Just a quick note... in case any of your comments disappear at any time it may be as a result of TH-cam blocking those spam competition win replies. I have noticed they are successfully blocking them now but the original comments also seem to be disappearing... sorry if that happens! 🤷♂
Hi, I enjoy your guitar shows very much. Thank you for your reference to Murray Guitar Pickups. I have couple of questions: # Did you ever examine Fender Telecaster American Professional II series? I would love to watch or listen to you and your opinion on this guitar and how does it compare to other better Telies? # Did you ever examine Telecaster Vintage II Deluxe 1975 model (new Fender line). I am about to get one and your opinion and examination would be of great value. Greetings from Gold Coast Australia - Kris.
I just watched your original video on this guitar....then this one.. it does sound better with the new pups and pots... pity you spend alot of money on these and have to mod them to make them better... I'd send that invoice to Gibson for a refund....lol...definitely more 'oomph'
Colin, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you don't try to hide the mistakes or trials from the audience. That keeps our expectations real and feels more honest. It also makes me feel better about the mistakes I make. Sometimes editing makes us forget that we are all human and all make mistakes. Brilliant film as always, mate, and I thank you. Have a beautiful weekend. Cheers!
When he relented and said “no, I won’t accept your pickups for free, but I’ll buy them from you” - hard to get more authentic than that, especially while upgrading a Gibson, lol
Best "effing around with guitars" channel I've found. Good natured and calm host, SGs all over the place and pleasant tones. If there is a lord, then you are doing his work. Peace, stay safe and have a great weekend everyone.
Only discovered this channel in the last few weeks and I'm hooked! Don't know how I missed it for so long! The format and style is great! (Not sure how good it is for my guitar addiction though!!!! 🤣)
I feel a bit guilty for giving you the idea of taking out the mounting plate. If I was nearby I would swing past and repair the paint for you. It will be a simple easy repair for an experienced painter but also easy to mess up for an amateur, it can be filled and just have a spot of nitrocelulose airbrushed on, sanded smooth and polished. I'm sorry if I led you down the wrong path I was just concerned about the air gap causing feedback, I think I would have just stuffed a tissue in there and not bothered removing them altogether.
Watching your adventures in the evening after a crazy busy day is almost as enjoyable as watching you at lunchtime. Taking one for the team really makes you a legend!
My first thought when hearing you were going to screw directly into the bottom of the pickup recess, "I sure hope he's very careful not to over do it". Didn't take long to find out. Sorry about that happening but thanks for being honest and warning us. A skilled luthier could make that hole disappear if it winds up bothering you. On the brighter side, those new pickups really made a significant difference. In my opinion the old ones had a more muted jazzbox tone versus the livelier rock tones that should be the SG's forte. Glad to hear that your work has improved your bond with that guitar.
I did the same to my Gibson special tribute. Changed pick ups to lolla p90s and changed tuners and knobs. Miles better now! The lolla p90s have awoken a beast! Great demo as always Colin. 🎶🎸
Woke up this morning, brewed my coffee, opened up Ytube, and what do i see? New video from our favorite Guitarista -_- Great feeling, merci mon ami ;) Opinion after the facts: - Guitar looks much better - Small but noticeable tone difference after upgrade (was it worth it? sometimes, it's the journey that counts lol) - Noodling riffs were terrific, as always. You always have song-worthy riffs in your demos imo, very musical. Keep on rocking the good rock amigo
I've only just got to the part of the video where you show that you'd screwed through the back of the SG body and I've got to say thank you for your honesty Colin. I say that because that is the sort of thing that I would do even though I would be trying to be as careful as I could. I'm glad to find out it's not just me.
I agree on the tail piece so close to pick up causing it to sound brittle. I recently picked up the Rick Beato and because it has a regular tail piece instead of a wraparound I think it sounds less brittle. That’s still a beautiful guitar you have there. Thank you so much for the show and God bless from Michigan. Oh I almost forgot, Thanks for not editing out that you drilled through the guitar lol that shows how real this program is. Take care
I’m curious to see if a new bridge would make the difference. I put a music city saavy bridge on my Jr. And it made an enormous difference. It now has way more sustain and resonance, and is intonated.
Agreed with like the tonepros studs and a different bridge can give it some more heft. I did this change on a LP JR and it does have an impact, although not you know, not night and day, but it feeds into it.
I love the way my Epi SG special p90s sound but I'm never one to leave well enough alone so I've ordered some DIY kits with Alnico 2,3,and 5 magnets to play around with wind count and magnet types! I wound the p90s in my first telecaster build and they turned out great! Awesome comparison video and great playing Colin! 🎸🎶🤘
Another fun guitar project well done! I recently replaced the wiring harness and pickups in my 2014 SG, which had 57 Classics with coil splits. The stock electronics sounded muddy in the mids and the highs felt muffled. A good part of my inspiration to do the project came from watching you doing similar projects. I first changed the wiring to 50s wiring with 500k CTS pots and orange drops. That made a huge difference. Really opened up the sound with clarity throughout the spectrum and a lot stronger highs. I really liked the sound for the first time. But I couldn't stop there. I ordered a set of Fralin humbucker shaped P-90s and installed those. That took it to a whole other level of liveliness and punch. Sweet sounding! Very happy I did the project. (Ok, so I did burn a small hole in the finish with the soldering iron.) Thanks for what you do on this channel Colin.
I love it, sounds great! The ivory cover looks good with the neck binding. Colin, you're bending those guitar stings to my ear's favorite tones. I'm excited to catch the wiring on the Guitaristas' VHX channel.
I have the same guitar and had the same experience. The bridge pickup on that model is closer to the bridge compared to the others for some reason so the vibrations at the bridge makes it super brittle and low output sounding. The pickup swap is great and i swapped to a locking bridge on mine as well to give it better stability and tuning and added treble bleeds to make the pots work better for mine. Great video for insight!
Thank you for this interesting video Colin. Glenn Fricker sometimes uses the what he calls the "No More Tears Test" to check out the quality of a guitar tone. I recommend what I call the "I Can See For Miles Test". When you play the sequence where the E triad on the strings 3-5 is moved from E to G, then to A, to C, to D and to the high E over the open E string you can really hear if a PU can separate the notes from each other. Check it out!
I think a big contributor to the sound differences is the placement of the bridge pickup relative to the bridge/ tail piece. The Epiphone and custom shop have the pickups further away from the bridge than the Special.
Glad I found this channel, we have very similar tastes it seems! I had this guitar in Pelham blue and changed every single part on it. It turned it into an absolute monster but I still sold it for the custom shop. 😅
When I go guitar shopping I play them all acoustically while I hand them to my brother or a buddy to plug in to make sure they function because I don’t want to be there all day. The pickups can be changed as you demonstrated here. Played two new SG Specials and a real 60s SG Junior. One of the Specials was great the others were a pass.
You can definitely hear a difference. It's subtle (always is), but it IS there. Also, the antique white PU-cover looks amazing against the black finish of the guitar. Though, I probably would have changed it for both pickups. Cheers, mate.
