Batwing vs non-batwing - school me...

[MrFizzFuzz]

Hi All,

i'm pretty new to SGs (just posted here: http://www.everythingsg.com/forum/e...-im-now-sg-fan-ngd-custom-modded-content.html)

I can't seem to understand the change-over between the batwing pickguard and the pickup surrounds.

Why was there a change?

Personally, I prefer the batwing because there is less 'clutter'. What are other folks views?

 

[bugkodee]

I have both. I don't really have a preference aesthetically however pickup rings put the pups on the same plane as the strings.

 

[MrFizzFuzz]

Not necessarily - on my SG, annoyingly, the batwing pickguard has allowed the neck pup to align on the same plan, but not the bridge.

...some kind of quirk with the springs underneath, or the screws I guess.

 

[Kris Ford]

Not necessarily - on my SG, annoyingly, the batwing pickguard has allowed the neck pup to align on the same plan, but not the bridge.

...some kind of quirk with the springs underneath, or the screws I guess.

It's the neck angle that makes the neck pickup line up "better" than the bridge one..easily fixed with a tweak of the pickup legs, just use pliers and bend them the way the need to go.
My best guess and everything I've read and researched for the transition to batwing was out of CHEAPNESS... and mass manufacturing...way faster to assemble and send down the line to have a huge route underneath and slap a pre pickup loaded pickguard assembly on so you can get more out the door..

 

[dbb]

I can't seem to understand the change-over between the batwing pickguard and the pickup surrounds.

Why was there a change?

Frankly I have no idea, as neither has any musical nor functional advantage over the other.

Perhaps the batwing was cheaper to do, as it had no pickup rings?

 

[Kris Ford]

I'm by no means a hater of the batwing, regardless of the reason why..one of my all time favorite SGs I've ever owned (and got traded away for something I thought was better, but wasn't..) was a late '68/early '69 Junior...


Then I had a backup for that one of sorts, a '06 Junior, with a '60's P90 and real witchhat knobs.

I've owned more than I have pics for LOL..but the baddest of 'em all was this '69 Standard...

Not opposed to some bat action..

 

[Crossroads]

Hi All,

i'm pretty new to SGs (just posted here: http://www.everythingsg.com/forum/e...-im-now-sg-fan-ngd-custom-modded-content.html)

I can't seem to understand the change-over between the batwing pickguard and the pickup surrounds.

Why was there a change?

Personally, I prefer the batwing because there is less 'clutter'. What are other folks views?

I believe the larger pickguard, the one that surrounds the pickups, is called the batwing. the smaller one is just called the small pickguard.

 

[Col Mustard]

i have both, it makes no difference when you're onstage and the lights are on and the club is dim and smokey and the drums and the bass are tight and the singer's having a good night and the owner's gone to the race track.

some like one, some like the other... there's no importance to the choice, it's only aesthetics and style. everyone has a preference but me. I don't give two hoots, what
matters to me is the sound and the feel of any individual instrument. If the sound and the feel are right, it doesn't matter what color it is or whether it weighs 6.75# or 7.4# or what the shape of the neck is
or what pickguard is on it. What matters is how good you play and how well your SG's tone holds up. IMHO of course.

Aesthetic choices have importance of course, that's what many posts on these boards are about. But to me they are less important than tone, and musical style, and soul.
You can buy a brand new SGJ with no pickguard, and it still makes no difference to the audience. It's just what you like when you're staring at your SG on its stand in your home, hopelessly infatuated with this instrument. Like me.

and if it helps to understand what motivates Gibson to change styles, think of the guitar business as a horse race... first Fender's ahead by a nose, and then Gibson's ahead by a whisker... it's competitive and they've got their designers working hard to try and get an edge over the other companies. So visual styling changes as they try different approaches to getting guitarists to part with their hard earned money. Different paint jobs, different pickguards, different accouterments like whammy bars and mini eTunes... anything to gain some market share.

Us six string (or seven string) twangers are hard to impress. We keep trying to get them to make guitars the way we think they used to. They keep trying to get us to buy something new, instead of another '59 re-issue. Like two old married people talking talking talking, nobody listening. *laughs

They should read these boards. They might learn something.

 

[sgtbeefheart]

I believe the larger pickguard, the one that surrounds the pickups, is called the batwing. the smaller one is just called the small pickguard.

Since the Batwing came later, the smaller pickguard is called
the pickguard, the batwing is called the large pickguard.

The large pickguard was introduced because Gibson couldn't
keep up with the demand for the SG.

They thought that if they made it look ugly, less people would
want one.

Obviously this ploy failed. :)

 

[AC 30]

I like them both.
I gravitated towards the Batwings only because I liked the way the neck felt when I was first checking out SG's. It grew on me and now that's my choice.
Batwings and Dot necks.
But I'm glad there is some variety in the SG line so we can all have our on spin on what we like best.

Play one with your hands and ears first and see what your eyes end up with.
It's all good...regardless of what you find works for you.

 

[AC 30]

"...They thought that if they made it look ugly, less people would
want one. ..."

B..B..But I like it.

 

[sgtbeefheart]

:)

I didn't know the butler, Alfred, had a costume. :)

 

[bwotw]

I like'em both aesthetically, but I prefer the small pickguard with the mouting rings. It reminds me of my old LPs. And besides, on the batwings, I always have trouble with the cables when changing pickups, it's hard to get them so the pickguard sits flush with the body. Not to mention you have to remove the bridge to take the pickguard off too!

 

[AC 30]

 

[sgtbeefheart]

I like'em both aesthetically, but I prefer the small pickguard with the mouting rings. It reminds me of my old LPs. And besides, on the batwings, I always have trouble with the cables when changing pickups, it's hard to get them so the pickguard sits flush with the body. Not to mention you have to remove the bridge to take the pickguard off too!

Also, if you want to install a Stetsbar, you have to cut a piece out of the p/g.

 

[dbb]

I like'em both aesthetically, but I prefer the small pickguard with the mounting rings. It reminds me of my old LPs.

Considering that the SG evolved out of the Les Paul, that makes sense - the mounting rings are similar to a LP as is the small pickguard, in a way, like the jazz guitar floating pickguard on a Les Paul that came from the ES-175...as did the Les Paul pickups, wiring, switches, controls, etc.

Shrink it down and make it solid

OK, change the tailpiece

Offspring of the family

So I think the small pickguard goes back to jazz guitar design.

Does that mean the batwing is the rock design?

 

[Heavy Garden]

i like both pick guards
batwing and small

 

[Biddlin]

I ljke 'em all, and none at all. The 61 special is one I don't have but like!

;>)/

 

[MrFizzFuzz]

Great tip on bending the screws to get the pup angle right! Can't believe I never thought of that.

Another tip I have when mounting the pickups to a batwing guard: get some strong thin string and tie-down the spring so it bunches on the screw. It is about 1 000 000 times easier to put the pickup on without worrying about the spring AND the screw flying about. Once the screw is in place - cut the string... voila. This has saved me much time.

 

[Paul G.]

I had a ca '66 SG Special. I was proud of that guitar, "Golden Era" and all that. My friend and drummer bought a '70 SG Standard. It had a batwing and I guess the big route. Honestly, it was a much better guitar than my old school SG.

So, who cares? A good guitar is a good guitar, is what I say.

PS-- this was over 40 years ago, but still…

P.