We have been discussing this in another thread. I recently switch pickups around in my 2016 Gibson S-G. I am using a brand new Gibson 57 Classic + in the bridge (9.02kΩ) and a new Gibson Burstbucker Pro in the neck, which measured around 8.4kΩ. Both were bought with nickel covers and both are correctly orientated.
The guitar has 50's style wiring, 500kΩ Bourn pots, K40Y Capcitors - a .033uf on the bridge and a .015uf on the neck - and full copper shielding. Both pickups were ordered with my preference of old-style, two conductor wiring as shown here:
Ok, so when I was running both Burstbucker Pro's, I never noticed any volume drop in the middle position or any kind of hollowness or 'honk' in that position. Naturally, I seldom - if ever - play anything clean in this genre, but I think I would have heard it.
So, recently, I pulled the bridge Burstbucker in favor of a 57 Classic +.
After the install, I balanced the pickups by ear and then measured their height. The bridge pole pieces are set to 4/32" from the strings and the neck is 8/32" from the strings - measured when fretted at the last fret on both bass and treble side.
So, no real departure from my usual setup style. No way to reverse the wiring with a two conductor. Never took the pickups apart to swap magnets.
What I immediately noticed was the guitar became almost 'energized' in the middle position, in that the strings became 'hyper-sensitive' to touch with no discernible loss in volume with high gain levels. The tone has a somewhat 'honky' quality to it and even mild pick attack produces a dramatic harmonic effect.
Gahr was kind enough to demo his Les Paul - with Peter Green modification - in a recent You Tube video. For purposes of clarity, I made a short sound recording this morning - with my Blackstar studio workhorse set to clean - and I was surprised by what I heard.
There is a distinct loss of output in the middle position when played clean - that is unnoticeable - when played at high gain levels.
Here is the clip. You will hear me switching through pickups in this order - Bridge, Middle & Neck. I tried to make the changes very obvious and showcase the tone.
Strange Middle Pickup Tone on Gibson SG With Lower Output
What are your thoughts as to how this happened???
The guitar has 50's style wiring, 500kΩ Bourn pots, K40Y Capcitors - a .033uf on the bridge and a .015uf on the neck - and full copper shielding. Both pickups were ordered with my preference of old-style, two conductor wiring as shown here:
Ok, so when I was running both Burstbucker Pro's, I never noticed any volume drop in the middle position or any kind of hollowness or 'honk' in that position. Naturally, I seldom - if ever - play anything clean in this genre, but I think I would have heard it.
So, recently, I pulled the bridge Burstbucker in favor of a 57 Classic +.
After the install, I balanced the pickups by ear and then measured their height. The bridge pole pieces are set to 4/32" from the strings and the neck is 8/32" from the strings - measured when fretted at the last fret on both bass and treble side.
So, no real departure from my usual setup style. No way to reverse the wiring with a two conductor. Never took the pickups apart to swap magnets.
What I immediately noticed was the guitar became almost 'energized' in the middle position, in that the strings became 'hyper-sensitive' to touch with no discernible loss in volume with high gain levels. The tone has a somewhat 'honky' quality to it and even mild pick attack produces a dramatic harmonic effect.
Gahr was kind enough to demo his Les Paul - with Peter Green modification - in a recent You Tube video. For purposes of clarity, I made a short sound recording this morning - with my Blackstar studio workhorse set to clean - and I was surprised by what I heard.
There is a distinct loss of output in the middle position when played clean - that is unnoticeable - when played at high gain levels.
Here is the clip. You will hear me switching through pickups in this order - Bridge, Middle & Neck. I tried to make the changes very obvious and showcase the tone.
Strange Middle Pickup Tone on Gibson SG With Lower Output
What are your thoughts as to how this happened???
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But if you decide to correct it, at least you should take the time to play around with the sou d a bit first. By adjusting the respective pickup volumes up and down you can get some very interesting blends. While this may not be as useful with your regular high gain settings, it can yield some lovely results. Personally, my favorite middle position setting is with the neck volume on 8 and the bridge on 5-6. The. The neck pickup dominates skightly, giving you a fuller sound than when the vilumes on the pups are equal.