Colin, I think the sound is better for definite! Plus I think the white pick up cover looks superb with the tortoise shell pick guard! What about having them both white? Congrats!
I love how you show us the comparisons through each step, and that your just honest about everything and not trying to sell anything. thank you for all the great content.
I know exactly what you mean about bonding, I'm nearing the end of updating my Gibson USA Iommi Monkey SG Special, converting it to the Gibson Custom Shop specs. I've so far added a zero fret, changed tuners to Sperzel locking, shielded the pickup cavity, aged the entire guitar, lacquered the fretboard (that was interesting for a rosewood board), filed the pickguards to make the edges wide beveled, and lastly now I am waiting for Jaydee Custom "Monkey Replica "pickups to install which I think will conclude my journey. This guitar is special to me now, no pun intended....
Glad you didn't screw it to the bench...🤣🤣🤣 Now you have a legit reason to have it refinished. Or I suppose you could just wait for the inevitable buckle rash to hide it. Or maybe a black Sharpie???🤔🤔🤔 Great video as always...thanks for another entertaining one!!! See ya' next Friday...TTFN!!!
The Murrays are a definite improvement over the stock pickups; more articulation, sweetness and solidity behind them. A guitar does feel better when it sounds better to the player. Still don’t know which I liked the sound of better between the Epi and the custom shop though!
Hey mate….if you’ll screw down the adjustable pole pieces in the pup, wax will exude if potted….no wax, probably not potted. Wax potting makes a huge difference, especially in P-90’s
Thanks Colin for putting in this effort!! I don’t think I have come across any TH-camr who has made stepped changes and shown how it sounds at each step! Keep up the good work❤
Hello Colin, Will B. the polisher here. Happy Holidays, and again thank you for all of the brilliant, benevolent work. Were I your neighbor, I would touch-up that through hole on the backside pro-bono over a cup of tea. Would only take me about that long to fill and level, followed by a bit of spot Frenching. You wouldn't be able to detect it at all. A tip: Ebony transtint dropped in to color and allowed to cure, then ebony CA glue carefully "dropped-in" a few applications will secure the broken wood fibers and fill the hole. CA naturally dries to a high degree of sheen without using an accelerator. This alone would provide an adequate layman's repair. Would look like a tiny shiney bump. For near perfection, I would level the tiny bump with 1000, 1500, 2000, and 4000 abrasives and then spot polish to sheen. But again, ebony CA alone will greatly improve the oops. As an aside, my grand-mumm had relatives in the UK that she wrote to regularly. I was very young then and never met them. She only spoke briefly of them and mentioned family being separated during the Blitz. How I do miss her during the Holidays. Happy Holidays Colin! -Will
Hey Will, thanks man if you were around the corner I'd take advantage of your skills for sure... I can make a nice cup of tea! 😁👍 To be honest I'm not so worried about the SG 'hole' as it only broke through the surface and adds to the character and story of the guitar now, but I'm going got tackle the Stand rash on back of my Les Paul standard soon though and that may need saving by an expert... 🤞
@@theguitaristas I recall seeing that episode. I can help if I may. Nitro rubs to a beautiful luster as easily as it scratches/press marks. I would "dry French" it with a lint free piece of old t-shirt balled up tight in my hand (traditionally called a rubber in the UK) with no creases or wrinkles, then add just enough isopropyl alcohol to moisten the rubber, then adding a couple drops of lemon oil. The alcohol will soften (re-amalgamate) the finish, and the lemon oil helps the rubber to glide smoothly with the grain just enough to polish the "press marks" out. Another technique is to purchase a high-end high luster automotive rubbing compound, i.e. Meguiar's. The pre-mixed, high luster compounds are easier to use. Another great set of three compounds is made by Novus. They work well on polyester finishes too. Your films have taught me a great deal, thank you. I enjoy giving back. Cheers! Will B.
Colin I think I know what you mean about the "feel" I think the new pu's are fuller, thicker and I think that translates through the neck, the vibration mate. We do operate on vibration, and sound waves all life has vibration and we may be aware of changes in vibration without consciously being aware, but "something" "feels" better! This is actually up there with my favorite changes you've made. Great job brother! Jack ~'()'~
Extra holes make no difference. Thanks for sharing that! No, I am not joking, the fact you are ok to show such things is amazing! BTW, the first sounds you share are amazing. I would go for silver pickup covers and a tortoise poker chip. I wish someone would make a maple necked SG special.
That was a win, to me it seemed warmer with more sustain, thought the pick up covers gave it a bit of a sophisticated punk look, plus the pickguard. Great video as always.
Brilliant video, I wasn't really listening for sound differences, just enjoying it. Speakers in my monitor are too crap to hear a difference anyway. I was screaming mixmatch the pickup covers like a Zebra! Glad you did same way round I would have done it anyway. I have an 80s firebrand that has a Zebra pickup in the bridge with the white side towards the neck reminds me of that. Only thing I'm not a fan of is the tort pickgaurd. Obviously buzzin for you if you like it, it's not mine so why would it matter haha, I'd have just kept it evil and dark might have also left the cream poker chip on to accent the zebraness of the pickups
For Colin so loved the world, that he drilled a hole in one of his SGs for us! Great stuff once again mate! Murray is an absolute star...great sounding P90s; dynamic, articulate and I can totally understand how sound translates to feel, and how that brings a guitar to life. Am lovin' the black and white pick-up combo, not too keen on the tort guard with those colours though. A black bat-wing guard is what it needs imo...
One additional thought. Maybe say to punters that they should take photos of the original wiring before they start to dismantle the wiring. I'd also have a wee fan nearby to keep the solder fumes away!
Great video! The Murrays seem to be 'harmonically richer' overall, and fuller. Honestly, the original bridge pick-up sounded tinny (not woody 😅). The Epiphone outpaced both the Gibsons for me in the earlier comparison. Really like the pick-guard - if it were me I'd go 2 blacks or 2 whites for the covers but that's my OCD coming out, I reckon. Glad you have a guitar that you want to play now - looks and sounds miles better! Cheers.
I owned a Les Paul std wine red in the mid 80's .I had a pro setup on it , put seymour duncans on it and it still sounded dull ! I realised it would never sound good when I played it unplugged with new strings ,still sounded dull ! Over the years Some of my mates have had gibsons including a black beauty and a 335 with the exact problem !
I can hear a difference.It's even brighter,crisper.I love content like this!And you ALWAYS make it fun to watch ! And it looks GREAT !🎸 🎸.Cya next week,looking forward to it as always!
Just a few minutes in and already excited! I have the same SG special and LP Jr. and it’s funny but I feel the same as you did about these two models! My LP Jr. is by far my favorite of the two, I can’t explain it but it just feels right and I think I got a very good example that I bonded with…on the other hand, I have yet to really bond with my SG special which gets much less play time. I’ve considered modding the SG more to my liking and your video just gave me some inspiration to do so. Appreciate your videos as always, especially after a tough week it helps a lot. Your content always feels so relevant to my own gear choices. Cheers! 🤘😎
Hi Colin . Thanks for yet another great video . Awesome content . I can hear the difference in your audio . Cheers from Christian in Australia . Inspired me to look up Ben Murray to get some pickups .
