Hello everyone! So I'm looking to replace the bridge pickup on my 2016 Gibson SG HP. The stock pickups just have no clarity or power to them. I play in a metal band, we're in dropped D and I'm the only guitar player, so I really need the sound to cut through, and notes to be clear. We do a lot of "chugga chugga stuff" I'm using a Peavey 6505 2x12 combo amp (Man is that thing a beast!). I play mostly rhythm, but do solo from time to time (just not very well!) I kind of have it narrowed down to a handful of pickups, but I'm open to suggestions: Seymour Duncan SH-6/Distortion Seymour Duncan Nazgul Seymour Duncan Pegasus or possibly Dimarzio Titan which seems to have a similar focus/vibe as the Pegasus I will probably leave the neck pickup alone, as I never use it anyways.... if I was going to replace it, I'd possibly do the Mayhem set (for the SH-6) or the Sentient to go with the Nazgul or the Pegasus. I know that Bare Knuckle Pickups are supposed to be awesome, but they are a bit out of my price range, trying to keep it under $100 for the pickup. Guessing that I probably have 300k pots, might upgrade them to 500k, or do it at another point in time. I think that the guitar is all mahogany. The thing on the pick guard is the plastic "shrink wrap", I've since removed it. Thanks!! Here's a photo of it.
Nice SG! Throw a 498T pup at the bridge. Night and day difference! The 490R/498T combo been around along time
I'd agree with what articsg just said, it's what Gibson used on the Standard in 2016, or you could go further in that direction with the Gibson ceramic pickups; 500T or Dirty Fingers. But I'd also recommend you look at Railhammer pickups (as found on Reverends) - I don't play this style of music, but I think Railhammers have been popular with people who do. Especially the Chisel/Anvil models.
Can't tell you much about aftermarket pickups, so go with whatever you think is best. But should you go the Gibson route then you would definitely be doing the right thing by putting a 57 in there. Easily the best pickup Gibson makes these days and wipes the floor with the other Gibson pickups mentioned above. The Burstbuckers are great too but vary slightly since I believe they use a unique amount of windings on each one
Leave it, tweak it and get this instead. And/or if you're strapped for cash and absolutely feel the need to change pickups (even though they're just a tiny part of the sound you're after) get this http://www.entwistlepickups.com/pickup.php?puid=Dark+Star+ND Best pickup secret around. Just don't tell anyone.
Thanks all for the replies and recommendations! For some reason I can't reply as no matter what I type it tells me that my reply is inappropriate. *shrug* @arcticsg ticsg - I'll check out the 498T - thanks. @SG standard - I'll look at the Railhammer pickups - buddy of mine just picked up a guitar that has them in it, so I'll see what he thinks of the pickups. I'll also look at the Gibson 500T, a little pricier then I wanted to spend, even more so for the Gibson Dirty Fingers. @Didds - OK I'll check out the Gibson 57's as well, not really a fan of the classic sounds though. @papagayo - I'm Not a fan of the sounds from the PAF pickups personally. @Von Trapp I had a Marshall MG100HDFX Solid State amp. Sold it and got a Peavey 6505 2x12 combo tube amp which has a great sound for me. I'll also checkout the Entwistle pickups as well!
Great, then try those pickups. I have 498s, Burstbuckers, Super Distortion, Duncan Blackstars and those. Doesn't matter to me which ones I use even though the Dark Stars are half the price of the rest. Trust me. They kick ass.
I wouldn't agree with that at all, based on what the OP is looking for. There is no 'best' - it depends what you want from a pickup, and I don't think the '57 is likely to match his needs The 57's are good for blues rock, and mellow sounds, but as you head into heavier rock sounds I find the 498T is way better. As that's more often what I'm after I sometimes think of replacing my '57s, but I've never considered replacing the 498T in my '16 Standard. The 57+ might be a different story in the bridge position, I don't know, I've never tried one. This is Gibson's own description: '57 classic [Historic humbucker category]: Vintage vibes with rich warm tones, balanced coils 498T [Modern category]: High output, enhanced mids and highs Compare with: 490T [Modern category]: Traditional Humbucker tone with enhanced highs - I think this is what the OP has in the bridge, but I could be wrong. If it is, the '57 is going to be much closer to what he already has, and perhaps even less suited to metal.
I've had the stock 500T in Flying V and Explorer in the past. Many folks yank them out for some reason. Maybe you can find a second hand 500T if cost prohibitive. But as others have suggested, the 498T which is hotter than the stock 490T currently in your SG Faded may be the better option. I have a 2004 SG Special with the stock 490R / 490T combo. It sounds ok, but not as beefy as my SG Classic with stock P-90 at the neck and Kinman Nasty 90 Heavy at the bridge, which is my favorite pup combo in a SG. I don't have any need for traditional humbuckers after discovering the Kinman zero-hum P-90's.
Yeah I'm just not feeling the stock pickups. Took the body cavity cover off, and discovered that I have the PCB board with the wires. Going to order the pigtails, found them on eBay for $14 (I think posted here somewhere) https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Quick-Co...156776?hash=item340df06168:g:b-UAAOSwxcFegUzH
Fair enough. I should have prefaced it by saying it does all come down to taste. But the 57s are definitely the most versatile. I find that mine sound great doing some AC/DC type stuff with some light distortion but to each their own
From your list Duncan Distortion. Suggest checking out new Duncan Jupiter 6. Be sure to use a tube screamer or maxon OD808 to tighten up and push that 6505.
Thanks @ungarn . I had looked briefly at the Jupiter pickups, was concerned they might be too bright, but I'll give some YouTube videos a listen.
So I think I'm leaning towards the SH-6. I spoke to Seymour Duncan again today, and Justin once again recommended the Distortion. I figured it's not just a "one trick pony" metal pickup, and still sounds really good and is pretty versatile. They aren't in stock on seymourduncan.com, but sweetwater, musiciansfriend, and probably other sites do have it in stock.
