Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Alfi27 on July 28, 2016, 07:45:35 PM
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Greetings! Been going a little crazy these days, a friend of mine brought a Gibson SG 61' Reissue to my house yesterday because a friend of his dad was selling. Even though I have owned close to 40 guitars, I have never owned an SG and hardly played one. Still, it almost felt like coming home! When I picked it up, I thought that "this one plays as good as my Les Paul Special from 1996!". After a few hours I figured that I should check the serial number, and it turned out to be from 1996 as well! The two guitars were made less than two months apart, and I was born in 1996 as well (almost right in the middle of the two guitars) :laugh:
The only problem is that it is quite neck heavy, but I will exchange the Grovers for Gotoh Klusons and most likely move the strap button. The pickups are actually very good considering that they are stock (57 Classics), and I am not 100% sure that I will replace them. I might just try a magnet swap, an Alnico 4 or 5 maybe. However, I wanted to check in if I decide to do it, and get some advice from people who own one of the infamous, very pickup-picky SGs. I talked to BKP and Ben recommended the Rebel Yell set or RY/EM set, and that the VHII set would be a great choice as well. Because I already have the RY set in a Les Paul I am leaning towards the VHII. I think the pickup looks very appealing on paper, an overwound PAF with much higher output than the DC resistance tells you. Do you have any experience with the VHII in an SG? Thanks!
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I always feel that in an SG it would have to be Warpigs or Riff Raffs.
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Yeah that's what I thought and wrote to Ben, that I have heard that vintage hot pickups does not work too well in SGs. He told me that there is no such "rule". I know that neither Riff Raffs nor Warpigs are what I am looking for, because I need more low end push and power than the Riff Raff can put out but certainly not as much as the Warpig. If the VHII set performs well in SGs it should be perfect for what I am looking for. Somewhere between my Nantucket and Rebel Yell equipped Les Pauls sort of. I have always wanted to try an overwound PAF sort of pickup, because I have found most PAFs (like the Riff Raff) to sound too bright for what I am looking for.
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overwound PAF sort of pickup
Which seems to bring us back to an Abraxas :smiley:
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I was wondering Abraxas...
My 61 Re-issue has Stormy Mondays in - I'm guessing you won't even go that direction, so I didn't post earlier...
However, when amplified it is warmer and meatier than my Faded SG with Riff Raffs. Note that acoustically, though, the Faded sounds a LOT darker and less "thin" and bright than the 61RI does.
My 61 is still somewhat more "vintage" than I'm guessing you want. It does Angus fine (better than the Faded with the RRs!), but that's as far as I go. I was setting this one up for Allman Brothers type stuff and pop-rock, funky stuff and so on.
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I will probably try my Abraxas set in the SG. Might save me a lot of trouble :laugh: But how do the Abraxas differ from the VHII? I know the wire (and magnet) is not the same, and the VHII is a "more true" PAF per say. By pure guessing, I think the Abraxas might be a tad too dark and middy for this SG. It actually sounds surprisingly full-bodied for such a thin body (no pun intended). It is no Les Paul though. These days the Abraxas gets recommended a lot, but not the VHII so much. The Abraxas sure is a great pickup, but if the VHII does what it says on the tin, I cannot see why to be honest. Harmonically rich overwound PAF with a huge sound sounds like a dream pickup to me at least!
I actually have experience with the Stormy Monday set, and I was very surprised by it! I used to have a set a couple of years ago in a 08 Les Paul Standard. Great tones indeed, not only for blues and jazz. Very good for many different heavy rock styles as well! However, I tend to go with slightly hotter pickups these days, and I want to stray away from the Classic 57 more than the Stormy Monday does. That said, I did (and still do) consider the Mule set. Ever since I installed my Abraxas set and got every prejudice about the Alnico IV magnet proven wrong, I have been eager to try one. Considering that the high end is not as dominating as with the Riff Raff, I think it might be a better choice for me and this guitar. What do you think about that? I do love my Nantucket loaded Les Paul Special so it does not have to be a vintage hot or contemporary set for that matter. And I have great drive and boost pedals, as well as a virtually limitless gain knob on my Kemper :smiley:
So, at this point I would say that it stands between a Mule or VHII set. I have never tried the Mule bridge, and I have very limited experience with the VHII bridge, but I know both neck models quite well. The VHII is probably my all time favourite neck pickup when coil splitting is required, and it can compete with many real single coils! The Mule neck is also a great pickup, which I have quite a lot of experience with but not as much as the VHII. However, I want to go with a pure, calibrated set no matter which one I choose :smiley:
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the vhII set does sound great in SGs (had them in a repaired sg faded), but why not a trusty riff raff/mule set?