I almost got physically sick when I saw that screw hole in the back. Couldn't watch after that. I hope the rest worked out. Sorry you had to go through that. Edit; I finished watching. Fantastic job! I dig the colors. The screw offense seems minor now that the guitar isn't all black. Well done!
Hi Colin and thanks for the deep dive and commentary! The best improvement to me was that awesome new pick guard… guess I’m just a sucker for a pretty face!
"Do you agree with anything I've said today?" Hi Colin! I agree with everything you said today. The pickups sound better, but the bridge pickup is too close to the bridge. I absolutely love the new pickguard with the cream covers. That looks really really good! The bridge pickup would look good in cream also. I have a white LP Studio faded that I did a similar project with. It's a predecessor to the LP Tribute you had in a previous video. I'd love to send some before and after pics and share it with you. Also, I feel your pain on that screw going thru the back. Your next pint would be on me for that one. Cheers Colin! Thanks again for another great journey and have a great weekend!
I know someone who once mounted a fire extinguisher to the bottom of a new boat. When the boat wouldn't slide off the trailer, they discovered that the mounting screws had gone through the bottom of the boat and into the carpeted boards on the boat trailer. Also, Robert C. Sprague was an American who invented tone control for amplifiers and radio sets in about 1920. Soon afterward, he founded what would later become Sprague Electric. In the US, Sprague is pronounced with a long A as in spray. I've been an electronics hobbyist and technician since the 1960's. Sprague was always "the" brand to use. Another capacitor manufacturer was Mallory. They're both defunct now. The Orange Drops are now made by Cornell Dubilier which was founded in 1920 by another American named William Dubilier. Don't ask me how to pronounce his name.. 😄
Colin. Wow. Awesome! Thanks for letting me know that all I have to do is run screws through my guitars to achieve tone. LOL. Who knew? Joking aside. The SG definitely sounded better with the upgrades. As I sit here with a cold beer and listening to The Beatles live at the BBC. I have come to the conclusion that the pimped-out SG sounds great. Would love to push that through my Marshall. Thanks friend. Cheers.
I enjoy your lil jams you do. To me ... IF you went with the cream covers go back to the black pickguard .. and if you stay with the tortise .. go back to a full black cover set. That is 1 thing I always felt was not right with the specials ... the not right pickup placement &/or spacing of them on the body.
Not into the cream pickup cover on the black guitar, but that's a very subjective thing. I think the new pickups sound better, and I liked the section w/the Rat in particular. The new pickguard looks nice, the basic black look is fine and I do like that style of pickguard more than the bat wing for an SG. Enjoyed the video as always.
I have one of these and my guy took out control green board and upgraded the caps wires etc......kept factory pickups as the neck in particular is glorious.....love it
I just put on a master kit from faber, a 920D wiring harness and switchcraft selector and JB and '59 seymour duncan pu's on my alpine white epi les paul custom. Sounds killer. It was a fun project. Would I do it again on another guitar? Likely not. Thanks for the content!
I know what you mean when you say it feels better after having modified it. That `92 Flying V I mentioned in a previous comment was very “meh” at first, but the pickups were just too high and I didn’t like the speed knobs the previous owner put on it, so I lowered the pickups and put witch hats on it, and now I adore it. Amazing what a difference little things can make, even things like changing the knobs! By the way, I learned recently that some Gibsons from that time and earlier did have German hardware. Mine didn’t say that, but the bridge does say “Japan” under it. Also, while mine does have the same pickups as yours, mine have the “Gibson USA” baseplates. It was made in July of 1992, not too long after yours was made I think. I guess it was a transitional period. Anyway, cheers!
Colin in every video: “This might take half an hour or so” Every Video: “45-60minutes long” 😂 Longer the better! Allows me to get through my jug of coffee ☕️ Another killer video!
Colin, Since the screw fiasco sadly happened it's most probably going to be a good idea to move forward with your other plan as to refinishing it in white buddy 🤟 Get the hole filled and shoot it with either a vintage type of nitro lacquer or even an arctic white, whichever you prefer. The unevenness of the body finish can also be remedied as well all in one shot. I've done quite a few already and it's not too bad, good luck! :)
"I make the mistakes, so you don't have to??!" Honest, and comical, as ever. One of the many reasons people, like me, subscribe to your channel, so well done on another interesting upgrade vlog - you muppet!! P.S. I have to be honest, and say I didn't like the sound of ANY of the 'before' sounds - maybe a little too pristine and clean? Usually, o/d on tests is a terrible equaliser, making everything sound the same, but I think a little 'growl' or crunch might have helped focus the sound better - just a thought.
Sometimes a guitar that is upgraded like this, is mostly just better in how it can create a new wave of creativity just for being different. I notice that a lot whenever I'm buying a new guitar too. It's not that I don't like my old guitars anymore, it's mostly the boost in creativity and feeling just a tad more inspired on something fresh.
Excellent job as usual, Col. My partner always says ‘your mate Col always does a good show’ and she’s no guitarist, lemme tall ya. My biggest takeaway from this ‘film’ is Murray’s pickups…I’m definitely contacting him when my need arises. Rock on one and all, and thanks again Col.
Fill n Finish GluBoost Black will fix the drill thru mishap. It happens, I've done it. The new P90s sound way better and I think removing the base plate definitely improved the sound, even with the stock PUs. Nice video!
Was wondering if the pups and pickguard were going to mirror my black with antiqued white pup covers and guard Revstar...? While screaming into my phone while watching you thinking of drilling pilot holes for pup screws, thought nope...he will catch it...🤔 Having done the same thing on a Danelectro, myself...can feel your pain😉😎👍 Every guitar should have a breathing hole eh...?😉😎👍😁 The metal plates and those channels in the pup cavities are confounding... WHY...? Definitely a educational video. Thanks for taking one for the Guitaristas team Colin😎👍 😎👍❤🖖 Love Brother
@@theguitaristas 🤣🤣🤣 My mishap went all the way into my bench. Didn't know what I had done until I tried to reposition the guitar..!!! Looking back on it, I'm sure I looked around to see if anyone noticed...🤣 Bonding with my guitar is different than bondo-ing with my guitar 😉😎👍 😎👍❤🖖 Love Brother
Wraparound bridges are very bright. You need a hotter pickup in that position or back off the tone knob. The wraparound on my 2012 Epi special actually tilted forward and warped the wood. It's going to be my slide guitar now. It has strong pickups and 500k pots unlike my Gibson that uses 300k. My Gibson is a tune o matic standard with the fat neck, but it has P90's. It's a 2012. Gibson actually used a pcb in the electronics so I have cared to fiddle with the pots. Now I know it won't make a difference. I think Gibson was making better P90's in 2012. I even get a bell like Strat tone when I back off the volume on the neck and the bridge just roars, sings smoothly, and when turned down it has a nice jangle. It's a great year imo, but it does have a PCB. Also, it has a baked maple fretboard because Gibson was banned from using rosewood. Criticism: a Fender amp with a distortion pedal can't do the guitar any good. That's just my hatred for overdriven blackface Fender amps. Try a Marshall or Orange. The Orange amps really fill out the middle frequencies for the P90's. I had an OR50 and it could go from bell like blues tones to overdrive with the volume turned up on the guitar. Next I want an AD30 or a 90's Overdrive model with the FAC and master volume. Those were built by Matamp under Gibson ownership. Gibson also saved Trace Elliot too. The 90's were a fun time.
