Epiphone SG p90 mods

I have some p90s laying around, so I'm thinking about putting together a cheap SG type guitar. I know that Gibson make SGs with p90s, but I'm in South Korea where everything not made in Korea is hugely overpriced or simply not available. What are easy to get and not too pricey are Asian SG humbucker-equipped clones (Epiphone, Grassroots, Swing, Dame, Tokai etc). 
My plan is to get a used one and do a poor man's routing with my trusty chisel and hammer. Then throw a 'batwing' pickguard over it. Bit of a long-winded lead up to the question, but do those guards fit on both SG and Epi SGs? Cheers.
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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    How about Samick, Cort/Cortek or something from the PRS SE series?

    It is a safe bet that Gibson has made damned sure that a pickguard for an American-made SG does not fit its nearest Korean equivalent model. They like to differentiate between the brands and protect the expensive one. Some screw holes will not align and the neck heels may be of different dimensions.

    There is no need to attack your guitar with woodworking tools. It should be possible to obtain P90-type pickups built in to humbucker-sized covers. e.g. G&B G123 and G123-1 pair, Tonerider Rebel 90 pair.
    Be seeing you.
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  • chris_johnchris_john Frets: 162
    How about Samick, Cort/Cortek or something from the PRS SE series?

    It is a safe bet that Gibson has made damned sure that a pickguard for an American-made SG does not fit its nearest Korean equivalent model. They like to differentiate between the brands and protect the expensive one. Some screw holes will not align and the neck heels may be of different dimensions.

    There is no need to attack your guitar with woodworking tools. It should be possible to obtain P90-type pickups built in to humbucker-sized covers. e.g. G&B G123 and G123-1 pair, Tonerider Rebel 90 pair.
    I have tried various humbucker sized p90s and none of them quite capture the full raucous nature of proper soapbar p90s. How about Epiphone SGs? Are the pickguards interchangeable? Used Epi SGs are quite easy and cheap here, so Ii might go that route.
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  • CorvusCorvus Frets: 2924
    tFB Trader
    I wouldn't be surprised if dimensions & measures have been metricised maybe to suit machinery & tools, maybe to deliberately make them different to the US ones. Either way I'd be very surprised if G direct fits to Epi.
    Could someone make a custom pickguard over there? Using your original as the basis - if you're really stuck there's at least one place over here that could do that, Jacks Instrument Services.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    chris_john said:
    Used Epi SGs are quite easy and cheap here, so I might go that route.
    Are you choosing the SG because you like specific aspects of its design or simply because they are readily available inexpensively? 

    One of the disadvantages of the SG generally is the effect that its slim body can have on the neck joint. Enlarging the neck/Rhythm pickup cavity could weaken the existing joint surface contact area sufficiently to cause the neck to detach.

    Another personal dislike of mine about SGs is the displacement of the neck/Rhythm position pickup away from the end of the fingerboard, towards the bridge. (Some recent variants have now filled this gap with two extra frets.) 

    If you are fortunate, some manufacturers may be producing SG bodies with a one-size-fits-all pickup rout capable of accommodating pickups of several types and dimensions. 

    With any project guitar, the journey is as important in itself as its successful completion. On the other hand, it is probably wiser to purchase a pre-owned guitar that was intended to have P90s to begin with.
    Be seeing you.
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