the abraxas is not really an overwound paf, but a vintage voiced modern pup
the vhII sounds a lot like the riff raff, but punchier, less middy and a little more percussive
it sounded surprisingly Iommish in my SG, although it's nothing like Tony's pups
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I have tried the Riff Raff/Mule set in two Les Pauls, and I did not quite like the Riff Raff in any of them... Well, I did like it but I didn't love it. Something weird going on in the high end or high mids, hard to explain really. What I do know, is that I want something different for this guitar. The guitar is already very Angus by the looks, so I don't need it to be Angus by the tone as well :tongue:
From how you describe the VHII it should be a great match, but after what AndyR and Slarti wrote (even though they didn't mention it...) the Mule set have become a stronger candidate. Not sure if it might be a bit too vintage for me, but the Nantucket is not so I honestly doubt it. How are the highs of the VHII compared to the Riff Raff?
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There was someone on here before who put RYs in her SG and she found them to be lacking a lot of bottom end.
If the guitar is middy, I would be very careful. Middy SGs can be very obnoxious with a middy pickup.
It sounds as if you like more powerful pickups, so I would recommend a Miracle Man in the bridge combined with a Holy Diver in the neck. That will gives you a great '80s metal tone, similar to a Holy Diver set in a Les Paul with a little extra output in the bridge. It will have more mids than a HD in a Les Paul though, just because the guitar has so much mids already, and it won't sound as bassy as the same pickup in a Les Paul for similar reasons.
I haven't read a single bad review of the MM bridge in an SG
I have a Cold Sweat set in my SG, but I think a MM/HD combo would be an improvement on that
If you want something more vintage I would look at the Black Dog and Abraxas rather than the Emerald or VHII. I worry that they might sound thin in the bottom end in your SG
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Miracle Man is definitely not what I want for this guitars, hehe. The Abraxas and especially the Black Dog are middy pickups, not sure if that's what I want either. The guitar, cabinet, amp and pedals (if I want them too) all push out a LOT of mids. Even though the cab has V30s the overall tone is actually quite dark even with the SG. I am not familiar with the 57 Classics so it is hard for me to say what the pickups are supposed to sound like, but they do not sound thin nor brittle. Less full bodied than my Les Paul naturally.
Not sure if you meant to write Emerald or Mule, but the Emerald was never a candidate. When I wrote that I need more low end push than the RR I did not mean that I need a huge low end, because I still want it to sound like an SG. I have my Les Paul R0 for that huge and thick sounding low end! I just don't want it to sound thin or overly focused in the high end like the RR can be.
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How about an A-Bomb for the bridge? It's certainly a hot pickup yet retains a PAF feel to it in some ways. It's not a billion miles away from a Rebel Yell but it's darker and thicker overall with a spike in the upper mids that may well work out perfectly if your rig has a lot of low end, lower mids and mid mids. It has a typically 'Gibson' feel to it so won't be out of place in an SG at all. It ticks all the bases you want.
Other than an A-Bomb, have you considered a P90 set as an alternative?
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A-Bomb in a bright SG is ace if you plan to play Poison Idea songs 24/7
Otherwise get something less middy and hairy
Stockholm is a good alternative to a Nailbomb in an SG. More versatile
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Even though I do love the Rebel Yell set, I don't think I want a contemporary pickup for the SG (even though the RY is not the most contemporary in the range). I am sure the A-bomb is a cool and versatile pickup, but I am pretty sure I want the humbucker equivalent of the Nantucket for this SG. Asked Ben just now which one that may be, so I might go for that one unless his answer is the Riff Raff... Haha. Something vintage or vintage hot at least. I am also considering just swapping the bridge pickup to save some money. A P90 set would be nice, but I am very happy with my P90 equipped LP Special so I don't think I need another P90 guitar. The SG is not particularly bright by the way, very balanced for an SG but certainly not any lack of mids!
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If you want something more vintage I would look at the Black Dog and Abraxas rather than the Emerald or VHII. I worry that they might sound thin in the bottom end in your SG
The vhIi is one of the bassiest bk bridge pups I ever had
Definitely bassier than a Black dog, although not as fat in the mids
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I have the VHII in an ash strat. Erics description is spot on. More bass than say a Mule. Good midrange that might seem to hide a bit because of the open present topend and the percussiveness of the pickup. It has quite some output, nearly on par with my Crawler.
