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Skeeler is #64, lesh-head #65.
Dont confuse me, I lack sleep over here.
And i have a number, number 2 in a diaper! I be back!
Dont confuse me, I lack sleep over here.
And i have a number, number 2 in a diaper! I be back!
So I inadvertently ended up with La Bella flats on my Fireburst SG.I had ordered a set of medium scale strings for another bass only to find out once they arrived they didn't fit.So not wanting to trash can $34 I thought to my self,self I wonder if these will fit an SG.Low and behold they do.I'm keeping the stock string rolled up and stuck in the LaBella package shoved in a zip lock bag just incase I want to go back to rds.I was surprised they fit.
Hello all,
A few pages back we had a discussion about whether or not a set of lightweight tuners might quell the neck dive on an SG bass. Because of my arthritis and my curiosity, so I went ahead and had a set of Hipshot Ultralites installed on my 2015 SG. My luthier did a nice job, but was frustrated by the quality control on the bass. He believes the tuners were driven into the headstock while the lacquer was wet. Whatever the reason, when he knocked out the stock Grovers, some lacquer went with them. After some touching up, there's no evidence of the chips, but my luthier was pretty cheesed off at the whole situation.
The good news: the Hipshot tuners look and feel great.
The not-so good: there's still some neck dive. It's definitely better than before, but the headstock still wants to head south. My advice is not to bother installing lighter tuners unless you're just looking to reduce the overall weight of the bass.
Although I've never modified an instrument before, I just sort of kept going with the SG. In went a set of Curtis Novak pickups -- what he calls his EB-BS in the neck, and a Thunderbird-esque creation at the bridge. My goal was to have a nice, warm tone available at the neck, along with a sharper, more cutting pickup at the bridge, both of which would also work nicely together. Oh, and I also satinized the neck and installed some pointers beneath the knobs. I'm very pleased with the results.
After a professional setup, the finished bass is just what I'd hoped for. I've since sold all my other basses. This is my keeper.
Still, I'm pretty disappointed in Gibson's quality control. I bought this SG used and it had a number of nasty issues that needed fixing. The most obvious was a big blob of glue on the fretboard that had to be removed. The stock bridge pickup also had a nasty rattle that I temporarily fixed with a bit of cardboard, but COME ON! Incredibly, a couple of allen screws were also installed backwards into the Babicz bridge. They, too, were fished out and reinstalled. Oh, and there was a cracked volume knob that I had to replace. As I said, though, I don't mind -- mostly because I bought it used and knew I'd be modifying it. This thing plays beautifully and is really comfortable. I'm very happy.
If you have any questions, just let me know. And thanks again to everyone who participated in the conversation about replacing the tuners.
A few pages back we had a discussion about whether or not a set of lightweight tuners might quell the neck dive on an SG bass. Because of my arthritis and my curiosity, so I went ahead and had a set of Hipshot Ultralites installed on my 2015 SG. My luthier did a nice job, but was frustrated by the quality control on the bass. He believes the tuners were driven into the headstock while the lacquer was wet. Whatever the reason, when he knocked out the stock Grovers, some lacquer went with them. After some touching up, there's no evidence of the chips, but my luthier was pretty cheesed off at the whole situation.
The good news: the Hipshot tuners look and feel great.
The not-so good: there's still some neck dive. It's definitely better than before, but the headstock still wants to head south. My advice is not to bother installing lighter tuners unless you're just looking to reduce the overall weight of the bass.
Although I've never modified an instrument before, I just sort of kept going with the SG. In went a set of Curtis Novak pickups -- what he calls his EB-BS in the neck, and a Thunderbird-esque creation at the bridge. My goal was to have a nice, warm tone available at the neck, along with a sharper, more cutting pickup at the bridge, both of which would also work nicely together. Oh, and I also satinized the neck and installed some pointers beneath the knobs. I'm very pleased with the results.
After a professional setup, the finished bass is just what I'd hoped for. I've since sold all my other basses. This is my keeper.
Still, I'm pretty disappointed in Gibson's quality control. I bought this SG used and it had a number of nasty issues that needed fixing. The most obvious was a big blob of glue on the fretboard that had to be removed. The stock bridge pickup also had a nasty rattle that I temporarily fixed with a bit of cardboard, but COME ON! Incredibly, a couple of allen screws were also installed backwards into the Babicz bridge. They, too, were fished out and reinstalled. Oh, and there was a cracked volume knob that I had to replace. As I said, though, I don't mind -- mostly because I bought it used and knew I'd be modifying it. This thing plays beautifully and is really comfortable. I'm very happy.
