• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: SG rewired

I've recently purchased back my old SG and it has Pearly Gates humbuckers in it.  Before I sold it I was experimenting with 1 meg pots.  The Bridge had 2, 1 meg pots for the volume and the tone.  The neck had 2 500k pots.  All CTS brand.  Now that I've got it back I've found that my neck pickup sounds muddy in conparison to the bridge pickups very very crystal clear clarity.  For leads the bridge is perfect but playing chords sounds a bit harsh and I found I have to back the tone off quite a bit to make it barable. 

What I was thinking was moving that 1 meg tone control to the neck pickups volume control and then moving that pickups volume to the bridge tone control giving me 1 meg volume and 500k tone controls for both pickups.  I've got a standard .022uf cap.  What do you think is this a pretty good idea?

I was also considering Jimmy Page wiring with 4 push pull pots but I really don't wanna buy Alpha brand pots due to how bad their standard pots are.  Does anybody have a suggestion on push pull pots???  Brand that is?

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  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: SG rewired

My deal with the JP wiring is I'm playing in a band that has some newer country music that requires humbuckers more so then Single coils.  The single coil sound would be more for songs that are cleaner sounding like Drift Away or Dock of the Bay.  I'm trying to avoid having to swap guitars so much.

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  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: SG rewired

Bourns http://www.guitarelectronics.com/produc … witch.html This is the cheapest price I could find on this part.  Looking around its the best push pull you can get and its not the one RS Guitarworks sells.  Just thought I'd share if anybody else was interested.  Guess not.

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  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: SG rewired

I have push/pull pots in my 1972 Les Paul Custom. I did it back in 1996 when the Jimmy Page model came out. I regret every second of it. The guitar shop kept (or forgot to give me back) the '72 original pots, and tapping a stock gibson pickup cuts the output in half... so from 9k to about 4.5k. So if you want to go from single to humbucker, there is a large kick in volume. the tone pulls reverse polarity so you can get a really good "spank" "honk" or even "tinny" sound depending on the configuration, but the coil tapping was like "I can't use this."

If you're already messing with the pots, I'd say maybe try it, but don't ruin the sanctity of a vintage piece. And depending on the output of the pearly gates, you might not like how it sounds coil tapped.... and hope that it's four conductor wire, because if it's two conductor, you 'll have to take the pickup apart. hmm

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

5 Reply by HellRot (edited by HellRot 2012-05-18 10:01:09)

  • From: Vienna
  • Registered: 2010-01-16
  • Posts: 408

Re: SG rewired

https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.com/ … d_125.html

  • Registered: 2010-12-06
  • Posts: 122

Re: SG rewired

My understanding is that you need "push pull" pots with a short shaft because the SG body is thinner than the Les Paul, and the rgular "push pull" are too deep for the SG controll cavity.  I have no experience in this, just remember it from a posting on the Gibson forum.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: SG rewired

Thanks guys!  Its not vintage its 2001 standard.  It was already modded out, but it was one of my first jobs so its messy.  I was hoping to clean things up if nothing else.  But I'm also looking for a Swiss army knife guitar as well.

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  • Registered: 2012-03-29
  • Posts: 84

Re: SG rewired

This thread came at a perfect time for me as i just got a bargain SG special faded and was looking at a jimmy page mod and new pickups. Thanks

Smitty Custom classic Strat in sonic blue
Smitty Custom classic Gold top Hog tele
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  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: SG rewired

Like I said, unless the pickups are SUPER hot, I'd avoid the coil tapping... or I'd highly recommend playing a guitar that has the capability before you do it. How you imagine the sound isn't the same as what it will sound like. hmm

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Ohio
  • Registered: 2007-09-10
  • Posts: 957

Re: SG rewired

My SG is with my tech now getting rewired... When it's done it will be just 1 meg volume pot to control both the neck and the bridge. I plan on using this as kinda my mostly rock guitar, I'll have the tone wide open and just use volume/toggle to change tone. Should be interesting.

Block inlay Gibson ES-335, 50th anniversary American Strat, '61 RI White SG, '62 RI Relic Strat, Replica Korina Flying V, Gold Tone Paul Beard Resonator,  '58 Les Paul RI, American Highway 1 Fender Strat, Breedlove Acoustic, Stonetree Joe Bonamassa Custom, HIWATT Lead 100R, Reeves Custom 30.
  • Registered: 2012-03-29
  • Posts: 84

Re: SG rewired

NPB_EST.1979 wrote:

Like I said, unless the pickups are SUPER hot, I'd avoid the coil tapping... or I'd highly recommend playing a guitar that has the capability before you do it. How you imagine the sound isn't the same as what it will sound like. hmm

Thanks for the advice. I think i will try and find one that already has the wiring. Im planning on getting some vintage output PAF pickups so it might not be for me. Logo33 let us know how it sounds. It should be really interesting.

Does the SG have short shaft pots? I have a new switchcraft switch and jack and some PIO caps so i might have to so a quick vintage rewire this weekend.

Smitty Custom classic Strat in sonic blue
Smitty Custom classic Gold top Hog tele
DR Z m12
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: SG rewired

I've played with coil spliting before and I agree if you go too low an output it might not sound good... But I've seen the other side of the story too.  My buddy had a guitar he wanted to put a DiMarzio Breed pickups in as well as the coil splits.  The pickups sounded loud and proud let me tell you!  At 25k vs the vintage 7 to 8k it could drive the front end of an amp.  With coil splits the pickups were still about 18k for the bridge.  So because it was as strong as most medium output pickups it still sounded the same.  I've got Pearly Gates that come in at 8.9k and 8k for the neck.  Really think this will be perfect because it is just barely in the medium output range or really hot vintage.

NPB_EST.1979 wrote:

Like I said, unless the pickups are SUPER hot, I'd avoid the coil tapping... or I'd highly recommend playing a guitar that has the capability before you do it. How you imagine the sound isn't the same as what it will sound like. hmm

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  • From: Was NY now FL/GA line
  • Registered: 2007-12-16
  • Posts: 2,857

Re: SG rewired

Wire in the "Hillbilly Channel Switching" and you'll be flat out floored! Greg Martins mistake works really well. No it's not everyone's cup of tea. It works really well for me and I like the easy versatility. I've never cared for push/pull pots.

Remember the old adage: "KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid".

Yes, I'm a simpleton. Keeping things simple is what works for me.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: SG rewired

Never thought of that.  I am kind of stupid so that makes sense too...  I'll look into it!  Thanks as ususal man!

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