I think a VHII will do fine in an SG.
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I remember the VHII neck model as quite bassy and rounded as well, certainly more than the Mule. One thing that I want to try though, is to change the electronics to an RS-kit. The 57 Classics sound too rounded and totally lacks cut and bite, but I am almost 100% that there are 300k volume pots in there.
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On the pots in a 61, I was quite surprised that the 2016 SG 61 Reissues ("proprietary run" whatever that means - they were possibly/rumoured to be for the Japanese market) have 500K Log volume pots. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of the earlier 61 Reissues had 300K.
I've just switched mine because I want linear pots. The ones I had to hand happened to be 300K originally from my Faded SG :grin:. My LP Traditional has 300K Linear, and so does my Explorer, never felt the need to change them, so I decided "wot the hell, these old 300s will prove the linear vs log thing for me."
Anyway, on switching in the SG last week I found two things, one hoped for, one somewhat surprising:
1. The change from log to linear was EXACTLY what I wanted - I can now use the entire range of the pot. Suddenly I love the guitar a lot more. Before the switch, the volume controls were almost on/off switches compared to what I'm used to on the Trad and Explorer.
2. The difference on switching from 500 down to 300 was, er, utterly negligable! Mebbe a slight (pleasant) thickening on the bridge pickup, nothing more. I find a turn on the pickup mounting screws to be more noticable on clarity than the difference between 500 and 300. This was a bit of a surprise, not what I'd been led expect from internet wisdom I've collected over the years. I understand why it should make a difference, and I suspect it could be more marked with different guitar/pickups mebbe, but ...
My original plan was to order some 500K linear pots once I'd discovered that linear is really what I want for humbucker volume controls - I'm not going to bother at the moment. Mebbe the neck pickup could do with a 500 - but the strings are getting quite dead now, and I still haven't settled on pickup heights yet. I certainly don't need the bridge pup any brighter.
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Yeah you might be right, but I need new pots anyway because they don't clean up as well as I'd wish. I have an RS kit in a guitar I am going to sell, so it won't cost me a dime anyway!
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I need new pots anyway because they don't clean up as well as I'd wish.
That's the trouble I was having.
I had the 57/57+ pair in the Traditional and they cleaned up stunning. When I put the Stormies in, I'd actually bought some of the BKP 550 log pots to upgrade it. I didn't bother using them in the end. On the the Trad I can have my lead sound on 10, crunch on 6/7, just hairy on 5, clean and funky on 2/3, with no great loss of volume. I adore this set up (I'm a single channel amp, no pedals, sort of guy).
When I got the SG, it had 57/57. Using the same amp settings as the Trad, the SG was usable down to 8 - a bit cleaner, not much. At 7 volume was going and it wasn't really cleaning up. Put it on 5 and I might as well have pulled the plug out! OK, it was still playing, but it had no guts and was still dirty.
People were moaning about newer 57s on a Gibson board, so I thought maybe there was something in that. I was going for Stormies anyway, so I moved that forwards.
And guess what? EXACTLY the same issues. Stormies sound a bit like what 57s are trying to achieve but more musical, sweeter and more clarity. But even given those improvements, I still had the cleaning up problems on the volume control.
I was wracking my brains to try and figure out the difference between the Trad and the SG. And then I found out the specs somewhere. Les Paul Traditionals have 300K volume pots, but that's not the important bit, they have Linear Tapers, not Logarithmic or "Audio". The SG had 500K, but Logarithmic/Audio taper.
The minute I switched to using Linear Taper in the SG I got the cleaning up reactions I want (I don't think the 500/300 matters unless you're unlucky and it's muddy enough to really need some help).
I'd got from somewhere that Volumes ought to be Log/Audio, not linear - I've had that for years, never questioned it. Of course, some log tapers are steeper than others - so some will feel more linear for longer on the turning of the knob. The set I put in my Faded SG a few years back aren't too bad - but they definitely have a sudden step, so I'm gonna get that one some linear volumes.
BUT... having said all that...
I have an RS kit in a guitar I am going to sell, so it won't cost me a dime anyway!
I'm all for this approach!!!
The two volumes I used for the SG last weekend, I had to prise them off the circuit board I took out of the Faded SG several years ago... Didn't cost me nothing except a slight hole in one finger! (Oh, and one circuit board - there ain't gonna be no using that again :grin:)
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Very interesting reading! One thing I found odd though, is your experience with the BKP pots. I have four of them in my P90 equipped LP Special DC and they clean up exactly how I want them to! When you roll from 10 to 5 the drop is quite steep but that is how it should be imo, because I often use the neck pickup with the volume set low for clean and the bridge pickup at 10.
