Pup suggestions for SG?

[marcg71]

Need something punchy, clear and good for lead tones (should be able to handle healthy amounts of gain). Did not like the 498 that is stock. Was thinking JB but have read mixed results in SGs.


Also - any fattening up of the high end would be great (if this makes sense)


Thanks in advance for the help!

[Kam]

Custom 8 bridge and a '59 in the neck.

I'd take a little more time and explain why but I'm coming off a 24 hour bender and I seriously just need to throw up, lie down and pass out. And not necessarily in that order.

[marcg71]

Kam

Thanks good luck and feel better.

[Kam]

Kam

Thanks good luck and feel better.

Well, thanks. That's a nice post so I will take some time and explain why I like them.

In my opinion, the Custom 8 is the perfect pickup for the bridge of an SG. I mostly play hard rock, punk, post-hardcore, spacey instrumental stuff and the occasional psychedelic jam kinda ****ed up mess thing.

I've tried all the different Customs and a stock '59 in the bridge. The '59 was really cool but it was a little too bright and brash for my taste. Nice jangly clean tones, a tight bottom end and crisp, responsive treble.

The stock Custom had a big old bottom to it, nice crunch and power but the highs were thin and brittle and I wasn't really a fan of the cleans.

The Custom Custom was just meh. Not much bottom end and kinda muddy. Leads were awesome, though. Thick and warm.

The Custom 5 was my second favourite. Similar to the '59 but bigger, fatter and way more pissed off. Tight as hell and tonnes of low-end. The highs were crisp and had a very quick attack but lacked a little thickness. Probably the most responsive to touch out of all of them.

Eventually I landed on the Custom 8 and never looked back. Kinda a similar EQ curve to the stock Custom but with more mids filled in. It's also a lot warmer and more natural and musical sounding, in my opinion. The lows are massive and as tight as you'll need but still organic and full. You'll suffer no lack of mids. The treble is fat, warm and full. I actually tried to get some ice-pick treble out of it and failed. It's not an ear-piercing pickup. It's still got plenty of power and it can hit your pre-amp kinda hard, if that's what you're looking for. I use it for heavier styles mainly but there's members here using them for blues, classic rock and metal as well. It's a versatile pickup that can ****ing ROAR when you need it to.

The '59 in the neck is just a beautifully voiced classic PAF type that can handle way more gain than you'd expect. I'm a huge fan of it's clean tone. It's just pure warmth. The leads from it sound great as well. Big, warm and singing. It can be a little boomy in a guitar that already has an abundance of low-end naturally. If that's the case then I'd probably recommend a Pearly Gates, though I've no personal experience with that one.

And no need for the sympathy, my pain is entirely self-inflicted. I'm just reaping what I'm sowing.

Good luck on your search, dude.

[marcg71]

Kam

Many thanks for taking the time on the extra info! Helps a bunch!

[marcg71]

Dumb question, is a Custom 8 a duncan production pickup? I've read a bunch about the mag swap but which stock pickup is this?

[Kam]

Dumb question, is a Custom 8 a duncan production pickup? I've read a bunch about the mag swap but which stock pickup is this?

Nope, it's not a production model (yet). If you want one then you have to get any of the Custom models (Custom, Custom Custom or Custom 5) and swap in an Alnico 8 magnet. It's a really simple operation that'll take 10 minutes work with a screwdriver...and most of that is loosening strings and retuning.

All the Customs have the same wind, the only difference is the magnet. So if you get any of them and a handful of magnets then you technically have all of them at your disposal. It's totally worth experimenting to see what kind of different sounds you can get from them. There's a tonne of information online on how to perform a mag swap that you can get from a few minutes with googling. Magnets are cheap and available from a couple of different sources but I think most of us use a seller on Ebay by the name of addiction-FX.

Another option is an Unoriented A5. It's kinda halfway between an A5 and an A2. I liked it but in my SG I actually found it a little too smooth and sweet. It took away some of the bite and aggressiveness that I liked from that guitar.

By the way, the guys here will have an easier time recommending good pups for you if you outline what the rest of your rig looks like and what kind of music you're playing. We can help you find your tones easier if we know wht kind of tones you're trying to emulate or get close to.

[Hellion]

Well, if it were me, I'd dump an Invader in the back and maybe a '59 in the front. Like this one....

[Empty Pockets]

SG's love P-Rails

[blueman335]

Custom 8 bridge and a '59 in the neck.

+1. Made for SG's.

[LedSabbath]

Brobucker and '59n.

[blueman335]

Brobucker and '59n.

If only Brobuckers were stock PU.

[symptom]

I'd recommend the C8 only if you play heavier music. For classic rock / blues, I think the CUOA5 is way better.

CUOA5/59n

[DrNewcenstein]

P-Rails.