NickyTyler Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hey everyone, New to the forum and recently a Gibson owner. I actually now have two SGs... a Gibson SG-1 or SG-X I believe and just recently picked up a faded SG special. I was doing a couple adjustments on the faded SG special I just picked up and it seemed odd to me that the pick ups seem unbalanced with the strings... for instance on the bridge pickup, the strings sit much closer to the top of the pick up and there is more of a gap towards the bottom of the pick up. I already lowered the pick up and bridge pick up as far as they will go without creating fret buzz, and the angle still remains. I mostly have teles and the strings sit an equal distance through the top and bottom of the pick ups, so I'm not sure if this is just typical of an SG or if it needs a pro set-up, etc. The other odd thing is my SG-X, like my tele, has the strings sitting very evenly throughout the top and bottom of the pick up. My other thought was that my SG-X has a plastic pick up ring around it that seems to have a bit of an angle, whereas the faded SG special doesn't have pick-ups rings. I'm no guitar expert, but it seems like you'd want the pick up sitting at the same height with the strings? If this is the case, perhaps adding angled pick up rings would solve this? I attached a photo of what I'm trying to say here :) The photo actually doesn't seem as exaggerated as it really seems to be, but I think it at least shows what I'm getting at. Amy feedback would be appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 I already lowered the pick up and bridge pick up as far as they will go without creating fret buzz, and the angle still remains. Is there a problem with the way the guitar sounds? Usually adjusting pickup height affects volume. There are some tonal differences, especially when you start to back the pickup off the strings, but I think mostly it's done to even out the volume between pickups so there is no volume change when switching. Also maybe I'm not understanding what you mean, but I don't think you would get fret buzz by adjusting the "pickup and the bridge pickup" unless you're talking about the strings buzzing(vibrating)on the pickup itself because it was set too high, and not buzzing on the frets where "Fret-Buzz" usually occurs. I don't think there's any rule on how high the pickups should be. Players choice. But if it sounds OK why worry about the way it looks, if that's the only problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Both of my 50th Anniversary Robby Krieger SGs have their pickups - especially the bridge pickups - sitting at the same angle shown in your photos, but as the the other poster has noted, it's not an issue as long as you are liking the sound of your guitar. This is common on newer SG Standards or any SG which uses the 'batwing" style pickguard where the pickups are mounted without "rings" which are known as bezels. Some players, either for asthetic or tonal reasons, prefer their pickups to sit parallel with the strings, i.e. Angus Young. The recent Gibson Custom Shop Angus Young model has the batwing pickguard with a bezel added on top to help correct the pickup angle - a modification Angus performed on many of his original SGs. http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-Custom/Angus-Young-SG-Standard.aspx It all comes down to personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 2 Robbie Kriegers!? One for playin', one for show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 2 Robbie Kriegers!? One for playin', one for show? One for hot-roddin', & one for keepin' stock. As a platform, I have never felt a better feeling neck on a Gibson - per the website, it is a hybrid of both the '50s and '60s neck profiles (it simply works for me), and given its relative rarity (only 300 made) and low cost (slightly more than a Standard), I figured I'd grab a second one while the gettin' was good. #1 will always remain stock (I love those '57 classics!), and #2 currently has an Angus Young pickup in the bridge, with the push-pull pot re-wired to split it from humbucking to single coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyTyler Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share Posted October 8, 2011 Both of my 50th Anniversary Robby Krieger SGs have their pickups - especially the bridge pickups - sitting at the same angle shown in your photos, but as the the other poster has noted, it's not an issue as long as you are liking the sound of your guitar. This is common on newer SG Standards or any SG which uses the 'batwing" style pickguard where the pickups are mounted without "rings" which are known as bezels. Some players, either for aesthetic or tonal reasons, prefer their pickups to sit parallel with the strings, i.e. Angus Young. The recent Gibson Custom Shop Angus Young model has the batwing pickguard with a bezel added on top to help correct the pickup angle - a modification Angus performed on many of his original SGs. Cool, thanks. Like I mentioned, I just picked up this thing and I'm not too familiar with SGs, so it just looked a little weird to me. Was thinking worst-case scenario that it was an indication that the neck was bowed or something, so wanted to just double-check this was the norm on some models. Looks like my "pick up ring" thought is confirmed. Do you notice any tonal differences between the two styles - "with bezel vs. without bezel"? I know we are talking about pick up height here, and I get the difference between raising and lowering pick ups. I like my pick ups high enough to get that bite, but not be too trebley or on the verge of hitting the strings, etc. It almost seems like having that angle would be a tad restrictive, because if you like your pup fairly high, you're only able to do that on half the pick up (top), leaving the other (bottom) half with a gap - I'd say the gap on the bottom is double the height of the top on my faded SG special. So I'm only getting my desired pick-up height on half the pick-up. I do notice a difference in tone from my SG-X (bevel) vs my faded SG special. I actually picked up the SG special since the SG-X only has a bridge pup, so I wanted another SG that was more versatile. I don't feel like I'm getting the same bite out of the special, however I realize they are different guitars. I'm pretty sure both are loaded with a 498t in the bridge. Maybe it's all in my head, but I'm curious as to how much of a difference it would really make having the entire pick up sit at my desired level. Reminds me of when I was beginning to play and bought one of my first guitars. I ordered the guitar online and when it got it and jammed on it a was so disappointed with how it sounded, dark and muddy. My buddy who had already been playing for years came over and set it up, turned out that the pick up was just set really low from the factory. He raised the pick up and it made a world of difference tonally. That was a bit more extreme of a situation however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Do you notice any tonal differences between the two styles - "with bezel vs. without bezel"? I do hear a a difference - a very slight difference - between the 2 styles. A pickup mounted in a bezel tends to sound ever so slightly more "even" & "smooth", while that same pickup, mounted in a batwing pickguard, tends to have a bit more "bite" & "sparkle". I believe this is due to the fact that you are hearing one pickup coil slightly more than the other when it's tilted, and this helps contribute more single coil charachter to the tone. The more gain & distortion you use, the less apparent these differences become. I usually play classic rock, and my amp is set for moderate overdrive with a lot of sparkle & top-end, and I keep my pickups slightly lower than most for additional clairity, so I prefer the sonic characteristics that a batwing 'guard imparts. The differences becomes far less noticible in a live situation, as it is an extremely subtle difference to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyTyler Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share Posted October 8, 2011 A pickup mounted in a bezel tends to sound ever so slightly more "even" & "smooth", while that same pickup, mounted in a batwing pickguard, tends to have a bit more "bite" & "sparkle". Thanks a ton for the information! Would I be able to change the angle so it sits flush by simply adding a pick up ring / bezel to it? Or is it more complicated than that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Thanks a ton for the information! Would I be able to change the angle so it sits flush by simply adding a pick up ring / bezel to it? Or is it more complicated than that? Yes, you can change the angle of the bridge pickup by installing a pickup bezel. The bridge pickup cutout in the batwing pickguard needs to be enlarged slightly (about 1/16", & only on the front & back)to allow the pickup to tilt forward on its axis. This can be done easily with a Dremel moto-tool, and then you would install a Gibson neck pickup bezel over the enlarged bridge pickup hole. The reason being is that the bridge pickup bezels are about twice the depth of neck pickup bezels, and would not allow the pickup to sit low enough when installed on top of a batwing 'guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 One for hot-roddin', & one for keepin' stock. As a platform, I have never felt a better feeling neck on a Gibson - per the website, it is a hybrid of both the '50s and '60s neck profiles (it simply works for me), and given its relative rarity (only 300 made) and low cost (slightly more than a Standard), I figured I'd grab a second one while the gettin' was good. #1 will always remain stock (I love those '57 classics!), and #2 currently has an Angus Young pickup in the bridge, with the push-pull pot re-wired to split it from humbucking to single coil. I've heard good things about the R.K.-SG. I've always dug the full-guard/Maestro tailpiece look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I've heard good things about the R.K.-SG. I've always dug the full-guard/Maestro tailpiece look. The full-guard/Maestro combo has always been my fave - I wish my bass had the batwing too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Ah. The Batwing/Maestro-Trem. For cool players like Robbie Krieger & Angus Young. 2004 Gibson Angus Young SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 GibSinCity - nice Angus SG you have there! I missed my chance to grab one a few years ago, & vowed to someday own an SG with the full-guard/Maestro setup. Your trem arm appears to be slightly shorter & have less of a bend than the ones on my Kriegers - is it stock or aftermarket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 GibSinCity - nice Angus SG you have there! I missed my chance to grab one a few years ago, & vowed to someday own an SG with the full-guard/Maestro setup. Your trem arm appears to be slightly shorter & have less of a bend than the ones on my Kriegers - is it stock or aftermarket? Actually, that's not mine. Just a photo of the first Angus model that Gibson released. I would assume that's a stock trem. arm. I almost went for that Angus model when they came out, but there was something just a little too perfect with it. An "Artist Model" as opposed to a tribute/replica. I'm glad I waited for the Custom VOS Standard version with the full pickgaurd, and of course the full-sized lightening bolts. Someday I may find the time to post pics. other than an avatar, but it looks like this. http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-Custom/Angus-Young-SG-Standard.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Woah - now that's what I call a heavy-duty guitar with a heavy duty price tag. Beautiful... Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibSinCity Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Yeah, at the time, I had more guitars than guitar-money, so I ended up trading in a few from the collection to get the Angus. It really sings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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