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SG Standard Pickup Angle


HKC

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Hi

I want to make the pickups of my SG Standard follow the angle of the strings. I have googled this quite a bit and this is what I have found out, please correct me if it's wrong.

I need to buy two neck pickup bezels (because the bridge PU bezel is too tall), enlarge the holes in the pickguard slightly to make room for the change of angle.....or I could just out a little shim under the pickups but I would rather do the first thing.

Does anybody have an exact link where I can get the bezels, I don't really know where to look. It could be in the US but since I live in Denmark a EU dealer would be very cool. It' not a big deal though.

 

PS I do realize that the difference is not a huge one but I do want to give it a shot. I have put Lollar Imperials on the SG because my love for the SG is more Revolver than AC/DC and in those days the PUs were following the strings. I think that buying PAF clones doesn't make sense if you don't put them in the right environment

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Hi

I want to make the pickups of my SG Standard follow the angle of the strings. I have googled this quite a bit and this is what I have found out, please correct me if it's wrong.

I need to buy two neck pickup bezels (because the bridge PU bezel is too tall), enlarge the holes in the pickguard slightly to make room for the change of angle.....or I could just out a little shim under the pickups but I would rather do the first thing.

Does anybody have an exact link where I can get the bezels, I don't really know where to look. It could be in the US but since I live in Denmark a EU dealer would be very cool. It' not a big deal though.

 

PS I do realize that the difference is not a huge one but I do want to give it a shot. I have put Lollar Imperials on the SG because my love for the SG is more Revolver than AC/DC and in those days the PUs were following the strings. I think that buying PAF clones doesn't make sense if you don't put them in the right environment

 

Large guard SGs have always had the top of the pickup parallel to the top of the guitar(see below 1968). Same thing with a Flying V. I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't sound any different to me. I kind of think of it as part of the look of a large guard. How do the Lollars sound in the standard? Did you go for the regular winds?

DSCF0204.jpg

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The Lollars sound very nice. I went for the regular winds for the bridge and the low winds on the neck. This was after advice from Lollar himself.

I still want to try the PU angle thing out. Changing the angle must have some influence and if not then I have tried it. It's not a big deal in terms of costs but I would still very much like a link to what it is I need to buy. I have found Gibson spareparts in many EU shops but I am not sure exactly what it is I'm looking after. Some are called 1/8, another one is 3/8 and I don't really know what that means but I think it is the height in which case the 1/8 is what I'm after......or is it the angle. Are there more than one angle on Gibsons. In other words is the Les Paul angle similar to the SG or.....

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This is something Angus Young does. 028b8948-ef3d-4042-b62a-168fe04918ef.jpg

 

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-Custom/Angus-Young-SG-Standard.aspx

 

I think a SG 1/8 neck PU ring is too small and wont give the effect your after. The 1/8, 3/8 is the height. The LP ring are not the same, because the LP has a carved top and is not flat so the rings are not flat, you need flat SG type rings. There are many non Gibson rings, I would get a few in different heights.

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I want exactly what that Angus Young model has. Does anybody know if those bezels (rings) can be found anywhere, or what their exact name is, or who may know the answer.

I can't understand why people say that the angle doesn't infuence the sound. Changing the angle moves the pickup spot slightly away from the bridge which has to influence the treble/nasal balance. I have put in a little shim to see if it really doesn't matter and my conclusion is that it matters. I don't doubt that there are scenarios where it's of little importance but with PAF replicas you have a much lower output.

On top of that I am after nailing the Revolver sound which means no distortion, just compression and a little overdrive just for good measure. That means much more emphasis on the clean guitar sound and less on pedals and that may also be a reason. Obviously if you have darker humbuckers the angle is a good thing with more clang added to the sound. All vintage PAF clones I have come across are brighter than newer pickups so in those cases I suppose I like the slightly smoother treble of the straight PU. This may even explain why Gibson changed the angle at some point.

 

PS the neck PU does not change nearly as much as the bridge but there is a difference, at least with the Lollar Imperials.

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Hi again, and thanks for the input

I just want to post what I ended up doing to help others in the same situation.

I bought the standard 3/8 for the bridge and the 1/8 for the neck. Put them on without drilling any holes because the two height adjustment screws keeps it in place very well (but the screes for it is included with the bezels). And best of all they simply do exactly what I had hoped they would do. It cost around 15 euros (18 dollars) so it's not a big deal to try it out even if you don't like it.

