Pickup choice help.

[ekul785]

Hey guys, first post here.

I was just wondering if I could have some opinions on which pickups to go for.

I have a Gibson SG Standard, that I absolutely love. The feel and resonance of the guitar are incredible, however the stock pickups aren't amazing. They're by no means bad, they're just a little muddy. I'm not sure whether I should be going for vintage or contemporary pickups so I thought it'd be worth asking here.

I'd like some pickups that had a great definition to them, and the ability to clean up as well as possible. The sort of music I play in my band is similar to Biffy Clyro, Incubus, Coheed and Cambria and Closure in Moscow. I love the clean tones Mike Einziger gets on the Incubus albums such as morning view and A Crow Left of The Murder. For distortion/overdrive I like the sounds of Closure in Moscow and Coheed.

In this video, the tones achieved are about as heavy as I go (and nice clean tones): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDW0YATXBiU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I play a lot of funk too hence the need for a good clean tone. I run my SG through a Marshall DSL50 and various pedals.

I've emailed Tim and he said without hesitation I should go for the Riff Raffs. I thought i'd just get more opinions as well :)

Thanks for any help you can give, it's greatly appreciated.

Luke.

[Shag101]

Hi and Welcome  !!

I've heard many good things from people with RR's in their SG's.  Seems to be the most versatile pickup for the SG.

[Telerocker]

RiffRaffs for sure!

[ekul785]

Haha Riff Raffs are definitely sounding like the way to go. Versatile definitely appeals to me. I was looking at the Crawlers but Tim said they'd be a bit much for what I want.

[Mr. Air]

You could also go for a set of Mississippi Queens as they should work really well in a SG. The neck really delivers some beautiful cleans and the bridge can rock out. I think they'll come closer to Mike Einziger's tone - at least A Crow Left of the Murder and Light Grenades

[ekul785]

You could also go for a set of Mississippi Queens as they should work really well in a SG. The neck really delivers some beautiful cleans and the bridge can rock out. I think they'll come closer to Mike Einziger's tone - at least A Crow Left of the Murder and Light Grenades

Yeah I'd seen those, wasn't sure how heavy they could go. I'll definitely look into them though, thanks for the help :)

[Shag101]

I have a pair of MQ's in my SG that sound amazing.  One of Mike Einziger guitars is a SG jr.

If you dont like some hum, then stick with the RR's..

[ekul785]

I have a pair of MQ's in my SG that sound amazing.  One of Mike Einziger guitars is a SG jr.

If you dont like some hum, then stick with the RR's..

Thanks for replying. I wasn't sure if I wanted P90s as I turned down a P90 SG to get my SG Standard.

I've been looking for clips of the Riff Raffs and I seem to be finding a lot of AC DC type stuff (they're obviously good for that) I'm curious as to how they handle heavy gain.

Anyone got any clips they'd be happy to share?

[Telerocker]

With the right amp RiffRaffs (and Mules) handle metal very well. I think it's a BKP-quality to stay clear with excellent noteseparation under highgain.

[ericsabbath]

definitely riff raff

it's just as wonderful for heavy stuff as it is for classic rock
its open midrange and high end sparkle helps a lot to keep things clear under extreme amp gain

I'm using it in a '73 les paul custom
yesterday I practiced with the band with my friends 50 watt Diezel Einstein
damn, the raff sounded better through that amp than any other pickup I tried with the same amp, including some other BKP models
I never use clean channels and the raff cleans up quite easily in the high gain channels
it's very sensitive to picking strength
I could never have even imagined that I could clean up a Diezel (that thing is saturated as $%&#)
my riff raff is higher output as it has a thicker magnet
I imagine a regular riff raff would clean up a lot easier

[ekul785]

definitely riff raff

it's just as wonderful for heavy stuff as it is for classic rock
its open midrange and high end sparkle helps a lot to keep things clear under extreme amp gain

I'm using it in a '73 les paul custom
yesterday I practiced with the band with my friends 50 watt Diezel Einstein
damn, the raff sounded better through that amp than any other pickup I tried with the same amp, including some other BKP models
I never use clean channels and the raff cleans up quite easily in the high gain channels
it's very sensitive to picking strength

Oh awesome, that's helped a lot. Thanks dude. I'm trying to find some clips of various styles using them. I've heard they're incredibly versatile in an SG.

Thanks again for all the replies so far guys, it really is helpful.
I could never have even imagined that I could clean up a Diezel (that thing is saturated as $%&#)
my riff raff is higher output as it has a thicker magnet
I imagine a regular riff raff would clean up a lot easier