Worried about my SG...

[lawnchair]

So I plugged in my SG Special today for the first time in several months and it has a very weird sound now. Its really shrill and has almost no bottom end at all. I even went as far as to crank the bass and turn down the treble on my amp and still got almost nothing but piercing shrillness. Any ideas? Would bad pots or a switch sound like that?

 

 

Also, the neck seems weaker than it did. I put a slight amount of pressure on it and it detuned about a half step. I'm going to say thats just because of the flimsy joint on SGs though...

[blind radish]

you pups may have gone microphonic

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Apr/Microphonic_Pickups_Vintage_or_Modern_Sounds.aspx

[Metalrulez]

I will not comment on the pickups but, as far as the neck goes you just have not played the guitar in so long you have forgotten who if feels or its "personality".

[cobra74]

If the guitar has been put away that long it is very possible that corrosion and dust in the pots could be the problem,both can increase impedance and cause noise and a lack of clear powerful tone.Pickups can also turn microphonic.If you really love the original tone you may want to pull the PUP's and have them re dipped in parafin wax.Good luck either way.

[EADGBE]

Any ideas?

Have you been playing another guitar in the mean time? If so what kind? Also how were the conditions where you stored your SG?

[tiltsta]

Dead strings?

 

I know when I pull a guitar from the case that I have not played in a long while (like a year or so), the sound is very dull/flat/dead. The feel pretty much sucks too. A quick string change fixes things straight away. This is the easiest/cheapest ting to try, so I would start here.

[lawnchair]

Yea I changed the strings already.

 

And the guitar was stored in its case (SKB) in my bedroom. No extreme temp changes or excessive moisture or anything.

[Scifi Metalhead]

I've been fighting that problem with my SG over four pickup swaps now.

[Pope on a Rope]

Get a can of lubricated contact cleaner, give the pots and switch a squirt or two then work them back and forth a few times, repeat if necessary. It's usually just a little oxidation that builds up from lack of use.

 

You can't lean into an SG like you can other guitars. All it take is a slight effort to move the neck and put it out of tune. Keep yourself aware of that and eventually it becomes automatic that you don't monkey it out of tune while playing.

[maxnew40]

Get a can of lubricated contact cleaner, give the pots and switch a squirt or two then work them back and forth a few times, repeat if necessary. It's usually just a little oxidation that builds up from lack of use. You can't lean into an SG like you can other guitars. All it take is a slight effort to move the neck and put it out of tune. Keep yourself aware of that and eventually it becomes automatic that you don't monkey it out of tune while playing.

 

 

 

When tuning my SG I can see the note change pitch just by resting my hand on the neck, so I agree that they can be very sensetive.

 

Max

[harold heckuba]

Get a can of lubricated contact cleaner, give the pots and switch a squirt or two then work them back and forth a few times, repeat if necessary. It's usually just a little oxidation that builds up from lack of use. You can't lean into an SG like you can other guitars. All it take is a slight effort to move the neck and put it out of tune. Keep yourself aware of that and eventually it becomes automatic that you don't monkey it out of tune while playing.

I would try this. I am guessing it is either a bad jack or a bad switch.

[WRGKMC]

If its an actual gibson SG and the guitar hasnt been modified in any way, the guitar electronics are pretty failsafe.

 

If you've had different pups put in then maybe theres an issue with the 3/4 conductor wires shorting out giving you a split coil effect.

 

Otherwise, i wouldnt suspect the guitar at all. I would suspect a bad guitar cord thats shorted or maybe you have an amp problem.