has been near the neck. I have played some where they were back near the bridge. I've stock hum-buckers in my SG and was wondering where the best placement for that 59 would be.
But then I agree with toyL.

Thanks again, and if anyone else has any comments I'd sure like to hear them.

I agree with the cost of SGs of late. Every thing goes up, but not quite as drastic. Hope you get that space on your wall filled in, Krystof01. I've seen some SGs on Ebay, but most are newer ones. I'd recommend filling that space with an older one.
My old 69 model was stolen a few years back. I picked up an 00 on sale for $450. Now there over $600-700. Shop around, have patience, you'll find one when ya least expect it.

Thanks gibs. Those chamers may of added something I liked to the sound.

I've been told, sonixx, that an SG is either 'hate it' or 'love it'. No in-between. I respect your opinion. Ya have to like what your handling to have a relationship with it.
 
badgas. you don't sound like you're in a rut to me...having read your advice (in another thread) on buying an acoustic, I'd say you're on top of things...
 
toyL
I guess when I said I was in a rut, I was refering to the settings I use on my amp and git, my music, my attitude, my sound.
I've written over 200 songs in the past thirty years and I've been going over them these past few months getting them in shape to record with my new recording equipment that I'm still bumbling with. I've noticed about twenty of the last thirty songs had the same settings, same bpm, basiclly the same theme etc. They almost sound the same. That's the rut I was talking about.

I've known for the past year my enthusiasm for playing has waned some. I found that disturbing but couldn't lay a finger on it. I realized I was a bit bored with it all till I picked up that Duo Jet. I played with it for a few hours, messing around with my songs, playing the sound I was looking for. First thing I thought was 'P/ups', cuz I've no intension of laying my SG down for a Gretch.

So I come here, for advice, and what is the first reply?

[quote from toyL]take a step back and experiment as if you had never "heard" an electric guitar...you might be surprised at how much control over the tone is already there with your current hardware[/quote]

When I read that reply, something clicked, but I let it lay. That wasn't what I wanted to hear when I posted my first post. I wanted to hear, "yeah, go get them P/ups."

After forty years of playing guitar and most of it on a SG which I thought I had mastered pretty well, I have to say, toyL, that's some really basic, down to earth, soild advice you gave me.
So many times in my life I've heard, in martial arts, car repair, cooking and many other trades I've been in, 'when ya run into trouble, a hard spot, a problem just take a step back and return to the basics'.
How true.

That's what I've done these past two days. My attitude, playing and enthusiasm is back.
I know this doesn't sound like much to some folks, but I was in need of a kick in the shorts.

Thanks for the boot, toyL. I'll not forget it nor will I let it gather dust.
 
Badgas

Hi,
To answer your second question; the '59 would go in the neck and the PG in the bridge. That would be the way most would do it.

You may want to read/browse these links if you haven't already done so:
'59 model:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data2/Seymour_Duncan/59-01.html

Pearly Gates:
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data2/Seymour_Duncan/Pearly-Gates-01.html

Also with regard to the '59-'Single conductor cable is standard, four conductor is available upon request' from seymour duncans site.

Later,
Krystof.
 
Krystof01
Hey, thanks for the links and placement tips.
I figured that was the placement, but wasn't sure.
 
badgas, man I hear ya...I been playin the same 64' sg for the past 26 years...and by about the 20th year I was fearless...but, this past year and half has pushed me so far down that I can't even get the blues for longer than a couple of minutes...then I don't even give a fuck...apparently I've had parkinsons since 96'...it didn't start to hurt my playing until just a few months ago...this is my rut...the medicine does help, but my neurologist says it's toxic and he doesn't even want me to take it...still, all I have to do is ask for it and he writes a script...so, yeh, I'm kinda getting back to basics myself--these days I "basically" talk more about playing than I can bring myself to play...without the med, I play like I'm 14 years old again--when I first bought that sg...man, this is the coolest guitar ever....sometimes all I have to do is breath on the strings and an orchestra appears...later.
 
toyL, there are lots of medicines that are toxic, but still yield some good....and if they improve your quality of life, then hey............I'm really excited about stem cell research for conditions like yours, and I understand there are test programs going on (actually, some have been going on for a while, just privately funded)....sounds like you're keeping positive thoughts as well as music in yer head, and that's important .................all things change and we can all change with 'em............be cool....gibs
 
badgas,

About 10 yrs ago I bought a Gibson/Epiphone Sheraton second hand as "knock around" guitar to get used to an electric again. Been playing 39 yrs now but for a long time only played acoustics.
I put a '59 at the neck and a JB at the bridge and it can sing.

The arsenal these days includes.......Les Paul Std, 91 SG (both these are my sons), the Epi Sheraton, Tele Plus, Strat 40th Anniversary, Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro (an English beauty) plus a number of upper level acoustic/electrics. What is pissing me off is that I too have "hit a wall" and have hardly touched them for about 18 months............the magic I always felt just disappeared.
So I think I will try toyL's advice as well.

Guys, seeing your comments here has made me realise that I may just get out of this rut............Thank You all.

Peace..........ChrisO :cool:
 
toyL.
Man, I hope something can help you. I know very little abou that. Good luck and keep playing.
Good advice gibs.

Ausrock.
I'm finding I'm not alone in this rut/wall either. It really helps to know others feel the same way and it's not just me loosing interest.
Since I took toyL's advice, I've written two more songs, both in chord arrangments I've never used before, changed tempo in the middle of one to 3/4 during the lead solo, then back to 4/4, the original tempo. I've pushed my vocals as high as I can without dropping something. I made a basic recording of both songs last night. It's nothing like I've ever done before and the two other people who heard it says they are very good. They need a lot of work yet.

Thanks again toyL for that advice.

Good luck guys in your health and music.
 
thanks for the encouragement...I should probably focus on playing slide--cause my fret-hand just doesn't cooperate enough to wip-out those lead riffs like I used to...maybe they'll come up with a better med or a cure soon...later.
 
hey badgas, and anyone else in a rut--check out some of the alternate tunings--CGCGCD...CACGCE...DADGAD...these 3 are my favorites for "inspiration"--for something new...
 
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