Maybe it's a good candidate for a relic job now. Since you're already causing extra damage to the poor thing. 😁 If you don't want to take on that challenge you can loan it to me and I'll happily give it a nice Murphy Lab style look. I'll do an authentic aging process, it may take a few years but it will look great! Good show as always, informative and entertaining.
Another great video Colin! The funniest thing happened. I must have dozed off. I thought you mentioned little old Adelaide! This is the most attention we’ve had since we lost the F1 Grand Prix!!
Good morning, Colin. If you're still on the fence about putting the white cover on the bridge pickup also, here's a vote for Yes. With the black body the contrast says, "That's right, I'M A P90!" Maybe swap the white poker chip back on while (whilst?) you're at it. The red tortoise pickguard (scratchplate?) is an improvement. Black, red & white always seem to look good together... I wonder if white witch hats on the pots would finish off the look or be a little much? As for the sound, nice either way but the Murry's do seem to be more reactive to your picking, assuming you're using similar amp settings and effects. I think I've asked before but do you use a noise gate to quiet your P90s and if so, can you recommend a particular one? Cheers from cold, rainy Dallas!
Distance between the bridge and the P.U. dictates the voicing of a guitar. Changing a P.U. of a/the same type (in exactly the same position) isn't going change anything, exept your bankaccount. (My dream guitar looks like an SG, but with the P.U.'s on a rails) You have P.U.'s with weak and with powerfull magnets, but that is just going to affect the output/volume a bit. My suggestion for people, when buying a guitar, is not to look at the nice flame maple top or the ebony fretboard, but at the relative distance between the bridge and the P.U.'s Compare guitars with different ranges (distance) and pick the one that SOUNDS right, not the one that LOOKS right. And: Why does it seem that Gibson just uses arbitrary placing of the P.U.'s. I thought they would have figured it out after so many years of selling overpriced guitars. Seriously... (FWIW I own a 2001 LP Std honeyburst plaintop, which I picked from different Gibson models (which have different dimensions in the most important area of the guitar)). Originaly I wanted to buy an SG though.
Great Video. I gonna replace the humbuckers on my cheapo epiphone with P90, or at least the neck. Thanks for your content, I always enjoy watching your videos!
That guitar sounds MUCH better now. Also I agree that for the most part, most pickup changes are marginal. However lately I have personally experienced a much greater noticeable change going from standard potted pafs to more vintage specced unpotted pafs (the latest was the probuckers in my Epi 50’s gold top to mojotone 59’s - huge difference)
One thing I never noticed but you may have mentioned in the original comparison. The bridge pick up on this is further back closer to the bridge than the other two. So that fact it is more brittle and lower output isn't actually that surprising. I think that is actually the main driver (out of the box) for the difference.
Whenever I make a mistake doing stuff like you and your too long screw ,it always makes me ask myself why I even started it 😂😂😂great video as always Colin 👍
Great episode 👏 very informative and love the technical side of changing electronics and pickups although both before and after sounds sounded just as good 👍 keep up the good work many thanks 😊 👍
I admit I don't hear a ton of difference on the bridge pickup (possibly due to YT's compression), but that neck pickup - wow! Oomph indeed! More body and low end. And the most important thing is that you feel it and it inspires you. Great video as usual! Bummer about the hole in the back, but let's just say it adds character and will discourage you from putting it on Reverb again. 😂
Oh my goodness I was literally saying under my breath "be careful " and it happened. 😱 I love the fact you didn't hide it but it truly must have hurt your heart 💔 😔
Hey Colin, in 39:01 where you said you can't explain it, in the tokai video, you already did, in your own words: "Livelier feel".😎, oh and boutique "adds finesse" - classy. Nice video, gorgeous pimped SG 😁 with a small new vent-hole , and as usual so pleasant and funny to watch you; At the beginning the best sounding one seems to be the epiphone 🤣😂🙃, mate you are becoming famous, cheers, well deserved. Oh and I do remember that the best sounding paf above all in that tokai mod, were in fact, Murray's and he even answered, such a nice guy Ben, I wish, to earn in British pounds, to pimp all my guitars. lol. Cheers. and say hi to Ben please.
You can say hello personally lol, I read your comment, thankyou for the kind words. I know people want to argue online endlessly about what makes a great tone. I dont think you can pin it down to one thing but if you pay close attention and you experiment a bit you can make incremental improvements. Its controversial because its very hard to tell if for example wax potted sounds better or worse than unpotted or if a different type of magnet is better or worse, its all subjective. However, to compare it to food, you could argue that lamb is better or worse than beef but if they're prepared badly, not cooked properly they won't taste as good as either of them would in a 5 star restaurant. When its prepared with love and the chef and the waiters genuinely try to to give you a great experience the food tastes better. MacDonald's gives you good value and feeds you but its not where you'd take you wife for you're anniversary. My restaurant is run from home but you can bring a date here, its a lovely atmosphere with great food. Thats the difference between Seymour Duncan and me. Hes got a avast food empire and I'm running a quaint little gourmet restaurant from home.
@@murrayguitarpickups9545 Hi Ben, Patrick here, glad to hear from you, yes indeed, you should have at least 5 Michelin stars 😁 by now, I checked Jim Lill's video about the Wood tone in solid guitars: th-cam.com/video/n02tImce3AE/w-d-xo.html, and for me the list comes: first, you chops and your approach to all the variables, use, familiarity and/or knowledge in your instrument and style, then quality components, and between those, the crucial would be the pickups, because the rest of the electronic components just add like 1-5%. Hopefully next year I can save some, (my oldest son just finished college, so 1 tuition ended) to purchase your humbuckers and p90s for my guitars, I have and SG and a les paul, in desperate, need of your great recipe. Some big manufacturers, have a bullet proof recipe, but still against yours, they still need that special ingredient that makes, the outstanding ones, now I'm hungry lol. Take good care, maybe someday I can call you and chat about your craftmanship. Cheers.🖐😎
those pups was a much needed improvement for that guitar also love the zebra look you gave it with the pup setup, love 50's wiring as well, the new pick guard was also a nice touch never understood why black SG's come with a black pickguard. and not in white or the one you choose. its such a beautiful SG now. side note everytime i hear that Epiphone SG special im always surprised with how good it sounds, especially when i consider it's cost. Great video glad you didnt sell it.
I had one of these, sold it (to fund a 335). I really loved the guitar, but the sound was a bit weak; mainly, I think it's because the bridge PU is *SOOOO* close to the bridge. If it was back a little further, it'd be picking up more bass and more signal from the strings. That's my theory, anyway.