Played the SG a bit tonight, and I almost hate to admit it but it does sound great...! Could the lows be a little bit tighter? Sure, but that will probably (hopefully) get better with the RS kit. I might try a Mule or VHII in the bridge position just because I am curious, but for now, I am satisfied with the tones I'm getting! :smiley:
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Hehe - NOTHING wrong with the BKP pots, except they're still unused in the plastic bag I bought them in!! :grin:
The ones I put in the Faded were before BKP started doing pots. The BKP ones were bought for the Traditional, but when I got the Stormies I was in too much of a rush to hear them and didn't want to faff about with all the electrics. I was intending to do it later, but the guitar just sounded and felt right, so the only reason I had the back off since was to check out what was going on in there when the SG wasn't co-operating quite as well.
I've found the article that gave me a start on figuring out what I really wanted. I found this after I heard rumour that the Trad had 300K Linear and I was looking to buy some:
http://www.axesrus.co.uk/CTS-Pot-Split-Shaft-p/cts59.htm
After reading that, I realised that when I played live I was a bit unusual compared to most guitarists. I can only assume it was something to do with me being lead guitar and lead vocalist, so minimal volume/tone control moves between 8/10 were NOT what I needed personally - I felt too busy doing other things, I wanted to be able to yank the thing down halfway to clean up but not lose that much volume. I was playing Far East guitars, so probs they were linear.
Now I only play at home so I fit the profile of someone wanting linear - but when I got the Traditional I did feel a bit "WOW this is the best guitar I've ever had for cleaning up - how do they do that?!?!?".
It's definitely personal preference and how you want the instrument to respond - no one way is right or wrong. The pots I'm yanking out and putting in the box are someone else's "that's the business" pots - hell, the pots I yanked out of the Faded X years ago turned out to be just what I wanted last weekend :grin:
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You are totally right, it's all about preferences! I have decided that I want to get a set of Mules for the SG when I have the funds (when i have sold something), because I feel like they are "essential BKP" and it's a real shame that I haven't tried them even though I have tried almost every other model :tongue: I also think they will sound great in the guitar, a versatile and tight sounding PAF is everything I need! I have so many other powerful tone shaping tools in my Kemper that I simply cannot go wrong with it, because the fundamental tone from the guitar/pickups will be of such high quality either way :smiley:
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Alright, so I ordered a Mule set today! I have to say that I am very, very excited! It seems that some people think they are very bright, and some people think they are sweet and rounded. Not sure what to believe, but I think they will be a great match for this guitar nevertheless! Feel free to share your experiences with the Mule also :smiley:
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I've got them in a 335 - it'll take a lot to get me to move them out of there (and not just cos it's a complete pain switching pickups on a 335 :grin:)
It seems that some people think they are very bright, and some people think they are sweet and rounded.
I think they're both - and you can accentuate either aspect with the pickup heights.
The "big three" compare in the top-end, for me, as follows:
Stormy Monday - Bright, a sweet bright
Mule - Less bright, with a pleasant hairyness/rasp to it
Riff Raff - As bright as Stormy, but harder, more biting/cutting
All three can cover each other's territory, but each excels in its own.
My favourite is the Stormy. That's purely down to the imaginary "PAF" sound in my head, the music I play, and how I expect/want a humbucking guitar to behave in my hands. I just find Stormy Monday most versatile.
Look at it this way, in my hands:
The Mule does sweet and rounded, but not as effortlessly as the Stormy Monday does.
The Stormy Monday does raunchy and raspy, but not as effortlessly as the Mule does.
In an ideal world, I'd have identical guitars with the different pickups to get the different vibes. My missus would not be able to tell the difference, but she would notice that I play different kinds of music and with a different approach on each guitars.
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Thanks a lot, Andy! From my understanding the Mule is often considered the allrounder in the BKP range, but I am sure the Stormies are just as versatile maybe except for the most heavy stuff. However, I actually didn't find them lacking in that department and they were quite tight. How would you compare the Stormies and more importantly, the Mules, to the 57' Classics in your SG? I found them a bit dark with the original 300k pots, but now with 500k they are much brighter (maybe a bit too much). They are not bad pickups though, and if my point was to have 100 guitars and I only were to upgrade the ones that really needed it, I would probably leave them alone. But now I am selling every guitar except two, so I think I can justify BKPs on both of them :tongue:
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I can more easily compare The Mules to the 57 Classics that were in the 335 - I think it'll help, though.
I liked the 57s but they were slightly lacking in something. A little bit of clarity maybe, but something else. I've since read someone else say that the 57's top end is a bit "brutal" as in "unrefined". What they meant was that when you push the amp, it's not entirely as pleasant as it could have been - I seem to recall "bright and mushy" was the description. And they talked about this extra "rasp" they could hear that they didn't like.
I didn't think my 335 was doing anything particularly bad - it just wasn't as wonderful as I imagined it could be. Some days it wasn't terribly inspiring to play.
Now, when I switched, I already knew how the Mules worked in my Tokai Love Rock. I just had this feeling that what the 335 wanted was that vibe (I also considered Riff Raffs for "more rock and roll", and Stormies too - but I didn't know Stormies then, I imagined they would be TOO vintage for me, mellow jazz vintage... I was so wrong!). Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and not buy new pups but spend a Saturday swapping the pickups over to see what happened. The 335 "came alive". It was the same guitar, even the same tone, but just "more". Obviously there was the "new strings and set-up, perhaps that's all you're hearing" doubts, but it's a couple of years since the swap, and everytime I pick the guitar up I love it - new strings, old strings, whatever.
The 57s worked OK in the Tokai - but the slight "blanket over the speaker" moved from the 335 to the Tokai. I've since moved that set into my Explorer, and of the pickups I've tried in there (including Riff Raffs and MQs), the 57s are the most succesfull. But it still has a slight "uninspiring" vibe when compared to the 335 (Mule), my LP Trad (SM), my 61 SG (SM), and my Faded SG (RR). (The Tokai has MQs, by the way - I've yet to really find the guitar that wants them, it's close, but not quite)
Next time I restring the Explorer, I intend to put the 57/57+ set (from my Trad LP) in. I suspect that the slightly hotter bridge pickup might make a fair bit of a difference.
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Now, back to the pots and this guy's "57s have brutal top-end". When I first heard that, I didn't realise that most of my 57 equipped Gibsons had 300K pots. In fact, I don't think I've played 57s with 500K. But I have played Mules and Riff Raffs (and MQs) with 500 - they are fine with the extra clarity, but I can imagine now how the 57 might seem slightly less pleasant (unless that's the tone what you want! I must admit I've seen plenty of guys on Gibson forums etc say, "replace the pots and you'll be good with the 57s, don't waste your money on new pickups").
My gut feeling is that, regardless of the pots that are in there, you're going to find what I found when I swapped the 57s for Mules in my 335 - the stuff you like about the 57s will still be there but improved. The stuff you don't like, the doubts over "is this the best it could be" will be gone immediately, and (if they're the right choice for you for that guitar) won't ever come back.
I know they're different magnets, etc, etc... but, in my experience, Mules (more than Stormies) seem to be what 57s would like to be when they grow up! :smiley:
In fact, yes -
1) In the 335, I wanted the same vibe as the 57s, but better - Mules did what I wanted.
2) I wanted a slightly different vibe than the 57s in my LP and 61 SG, Stormies did what I wanted.
In all cases, I kinda lucked into it :grin:
but I have realised, while typing this reply:
3) It's Mules I want in my Explorer, isn't it?
ALSO!! WOWW! I suddenly have answers for the Tokai and the Faded SG.
1) Tokai gets the Riff Raffs - it can cope with RRs easily
2) The Faded SG gets 300K pots back AND it gets the MQs back (it had them before, after the pot changes, but it was too bright and not humbuckery enough for me at the time)
OK, now I'd better do some work :grin: :grin: :grin:
(mebbe order some pots first :wink:)
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Sorry for the late reply! Did you get any wiser, Andy? :laugh: I spoke with a guy yesterday who had Mules in his Explorer actually, and he said that it sounded amazing!
My Mules shipped today so there will most likely be a review coming up next week. This time I will try to get some sound clips, like I have promised a dozen times before but never got to do :tongue:
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I did actually :cool:
1. I'm almost certain that Mules is what I want in the Explorer.
2. I think the MQ/RR swap is going to happen.
3. But I just took delivery of a Yamaha Revstar with P90s - a bit distracted by that at the moment! (https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=33791.0) I do think this will help with figuring out the MQs, though.
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Mules are very balanced so you will hear all frequencies without a midspank. Yes they can be sweet, but the topend is clear. The bridge can rock. You should hear Mules through my RV50MKI with the master at noon.
