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I have a Custom 5 in the bridge of my SG. It sounds pretty good, save for some thinness. What would you suggest to fatten up my bridge spot? Perhaps a CC or Custom, or go a different route and get something like a Jazz bridge model.

A Jazz bridge will sound a bit thinner. Try a Custom next. I'd suggest a CC, except that SG's have sort of a soft attack, and the CC has a softer bottom end, so I'd stay with tighter pickups like a Custom or C5. Before you change out the C5, experiment by raising it a bit. Play with the height and see if it helps.

CC

I second the CC. Outstanding.

Im with GJ on this...SG tend to be kind of thin and lack a solid bottom end, and Alnico II pickup could make that worse. I would go with a 59 in the bridge. If you want a higher output pickup you might try a Custom, the custom sounds quite a bit like a 59 but just bigger and meaner. Another option, even though it would look funny would be the Blues Trembucker...if your SG is a post 1995 and is not a historic the bridge is closer to trem spacing that it is to standard spacing and the trembucker would work fine, the Blues is a thick, but articulate Alnico 5 bucker that rads about 10k...

I often hear people say the C5 sounds thin.. I dont understand that as it is fat in the applications Ive used it in. and that has been several dif axes. Even one that axes I have that makes even tone zones sound thin..
check the height and the poles..
If not, go cc

Yeah, I agree Bloodrose. The C5 doesn't sound thin to me. Everyone has different rigs, strings, and picking attack though. CC's have nice density, so maybe that would be a good move, for added bulk. Custom too.

Wait a minute, what was I thinking? Try a Seth Lover set! I think if I bought another SG, I'd put Seths in it.

hell a eq pedal might help u out.

I was going to slap my PATB-1 in there yesterday (actually had it out of the strat and ready to go) but the Trembucker is almost an eighth of an inch too wide for the hole in my pickguard, and I don't really want to grind it down.
Let me see if I can elaborate on my problem. It sounds pretty good for single note leads, etc. It seems to have somewhat of a low-mid accentuation that I really like. The problem I run into is when playing chords, i hear lows, and highs... not much in the middle. When compared to the Jazz I have in the neck (and I know that's apples and oranges, comparing positions) it lacks clarity on the chords.
It's something that I can work around... It's not a huge problem, but I was just wondering if anyone knew something I didn't that would solve my issues. I'll go fuss with the height a bit.

Ok, that did it. I just lowered each of the polepieces a couple of turns, and raised the pickup a couple of turns, and now it is better. For now, I am sated.

I think that the closer the pickup is to the strings, the more midrange it has. I usually don't go by any standards. I just stand near the amp at normal playing conditions and play with the height till it sounds perfect to me.

somebody (changliu?) said that if you shorten the pole pieces it make the p-u thicker , any thoughts about it , and why would it be true ?

I would try a dimarzio air zone. I have a gordon smith guitar that is not dissimilar from an SG. I had a C5 in that guitar and found it thin (lacking mids) and a little brittle/bright on the top end. The air zone fixed both problems - it is thicker souning because of the increased mids and bass, and has a slightly rolled off top end.
It is also very similar to the C5 in output terms.
The air zone also has a decent clean tone and coil taps incredibly well.

I think this is one area where pickups dont quite fit and the Dimarzios do. Dimarzio make the Air Zone, Tone Zone, and Breed (amongst others) that have increased bass/mids and lower treble, which thickens up thin sounding guitars and tempers any excess brightness.
There isnt realy anything like this in the SD range. The CC really lacks bass to my ears nd was too dark in the guitars i tried it in, the Custom is quite bright, and the C5 is too thin. (of course, this is just my opinion, and i know there are loads of people who equally hear the C5 as thick sounding and the CC having ample bass)
For any other type of sound i would look to SD or Lindy Fralin, but for a thick, warm and powerful bridge humbucker i'd go for dimarzios.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserYeah, I agree Bloodrose. The C5 doesn't sound thin to me. Everyone has different rigs, strings, and picking attack though. CC's have nice density, so maybe that would be a good move, for added bulk. Custom too.

