Epiphone SG Problem

[flip080210]

Hi if this thread already exists please just direct me to it. I searched but could not find it.

 

To get to the point my Epiphone SG lacks the bass or string response that I would like. I am looking for a solution to this problem. I play through a Valve Jr with a wylde overdrive. When I use my SG I cannot clearly hear the bass strings E,D,A they just sound muddy. EVJ are notorious for being on the bassy side which might contribute to the muddiness. When I use my stratocaster the bass strings sound very lively. I can hear them clearly and they sound very natural. My friend also has an epiphone SG and when using it on my setup I also get that nice natural sound. My SG has been upgraded with an Angus Young signature pickup. The strings on the guitars all seem to be 9's as far as I can tell, but probably different brands. I usually run gibson vintage reissues on my SG, but both my strat and my friends SG were newly purchased used and I don't know what strings they have.

 

I'm wondering if this is just a difference in the way the epiphones were made or if there is something I can do to fix it. Acoustically I can hear the bass on my friends SG much louder than mine and amplified his sounds clear whereas mine sounds muddy. Any suggestions to liven up my bass strings?

[midiman56]

Hey, flip ... welcome to the forum and congrats on your G400!

 

If I'm reading your post correctly, you're not quite sure what strings are on the guitar. If you purchased it new, then it came from Epiphone with 10 guage of whatever the cheapest quality they were able to source at the time.

 

START THERE! Get those strings off the guitar and replace them with something good ... or at the very least new. You'll hear a BIG difference just from doing that. Opinions on string brands will be as varied as the number of brands available, so I'll leave that up to you. From there, you have easy adjustments that can be performed on the pickup height that can be made that will effect your tone ... as well as the myriad of amp and pedal adjustments you'll want to make ... Strats and SG's sound quite different, so you'll want to adjust accordingly.

 

Have fun messin' around with it ... just about everone in the forum that owns a G400 is in love with it. A tweek or two and you'll be diggin' yours too!

 

Jim

[flip080210]

Thanks for the reply jim. I have actually owned the guitar for over 4 years. I don't remember what I but on it last. DR 9's I think. I don't remember having as must of a bass problem when I was using the gibson vintage reissue 10's. Maybe I'll put a set of them back on. Ever since I have had the guitar I have had this problem though.

 

Anyone know any strings that add more bass?

[alanssaab]

when did you last change the strings ?

[TP]

I would start with a new set of strings and try at least a 10 gauge string. I tend to prefer 11's or even 12's which should increase bass response some, but also may make it more muddy.

 

The likely culprit is the pickups. If trying a heavier gauge string doesn't work, you may want to look into adjusting your pickup height next. Raise it a tad on the bass side and see how that works. Last thing to do would possibly be a pickup swap.

 

For adjusting the pickup height here is a good standard I just saw in a different thread.

 

Depress the low E and high E strings at fret #22 and measure the distance between bottom of string and top of pickup.

 

Gibson LP Factory settings are as follows:-

 

Neck pickup 3/32" at both treble and bass sides

Bridge pickup 1/16" at both treble and bass sides

 

Adjust to taste from these starting points.

 

 

Note: If your action is lower on the treble side' date=' the pups will correspondingly be lower on the treble side. I.e. they won't be totally level with the body.[/quote']

 

Also the whole thread I got that from is a good read for your and the problem you might be having. Check it out here:

 

http://forums.epiphone.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=13542