Just a quick note... in case any of your comments disappear at any time it may be as a result of TH-cam blocking those spam competition win replies. I have noticed they are successfully blocking them now but the original comments also seem to be disappearing... sorry if that happens! 🤷♂
Colin is there any chance to see you with the captain and danish pete from andertons checking out some vintage gear. Would love to see that video
@@Idontlikethisever Well that would be fun for sure! 😁
Hi, I enjoy your guitar shows very much. Thank you for your reference to Murray Guitar Pickups.
I have couple of questions:
# Did you ever examine Fender Telecaster American Professional II series? I would love to watch or listen to you and your opinion on this guitar and how does it compare to other better Telies?
# Did you ever examine Telecaster Vintage II Deluxe 1975 model (new Fender line). I am about to get one and your opinion and examination would be of great value.
Greetings from Gold Coast Australia - Kris.
I just watched your original video on this guitar....then this one.. it does sound better with the new pups and pots... pity you spend alot of money on these and have to mod them to make them better... I'd send that invoice to Gibson for a refund....lol...definitely more 'oomph'
@@theguitaristas Nothing but the best to you and yours! Your channel is such a great alternative to all the rest. Big Canuck thanks! 🇨🇦
Colin, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you don't try to hide the mistakes or trials from the audience. That keeps our expectations real and feels more honest. It also makes me feel better about the mistakes I make. Sometimes editing makes us forget that we are all human and all make mistakes. Brilliant film as always, mate, and I thank you. Have a beautiful weekend. Cheers!
That bit when he calls himself a twat was priceless.
When he relented and said “no, I won’t accept your pickups for free, but I’ll buy them from you” - hard to get more authentic than that, especially while upgrading a Gibson, lol
Best "effing around with guitars" channel I've found. Good natured and calm host, SGs all over the place and pleasant tones. If there is a lord, then you are doing his work.
Peace, stay safe and have a great weekend everyone.
Yes…calm host! So much better than the hyper rest on TH-cam. Cheers to you, Colin!
Spot on. It's obvious he has a true passion and love for guitar. Not just a salesman. Like a breath of fresh air in these times.
Got myself a drink and sitting back watching with my feet up on the big screen🍺👍
Me too Dave, 😎slippers are on, coffee in the mug lol
Same here. Feet up, brew, big screen, cheese and crackers.
Only discovered this channel in the last few weeks and I'm hooked! Don't know how I missed it for so long! The format and style is great! (Not sure how good it is for my guitar addiction though!!!! 🤣)
Colin is the very best guitar addiction enabler that I know, I highly recommend.
Sounds fantastic! Always glad to see builders here in Australia getting support.
I feel a bit guilty for giving you the idea of taking out the mounting plate. If I was nearby I would swing past and repair the paint for you. It will be a simple easy repair for an experienced painter but also easy to mess up for an amateur, it can be filled and just have a spot of nitrocelulose airbrushed on, sanded smooth and polished. I'm sorry if I led you down the wrong path I was just concerned about the air gap causing feedback, I think I would have just stuffed a tissue in there and not bothered removing them altogether.
no worries it adds a bit of extra character to go with the great pickups! 😁👍
@@theguitaristas its not really your guitar u till you've done minor damage..lol
Watching your adventures in the evening after a crazy busy day is almost as enjoyable as watching you at lunchtime. Taking one for the team really makes you a legend!
Cheers David! 😆👍
My first thought when hearing you were going to screw directly into the bottom of the pickup recess, "I sure hope he's very careful not to over do it". Didn't take long to find out. Sorry about that happening but thanks for being honest and warning us. A skilled luthier could make that hole disappear if it winds up bothering you. On the brighter side, those new pickups really made a significant difference. In my opinion the old ones had a more muted jazzbox tone versus the livelier rock tones that should be the SG's forte. Glad to hear that your work has improved your bond with that guitar.
I did the same to my Gibson special tribute. Changed pick ups to lolla p90s and changed tuners and knobs. Miles better now! The lolla p90s have awoken a beast! Great demo as always Colin. 🎶🎸
A definite improvement in sound and looks, I like the mixed p/u covers and I didn’t think I would. Nice work Colin👌👍🏻🤘
Woke up this morning, brewed my coffee, opened up Ytube, and what do i see? New video from our favorite Guitarista -_- Great feeling, merci mon ami ;)
Opinion after the facts:
- Guitar looks much better
- Small but noticeable tone difference after upgrade (was it worth it? sometimes, it's the journey that counts lol)
- Noodling riffs were terrific, as always. You always have song-worthy riffs in your demos imo, very musical.
Keep on rocking the good rock amigo
I've only just got to the part of the video where you show that you'd screwed through the back of the SG body and I've got to say thank you for your honesty Colin. I say that because that is the sort of thing that I would do even though I would be trying to be as careful as I could. I'm glad to find out it's not just me.
Cheers Andrew, it’s amazing that we can do stuff like this… but yes it still happens! 🤣🤦♂️
The new sound hole in the back help free those molecules you said needed to be free by letting it set
Maybe subconsciously I knew that? 🤣
I agree on the tail piece so close to pick up causing it to sound brittle. I recently picked up the Rick Beato and because it has a regular tail piece instead of a wraparound I think it sounds less brittle. That’s still a beautiful guitar you have there. Thank you so much for the show and God bless from Michigan. Oh I almost forgot, Thanks for not editing out that you drilled through the guitar lol that shows how real this program is. Take care
Cheers Ernie! 😆👍
Definite improvement over the OEM components. Much more musical sounding pup's. Happy tunes from frozen America!
I have a Gibson SG Standard and it's by far the best guitar I've ever played, and I've played 'em all.
I’m curious to see if a new bridge would make the difference. I put a music city saavy bridge on my Jr. And it made an enormous difference. It now has way more sustain and resonance, and is intonated.
Agreed with like the tonepros studs and a different bridge can give it some more heft. I did this change on a LP JR and it does have an impact, although not you know, not night and day, but it feeds into it.
I love the way my Epi SG special p90s sound but I'm never one to leave well enough alone so I've ordered some DIY kits with Alnico 2,3,and 5 magnets to play around with wind count and magnet types! I wound the p90s in my first telecaster build and they turned out great! Awesome comparison video and great playing Colin! 🎸🎶🤘
Another fun guitar project well done! I recently replaced the wiring harness and pickups in my 2014 SG, which had 57 Classics with coil splits. The stock electronics sounded muddy in the mids and the highs felt muffled. A good part of my inspiration to do the project came from watching you doing similar projects. I first changed the wiring to 50s wiring with 500k CTS pots and orange drops. That made a huge difference. Really opened up the sound with clarity throughout the spectrum and a lot stronger highs. I really liked the sound for the first time. But I couldn't stop there. I ordered a set of Fralin humbucker shaped P-90s and installed those. That took it to a whole other level of liveliness and punch. Sweet sounding! Very happy I did the project. (Ok, so I did burn a small hole in the finish with the soldering iron.) Thanks for what you do on this channel Colin.
