Pickups For My SG

[braintheory]

So I recently got a Gibson SG Standard from 1993 that I want to put new pickups in.  The stock pickups actually sound very good.  They are edgy, raw, and have tons of angry mids yet still don't sound boxy/bloated.  However, when I compared my stock SG side by side to any of my Bare Knuckle equipped guitars it pailed in comparison.  The BK equipped guitars just sounded 1000x better.  It is kind of bright sounding for an SG and has basically the same woods as current sg standards except that mine has an ebony fingerboard.  I am looking for a pick up that is raw, open, edgy, unsmooth, unrefined and angry.  The stock pickups in my sg actually have everything I just described, but they just don't sound nearly as good as my BK's for some reason.  I also don't want something that is super high output because my other humbucker guitars all have those (I have Miracle Man, Aftermath and Warpigs in my other guitars) and I want some contrast.  I have narrowed it down I think to the BK Riff Raff, WCR Godwood, and Motor City Detrioter.  The description of the Detroiter sounded exactly like what I want, so that's what I'm leaning toward so far.  However, I've played the Godwood before and it was phenominal, but I played it in a Parker Nitefly, which has completely different woods.  For those who've played these pickups please advise me.  I know I'm not supposed to talk about non-BK pickups here but please just make an exception since I have so much GAS for all of these pickups.  Also, I apologize for all the reading and if I made you dizzy from it.

[Madsakre]

Im looking here too :)
I had kinda the same desires as you, just in a flying V instead. Tim reccomended me the Riff Raff

[darkbluemurder]

I am looking for a pick up that is raw, open, edgy, unsmooth, unrefined and angry.  The stock pickups in my sg actually have everything I just described, but they just don't sound nearly as good as my BK's for some reason.  I also don't want something that is super high output because my other humbucker guitars all have those (I have Miracle Man, Aftermath and Warpigs in my other guitars) and I want some contrast.  I have narrowed it down I think to the BK Riff Raff, WCR Godwood, and Motor City Detrioter. 

I have not played the other two but on the WCR I would say

- raw: yes to some extent
- open: bridge yes to some extent, neck no
- edgy: not really
- unsmooth: no, they are in fact very smooth
- unrefined: not really
- angry: depending on your playing yes
- not so high output: yes

It is a good pickup, especially the bridge pickup, but I don't think it is what you are looking for.

Cheers Stephan

[braintheory]

I have not played the other two but on the WCR I would say
- raw: yes to some extent
- open: bridge yes to some extent, neck no
- edgy: not really
- unsmooth: no, they are in fact very smooth
- unrefined: not really
- angry: depending on your playing yes
- not so high output: yes
It is a good pickup, especially the bridge pickup, but I don't think it is what you are looking for.
Cheers Stephan

In the parker nitefly I tried the WCR Godwood in I would agree with everything you said except for the smoothness part.  I wouldn't say it's "very smooth".  Maybe in a Les Paul it is.  To my ears it was medium in terms of smoothness.  I also agree that on paper the Godwood doesn't sound like what I'm looking for, but it just sounded incredible to me when I tried it.  Also, although I've never tried it, the Godwood sounds like it might be similar to the holy diver in its voicing, but I could be totally wrong since I never tried a holy diver.

[braintheory]

Im looking here too :)
I had kinda the same desires as you, just in a flying V instead. Tim reccomended me the Riff Raff

And did the Riff Raff satisfy your needs?

[Telerocker]

Sounds like a RiffRaff.

[Shag101]

raw, open, edgy, unsmooth, unrefined and angry.

funny, that is how i would describe the MQ's in my sg standard.

u have plenty of buckers, might wanna try a 90 on for size......

[darkbluemurder]

Also, although I've never tried it, the Godwood sounds like it might be similar to the holy diver in its voicing, but I could be totally wrong since I never tried a holy diver.

I don't have a direct comparison between those two but I replaced the WCR Godwood set with the BKP Crawler set - the Crawler is said being close to the Holydiver but with less output. The guitar both pickup sets were in has a swamp ash body and a one piece maple neck, wraparound tailpiece and two humbuckers. Even though it is swamp ash it is not a bright guitar at all. The bridge Crawler is higher output and smoother in the high end than the Godwood and has more bass. Overall it feels quite a bit darker, even though the Godwood has more midrange. The Crawler neck is clearer with more bass and treble but single notes sound fatter with the Godwood.
 
Cheers Stephan

[Loomer]

raw, open, edgy, unsmooth, unrefined and angry.

funny, that is how i would describe the MQ's in my sg standard.

u have plenty of buckers, might wanna try a 90 on for size......

Actually, that's a pretty damned good idea. Maybe a Pig 90?!

[Madsakre]

Im looking here too :)
I had kinda the same desires as you, just in a flying V instead. Tim reccomended me the Riff Raff

And did the Riff Raff satisfy your needs?

financial crisis have left me with a wallet filled with moth and no riff raff

[braintheory]

raw, open, edgy, unsmooth, unrefined and angry.

funny, that is how i would describe the MQ's in my sg standard.

u have plenty of buckers, might wanna try a 90 on for size......

Actually, that's a pretty damned good idea. Maybe a Pig 90?!

I'm pretty I want a humbucker in this guitar and also the Pig-90 would probably be too high in output.

[braintheory]

One thing that turns me off about the riff raff is that in the descriptions on the website it says it has a "smooth bite in the high-end".  I like bite, but not the smoothness part.