SGD Neo pickups - anybody here use them?
 

Does anybody here use SGD Neo pickups?

SGD is my first stop for replacement pickups. I love their punch and clarity, and Dave can make you most anything. I currently have them in my Lakland 44-02, which was a HUGE improvement over the stock Lakland pickups. There will be a wait time, but that's true for most custom pickup makers.

Sounds good. I'm looking to replace the somewhat bland active pups I have in my Peavey Millennium Plus J/J. I was thinking about going with the Neo's because they can be wired series/single/parallel so I'd have more options. I'm replacing the preamp in that bass with a 4-band Audere Classic.

Did you check out the sound clips? They sold me. I should have mine maybe by next weekend.

Will be going in my Epiphone Thunderbird Classic Pro. ND-3 in the neck and SW-4 in the bridge. I will be doing sound clips of as many combinations as possible.

Yeah, I checked out the sound clips, but that only gives an idea of how they sound in a particular bass with particular strings through a particular amp. They do sound good, though. I think I'm going to go with a set of Neo Jazzbuckers some time in the summer.

I've got neos in a fretless I built and they sound really good. Every bit as nice as any other makers out there. I can post some clips for you when I get home.

probably not your kind of music, but you can listen to my pups on this recording.
check the sound cloud.

Awesome. That is my kind of music completely depending on my mood. I'm 43 but I've been on a Fall Out Boy kick for about a week. This morning I was listening to Michael McDonald and some Steely Dan, and finished up with some Thin Lizzy before my Algebra kids all came in.

Glad you like it, thos are SGD neo MM size and a jazz, in a carvin LB 5 strings.

Do you have an isolated track?

I can ask the guy who is recording my band, if not i might record something at home.

Thus far, I'm finding the SGD + Audere combination to be a real winner. I've got a set of SGD wide-aperture Neo humbuckers in both of my Carvin Icon 5s, along with an Audere 4-band + "Z" mode switch, and find that the pickups and the preamp complement one another very well. The net effect is very smooth, very clear, very clean, very full-range, very hi-fi. :cool:

MM

Just ordered a set of neo jazzbuckers. gonna put them in my Warmouth fretless. it's a heavy Alder slab, wenge/ebony neck with some generic pups. I'm getting some real nice dark/smooth/pillowy neck tones but the bridge tones are simply puke. I'm hoping the neos will add some life and warmth to blend with the "dark side". I'll find out soon enough as David has a set in stock.

I have ceramic SGD Sidewinders, not neos, but I can say that the quality of Dave's work is second-to-none. Simply Wizard.

Take the plunge
 

Based on the discussion and feedback in this thread and others, I decided to take the plunge. Sent an email to David for advice on choosing the right pickups for my needs and he was kind enough to send a sound clip. That reply came after 1:00 AM so I guess all the incoming orders means he needs to burn the midnight oil on a regular basis. Lead time on his website says 12-18 weeks which means my order should arrive sometime between late June and early August. I figure a quality product is worth waiting for.

Hey MysticMichael, great to hear you're enjoying the wide aperture ND3 and Audere ProZ combo. That's what I'll end up with in my Ibanez SR1000 Prestige. Can't wait to test drive them. Now... to go invent a time machine...

Jeff

I have a set of sidewinders in emg 40 shape in my fretless. They are mounted to a Bart EZQ filter preamp. Very unique and desirable sounding.

I just have to say, one of my Sidewinders broke, probably my own fault, and David shipped me out a new one in only about a week!

Now I can finally get off my backup bass and start jammin' on my main player again!

Thanks so much David, you are Da Man!

I wound my last pickup for the day at 3 am this morning... so yeah, I work late.

Let me know how the new one works out for you.