If you have any questions, just let me know. And thanks again to everyone who participated in the conversation about replacing the tuners.
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How do you feel about the new bridge pick-up? I find that the stock neck pick-up overpowers the bridge, so to get a sound I like, I typically run the neck pick-up at about half the bridge pup's setting. Is the new bridge sharper and more cutting like you were hoping? Which Curtis Novak bridge pick-up is it? Did you ask for anything special?
Also, where did you get the knob pointers?
Also, where did you get the knob pointers?
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Skeeler,
I got the replacement knob and the pointers from darrenriley.com -- the pointers are Gibson Historic pieces for guitar and bass. Darren has terrific customer service and stocks all the fiddly little parts that are tough to find elsewhere. I give him as much of my business as I can.
The new bridge is definitely more authoritative than the stock pickup. It's a custom variation of Curtis's standard SG bridge pickup. Working with him was interesting. Rather than telling me my options, Curtis simply asked me to describe the sound I wanted. So I told him I wanted a Thunderbird pickup for the bridge -- brighter than the stock SG with the ability to get a grindy tone, and to be overdriven fairly easily. He said that was no problem, and that he would wind a Firebird-sized pickup in the style of a Thunderbird. Honestly, I don't know anything about electronics, but his description is accurate. The bridge is much more aggressive sounding, and with the gain turned up, sounds really great and gritty. If you want, I can send you our email exchanges in a private message.
We just moved from California to Austin, TX so my equipment is buried at the moment. But when I get the amp out and set up, I can give you more detailed notes about the balance between neck/bridge, or anything else. Just let me know.
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Thanks, christle!
I've got DR Lo-Riders on it currently and a set of TI flats in reserve. Although I generally use flats, the Lo-Riders work really well with the SG. I don't plan on changing them.
Here's my entry into the club, my NOS 2013 SG Faded model:
I added a set of black Gibby Speed Knobs and Allparts pointers (not installed in the above photos). After owning it for a couple of weeks I'm really digging the light weight and overall playability of this little beast. I've been able to get the action set nice and low, and the overall construction is top-notch, too.
I'm toying with replacing the neck pup with a DiMarzio, either the Model 1 or the Will Power. I just feel like the neck pup solo'd is a little lacking compared to the high-output growl of the bridge pup. I understand that the neck position has a lot to do with the sound, but I'm looking for more definition in the notes. Does anyone here prefer one over the other, and if so, why? Also, is either replacement a drop-in affair, or is routing required? Thanks!
I added a set of black Gibby Speed Knobs and Allparts pointers (not installed in the above photos). After owning it for a couple of weeks I'm really digging the light weight and overall playability of this little beast. I've been able to get the action set nice and low, and the overall construction is top-notch, too.
I'm toying with replacing the neck pup with a DiMarzio, either the Model 1 or the Will Power. I just feel like the neck pup solo'd is a little lacking compared to the high-output growl of the bridge pup. I understand that the neck position has a lot to do with the sound, but I'm looking for more definition in the notes. Does anyone here prefer one over the other, and if so, why? Also, is either replacement a drop-in affair, or is routing required? Thanks!
Thanks! There's something about the speed knobs that just look "right", imo. I like the witch hat style, but the speed knobs just send it over the top. I've been thumbing thru the past 20 or so pages in this thread, and there's some beauties in here! It's a shame that the EB model never took off the same way the Fender models did, but Gibby's have always been a niche bass brand, and players often can get a vintage EB for less $$ as a result, so it isn't all bad!The Speed Knobs look good on there Tbone. Beautiful Axe all around too!
Mine's a 2013, and the neck just isn't as prominent as I'd like. Off the top of your head, though, what's a 2015 neck pup go for currently?
Interesting. My bridge pup solo'd is a lot louder sounding to me in comparison to the neck solo'd. Do you also find that diming both volumes tends to lessen the overall output? I notice it on mine, and was wondering if it's common to the model.
Here is my Eb-3 with the DiMarzio Will Power pickup installed, and Hipshot bridge. Sounds nice.
