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OT: how do i make my sg sound like a les paul?


aeroslepperin

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i used to own a les paul. i now own an sg. i love the sound of the les paul,

which i found was considerably brighter than the sg (i assume because of the maple top?). but i love the playability of the sg.

 

i perceive the sg to be more mid-y than trebly, so i would love to swap out the pickups to sound more like a les paul...

 

ok....which pickups?

 

i do have plans to buy another les paul, but at the rate i'm saving, i think we're looking at 2012 before i can even start looking.

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eq

 

nah, it's not really an issue of eq. i'm talking more about...i don't know...voicing. if that makes sense.

 

eq just gives me a trebly-er/bassier/middy-er version the sg.

 

not a fuller sound. not a crisper sound.

 

i admit, this may be one of those "totally in my head" things....but at least I know what i'm talking about :)

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burstbuckers are my favorite pickup. i think. i have no idea how far it'll get you. i don't really love les pauls, but i used to play an sg standard and now i play an l6-s with burstbuckers and it sounds to me like a combo of the two. slightly more ballsy than the sg.

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burstbuckers are my favorite pickup. i think. i have no idea how far it'll get you. i don't really love les pauls, but i used to play an sg standard and now i play an l6-s with burstbuckers and it sounds to me like a combo of the two. slightly more ballsy than the sg.

 

yeah, with my amp my SG sounds really {censored}ing heavy like a les paul. I love it :love:

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well from what I understand, the burstbucker was first put in the l6 and was at the time the highest output pickup that existed...



666 posts!!!
sail hatan

 

 

but they're alnico ii, which have lower output; in any case "high output" of the time ain't nothin' compare to 20.5K ceramic monsters of today.

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i've not tried burstbuckers but generally a pickup with less output will deliver a brighter tone.


btw how was the show last nite? couldn't make it but i'll try to come for the next gig!

 

 

it was ok. it was our first show with the new bassist, after only 2 rehearsals, so it was awkward but not so much. he and i have known each other for years and he's one of them musical genius types so he stepped right in and did well.

 

the stage sound was way off and i think that's what got me the most. i need to be engulfed by the monitors otherwise i can't get into it. oh and our set order blew. all my favorites were at the end...which also made it tougher to get into...until the end.

 

i'll keep you informed for sure...thanks for asking.

 

as for pickups, someone else had suggested the seymour duncan custom 5 in the bridge with a '59 in the neck....i guess the reasoning was the pushed highs and lows to balance the mids of the sg.

 

i'll look into the burstbuckers...that'll be tomorrow's assignment while at work.

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i used to own a les paul. i now own an sg. i love the sound of the les paul,

which i found was considerably brighter than the sg


 

 

I can never understand this, and I've seen it a few times from different people. I've never owned an SG that wasn't WAY brighter than any Les Paul I had. Thinner sounding, to be sure, but much brighter.

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I can never understand this, and I've seen it a few times from different people. I've never owned an SG that wasn't WAY brighter than any Les Paul I had. Thinner sounding, to be sure, but much brighter.

 

 

i've had the opposite experience. every les paul i've used, be it gibson or ephiphone, standard or custom, have all been more piercing than my sgs.

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know what i'm talking about
:)

 

Things like fullness and crispness are words we use to describe certain qualities of equalization. Maybe you're just used to EQ controls being only bass/middle/treble, but there's a lot more frequencies in there that an amp's tone controls won't cover. Setting a good EQ right can give you "full' sounds and "crisp" sounds and "creamy" sounds and whatever other words we use (that are borrowed from descriptions of other things, usually food, incidentally) to talk about the tones we like.

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Glue another SG to the back, and an L6-S to the front.

 

That should make it sound like a mid-70's pancake-paul.

 

The SG is too thin, and doesn't have a maple top. Both of those are way more important to making it sound like a LP than any pickup choice you can make.

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My old SG was definately more midrangey, less trebly than my LP. One trick that seemed to make a little (minute) difference was this: when you restring the SG, lower the stoptail, and wrapt the strings over it, this creates more harmonic overtones and a richer, more Les Paul-esque experience.

 

also, maybe if you got one of those chrome or aluminum pickguards, that would add a bit of treble bite.

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My old SG was definately more midrangey, less trebly than my LP. One trick that seemed to make a little (minute) difference was this: when you restring the SG, lower the stoptail, and wrapt the strings over it, this creates more harmonic overtones and a richer, more Les Paul-esque experience.


also, maybe if you got one of those chrome or aluminum pickguards, that would add a bit of treble bite.

 

 

 

would i have to reverse the stop-tail piece as well, meaning - face it backwards?

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