New pickup combo for G-400?

[inferno2086]

Hey all just joined the forum because in the next week or two I'll be buying a G-400 and my question is has anybody tried out a pick up combo of a soapbar P-90 in the neck and an Angus Young Signature in the bridge? I hear that the P-90s really have some punch to them and I'm looking for ACDC sound also so the AY sig's were a no brainer lol.

[Gashole]

I haven't tried that combo, but you are on the right track with P90's and an SG. I like mine!

 

A friend of mine has a Reverend Double Agent...sort of a tele design with a P90 in the neck and bucker in the bridge...the 2 work very well together. Not like your SG and the pickups you mentioned exactly I know, but that's the closest I've gotten to the combo you ask about.

[thunderstruck507]

I personally found the angus signature pickup to have less of an ac/dc sound than either the 57 classic or the 498t

 

depends on which ac/dc sound you're after, but IMO the angus is too muddy and lacks volume

 

my favorite ac/dc tone is the live at donington type, so 498t with lots of overdrive on the amp is a great way to get that, but I can also switch to the od1 channel for less gain and nail down a more classic ac/dc tone

[wedgeSG]

I've got a couple of G-400's along the lines of what you're planning one has a AY in the bridge and a Burstbucker II in the neck, another has a BBII/BBIII combination. I agree with Thunderstruck on the AY. While it does the ACDC it tries to do it all. It's passable, (I wouldn't call it muddy), but early style raw it ain't. I really find the BBIII gets closer to the tone but so much of that is rather easy to dial up on the amp with an SG type and some tubes if ya got 'em. Low gain settings, no pedals, lows less than half, mids near but below half, highs in the high end. Hit the strings like you mean it with a HEAVY pick and you can get pretty close. Considering when the AY pickup was released it's a good bet it wasn't "the pickup that Angus uses it's the pickup that you should use" when those classics were laid down originally. I like the pickup, (alot), but don't expect miracles. One of the best things you can do to get really close is pick up a copy of "The Riffology of ACDC" and follow the tips there. You'd be amazed how much better it sounds if you hit ALL the notes in those power chords and that's just the start of what you'll learn in the book. One of the best volumes I've ever read. For what it's worth, stay away from too hot of a pickup reguardless, the AY is about 10.3 and from what I've heard mid 8's on the bridge is more in line with what he used most of the time. Good luck in your quest for the elusive tone.....

 

Wedgie

[Muskank Sally]

The SH-6 Super Distortion pickups are the dead-n connection between an SG and the 'Angus Young' sound. In 1983 Angus used a Dimarzio X2N and a PAF in his SG ( Don't believe me? Watch the "Live at Houston Summit 1983" part of plug me In disc 3)

After that its' anyones guess what he actually settled for, but A always had special pickups earlier until Gibson started producng 'signature' pickups. Normally, he used whatever came standard in a '67 SG aiming the bridge pickup as high as it would go to capture that raw sound. A good bit of his early 70's SG's simply had the pickup covers removed.

Gibson made some stellar pickups early on, and my guess wouldbe whatever the roadtech thought was hot and that Angus would want would usually be wired in to test. No one had a perfect sound just right off, and in the early days guys like Angus and the guitar tech would try countless combo's of pickups to settle on the definite pair.

[Canine]

The P90/HB combo is the factory setup for that BFG Les Paul that Gibson is now selling. I heard tons about how great that combination is, from sweet rhythm tones to screaming leads, it seems to be a very flexible and dynamic set.

 

The G400 comes routed for two HB, maybe the Dream 90 or the Mean 90 from Guitar Fetish could be a good replacement. I heard very good reviews about those GF P90 pups, some say there's little if any difference between the Dream 90 and the real Gibson P90. I understand Seymour Duncan also makes HB-sized P90s, so that's a more pricey alternative.