SG guitars are renowned instruments that have changed the course of guitar history. Featuring high-quality materials throughout, it is a fantastic product no matter what genre of music you use it for. If you want a different tone from this instrument, however, you should use a different pickup. Modifying your Gibson SG can be hard at times. Beginners are frequently concerned that changing pickups may damage their SGs. The Gibson SG is a popular guitar with dual humbucking pickups. The result is less noise and a stronger output to support heavier music styles. Gibson SGs can have three pickups in addition to single coil pickups.
The Gibson SG is still one of the most popular guitars in the world. Some of the most well-known users of the SG are AC/Angus DC’s Young and Frank Zappa. It has been in continuous manufacturing for the past 60 years. While the stock pickups on the SG are excellent, you may want a different tone but don’t want to trade guitars. The Gibson SG is one of the most popular guitars ever, but with aftermarket pickups installed, you can really stand out from the crowd.
Humbucker pickup mods are a lot easier than single coil pickup alterations. This is largely due to the fact that any two humbuckers will fit in any dual humbucker guitar body layout. This is not the case with Stratocaster and Telecaster pickups, for example. Yes, they’re both single coils, however the fit isn’t identical. If we want to change the humbuckers on an Epiphone or Gibson SG, we just choose one and swap it out. We’ll look at a couple humbuckers that we’ve used, tested, and suggest for Gibson SG pickup upgrades in this article.
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Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Special Humbucker Pickups
- Hotter and Fatter Bridge - The Saturday Night Special humbuckers are voiced...
- Clear Neck Pickup - The neck pickup is designed to be a little clearer and...
- Clear Overdriven Tone - These humbuckers are more aggressive than vintage...
The tone of the Saturday Night Special humbucker set is reminiscent of arena rock from the 1970s. This set of humbuckers is a terrific choice for your Gibson SG if you like full-bodied cleans and strong, vocal-like overdriven leads.
The Saturday Night Special humbuckers are voiced to be a little cleaner and less woolly in the neck position while being a touch hotter and fatter in the bridge position. These pickups are more aggressive than 1950s models, yet they don’t have the compression that other high gain pickups have. The cleans are warm and melodious, while the overdriven sound cuts through but isn’t harsh, particularly in the highs. It also cuts through a low-end mix without sounding foggy or woolly.
This set of humbuckers was created to bridge the gap between vintage 1950s pickups and modern humbuckers in terms of output level. This makes them ideal for recreating Peter Frampton’s famed late 1970s stadium rock tones. Four-conductor wiring, a maple spacer, and short mounting legs are included with these pickups. Nickel covers, gold covers, black uncovered bobbins, and zebra uncovered bobbins are also available.
Gibson ’57 Classic Plus Humbucker Pickup
- Features the same enamel-like coated wiring, Alnico 2 magnet, and maple...
- Comes with braided, two-conductor wiring
- Fully wax potted to eliminate any chance of microphonic feedback
Since its inception in the 1950s, the Gibson 57′ Classic has been the definitive humbucker PAF. It’s noted for its velvety tone and silky texture. The ’57 Classic Plus is an overwound variant of the ’57 Classic. This boosts output and is an excellent choice for the bridge position.
The Gibson ’57 Classic is one of the most popular humbucker pickups. It has a story to tell that is continually unfolding. This is the original pickup used in many of the world’s most famous jazz and blues guitars, and it’s also a terrific choice for your Gibson SG. The ’57 Classic Plus gives the bridge position a little extra bite while maintaining the smoothness that made the original so famous.
This pickup delivers a lovely PAF thick tone with a vintage character and is a wonderful complement for the ’57 Classic in the neck position. It works well in blues, fusion, and rock music. The Gibson ’57 Classic is a real classic that sounds fantastic in overdrive or clean on any Gibson SG guitar.
EMG JH James Hetfield Signature Guitar Pickup Set
- James Hetfield Signature Pickup Set
- "Stealth" looking set
- Active tone with the clarity and punch of a passive pickup
In 2009, Metallica’s iconic singer and guitarist James Hetfield approached EMG with a request to design a stealthy-looking pickup kit. He wanted it to have the clarity and power of a modern passive pickup while maintaining a vintage tone. With the JH HET set, EMG delivered. This is an excellent pickup kit that will make your SG scream like a shredder.
The JH-N is for the neck position, and the JH-B is for the bridge position, in James Hetfield’s trademark set. Individual ceramic poles and bobbins provide the JH-N a larger core. This gives the neck position more attack, output, and a fuller bass tone, which is ideal for metal’s hefty and strong palm-muted chords.
The JH-B, on the other hand, has the same type of core as the JH-A, but with steel pole sections. This produces the same tight assault as before, but with less inductance for a more defined low end. One of the best metal pickup sets on the market is this humbucker set. It has a lot of power and clarity, and it produces legendary guitar sounds.
There are six stainless steel cap variations available for the JH Signature Set. Gold, chrome, brushed gold, brushed chrome, and brushed back chrome are the options. As a result, players and instrument manufacturers have a wide range of options. For those who want to sound like their favourite 80s thrash metal band, the EMG JH Signature pickups are the finest option on our list.
Fishman Fluence Classic Humbucker Pickup Set
- Active Humbucking-sized Electric Guitar Pickup Set with Multi-voice Fluence...
Fishman’s foray into electric guitar pickups has proven to be a huge success. Their stacked coil technology has changed the pickup market by generating a sound that has the thickness and ferocity of a humbucker while yet having the finesse and refinement of a single coil. Some have referred to it as a sound collision between active and passive pickups.
Due to the technology used, which does not rely on typical pickup wire wrapping processes, the Fluence Classic set is completely noise and hum-free. The Fluence Classic bridge pickup has three distinct sounds: a powerful, calibrated PAF, a vintage single coil, and a vintage single coil. The Fishman humbuckers do this by combining elements of many tone types into a single pickup. Stack coil technology with pole Alnico 5 magnets is used in both the neck and bridge pickups.
Lindy Fralin Pure PAF Humbucker Set
Lindy Fralin has been making pickups for over 30 years and is widely regarded as one of the best. Guitarists like David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Neil Young, Bill Frisell, and Carlos Santana use Fralin pickups. For guitarists looking for that extra unique quality, the Pure PAF set is a great option.
This combination is a clone of Lindy Fralin’s favourite humbucker pickup from the 1950s. It has a lovely clear tone and is really versatile. This set of pickups comes with low output for a vintage tone for a clean and clear sound, and a smooth grind, and a quick attack.
It has Alnico 2 magnets made in the United States for that vintage tone, as well as Lindy Fralin’s “Sectioning” approach for dynamic playing and sound. This set of pickups was designed to meet the classic Gibson PAF specs, with low volume and modern clarity.
Blues and jazz guitarists, as well as rock guitarists, can benefit greatly from the Pure PAF. It has a ten-year warranty against manufacture defects. For real SG lovers, the Pure PAF is a premium choice set that is also fairly adaptable.