Pickup swap

[Smidge71]

Hi all. I'm new to this, but here it goes anyway
Looking for opinions on pick ups swap
I've a USA built SG Classic, I don't mind the P90s, lord do they bark, but I'm gonna have the Hades Gates (Rev Gibbons signature) humbuckers put in. The 90s just sound lil tooooo skinny to me, thought the buckets would Phatten him up some
Any opinions/ thoughts would be appreciated

 

[DrBGood]

I wouldn't do it. A P90 SG is a beautiful thing. I'd hate to see it disfigured. If this is your first P90 guitar, give it time to grow on you. Play with your amp EQ, find pedals that will hekp you attain the tone you're looking for.

If this isn't fat enough for you, maybe a P90 guitar is not for you.

Not even a Gibson ...

 

[Decadent Dan]

USA Gibson SG Standard Black 5 Ply PICKGUARD Guitar Part Modern Style | eBay

<p>Description: Official USA Gibson SG Standard Pickguard- includes original screws</p> <p>Condition: Mint</p> <p>Type: Black 5 Ply</p> <p>Country/Make: United States</p> <p>Comments: Top shelf, plastic still attached!</p>*The STRATosphere is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with...

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[Smidge71]

I wouldn't do it. A P90 SG is a beautiful thing. I'd hate to see it disfigured. If this is your first P90 guitar, give it time to grow on you. Play with your amp EQ, find pedals that will hekp you attain the tone you're looking for.

If this isn't fat enough for you, maybe a P90 guitar is not for you.

Not even a Gibson ...

Appreciate the input, I'm playing through a 74 130W Music man w/ a primitive pedal. It is a good sound, also considered leaving 1 P90 @ the neck, & putting a bucker at the bridge,?,? But that could be asking for possible trouble I'm thinkin.
Again appreciate thoughts & ideas, I've been out of the game for a while, since my son started learning & playing, kinda lit a fire in me again

 

[Go Nigel Go]

Personally, I would keep it as is. I have half a dozen humbucker guitars, and no P-90s. Why not? Just an oversight on my part, but I do plan on getting something with P-90s at some point. I wouldn't consider swapping out the pickups in an existing guitar though. I think that by the time I bought the pickups and hardware necessary (not to mention the time to do a workmanlike job) I could just as easily buy another instrument with the P-90s already in it. Lot's of folks switching out P-90s for humbuckers and vice versa, I always wonder why they don't just trade and be done with it. Anyway, that is just me, it's your gear, you are free to do what you like at the end of the day.

 

[cerebral gasket]

Do it.
Having an SG Classic routed for Humbuckers is a great thing.

But my favorite pup combo is a Humbucker at the bridge and Single Coil at the neck.

Duncan JB and Phat Cat.

 

[skelt101]

@Smidge71
Have you tried adjusting your pickups and/or using the Tone controls? That would be the first course of action. If you think you’d be better off with different pickups after that, I agree with others that recommend against routing the guitar. There are plenty of choices out there that offer a different sound in the P90 form factor, so as to avoid permanently modifying your instrument.

 

[Smidge71]

@Smidge71
Have you tried adjusting your pickups and/or using the Tone controls? That would be the first course of action. If you think you’d be better off with different pickups after that, I agree with others that recommend against routing the guitar. There are plenty of choices out there that offer a different sound in the P90 form factor, so as to avoid permanently modifying your instrument.

Yes I've played around w/ tone controls on the axe & amp, yes they're hot and bark, just don't sound as full as my old LP Custom I used have. The changes w/ all the knobs are quite drastic. Can get close to the desired tone, just not quite enough. Maybe I'm too picky. I plan on keeping the 90s, just incase I "try" and play a lot of blues, ZZ, Skynyrd, to Boston etc etc even Cinderella. Soooo, can't Hhave the best of all worlds I guess. W/ out having separate guitars for all styles Lol. That's $ I don't have. Finding the happy med is an adventure fore sure.

 

[Decadent Dan]

I wouldn't do it. A P90 SG is a beautiful thing. I'd hate to see it disfigured. If this is your first P90 guitar, give it time to grow on you. Play with your amp EQ, find pedals that will hekp you attain the tone you're looking for.

If this isn't fat enough for you, maybe a P90 guitar is not for you.

Not even a Gibson ...

This from same same guy… “I should have kept my $400 2007 Gibson SG Special Faded, and make a P90 pickguard for it. Just thought about it after selling it, damned.”

 

[Smidge71]

Do it.
Having an SG Classic routed for Humbuckers is a great thing.

But my favorite pup combo is a Humbucker at the bridge and Single Coil at the neck.

Duncan JB and Phat Cat.

Those are are gorgeous!!!

 

[Decadent Dan]

Here’s a Classic with humbuckers, oh the horror, that poor disfigured guitar lol



That said, there are plenty of p90 sized humbuckers out there but remember you’ll need a dogear base to mount it to the pickguard.

 

[Decadent Dan]

And if that wasn’t odd enough, here’s my Standard P90.

 

[Smidge71]

This from same same guy… “I should have kept my $400 2007 Gibson SG Special Faded, and make a P90 pickguard for it. Just thought about it after selling it, damned.”

Mines an 07 also. Sold it once, but was furtunate enough to buy it back for same price I sold it for. Not gonna let it go again.
I did buy it brand new, glad to have it back fit sure.

 

[Smidge71]

And if that wasn’t odd enough, here’s my Standard P90.
View attachment 56373

Also gorgeous gear. Truthfully, IMHO, the SGs w/ 90s or buckers in em all look like hot rods. Like admiring ones favorite classic car when they come around

 

[Decadent Dan]

Also gorgeous gear. Truthfully, IMHO, the SGs w/ 90s or buckers in em all look like hot rods. Like admiring ones favorite classic car when they come around

Yep, same thing with the prices too. Like seeing a $50k today 60’s vehicle that you paid $800 for in the 80’s.

 

[Les’s Nemisis]

Why not install Mini-buckers? You get everything from Jazz to The Who... add in "almost P90" and good imitation of singles along with humbuckers that will drive if that's what you like. All without any mods to the guitars aside from a pickup swap with Gibson surrounds.

I like something a bit tamer, like these Lollars:



If you want hotter pickups, and I'm guessing by the Hades Gates suggestion that you do, check out the Dimazio Paul Gilbert PG-13 pickups by Lollar. Here's a demo: