The SG Special appreciation thread

I played the SG quite a bit last night. The tone, overall, even on the clean channel, is very good. The tone never gets muddy, but interestingly, the tone 'curve' of the pots has a wave-like feature to them. The tone starts off bright, gets thicker as you roll it off, and then comes back near the end of its travel with more brightness. It's a very unusual effect. It is, as if, the tone controls (both of them) add midrange near the very end of the knobs trek towards 10. This tone in this spot is very rich and not at all muddy. I can roll the tone full-off and this thing sounds good....
 
Gahr said:
So, is it a keeper?
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I think so...for now. The tuning stability and intonation is rock-solid. That's important to me. I am not sure if it will be my main guitar or not, but I am planning on using all three on my upcoming CD....time will tell!!!!
 
The Tone Man harness really was money well spent. I almost sold this SG complete for $450USD with the case, just out of sheer frsutration, but the buyer backed out at the last minute. Then, I thought, Hell, I am already into it for a $1,000USD, what's another $100USD???

Turns out the harness was a magical element. Then, looking closely at the specs of Angus Young's original 1968 SG pickup specs, (Alinco II, 7.5k) I was able to find a GFS nickel covered,double-wax potted Alinco II set, with bridge and neck string spacing, that had very close specs to the original Gibsons. The GFS Classic II's actually measured 7.93k bridge and 7.88k neck @ 56° F, although GFS advertises them as measuring 8.2k bridge and 7.8k neck, but they don't say at what temperature the readings were taken.

After going throgh three complete sets of Gubson USA pickups, (two pairs of 2015 & 2016 490's and a pair of 2016 57 Classics) all of which were either noisy and/or lacking in tone, I went with GFS. Initially, I just wanted to throw a checp, quiet humbucker in it so I could sell it. I had NO idea they would be so quiet and tonally pleasing.

Here is the link to the pickups I used in the Gibson SG. This is the ONLY Alinco II they offer that is wax potted:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Classic-II-Alnico-2-Vintage-Wound-Nickel-Humbucker-_c_88.html


They offer an UNPOTTED Alinco II "professional Series with vintage cloth covered, two conductor wiring:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-pro...mbucker-Nickel-Case-Bridge-Pickup_p_4150.html


They also offer a WAX POTTED Alinco V "Professional Series" that has vintage two conductor wring:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-pro...mbucker-Nickel-Case-Bridge-Pickup_p_4154.html


I have been very impressed with the performance of the pickups I have obtained from GFS. I have used their pickups since 2011 when I bought a H-S-S strat pickguard from them.


They also have quite a bit of switches and pots...some of it budget priced and some better quality items too:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Guitar-Electrical-Components_c_14.html
 
We had a longer than usual practice session at the aircraft hangar tonight. I turned the SG over to our lead guitarist, who switched over to it right after picking off a set with his Gibson Les Paul Traditional.

He plugged into his Fender Tweed and took off on a few songs.

Everyone immediately commented on the tone. Very clear and defined. Never muddy, even with the tone rolled off.

Listening, as opposed to playing, I have to admit the SG impressed me. The tone was so fat, and yet it had a phenomenal transparency.

Compared to the Les Paul, it had less low end, much more midrange but also more definition and clarity. It was as if each note was independent of the other, yet in harmony, as opposed to being in unison.

It was nice to hear all the work finally come together....

IMG_20170224_2991.jpg
 
What the Hell....
7 pages in and I never saw this?
I am so absolutely oblivious at times.
SG special?
I have one of those.
The one on the left.
Very heavily modded.
The most versatile guitar I own.
I got it used in the very early 80's.
I played 11 years of weddings, dinner dances and banquets with it
(every kind of music in there) and have played far more gigs with it
than any other guitar I have owned.
It's name is "the road axe".

http://www.everythingsg.com/attachments/sgsandamps-jpg.2380/
 
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Need some input here...

The only "complaint" I really have with the Gibson SG and the GFS KPH 167/168 now is one of pickup balance.

Just to recap, I'm using a Tone Man vintage harness with K40Y Russian PIO tone caps - a .033uf bridge and a. 015uf neck.

The neck pickup is absolutely brilliant. I would never change it. It is the GFS KPH 167 Alinco II and measures 7.88k @56 degrees. It is currently .125" up from the Batwing.

The bridge is also Alinco II and measures 7.93k @ 56 degrees. It is a GPS KPH 168 and it is currently .375" up from the Batwing...which is as high as it can go without string contact.

They are fairly well balanced here, but the neck still has a slight volume edge, even set as described. If I drop the bridge any, I lose output before I gain woodiness.

What I feel like is needed is a fatter sounding pickup in the bridge...especially on the G/B/e strings. Maybe a slightly higher output pickup that could be dropped farther away from the strings and still balance the output???

Wax potting is an absolute necessity for my performances, so the question is basically what complimentary bridge output would balance with my goals????

thanks...

SG Pickup Balance.jpg
 
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Robert Herndon said:
Thoughts?
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Maybe if you do the little trick where you put some foam under the bridge side of the pickup to make it follow the angle of the strings better you can raise it up some? All of my humbucker-equipped guitars have the bridge PuP a lot closer to the strings than yours and I don't have any balance issues. I've used those GFS pickups and they sound great and you should be able to get that sucker up some.
 
gball said:
Maybe if you do the little trick where you put some foam under the bridge side of the pickup to make it follow the angle of the strings better you can raise it up some? All of my humbucker-equipped guitars have the bridge PuP a lot closer to the strings than yours and I don't have any balance issues. I've used those GFS pickups and they sound great and you should be able to get that sucker up some.
Click to expand...

The neck tone is PERFECT! However, as shown in the photo, my bridge pickup springs are solid, so no more upward movement. I need to clip them a little.

Should I move the bridge into alignment with the strings??? I have heard bendingbtabs, foam..etc.

My contact at GFS is recommending 10-11k in the bridge.

Thoughts????
 
I have a thick/flat Gibson trim ring I could install easily on the Batwing...like this one.SGAYVACCH1-Features-Pickguard-jpg.jpeg
 
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Robert Herndon said:
I wonder if the trim ring will improve the angle, or, will the tabs still need to be bent???
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Trim ring should do the trick if the top of the ring is parallel to the strings. Even though I have not tried it yet, using some foam is less invasive, and should accomplish the same thing... :confused2:

I wonder what difference it might make if you reinstalled the bridge pup with the screw-poles towards the neck... :confused2::confused2:... ?
 
The trim ring would very likely do the trick, a-la the Angus Young SG:

ay_3-jpg.86501
 
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