So I've got a 2002 Gibson SG Standard. It's a sweet one too compared to ALOT of sg's i've seen lately. I don't feel so bad for paying top dollar for it right before Gibson dropped the price by 500 bucks and started producing firewood. It's pretty much stock. Bone nut and graphite saddles just to keep things smooth, but otherwise, all original top-notch gibson parts (hehe). I HATE the neck pickup. It sounds like ass, and that's all there is to it. Plus, it wobbles around and rattles in the body. It's too muddy to even use. I would like to entertain options to replace both pickups, but am not exactly sure where to start looking. The bridge pickup is somewhat lacking in the thumpy and clear department. It's also nearly impossible to coax feedback out of it. I like a crisp, but thumpy overdrive sound. Clear and wet sounding I suppose. I don't really know how to describe it. It needs to be thick and very responsive. I play through a Soldano Astroverb through a Verven 412 cab with Swamp Thangs. I'm also looking at replacing the stock pots and caps and such. Basically tossing the electronics and getting new ones. Also, is there someone who makes tuners that LOOK like the kluson ones that come stock on the SG standard but actually hold the thing in tune properly?
I like PAF style pups, and there's a bunch to choose from. Antiquities are reliable and reasonable used on E-Bay and seem to ranked in everybodies top 10 PAF list. If you're looking to go higher end, I love the WCR Crossroads I just installed in a LP. Voodoos, Fralins, etc etc... they're all good. It depends on what floats your boat. CTS audio taper pots and decent caps do make a difference as well. I'd throw a Bigsby on it if it was me.
Bigsbys rock on SG's. Basically change the pickups. Everyone here loves WCR, I am just about to get a Darkburst neck pickup to compliment my Seymour Duncan hybrid. And an electronics upgrade from RS Guitarworks would also be pretty cool.
I had a stock 72 Gibson SG back in the early 1980's. So of course, the G string never stayed in tune and it had a POS vibrato with a metal tailpiece that said the Gibson on it. So in an effort to make it sound better i put 2 EMG pickups in it, a set of Grover tuners, a brass nut and bridge and a stopgap tailpiece. being stupid i din't keep the original parts and when i went to sell the guitar in 1999 i only got 500 bucks for it becuase I didn't have the original parts. lesson learned save ALL of your original parts even if you swap them out for better ones...or you won't get jackshit in the resale.
He's replacing humbuckers, neh? Wouldn't minihumbuckers in a full-size humbucker mount be... humbuckers?
Dude needs it to stay in tune. Virtually impossible with a Bigsby. I have a '73 SG, w/a factory installed Bigsby. Between that and the skinny neck, it was impossible to keep in tune. You couldn't tune it sitting down if you intended to play it standing up, because the thing would go out due to the different weight distribution. I eventually took it off, altho I'm going to restore it to its' original glory, soon. Loudboy
I've had good experiences with the Rio pickups-I have a Texas bucker in the neck of a tele, IMHO They fall into the PAF+ range. As an alternative to the RS electronic kits check out Acme Guitar Works