I love it, sounds great! The ivory cover looks good with the neck binding.
Colin, you're bending those guitar stings to my ear's favorite tones.
I'm excited to catch the wiring on the Guitaristas' VHX channel.
Just found your channel it’s great to watch a guy who is on the same level as normal humans once again brilliant.
Thanks that's appreciated glad you found us! 😁👍
Great episode Colin, the guitar looks and sounds superb, love the new pick guard, hope you're well, take care, thanks for sharing.✌😎✌
I have the same guitar and had the same experience. The bridge pickup on that model is closer to the bridge compared to the others for some reason so the vibrations at the bridge makes it super brittle and low output sounding. The pickup swap is great and i swapped to a locking bridge on mine as well to give it better stability and tuning and added treble bleeds to make the pots work better for mine. Great video for insight!
great vid as always mate!
sweet tones from her now hey!
Thank you for this interesting video Colin. Glenn Fricker sometimes uses the what he calls the "No More Tears Test" to check out the quality of a guitar tone. I recommend what I call the
"I Can See For Miles Test". When you play the sequence where the E triad on the strings 3-5 is moved from E to G, then to A, to C, to D and to the high E over the open E string you can really hear if a PU can separate the notes from each other. Check it out!
I think a big contributor to the sound differences is the placement of the bridge pickup relative to the bridge/ tail piece. The Epiphone and custom shop have the pickups further away from the bridge than the Special.
Glad I found this channel, we have very similar tastes it seems! I had this guitar in Pelham blue and changed every single part on it. It turned it into an absolute monster but I still sold it for the custom shop. 😅
When I go guitar shopping I play them all acoustically while I hand them to my brother or a buddy to plug in to make sure they function because I don’t want to be there all day. The pickups can be changed as you demonstrated here. Played two new SG Specials and a real 60s SG Junior. One of the Specials was great the others were a pass.
You can definitely hear a difference. It's subtle (always is), but it IS there. Also, the antique white PU-cover looks amazing against the black finish of the guitar. Though, I probably would have changed it for both pickups. Cheers, mate.
Colin, I think the sound is better for definite! Plus I think the white pick up cover looks superb with the tortoise shell pick guard! What about having them both white? Congrats!
the white cover adds some sparkle to the sound definitely.
I love how you show us the comparisons through each step, and that your just honest about everything and not trying to sell anything. thank you for all the great content.
I know exactly what you mean about bonding, I'm nearing the end of updating my Gibson USA Iommi Monkey SG Special, converting it to the Gibson Custom Shop specs. I've so far added a zero fret, changed tuners to Sperzel locking, shielded the pickup cavity, aged the entire guitar, lacquered the fretboard (that was interesting for a rosewood board), filed the pickguards to make the edges wide beveled, and lastly now I am waiting for Jaydee Custom "Monkey Replica "pickups to install which I think will conclude my journey. This guitar is special to me now, no pun intended....
Glad you didn't screw it to the bench...🤣🤣🤣
Now you have a legit reason to have it refinished. Or I suppose you could just wait for the inevitable buckle rash to hide it. Or maybe a black Sharpie???🤔🤔🤔
Great video as always...thanks for another entertaining one!!!
See ya' next Friday...TTFN!!!
The Murrays are a definite improvement over the stock pickups; more articulation, sweetness and solidity behind them. A guitar does feel better when it sounds better to the player. Still don’t know which I liked the sound of better between the Epi and the custom shop though!
Hey mate….if you’ll screw down the adjustable pole pieces in the pup, wax will exude if potted….no wax, probably not potted. Wax potting makes a huge difference, especially in P-90’s
Thanks Colin for putting in this effort!! I don’t think I have come across any TH-camr who has made stepped changes and shown how it sounds at each step! Keep up the good work❤
Thanks mate! 😎👍
Hello Colin, Will B. the polisher here. Happy Holidays, and again thank you for all of the brilliant, benevolent work. Were I your neighbor, I
would touch-up that through hole on the backside pro-bono over a cup of tea. Would only take me about that long to fill and level, followed by a bit of spot Frenching. You wouldn't be able to detect it at all.
A tip: Ebony transtint dropped in to color and allowed to cure, then ebony CA glue carefully "dropped-in" a few applications will secure the broken wood fibers and fill the hole. CA naturally dries to a high degree of sheen without using an accelerator. This alone would provide an adequate layman's repair. Would look like a tiny shiney bump. For near perfection, I would level the tiny bump with 1000, 1500, 2000, and 4000 abrasives and then spot polish to sheen. But again, ebony CA alone will greatly improve the oops.
As an aside, my grand-mumm had relatives in the UK that she wrote to regularly. I was very young then and never met them. She only spoke briefly of them and mentioned family being separated during the Blitz. How I do miss her during the Holidays.
Happy Holidays Colin!
-Will
Hey Will, thanks man if you were around the corner I'd take advantage of your skills for sure... I can make a nice cup of tea! 😁👍 To be honest I'm not so worried about the SG 'hole' as it only broke through the surface and adds to the character and story of the guitar now, but I'm going got tackle the Stand rash on back of my Les Paul standard soon though and that may need saving by an expert... 🤞
@@theguitaristas I recall seeing that episode. I can help if I may. Nitro rubs to a beautiful luster as easily as it scratches/press marks. I would "dry French" it with a lint free piece of old t-shirt balled up tight in my hand (traditionally called a rubber in the UK) with no creases or wrinkles, then add just enough isopropyl alcohol to moisten the rubber, then adding a couple drops of lemon oil. The alcohol will soften (re-amalgamate) the finish, and the lemon oil helps the rubber to glide smoothly with the grain just enough to polish the "press marks" out. Another technique is to purchase a high-end high luster automotive rubbing compound, i.e. Meguiar's. The pre-mixed, high luster compounds are easier to use. Another great set of three compounds is made by Novus. They work well on polyester finishes too.
Your films have taught me a great deal, thank you. I enjoy giving back.
Cheers!
Will B.
@@WilliamBalsiger Thanks Will
Colin I think I know what you mean about the "feel" I think the new pu's are fuller, thicker and I think that translates through the neck, the vibration mate. We do operate on vibration, and sound waves all life has vibration and we may be aware of changes in vibration without consciously being aware, but "something" "feels" better!
This is actually up there with my favorite changes you've made. Great job brother!
Jack ~'()'~
Cheers man!
...11/15/22 ~ I definitely hear a difference with new pots/capacitors without the Murray pups. Less shrill/bright. But hey, that's Me 🎸🎞️
Extra holes make no difference. Thanks for sharing that! No, I am not joking, the fact you are ok to show such things is amazing! BTW, the first sounds you share are amazing.
I would go for silver pickup covers and a tortoise poker chip.
I wish someone would make a maple necked SG special.
That was a win, to me it seemed warmer with more sustain, thought the pick up covers gave it a bit of a sophisticated punk look, plus the pickguard. Great video as always.
