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pick up upgrade

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(@ruffdog64)
Active Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 8
Topic starter  

I`m looking to upgrade the pick ups in my gibson sg special faded , one of the sounds i`m trying to get is acdc , now i know its not just the pick up that gets you there but i would like to get nearer than i can with the stock pups, i play through a fender super champ xd amp and have a boss sd1 pedal, and three from marshall , a bluesbreaker, jackhammer and reflector , i`m lead to believe the stock pups are very cheap humbuckers and would like opinions from more knowledgable people than myself, thanks Harvey


   
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(@moonrider)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1305
 

I`m looking to upgrade the pick ups in my gibson sg special faded , one of the sounds i`m trying to get is acdc , now i know its not just the pick up that gets you there but i would like to get nearer than i can with the stock pups,

Instead of throwing money and gear at your problem, take a look at your right hand technique. A sizable part of any guitarist's "signature" sound is the unique way their pick or fingers attack the strings. Take the effects off, turn the gain down, and pay close attention to how your sound changes with a) how hard you pick the strings and b) where you pick the strings. The results may surprise you.

Also, keep in mind that the huge rhythm guitar sound you hear on CD (especially the ones done with Mutt Lang and Terry Manning) is the result of Malcolm doubling himself two or three times.

Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.

Moondawgs on Reverbnation


   
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(@ruffdog64)
Active Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 8
Topic starter  

Thanks moonrider, that`s the kind of thing i`m after,sensible info :D


   
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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

I read an interview once where Angus Young talked about how he actually plays with stock pickups. Of course, the pickups he uses with his Gibson SG model may be different from yours, so a good idea would probably to look at what other kinds of Gibson pickup models you can find, or if you can find a Angus Young Signature Model and find out what pickups are on that guitar.

I have the Marshall Guv'nor pedal, I play it with a Epiphone SG (with stock pickups) and a Epiphone Valve Junior and I think I can get a pretty good AC/DC type tone, so I definitely would have to recommend that pedal if you've never tried it. You could probably trade one of the other marshall pedals you have for it if you find someone who's willing to trade for it.

Anyways, just a few ideas I thought you could consider.

Steve-0


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

I own a Faded SG and I personally love the pickups, I was shocked at the great tone of this guitar. Like Steve-O, I also own the Marshall Guv'nor Plus II pedal and can really get that AC/DC tone with lower gain settings. You are not gonna get the AC/DC tone with that Boss pedal, I own one of those too, it's a different sound. The Guv'nor is great for getting an old, Marshall amp tone when run through the clean channel of a decent tube amp.

I don't know if you noticed on the Faded SG, but when you get it stock the neck pickup seems a lot louder than the bridge. You need to raise the bridge pickup quite high to balance out the volume. But this is good, one of the secrets to Angus's tone is that he raises the bridge pickup very high, very close to the strings. This will get you a very hot output. I raised my bridge pickup as soon as I got my SG just to balance out the volume, I also lowered the neck pickup slightly. But this will really help in getting that AC/DC type tone.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@ruffdog64)
Active Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 8
Topic starter  

That was something i had noticed about the pick up height and the neck being alot louder , i`ll give it a try thanks


   
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(@scrtchy)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 106
 

In my opinion, a great tone (that I like) from any electric guitar all depends upon two things:

1) If I am excited by it's tone and personality without an amp.

2) When I plug it in I still can hear all the aural components of it's unplugged tone coming through the amp speaker(s).

My favourite guitar so far is a Fender '69 thinline Japanese reissue ('80's). But when I first got it I noticed that it's basic tones were not being reproduced by the pickups. They seemed to mute the sound I was hearing from it unplugged. In this case it wasn't just the pickups.

First I rewired the guitar with better wire, and better solder joints for that matter. This opened it up alot tonewise, but I still thought the pickups were too dark for how this guitar really wanted to sound. So I put a different value capacitor on the tone control (even with a tone control rolled full on it effects the overall brightness of the intrument). Though it was alot better, the pickups were still not giving me what I liked about the guitar acoustically so having exhausted everything else I tried a few different pickups until I found the the ones that really allowed the sound I was hearing unplugged to come shining through.

A clear transmission of what the strings sounded like on the neck. All the rasp when I dug in with the pick, every little change in my right hand's aproach was transmitted thoroughly, all the changes a string will go through tonally if you just bend a high note and let it decay... a truly sensitive instrument now that it was not being held back by the pickups or the internal components. If you have this sorted out it, then you can really start evaluating the gear side of it all. Even with the small things, a really sensetive intrument will show you giant differences in just a different brand of strings. At least that is my experience, up to then I really didn't think there was that much of a difference between string brands of the same gauge because I never had a guitar that was transmitting well. Like night and day really.

If nothing else it will show you if you really need to change the pickups in regards to basic sound transferrence.

Then if you do still feel the need to change pickups, getting something as close to what is in your hero's guitar is really the best starting point like the others have already said. In your case you should look at what year Angus' SG is and what Gibson was putting in there so you can find a manufacturer who is making something comparable. In general the companies that have great reputations (Fralin, Duncan, Dimarzio, et al) are worth the money. I ended up with a Fender custom shop in the bridge and some Fender Japanese reissue in the neck (I got lucky on that one). I don't have alot of money so I couldn't really try out the real expensive ones, I know I could probably find better pickups if I looked around some more but I am at least well within the ball park.

Now you have a guitar that is kicking everything you do to it straight into the pedals and amp with minimal information loss... and probably sounding really close to what Angus' guitar sounds like.

Sounds like alot of work? At this point whenever I pick up my guitar I am amazed at how awesome it feels to have very little in the way of what my hands sound like on the strings that I don't care how long it took me. Especially when I try other guitars, my guitar either sounds way better or at least on par with anything I can find.

http://www.daughtersandsons.net -Cincinnati CEA Award winners for best original RnB/Funk band! (Bragging is in the user manual and encouraged)(Hi Mom)


   
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