Author Topic: I've got a Gibson SG, so I guess then it's Riff Raffs?? (Read 5583 times)

BadMonkey · « **on:** November 28, 2006, 08:49:11 PM »

Hello Everybody!
You've gota really great forum going on here so I though I'd join you & ask for (you guessed it) pick-up advice!

I've got a Gib SG Standard & am rather bored with the stock pick-ups.
From reading a few of these posts it seems RiffRaffs are the way to go for an upgrade.

I play mainly classic rock and am a big Black Sabbath fan (hence the SG purchase). Will the RiffRaffs do Iommi or are they purely AC/DC?

Cheers!
BM

HTH AMPS · « **Reply #1 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:56:39 PM »

The Riff Raffs will do you for the early Sabbath stuff (1st two albums) but for a real-deal Sabbath tone you gotta go with the Warpigs.

:twisted:

Richie Zero · « **Reply #2 on:** November 28, 2006, 09:06:10 PM »

I have an SG Standard with a set of Riff Raffs. Don't really belong to the masses of ACDC devotees either. The combination sounds fantastic for a great deal of sounds I reckon. I was really bowled over by the wonderful cleans I didn't know my guitar was even capable of for instance.
Of the "vintage" style pickups the Riff Raffs are certainly Tim's recommendation for an SG. Other than that, you're looking at different styles and levels of output.
Good luck. Keep us posted.

Philly Q · « **Reply #3 on:** November 28, 2006, 09:18:10 PM »

Welcome!

Riff Raffs are excellent and very versatile, but they're definitely much more AC/DC than Sabbath.

In the very early days, Iommi was using P90 pickups, so a really good vintage-and-modern Sabbath combination seems to be a Warpig bridge and a Mississippi Queen neck. Should be quite versatile too.

Twinfan · « **Reply #4 on:** November 28, 2006, 10:29:43 PM »

I have an MQ in a single pickup SG and pair of Riff Raffs in an SG Standard. If you play classic rock and love Sabbath, I'd get a pair Mississippi Queens. That'll turn your SG into the BKP version of an SG Classic.

A Warpig will be too heavy for "classic rock" (I used to own one, and I'm a classic rock fan too). The MQ is perfect for your needs and your SG :)

Tricalibur · « **Reply #5 on:** November 28, 2006, 11:58:29 PM »

PIGS!!!! if you like Iommi then get the pigs dude... seriously:]

carlaz · « **Reply #6 on:** November 29, 2006, 10:44:18 AM »

Surely the Warpigs have waaaay more output than anything used on an actual Sabbath recordings? While there's no doubt in my mind that playing "War Pigs" with Warpigs would be highly conducive to silly grins when playing :twisted: if one was looking for a tone more like a actual classic-Iommi tone, I would think something of rather lower output would probably be more appropriate. Mississippi Queens or Mules?

Twinfan · « **Reply #7 on:** November 29, 2006, 11:00:57 AM »

Warpigs are WAAAAAAAY to heavy for general "classic rock". Far too thick sounding at lower overdrive levels.

BadMonkey · « **Reply #8 on:** November 29, 2006, 01:02:04 PM »

I think the WarPig will be a bit too ROCK

for my needs. Plus I'm not too keen on the distressed finish.
I think I'm sold on a MQ in the neck and something from the vintage hot range in the bridge. I'll email Tim & see what he says.

Though I've never used a P90 before. I don't suppose the 60 cycle hum is a major problem?
Thanks alot for your help guys! :)

BM

Antag · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2006, 01:15:24 PM »

The short answer is that there is no one "correct" way to go. From your description I imagine that riff raffs, black dogs, VHIIs (perhaps even emeralds?) would do the job nicely.

Despite the name, Warpigs aren't really like anything Iommi would have used. As Tim has stated on this forum, the choice of the name was more an expression of attitude (i.e. very bloody heavy :twisted:) as opposed to an attempt to get close to Iommi's tone. Perhaps he should have caled it the Sarcophagus or something.... :)

Tricalibur · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2006, 08:41:26 PM »

Quote from: carlaz

Surely the Warpigs have waaaay more output than anything used on an actual Sabbath recordings? While there's no doubt in my mind that playing "War Pigs" with Warpigs would be highly conducive to silly grins when playing :twisted: if one was looking for a tone more like a actual classic-Iommi tone, I would think something of rather lower output would probably be more appropriate. Mississippi Queens or Mules?

well from Master Of Reality onward Iommi used picups he had ccustom wound fro him by John Birch. They were something like 19K+ I think. He got a lot of his gain from his pickups and his modded Arbiter Rangemaster.

carlaz · « **Reply #11 on:** November 30, 2006, 09:49:16 AM »

19+k, really? Well, that is pretty hot! :o Still, I guess his current signature pickups are pretty hot (16+k) and they're theoretically modelled after his Birch pickups (doubtless Gibson is being loose with the truth here, but whatever ;)), so I guess there must have been a certain amount of heat in there eventually. Ah, I give up trying to guess at this stuff! :roll:

PhilKing · « **Reply #12 on:** November 30, 2006, 11:36:10 AM »

Quote from: BadMonkey

I think the WarPig will be a bit too ROCK for my needs. Plus I'm not too keen on the distressed finish.

I have a raw nickel Warpig with an MQ neck. I also have a series/parallel switch for the Warpig. I think you can get a lot of the Sabbath sounds with it. I also have a John Birch from 1971. The difference between his pickups and the normal humbuckers is the width, JB's are like P-90's in size and so have a narrower magnetic field, I think this makes them sound a bit brighter, even the Magnum (which is the Tony Iommi pickup - I have the Hyperflux and Superflux in mine though).

I was playing a lot of Sabbath on my Rebel Yell PRS too (all mahogany guitar)- and they allow a lot more variation for other things. It depends how close to Tony Iommi's sound you want to get. The early stuff is P-90 based so the MQ's would be the way to go. For the John Birch stuff, the Rebel Yell is good. The warpig is for the really heavy sound, but in parallel or with the volume rolled off, it can still do some nice rock sounds.

carlaz · « **Reply #13 on:** November 30, 2006, 11:45:19 AM »

I have a fantasy to get an SG-style guitar with matched Warpigs or a Warpig/MQ blend ....

Alternatively, perhaps more realistically from a budgeting standpoint, I'd get a new PRS-style guitar and move the Crawlers from my LP into it, then load the LP with Warpigs. None more heavy! 8)

Philly Q · « **Reply #14 on:** November 30, 2006, 12:12:48 PM »

Quote from: carlaz

I have a fantasy to get an SG-style guitar with matched Warpigs or a Warpig/MQ blend ....

Alternatively, perhaps more realistically from a budgeting standpoint, I'd get a new PRS-style guitar and move the Crawlers from my LP into it, then load the LP with Warpigs. None more heavy! 8)

I assume you're talking PRS SE, otherwise the budgeting thing could be a problem!

I've got an SE EG - they're really nicely made but the pickups are rubbish. Perfect for upgrading!