Brilliant video, I wasn't really listening for sound differences, just enjoying it. Speakers in my monitor are too crap to hear a difference anyway. I was screaming mixmatch the pickup covers like a Zebra! Glad you did same way round I would have done it anyway. I have an 80s firebrand that has a Zebra pickup in the bridge with the white side towards the neck reminds me of that.
Only thing I'm not a fan of is the tort pickgaurd. Obviously buzzin for you if you like it, it's not mine so why would it matter haha, I'd have just kept it evil and dark might have also left the cream poker chip on to accent the zebraness of the pickups
looks way better, sounds better as well. like you said not drastic but noticeable. the main thing is that it feels better for you
You can hear the excitement in your playing when you found that sound.
For Colin so loved the world, that he drilled a hole in one of his SGs for us! Great stuff once again mate! Murray is an absolute star...great sounding P90s; dynamic, articulate and I can totally understand how sound translates to feel, and how that brings a guitar to life. Am lovin' the black and white pick-up combo, not too keen on the tort guard with those colours though. A black bat-wing guard is what it needs imo...
Cheers man! 😁👍
this is about the only combo for tort that i like. :)
One additional thought. Maybe say to punters that they should take photos of the original wiring before they start to dismantle the wiring. I'd also have a wee fan nearby to keep the solder fumes away!
Great video! The Murrays seem to be 'harmonically richer' overall, and fuller. Honestly, the original bridge pick-up sounded tinny (not woody 😅). The Epiphone outpaced both the Gibsons for me in the earlier comparison. Really like the pick-guard - if it were me I'd go 2 blacks or 2 whites for the covers but that's my OCD coming out, I reckon. Glad you have a guitar that you want to play now - looks and sounds miles better! Cheers.
I owned a Les Paul std wine red in the mid 80's .I had a pro setup on it , put seymour duncans on it and it still sounded dull ! I realised it would never sound good when I played it unplugged with new strings ,still sounded dull ! Over the years Some of my mates have had gibsons including a black beauty and a 335 with the exact problem !
It's hard finding a good'un. Always was since the 70s, and these days if anything even moreso.
I can hear a difference.It's even brighter,crisper.I love content like this!And you ALWAYS make it fun to watch ! And it looks GREAT !🎸 🎸.Cya next week,looking forward to it as always!
Just a few minutes in and already excited! I have the same SG special and LP Jr. and it’s funny but I feel the same as you did about these two models! My LP Jr. is by far my favorite of the two, I can’t explain it but it just feels right and I think I got a very good example that I bonded with…on the other hand, I have yet to really bond with my SG special which gets much less play time. I’ve considered modding the SG more to my liking and your video just gave me some inspiration to do so. Appreciate your videos as always, especially after a tough week it helps a lot. Your content always feels so relevant to my own gear choices. Cheers! 🤘😎
Hi Colin . Thanks for yet another great video . Awesome content . I can hear the difference in your audio . Cheers from Christian in Australia . Inspired me to look up Ben Murray to get some pickups .
I almost got physically sick when I saw that screw hole in the back. Couldn't watch after that. I hope the rest worked out. Sorry you had to go through that.
Edit; I finished watching. Fantastic job! I dig the colors. The screw offense seems minor now that the guitar isn't all black. Well done!
Hi Colin and thanks for the deep dive and commentary! The best improvement to me was that awesome new pick guard… guess I’m just a sucker for a pretty face!
"Do you agree with anything I've said today?"
Hi Colin! I agree with everything you said today. The pickups sound better, but the bridge pickup is too close to the bridge. I absolutely love the new pickguard with the cream covers. That looks really really good! The bridge pickup would look good in cream also. I have a white LP Studio faded that I did a similar project with. It's a predecessor to the LP Tribute you had in a previous video. I'd love to send some before and after pics and share it with you. Also, I feel your pain on that screw going thru the back. Your next pint would be on me for that one.
Cheers Colin! Thanks again for another great journey and have a great weekend!
Cheers Rafael! 😎👍
I know someone who once mounted a fire extinguisher to the bottom of a new boat. When the boat wouldn't slide off the trailer, they discovered that the mounting screws had gone through the bottom of the boat and into the carpeted boards on the boat trailer. Also, Robert C. Sprague was an American who invented tone control for amplifiers and radio sets in about 1920. Soon afterward, he founded what would later become Sprague Electric. In the US, Sprague is pronounced with a long A as in spray. I've been an electronics hobbyist and technician since the 1960's. Sprague was always "the" brand to use. Another capacitor manufacturer was Mallory. They're both defunct now. The Orange Drops are now made by Cornell Dubilier which was founded in 1920 by another American named William Dubilier. Don't ask me how to pronounce his name.. 😄
Cheers man, funny boat story! 🤣👍
Hi Colin, one little tip for you, if you install new pots measure them out and use 520-550K for the neck and 500-520K for the bridge. Cheers Nobby
OH YEAH BABY A BIG SONIC DIFFERENCE, WELL DONE MT YET AGAIN M.
plus love the Clapton vibe with the black white covers that helped lol.
Colin. Wow. Awesome! Thanks for letting me know that all I have to do is run screws through my guitars to achieve tone. LOL. Who knew? Joking aside. The SG definitely sounded better with the upgrades. As I sit here with a cold beer and listening to The Beatles live at the BBC. I have come to the conclusion that the pimped-out SG sounds great. Would love to push that through my Marshall. Thanks friend. Cheers.
I enjoy your lil jams you do. To me ... IF you went with the cream covers go back to the black pickguard .. and if you stay with the tortise .. go back to a full black cover set.
That is 1 thing I always felt was not right with the specials ... the not right pickup placement &/or spacing of them on the body.
Not into the cream pickup cover on the black guitar, but that's a very subjective thing. I think the new pickups sound better, and I liked the section w/the Rat in particular. The new pickguard looks nice, the basic black look is fine and I do like that style of pickguard more than the bat wing for an SG. Enjoyed the video as always.
I have one of these and my guy took out control green board and upgraded the caps wires etc......kept factory pickups as the neck in particular is glorious.....love it
I just put on a master kit from faber, a 920D wiring harness and switchcraft selector and JB and '59 seymour duncan pu's on my alpine white epi les paul custom. Sounds killer. It was a fun project. Would I do it again on another guitar? Likely not. Thanks for the content!
Man you should do documentaries/history on rock/metal bands. I would watch that all day.
I know what you mean when you say it feels better after having modified it. That `92 Flying V I mentioned in a previous comment was very “meh” at first, but the pickups were just too high and I didn’t like the speed knobs the previous owner put on it, so I lowered the pickups and put witch hats on it, and now I adore it. Amazing what a difference little things can make, even things like changing the knobs! By the way, I learned recently that some Gibsons from that time and earlier did have German hardware. Mine didn’t say that, but the bridge does say “Japan” under it. Also, while mine does have the same pickups as yours, mine have the “Gibson USA” baseplates. It was made in July of 1992, not too long after yours was made I think. I guess it was a transitional period.
Anyway, cheers!
