WTB 2 Gold Humbuckers for neck position

tachycardia23

Most things considered. Would love some suitable Gibsons - Burstbuckers, 490, 496, Classic Plus etc

Anything in GOLD! (Except Epiphones, I have those already...)

Maybe even Humbucker sized P90s..?

Cheers!

fandango

It sounds like you don't know what's fitted. What pickups are you replacing? Doesn't the SG custom come with a 490R in the neck and 498T in the bridge?

So before you change anything, at least determine the current pickups. That'll stop you unknowingly replacing like with like and wondering why the tone remains the same.

Funkfingers

fandango said:

Doesn't the SG custom come with a 490R in the neck and 498T in the bridge?

Depends.

Some Gibson variants get a 490R/490T pair. The two and three pickup '61 style re-issue models have the '57 Classic.

None of this matters because, I suspect, the OP refers to the Epiphone in this recent NGD thread. 

fandango said:

It sounds like you don't know what's fitted. 

Almost certainly Korean Epiphone waxbuckers styled after the Gibson '57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus. 1997 is too early for the Epiphone Probucker.

fandango said:

determine the current pickups. 

Even more fundamentally, determine the species of wood(s) used. This will have some bearing on which replacement pickups will suit the instrument.

tachycardia23

Thanks guys. I appreciate your help here, I just tapped this out quickly last night without much thought.

Indeed, it's an Epiphone G400 Custom and the existing pickups are, as Funkfingers says, the 57-styled ones. 2 of 57CH(G) for neck & middle and 1 HOTCH(G) for the bridge.

Direct replacements with Gibson versions of those pickups would be great but I'm keeping an open mind. Anything is likely an improvement on these Epiphones which when I turn up loud and bring in distortion really lose their definition.

The guitar body is mahogany according to the internet but what flavour/species I have no idea!

I want it to sound big and rock-y! I plan on playing Sabbath and other doomy stuff on it but it'd be nice to have a rich clean tone too. That's why I was thinking of a p90 for the neck or middle, particularly if I rewire to have the middle on an independent volume.

So any set of humbuckers that can get me on my way please! 2 of neck and 1 of bridge!

Cheers

Elwood

@Teyeplayer has jsut listed a set of SD '59s that might suit?

Teyeplayer

Elwood said:

@Teyeplayer has jsut listed a set of SD '59s that might suit?

Cheers for the shout out buddy.

Funkfingers

tachycardia23 said:

I plan on playing Sabbath and other doomy stuff

In that case, can I interest you in a Gibson Tony Iommi signature humbucker, in naturally "aged" gold finish? 

tachycardia23 said:

it but it'd be nice to have a rich clean tone too. 

Unless you exploit its 4-conductor + shield output cable, my Gibson Iommi humbucker will struggle to do squeaky clean - even with a super high quality volume pot.

tachycardia23 said:

I was thinking of a p90 for the neck or middle, particularly if I rewire to have the middle on an independent volume.

Check out an Oil City Pickups Winterizer II humbucker for the neck position. 

tachycardia23

@Funkfingers - I am interested! Haha. Is it a Bridge or Neck? How much would you like? I also note that "rich" in my description of a clean tone might actually just be dirty haha. Checking out the Winterizer II now.

Funkfingers

The Gibson TI is one-size-fits-all. I have never seen individual neck/Rhythm and bridge/Treble position versions.

http://www.iommi.com/equipment/tony-iommi-signature-pick-up/

G.A.K. is listing brand new examples for £120 but only in the black chrome finish and they do not actually have any in stock. My example is the right finish for your guitar and the wear that it shows will instantly give the impression that it has been there for years. 

£60 PPG shipped.

tachycardia23

OK, I bought the Iommi. Still fancy some Gibsons to complement it.

Marshall

I have 2 sets of Gibsons pulled from 2 SGs

First set from 2002/03 SG with ebony board and crescent moon inlays as seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrMLt9bMd_I

Second from 2001 SG Gothic as seen in this very poor video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9XvOZDe8cU . I believe they're 490s

pm if interested

Funkfingers

tachycardia23 said:

I bought the Iommi. Still fancy some Gibsons to complement it.

The Iommi pickup has prodigious output. I think of it as a bridge/Treble position pickup. (This is convenient because the used pickup that you bought from me probably only has enough 4-con + shield output cable for the bridge position.) Through professional quality volume and tone pots, it should do the majority of the sounds you desire.

tachycardia23 said:

I want it to sound big and rock-y! I plan on playing Sabbath and other doomy stuff on it but it'd be nice to have a rich clean tone too.

The Iommi humbucker excels at down-tuned filth. If you intend to use the Epi SG Custom in this manner, it would be advisable to use pickups in middle and neck positions that are geared towards that musical genre.

tachycardia23 said:

Checking out the Winterizer II now.

I suggested it for a combination of sonic and cosmetic reasons. (Full sized HB, metal cover, no polepieces.) The only other Gibson humbucker of this appearance is the True Blues model from the Seventies. I have never seen a gold-plated one.

If you want the Iommi P90 thang going on, the obvious choice would be a Bare Knuckle Pickups HSP90 'Pig. 

tachycardia23 said:

That's why I was thinking of a p90 for the neck or middle, particularly if I rewire to have the middle on an independent volume.

Er, how are the controls of your SG wired at present? 

Vintage correct Les Paul/SG wiring involves a special selector switch to achieve that almost entirely useless out-of-phase sound that involves the middle pickup.

Your Epiphone may be a regular three-way selector switch, three volume pots and a Master tone. In this case, the third volume control governs the independently connected middle pickup.

tachycardia23

Thanks @Funkfingers you're a font of knowledge and inspiration. I am trying to stick to 2nd hand pickups so I'll have to wait and see what turns up. I can't really justify £85 each for the Winterizers, let alone £100+ for BareKnuckles!

As for your question about the wiring, I believe the answer is "wrongly". There are 3 independent volumes and one tone but the Neck and Bridge are so weedy when the middle is at zero. As soon as you bring the middle in it explodes in volume! I am going to rip it all out and start again with an entirely new kit...

Funkfingers

tachycardia23 said:

I am trying to stick to 2nd hand pickups so I'll have to wait and see what turns up. I can't really justify £85 each for the Winterizers, let alone £100+ for BareKnuckles!

One Iommi humbucker, two professional quality A500k pots and one .022uF capacitor should keep you happy while you wait.

Funkfingers

tachycardia23 said:

There are 3 independent volumes and one tone but the Neck and Bridge are so weedy when the middle is at zero. As soon as you bring the middle in it explodes in volume!

This suggests that the middle pickup and its volume pot are connected via the selector switch.

For the blending idea to work properly, the output of the middle pickup and its volume pot should run directly to the output jack socket. (i.e. In parallel with the combined output of the neck and bridge pickups.) 

If, as I suspect, the master tone control lies in circuit between the selector switch and the output jack socket, it should roll off treble from all three pickups simultaneously.

tachycardia23

Marshall said:

I have 2 sets of Gibsons pulled from 2 SGs

...

pm if interested

I have pm'd you...

tachycardia23

bump

skikdi53

Hi,
i have 2 lh 200 , japanese pickups with gold cover, from a navigator 335.
can send you picks if interested.

tachycardia23

Sounds interesting, please send some pics. Cheers

skikdi53

Here is the link.
https://www.casimages.com/a/14uJC

tachycardia23

These look nice. How much would you take for the pair, posted to me in Brighton?