Wait a minute, what was I thinking? Try a Seth Lover set! I think if I bought another SG, I'd put Seths in it.

Stay away from the Seth Lovers in the bridge of an SG. I swapped the stock 490t and 490r for a set of Seths, and the Seth bridge was far thinner than the 490t (the 490t is a vintage output pickup). So, out came the seth bridge and back in went the 490t.

I agree with the poster than suggested the Blues Trembucker. If the lack of vintage looks doesn't bother you, then the Blues might be the one. The Custom and 59 might also be worth a shot, but I'd stay away from the CC.


Originally Posted by dd12939Ok, that did it. I just lowered each of the polepieces a couple of turns, and raised the pickup a couple of turns, and now it is better. For now, I am sated.

The C5 is very sensitive to the settings.. Also very tweakable by the poles.

Go with the Blues or the Custom Custom...

SG's typically have the Bridge pickup mounted closer to the Bridge itself in comparison to a Les Paul which will naturally produce a thinner sound... you may want to try 250k pot on the Bridge pickup to help tame it.

PRS and most other manufactures mount the Bridge pickup further from the Bridge to get a thicker tone... get out the measuring tool and you will see!


Originally Posted by BachToRockGo with the Blues or the Custom Custom...

SG's typically have the Bridge pickup mounted closer to the Bridge itself in comparison to a Les Paul which will naturally produce a thinner sound... you may want to try 250k pot on the Bridge pickup to help tame it.

Easier to just to wire a /-470pf (.00047uf) cap from the pickup lead lug of the volume pot to ground -- no need to go to all that trouble of yanking the pot and putting in a new one. I recommend leaving the control cavity open, grabbing some alligator clips and just trying out various cap values in the 500pf range until you find the one that works just right.

For this, you not only don't have to bother with yanking the pot and putting a new one in, you don't even have to fire up the solder gun until you find the right cap.

I like the 59B alot too, especially in an SG. It's the Clapton Disrali Gears and Wheels of Fire tone: my favorite humbucker through a Marshall tone.

But you want something a little hotter and thicker than the C5...to me, that would be the Custom or the JB.

I love the Custom Custom too, but it doesn't sound like the C5. Less bass and treble and alot more mids from the CC. Personally, I like it best in semi hollow body guitars like my Hamer Monoco.

Both the C5 and the JB are alnico 5 magnet humbuckers.

Personally, I'd like to see the C5 wound for a little thicker tone...I think it lacks mids too. Right now, Duncan winds the C5, the Custom and the Custom Custom exactly the same and the only diff is the magnets.

But I think the C5 should be wound for a little thicker tone that's thicker than the current C5 but not quite as strong as the JB, and I suspect that the reason Seymour didn't release it until guys here started swapping alnico 5 magnets into the Custom or Custom Custom is that Seymour maybe heard the same thing in the C5 that some of us who feel it could use a little more mids do. I think it could stand a little further tweaking. Just my opinion. Lew

Alnico 5 has a deep mid-scoop that will sometimes make even high-output pickups sound hollow. Seymour needs to come up with a more mid and low-mid heavy wind to balance that out.

In the meantime, I recommend swapping in an Alnico 4 for a flatter EQ response -- and then raising the pickup a little to make up for the slight loss in output.

I don't hear alnico 5 as being quot;scoopedquot;...I don't like that description: it's to much of a cliche. But I do hear a5 as having a big, tight bass response and more highs and upper harmonics than most (but not all) alnico 2 humbuckers. Alnico 4 in a humbucker can give it more mids than a5 but also more bite to the treble frequencies. Personally, I think a humbucker needs to be specially wound to compliment the alnico 4 magnet. Lindy Fralin does that and his humbuckers sound great, but I have some alnico 4 magnets that I got from Lindy and when the guys here tried them in thier Duncans a few thought the alnico 4 made the pickup a little harsh. IMO, that's because the pickups weren't voiced for alnico 4 from the get go.

Lew