What Pickups would sound best with an SG?

[mophead]

I play hendrix, sabbath, right up to megadeth etc. I already own a fender telcaster ( two singlecoils) so i need something to add a different dimension for some good distortion. (I am only thinking of replacing the bridge pickup by the way)

[PhilKing]

Go with the Riff Raff.  It is very versatile.   The Warpig gives a much more heavy sound with a lot of bottom end.

[Steve-Mr Pig 2U]

I would agree, the Riff Raff sounds great in SG's.

[Tim]

I always recommend trying to keep the output low on SG's as medium output pickups mud out with all that mahogany, hence my Riff Raff suggestion.A high gainer like a Warpig sounds good and so does a Miracle Man as both have more than enough power to really drive through timber.Funnily enough I fitted a Stormy Monday to a friends SG and that sounded really nice too......quite a surprise but it chunked up really well into an overdriven Marshall.
The ones to avoid are the medium output humbuckers as they simply seem to add to the bottom end of the mahogany.So I wouldn't bother with VHII,Emerald, Crawler or even a Nailbomb as that's got a big bass response too even though it's quite high gain.

[Minty]

So Nailbombs arent really good in SG's? That's what i was planning on getting for my SG... :?  

[willo]

Gotta love that 'Micacle Man'  :lol:


and the customary 'welcome to the forums'! :D

[38thBeatle]

I voted Riff Riff- predicable of me I know but just makes sense to me.

[Tim]

So Nailbombs arent really good in SG's? That's what i was planning on getting for my SG... :?  

I wouldn't totally dismiss it but my experience of SG's is the bottom end blooms up quite a bit with certain pickups and the Nailbomb has a lot of bottom and mid range both inherent in an SG.Some SGs will take a Nailbomb perfectly well if they're very bright but on the whole I've found that sub DC8.5K humbuckers sound fantastic,Alnico V powered humbuckers in particular the closer you get to DC8.5K so in this instance if a customer wanted a Mule I'd go with AV over AIV.A Stormy Monday, because the wind is lower and the tone more open, sounds great with AIV.
At the other end of the scale, the high gainers like Miracle Man which is ceramic powered work well as the magnet controls the bass response or Warpig are excellent.Both of these are wound with a very fine gauge wire which keeps the coil size small.........the smaller coil footprint under the strings keeps the tone more focused.

[donovan.x]

Tim. I am having the same problem, when I first asked you about pups I had a Ibanez and you suggested Nailbombs , I have since picked up an SG and have decided that this is the guitar I want to spend the money on. I want a crushing distortion sound as said before, "St anger" period Metallica, "Five minutes alone" Pantera but I also want stunning cleans (Nikleback) and something that splits well. What would you say would do the job now. This is going to be for both the neck and the bridge. I'm not fussed if its a set or not, Just the best to give me the range I am after.
Thanks in advance as I know your answer will enavle me to sleep at night again

[_tom_]

From the clips I've heard, Warpigs will give you a big crushing sound (listen to Ratrods Suicide Messiah clip), and great cleans aswell!

[donovan.x]

Mmmm Warpigs. :twisted:

[Ratrod]

I voted for the Riff Raff. Angus has the best SG sound ever.

Donovanx, +1 on the Warpig. Tune the guitar to drop C and you've got instant St. Anger.

[Matt57]

Hi all,

I recently bought a Nailbomb for My SG Standard and it has been perfect! Maybe there's more to it and perhaps another BKP would have been a better choice? When I ordered Tim did state thath he usually recommends either the high output end or the Lower region for SGs but after describing my setup and style we agreed that the NB would be good. The NB in mine sounds superb and I'd be hesitant to change it. I've played through Marshall and Orange stacks and both work well.

At least I'm satisfied! :) Btw - I play heavy punk rock (in the Discharge type direction).

M57

[Minty]

Hi all,

I recently bought a Nailbomb for My SG Standard and it has been perfect! Maybe there's more to it and perhaps another BKP would have been a better choice? When I ordered Tim did state thath he usually recommends either the high output end or the Lower region for SGs but after describing my setup and style we agreed that the NB would be good. The NB in mine sounds superb and I'd be hesitant to change it. I've played through Marshall and Orange stacks and both work well.

At least I'm satisfied! :) Btw - I play heavy punk rock (in the Discharge type direction).

M57

Awesome! I want a Nailbomb in my SG aswell. I am ordering it next week :D

And i also play punk / hardcore / ska.  What amp do you use? I have a Marshall DSL50

[Kilby]

Originally I thought (and voted) Riff Raff, but then thinking about Claptons SG sound which would be more along the lines of a Mule (underwound ?)

I'm not sure what Frank Marino used but he got a real nice sound too.

Ohhhh too many choices !