Feedback issues

[Dave Sloven]

I am experiencing feedback issues with one of my guitars and not the other one, in the same environments, and I am wondering if people have advice.

Guitar 1 below is the problematic one, Guitar 2 is the one I use at gigs because it doesn't have this issue.

Guitar 1: Gibson SG Special with Warpig set (alnico bridge), thin nitrocellulose paint, stock plastic pickguard, custom wiring harness with 500K CTS pots, WD Music PIO caps.  Pickup and control cavities shielded with copper tape.  Shield is continuous and earthed.  Open coil pickups, pickguard mounted (classic 'batwing' type SG).

Guitar 2: Epiphone '58 Korina Explorer with Nailbomb set (alnico bridge), , polyurethane paint, metal (aluminium) pickguard, custom wiring harness made from mil-spec shielded wire with 550K CTS pots, WD Music cap with 470K resistor wired to neck volume pot, no tone pot, switch and jack are upgraded to Switchcraft (like on the Gibson). Pickup and control cavities shielded with conductive paint.  Shield is continuous and earthed.  Covered pickups mounted in pickup rings.

I am wondering if the issue is the fact that the Warpigs are open coil, or if it is just the higher output of the Warpigs.  I had this issue with a different (stock) harness and no shielding in this guitar with the Warpigs, so I am pretty sure that the issue is the pickups, but I am wondering how I can fix it.  It seems to be especially bad when the PA speakers or bass speakers are facing the front of my guitar

[gwEm]

Its not that hard to try potting the pickups yourself at home. You can do it with some wax from eBay/Amazon and an old tin can. You put the wax pellets into the can and heat it up in a saucepan of water on the cooker. I use some chop sticks to hold the can in place.

Its funny, I have the same issues live with my Sinner set. I'll need to whip them out at some stage.

[Dave Sloven]

So you really think the potting on these Warpigs might be bad and that's causing the issue?

It only happens when I am in a room with other people.  At home it doesn't do it.

In any case I have just spent $40 on a pair of genuine Gibson pickup rings and I am going to convert my pickguard mounted pickups (this is a large pickguard SG) to ring mounted.  I am sick to death of removing the bridge every time I need to remove the pickups!!

[gwEm]

I'm not 100% sure of course, but I think it might be.

That sinner set I mentioned was fine until I used it live for the first time, then it started feedbacking. By the end of the set I ended reducing the gain massively.

I'm lazy to pop out the sinner set to try potting it. Actually following this discussion I'm very tempted to break out that guitar again and try it at practice.