One thing I can say for sure is that the sound changes a lot and in my case, with the Lollar Imperial PAF clones, everything is much, much better. Better high end, better low end, better midrange and much more definition while still maintaining only the same output as a vintage guitar. It's very close in output to my 1962 Gretsch 6120 so it sounds great on old school amps like AC30 and all the classic Fenders.

I figure that vintage pickups (and clones) were made to follow the strings and that's why they work better that way. I don't know about the pickups the guitar came with, they may be made to work with the angle. I haven't tried to line them up and I wasn't crazy about them in the first place although they certainly had a good in your face overdriven sound but for cleaner stuff they were too closed for me.

 

Again thank you very much for the input

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  • 1 year later...

The ring can be held in place by the height adjustment screws only but will move a little. To hold you'll have to put the 4 screws into the plastic

 

What about the long pickup screws. would i have to use longer screws to run thru the ring and pickguard to the pickups?

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I just shimmed mine with a small piece of foam rubber under the rear of the pickups in the body. I like the bridge pick up more even. I also did the neck too. There is no real difference in sound but it was just a cosmetic issue with me. On another SG I owned I did not have to because they were more even without being shimmed. Some guys like the small guard SG's in which you do not have to worry about that because of the pick up rings but I prefer the large guard SG. Again this is preference. Some guys think that the small plastic rings makes a big difference in sound or sounds better than the large guard model SG's. Both pick ups are mounted in plastic and there is no difference comparing the same exact pick ups between the 2 models. There is no extra wood that has been routed out under the large guard SG. It is just a bigger pick guard. I like both SG guard types but prefer the large guards. Anyways just my 2 cents on the subject, Tim

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I just shimmed mine with a small piece of foam rubber under the rear of the pickups in the body. I like the bridge pick up more even. I also did the neck too. There is no real difference in sound but it was just a cosmetic issue with me. On another SG I owned I did not have to because they were more even without being shimmed. Some guys like the small guard SG's in which you do not have to worry about that because of the pick up rings but I prefer the large guard SG. Again this is preference. Some guys think that the small plastic rings makes a big difference in sound or sounds better than the large guard model SG's. Both pick ups are mounted in plastic and there is no difference comparing the same exact pick ups between the 2 models. There is no extra wood that has been routed out under the large guard SG. It is just a bigger pick guard. I like both SG guard types but prefer the large guards. Anyways just my 2 cents on the subject, Tim

 

I also have a Epiphone SG with the small pickguard and it seems to sound a bit darker in tone. both are loaded with Angus sig pickups. the crooked pickup dont bother me that much i might just try to bent the mounting tangs a little on the pickup.

 

I have also noticed my Gibson SG does not have the neck dive while my Epiphone does.

 

 

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  • 3 years later...

Next time you're ready to change strings, remove the pick guard and place a foam block under the bridge side of the pickup. It might take a bit of trial and error to get the right thickness for the foam. Easier than messing with a ring I would think...Mike

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Foam out of the pick-up cases like SD folded works well, you'll have to play with it though for the right height as mentioned. I did a SG like this with BBs in it, I just didnt like that particular BB pick-up though, I dont think it made any discernable difference but if you do...easy mod, go for it. Imo theres not much difference in the 490s, 57s and so forth as they are balanced well and easy to dial in a tone, the non waxed unpotted pick-ups are different and different in that style pick-up mounting and I think they do make a bit of a difference as I tried the Seths in it also., Both those sets just sound different in that style SG. The angle imho doesnt make any difference since imho your concern becomes the difference in 6 or 12 pole adjustments now. The only exception Ive see with this is with "one" SG where the cover added just enough height where it THEN became too close to the strings and was out of optimal range on a bridge 57+ SG.....which is subjective anyway since for example most players playing clean drop them down looking to clean and warm the highs, jazz comping etc and many prefer the 6-pole in this realm. However the twelve pole for sure would make a difference dropping the front as such--they should be parallel with the strings imho. Either way both sets are great pick-ups but Im not sure that makes any difference with the 6.

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This is something Angus Young does. 028b8948-ef3d-4042-b62a-168fe04918ef.jpg

 

http://www2.gibson.c...G-Standard.aspx

 

I think a SG 1/8 neck PU ring is too small and wont give the effect your after. The 1/8, 3/8 is the height. The LP ring are not the same, because the LP has a carved top and is not flat so the rings are not flat, you need flat SG type rings. There are many non Gibson rings, I would get a few in different heights.

 

 

Yeah I get what your saying that SG looks good, that said the pick-ups being raised that high look different in the batwing guard especially without rings and covers its a visual appeal thing. They simply are not noticed with the rings as being as obvious.....anyway rock on.

post-60084-088540400 1518214272_thumb.jpg

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