Neck pickup for SG

TTBZ

Think I've got my bridge pickup sorted with Alegree's take on a BK Warpig which sounds huge, really fills the SG out and gives it more of that LP push I was after.

My current neck pickup is an Axesrus Late 50s humsize P90. It's good but I've always found it a bit too twangy and thin under gain which is more emphasised now in comparison to the bridge pickup. I also want to go back to a neck humbucker as I find that P90s sound too uncompressed and loud/dynamic compared to the bridge humbucker which makes for an unbalanced guitar across pickups. SG neck position tends to be a bit thinner and "less creamy" than an LP so I was hoping I could find something to counter that a bit.

I didn't mind the stock 490r so I'm thinking I should just get one of them again. I want something that can split nicely as well though as I hear the Warpig does a great split. How does the 490r fare here? Also been looking at cheaper options like Tonerider (Rocksong neck?) as to be honest I don't use a neck pickup much, more for the odd clean bit and bluesier lead tones.

Teyeplayer

Bit of a left field idea and one that would need a custom pickguard making but what about trying a mini humbucker in the neck? Wouldn’t give you creamy like a les Paul but may balance quite well with the spikeyness of an Sg bridge.

stimpsonslostson

I've got an IronGear blues engine in the neck of my HH Tele deluxe. It's cheap, good and versatile. 

The other option is to contact Oil City, Mojo or Alegree & seek their expert advice. It'll be slightly more expensive, but you won't be disappointed. 

stickyfiddle

Total cliche, but the 57 Classic is a good pickup in an SG. I have an Alnico3 version which is really nice - quite toppy with the tone up but gets thicker-but-still-with-definition with the tone down a bit. 

That said, if you're happy with the 490R (actually a good pickup for heavier styles, despite its reputation) then go for one of those. Or get one of the "local" pickup guys to wind you something on that theme but a bit "more betterer"

normula1

Try putting the neck humbucker in with the screw coil facing the bridge. I tried this recently and it made a big difference. Looks a bit fugly but sounds much better.

dogload

I have a DeArmond Gold Tone in the neck position on my SG, paired with an old SD Pearly Gates at the bridge. They work very nicely together whilst being very distinct. The DeArmond has four (IIRC) conductor wires, so splitting etc is a doddle. They are a bit thin on the ground but well worth seeking out.

TTBZ

I'm thinking maybe an Oil City Night Fighter now. I generally like Alnico 4 pickups and whether I'm just imagining it or not, the lower string pull thing does seem to work in an SGs favour to not mess with the sustain so much. Before I got distracted by the Warpig I was going to get a set of these anyway so knowing me I'll probably end up with a bridge one at some point anyway  

Alegree

Anything modelled on a PAF will not balance with the bridge.

Funkfingers

Alegree said:

Anything modelled on a PAF will not balance with the bridge.

+1

Unless the OP requires a volume/drive difference between lead and rhythm, the obvious answer is another Alegree pickup - one calibrated for the neck/Rhythm position. That could be a humbucker. Could be a humbucker-sized P90.

BK Pig'90s are enormous fun. I dare say that Alegree can conjure up something just as juicy.

TTBZ

I used to have a Pig 90 bridge pickup, it was great! 

Maybe I'll leave it for a bit and decide when there honeymoon period has worn off! Seem to recall lots of people on the BK forum using Warpigs with Mules and MQs in the neck so maybe a hot PAF would work ok.

sweepy

Sometimes you don’t want a balance between pickups and surely when you have independent volume controls it matters more on the tone and openness rather than output 

roberty

Medium output Alnico 4 :-) 43 gauge wire