Pickups for Gibson '09 SG - Punk HardCore & RapCore Tone !

[SämO]

The customer service is really amazing !

I have already received an answer.

Here is the answer :

"I might have missed the Bodycount reference and we'll ignore the woman tone then? Bodycount's tone is more compressed, more modern, more sustain than punk, a ceramic magnet pickup may be the way to go then - Cold Sweats would do that, and I know one other forum member also mentioned them." 

Here is my new question :

"At first, I would like to find the right set for 70's, 80's and 90's.
We pick up more "Punk" songs than Body Count titles.
Body Count is the extreme I want to cover.
It's mostly "Punk" and "Post Punk" from the late 70's and early 80's that I want to cover effectively.

I am not a big fan of ceramics.
I do not like the sounds too compressed.

I would like to order a calibrated set.
Would you have any other ideas than this Cold Sweat that are recommended me only in Neck finally with a Miracle Man in Bridge ?

Again, I would hope that news informations are used to reduce the information to the lowest common denominator to find the Right Set for the Right Sound !

In advance thank you for your professionalism and your diligences."

[Yellowjacket]

I would suspect that mud in a LP is because of a LP.  An SG would be far less muddy in the low mids.

Since 'woman tone is a neck pickup thing and punk can be played on a bridge pickup, the solution is obvious. 

[ericsabbath]

the VHII set sounds great in SGs
a lot like the riff raffs, but punchier
they balance really well with the SG mid heavy voicing

[Dave Sloven]

As someone who's used a Cold Sweat calibrated set in an SG I can say that I think it was great and also that it does not sound like your typical ceramic pickup at all.

I would have bought mine in 53mm spacing though if I did it again, because the bridge spacing on my 498T was actually closer to 53mm than 50mm

VHII set would be my other recommendation

Miracle Man does sound more ceramic.

[SämO]

Here is my new question to Bare Knuckle :

"Hi Ben,

Thanks for this quick reply !

At first, I would like to find the right set for 70's, 80's and 90's.
We pick up more "Punk" songs than Body Count titles.
Body Count is the extreme I want to cover.
It's mostly "Punk" and "Post Punk" from the late 70's and early 80's that I want to cover effectively.

I am not a big fan of ceramics.
I do not like the sounds too compressed.

I would like to order a calibrated set.
Would you have any other ideas than this Cold Sweat that are recommended me only in Neck finally with a Miracle Man in Bridge ?

Again, I would hope that news informations are used to reduce the information to the lowest common denominator to find the Right Set for the Right Sound !

In advance thank you for your professionalism and your diligences."

[SämO]

The VHII set sounds great in SGs.
A lot like the Riff Raffs, but punchier.
They balance really well with the SG mid heavy voicing.

My thanks EricSabbath !

Dave Sloven told me like you that VHII sounded perfectly and meet my needs.
I admit that I really want to be tempted by your suggestions Dude !

Thanks again for your advice  !

As someone who's used a Cold Sweat calibrated set in an SG I can say that I think it was great and also that it does not sound like your typical ceramic pickup at all.
I would have bought mine in 53mm spacing though if I did it again, because the bridge spacing on my 498T was actually closer to 53mm than 50mm.

VHII set would be my other recommendation

Miracle Man does sound more ceramic.

You're my Man and you know it Dave Sloven  !

Today n' thanks to you, I've a more precise idea of ​​the choices that propose to me :

- VHII Calibrated Set
- Cold Sweat Calibrated Set

And as you suggest, I will be very careful when choosing spacing !

ThX Everybody and Love from France

[SämO]

The customer service is awesome !
Bare Knucle, you're Masters.

I have already received an answer !

Here is the answer :

"We're back to the Riff Raffs then.
Great for classic punk styles, and great in an SG !

Kind Regards,

Ben French"

Analysis :

If I analyze all this information, there are three solutions to this equation :

- VHII Calibrated Set
- Cold Sweat Calibrated Set
- Riff Raff Calibrated Set

And I recognize that this equation and its solution are not easy to solve. Help me !

ThX Everybody and Love from France

[Dave Sloven]

Of the three the Cold Sweat has the most bottom end.  It can do Judas Priest (at least up to Ram It Down), early Metallica, early Slayer, Accept, KISS, late Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, and a heap of other classic metal sounds as well as punk stuff in an SG.  Of the three it would probably be the best for palm-muting.  The neck is very well suited to shredding, with a dark, round, fluid sound.  Out of the three it would be the best for stuff like tapping.

Riff Raff is going to give you raunchy rock sounds of the '70s and can do a lot of heavier stuff as well, especially if you have a gutsy amp.  If you have a little amp you might find it lacking a bit of bottom end in an SG.  Overall though it is excellent. The neck is brighter than the neck in the other two sets.  Think Angus Young.

The VHII would be a great middle ground between the two.  It should be able to do most of what the other two sets could do.

The VHII and CS are more similar to one another than to the RR.  The RR is more related to the Emerald and Rebel Yell and has a stronger emphasis on high mids.

The other thing is that 'punk' means different things to different people.  If you are thinking more toward stuff like The Damned, then definitely the Riff Raff.  If you are thinking Discharge I would go for one of the chunkier, more metal sounding pickups like the Cold Sweat.  As I said the VHII represents a bit of a middle ground and I think could get you into both ballparks

[ericsabbath]

the neck vhII in the bridge position sounds a lot like the bridge riff raff
the bridge vhii has a lot of raw output and a lot more low end

[Dave Sloven]

Personally my view is that you need bottom end from the pickup in an SG so that sounds good.  A bit of a mid scoop or hollow mids also works well in SGs because they bring a lot of mids to the table.

[SämO]

The customer service is so good !

I have already received an answer.

Here is the answer :

"You said: "It's mostly "Punk" and "Post Punk" from the late 70's and early 80's that I want to cover effectively."
For that I recommend the Riff Raffs, but the choice is yours.
Kind Regards,
Ben French"

I think the Customer Service has just confirmed Dave Sloven's opinion on RRs.

Now remains to make a choice among these three beautiful sets !

[SämO]

The Competition is open between VHII vs Cold Sweat 

[SämO]

Good evening everyone,

Would you have an idea of ​​the set that would allow me to approach the sound that John McGeoch got with his Yamaha2000 ?
I know that the violin of these Yamaha is closer to the violin of a Les Paul than a SG.

There may be a set that would allow me to approach all my influences including the important influence of John McGeoch that I have forgotten to clarify.

Here I promise you to no longer add unknowns in the equation 

Thanks again to everyone !

LOVE from France

[SämO]

In fact, I think I need a set that gives me both bright and tight.
I think I need a very "Nasty Clean Sound" AND a sort of "80's Dirt Sound" from "Brown Sound" to "Bay Area Sound".

But, this "Nasty Clean Sound" is absolutely essential.
I think of John McGeoch's sound in Magazine

ThX & Love From France

[Dave Sloven]

I would tend to go with ericsabbath's recommendation of the VHII set.  It has the bonus of that darker neck pickup sound that you seem to like.