Pickup choice for an sg with mini switch

[Zedism]

Hey guy's, I've got a gorgeous, lawsuit era, 1977 Ibanez SG that needs some restoration and I'm completely stuck on pickup choice. It has a 3-way, on-on-on mini toggle for split/series/parallel so I want something that splits well, ideally. So far I'm looking at the Mules, the SM and a few others. I play mostly jazz and I want the ability to get that beautiful, clean, warm, neck pickup jazz sound but I feel if I turn it into a purist jazz machine with Manhattans than I'll play the sg and neglect my 335, so I'd like it to be versatile, plus the p90 won't utilize the mini switch. I'm guessing the mules will give me an adequate jazz tone, yet the SMs will probably be better suited for it. Does anyone have any input on the splitting side of things, and if you have any other suggestions, throw them at me. I'll update with some pictures when I can, she's a beaut.

[Dave Sloven]

Is this one of those three pickup ones with a bolt-on neck?  I know someone with one of those.  He's the kind of guy who uses 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' as an excuse for extreme fiscal tightness though.  He even applies that approach to strings ... obviously doesn't play in a band.  He picked it up cheap somewhere.

No idea on the switch, but I'd say that splitting low output pickups could leave you with a very thin sound

[Slartibartfarst42]

Splitting low output pickups is not usually seen as an effective option but your choice is really quite limited with the higher output pickups. The Black Hawk will apparently do jazz tones well and will certainly split better than one of the vintage pickups so you might give them a try.

[Dave Sloven]

Would something like a Black Dog have enough output to be split effectively?  We are still talking 'moderate' though.  Maybe an Abraxas?

[Slartibartfarst42]

It would probably have the output but I think the Black Dog would be too gutsy and aggressive for Jazz where I'd be wanting something super clear. Vintage pickups would give you that because they're not driving the amp into overdrive at all. At the other end of the spectrum, active EMG pickups were originally used a lot for Jazz applications because they're sound was quite processed and could be clear like a stereo. As the Black Hawk is essentially a passive version of an active EMG, it seems logical to conclude that it would be highly effective at Jazz.

EDIT: I just checked the website and sure enough, the Black Hawk is listed as having a Jazz application and seems to be the only hotter pickup that is listed as working in this style.

[Philly Q]

I just checked the website and sure enough, the Black Hawk is listed as having a Jazz application and seems to be the only hotter pickup that is listed as working in this style.

There are also the infamous "French jazz players" who have made use of the Warpig....

Going back to the OP, I think you'll be best off with SMs, Mules or PG Blues, it doesn't sound like you will really have much use for a higher output pickup and there's no point getting one just because it will have a better split sound.

Lower output pickups do tend to sound a bit thin and weedy when split, but you could try the option of splitting via a resistor so the second coil isn't entirely switched off when the pickup is split.  Or you could forget about coil-splitting and use the mini-switch as a phase switch?


(Edit:  Just re-read the first post and noticed that your mini-switch is for series/split/parallel.  You'd probably find the parallel wiring still sounds pretty good, even with vintage output pickups.  I have a Riff Raff with a series/parallel switch and I like the sounds I get.)