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That's what I though. For some reason I don't find it as natural to use the tone knob with humbuckers as with P90s and other singlecoils, not really sure why :laugh:
The guitar just came back from my local luthier after moving the strap button to the upper horn, fret level and general setup. Personally I thought the action was too low, but after raising it a bit the guitar just plays perfect! I almost hate to say it, but both this SG and especially my LP Special DC has more magic going on, plays at least as good, sounds just as good and cost me about 1/4 each compared to my LP CS 1960 Reissue... And the R0 is a very good guitar, one of the best Custom Shops I've played.
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If you want something more vintage I would look at the Black Dog and Abraxas rather than the Emerald or VHII. I worry that they might sound thin in the bottom end in your SG
The vhIi is one of the bassiest bk bridge pups I ever had
Definitely bassier than a Black dog, although not as fat in the mids
I bought a VHII set to go in a Fender Showmaster superstrat, wanting an early 80's inspired rock tone but found the bridge too bassy, so swapped it for a Rebel Yell which turned out to be exactly what i had in mind. The VHII neck, on the other hand, is still in the guitar - it's a great pickup.
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I read quite a few mixed reviews of the VHII bridge, where people didn't love it for different reasons. Some said that it could sound a bit thin (too much focus on harmonics rather than the fundamental note), and some said it was too bassy. It could work very well in the SG for all I know, but I feel like The Mule is a more safe choice. I understand it is not night and day difference from the Riff Raff, but apparently it sounds fuller, more balanced and rounder which is exactly what I want! The 57 Classics can be a bit bright and brittle, but apart from that they are not bad!
In a way I feel like I haven't heard a pickup maker's "true voice" and work before I have heard their PAF replica, which is particularly true with BKP due to all the work Tim has put into The Mule. Acquiring, analyzing and testing dozens of old PAFs, and using the best sounding ones as his starting point. I found an interview with Tim yesterday as well, where he mentioned that a company's PAF replica sort of creates a starting point and ground for all other pickup models. It's safe to say that my expectations are even higher than any BKP purchase before, but I am more than certain they will not disappoint!
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I read quite a few mixed reviews of the VHII bridge, where people didn't love it for different reasons. Some said that it could sound a bit thin (too much focus on harmonics rather than the fundamental note), and some said it was too bassy. It could work very well in the SG for all I know, but I feel like The Mule is a more safe choice. I understand it is not night and day difference from the Riff Raff, but apparently it sounds fuller, more balanced and rounder which is exactly what I want! The 57 Classics can be a bit bright and brittle, but apart from that they are not bad!
In a way I feel like I haven't heard a pickup maker's "true voice" and work before I have heard their PAF replica, which is particularly true with BKP due to all the work Tim has put into The Mule. Acquiring, analyzing and testing dozens of old PAFs, and using the best sounding ones as his starting point. I found an interview with Tim yesterday as well, where he mentioned that a company's PAF replica sort of creates a starting point and ground for all other pickup models. It's safe to say that my expectations are even higher than any BKP purchase before, but I am more than certain they will not disappoint!
You have to own at least one set of Mules in this life. :wink:
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Just swapped out my Gibson SG Standard's bridge pickup to Emerald Bridge, and it's just awesome - a HOT PAF, I'd say versatile to what I play. I just adjust the gain on the pedals or amp to get that Low-Med-High Gain Goodness. The bridge pickup matched well with the very resonant SG, Aluminum Tailpiece and R9 wiring kit (pots and bumblebees). You can Strum the Strings and do chords on the bridge pup even with gain and it doesn't mush or sputter:) The SG had 498T, Seth Lovers Set, 57/57+ Set and now the BKP which is the best it had.
The real problem now is, the need to upgrade and swap my guitars pickups to BKP.
Now I'm looking for an Emerald Neck for the SG Standard and a Mule Bridge for the Edwards Les Paul, might order thru a dealer in my country.
Gear Used:
VOX Night Train Head 15 watts V1
212 Laney Cub Cab loaded with Eminence The Governor + Screaming Eagle
Ramble FX Marvel Drive V2, Boss BD2W
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I think the Abraxas might be a tad too dark and middy for this SG. It actually sounds surprisingly full-bodied for such a thin body (no pun intended). It is no Les Paul though. These days the Abraxas gets recommended a lot, but not the VHII so much.
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just a try cold sweat...I put him to my sg standard and I'm quite happy with result...I replaced miracle man which was good but not as sweet annd versatile as CS is...