Cheers Carlos, and I agree witch hat knobs definitely sound better! 😁👍
Colin,
Is there any chance of you doing a live stream Q&A near Christmas?
Colin in every video: “This might take half an hour or so”
Every Video: “45-60minutes long” 😂
Longer the better! Allows me to get through my jug of coffee ☕️ Another killer video!
😁👍
Colin, Since the screw fiasco sadly happened it's most probably going to be a good idea to move forward with your other plan as to refinishing it in white buddy 🤟
Get the hole filled and shoot it with either a vintage type of nitro lacquer or even an arctic white, whichever you prefer. The unevenness of the body finish can also be remedied as well all in one shot. I've done quite a few already and it's not too bad, good luck! :)
PS - I've always liked white SG's more myself too ahah!
😁👍
There’s a theory that Les Paul’s sound better with a broken and repaired headstock. Maybe a screw through the body is the secret sauce to SG tone…🤔
@@tylerdurden5122 😆👍
Another great visit with Colin. I love the cream pup with the black. Those pickups are lovely.
It blows my mind that a 1200 pound guitar falls short of expectations. Great job Colin. I think it sounds better now!
"I make the mistakes, so you don't have to??!" Honest, and comical, as ever. One of the many reasons people, like me, subscribe to your channel, so well done on another interesting upgrade vlog - you muppet!!
P.S. I have to be honest, and say I didn't like the sound of ANY of the 'before' sounds - maybe a little too pristine and clean? Usually, o/d on tests is a terrible equaliser, making everything sound the same, but I think a little 'growl' or crunch might have helped focus the sound better - just a thought.
Cheers Gordon, honestly didn’t like the clean either but that’s what I chose on this occasion 🤷♂️
I agree with you, the new pickups gave this guitar a new lease of life, a brighter sound, more open, I liked the turtle plate too!!! 👏👏👏👏
Sometimes a guitar that is upgraded like this, is mostly just better in how it can create a new wave of creativity just for being different. I notice that a lot whenever I'm buying a new guitar too. It's not that I don't like my old guitars anymore, it's mostly the boost in creativity and feeling just a tad more inspired on something fresh.
Excellent job as usual, Col. My partner always says ‘your mate Col always does a good show’ and she’s no guitarist, lemme tall ya. My biggest takeaway from this ‘film’ is Murray’s pickups…I’m definitely contacting him when my need arises. Rock on one and all, and thanks again Col.
Cheers mate, that’s appreciated! 😁👍
Fill n Finish GluBoost Black will fix the drill thru mishap. It happens, I've done it. The new P90s sound way better and I think removing the base plate definitely improved the sound, even with the stock PUs. Nice video!
Was wondering if the pups and pickguard were going to mirror my black with antiqued white pup covers and guard Revstar...?
While screaming into my phone while watching you thinking of drilling pilot holes for pup screws, thought nope...he will catch it...🤔
Having done the same thing on a Danelectro, myself...can feel your pain😉😎👍
Every guitar should have a breathing hole eh...?😉😎👍😁
The metal plates and those channels in the pup cavities are confounding...
WHY...?
Definitely a educational video.
Thanks for taking one for the Guitaristas team Colin😎👍
😎👍❤🖖
Love Brother
Cheers Richard, it was only a little a short screw honest... 🤣🤣🤦♂️
@@theguitaristas
🤣🤣🤣
My mishap went all the way into my bench. Didn't know what I had done until I tried to reposition the guitar..!!!
Looking back on it, I'm sure I looked around to see if anyone noticed...🤣
Bonding with my guitar is different than bondo-ing with my guitar 😉😎👍
😎👍❤🖖
Love Brother
@@richardlynch5632 Ah that's brilliant! 🤣🤣
Wraparound bridges are very bright. You need a hotter pickup in that position or back off the tone knob. The wraparound on my 2012 Epi special actually tilted forward and warped the wood. It's going to be my slide guitar now. It has strong pickups and 500k pots unlike my Gibson that uses 300k. My Gibson is a tune o matic standard with the fat neck, but it has P90's. It's a 2012. Gibson actually used a pcb in the electronics so I have cared to fiddle with the pots. Now I know it won't make a difference. I think Gibson was making better P90's in 2012. I even get a bell like Strat tone when I back off the volume on the neck and the bridge just roars, sings smoothly, and when turned down it has a nice jangle. It's a great year imo, but it does have a PCB. Also, it has a baked maple fretboard because Gibson was banned from using rosewood.
Criticism: a Fender amp with a distortion pedal can't do the guitar any good. That's just my hatred for overdriven blackface Fender amps. Try a Marshall or Orange. The Orange amps really fill out the middle frequencies for the P90's. I had an OR50 and it could go from bell like blues tones to overdrive with the volume turned up on the guitar. Next I want an AD30 or a 90's Overdrive model with the FAC and master volume. Those were built by Matamp under Gibson ownership. Gibson also saved Trace Elliot too. The 90's were a fun time.
the main difference in tone is the location of the bridge pickup. the Gibson USA has the bridge pickup much closer to the bridge for some reason.
Yes I mentioned that
I have one & there’s nothing wrong with the Gibson pickups , I wouldn’t change em, smoke & mirrors ? Mine sounds ace as it is 👍
Maybe it's a good candidate for a relic job now. Since you're already causing extra damage to the poor thing. 😁 If you don't want to take on that challenge you can loan it to me and I'll happily give it a nice Murphy Lab style look. I'll do an authentic aging process, it may take a few years but it will look great! Good show as always, informative and entertaining.
I have the same guitar and when I play it with my Headrush Board. It sounds great! Don't have any problems with it.
Another great video Colin! The funniest thing happened. I must have dozed off. I thought you mentioned little old Adelaide! This is the most attention we’ve had since we lost the F1 Grand Prix!!
Or the Snowtown murders....
Good morning, Colin. If you're still on the fence about putting the white cover on the bridge pickup also, here's a vote for Yes. With the black body the contrast says, "That's right, I'M A P90!" Maybe swap the white poker chip back on while (whilst?) you're at it. The red tortoise pickguard (scratchplate?) is an improvement. Black, red & white always seem to look good together... I wonder if white witch hats on the pots would finish off the look or be a little much? As for the sound, nice either way but the Murry's do seem to be more reactive to your picking, assuming you're using similar amp settings and effects. I think I've asked before but do you use a noise gate to quiet your P90s and if so, can you recommend a particular one? Cheers from cold, rainy Dallas!
Distance between the bridge and the P.U. dictates the voicing of a guitar.
Changing a P.U. of a/the same type (in exactly the same position) isn't going change anything, exept your bankaccount.
(My dream guitar looks like an SG, but with the P.U.'s on a rails)
You have P.U.'s with weak and with powerfull magnets, but that is just going to affect the output/volume a bit.
My suggestion for people, when buying a guitar, is not to look at the nice flame maple top or the ebony fretboard, but at the relative distance between the bridge and the P.U.'s
Compare guitars with different ranges (distance) and pick the one that SOUNDS right, not the one that LOOKS right.
And: Why does it seem that Gibson just uses arbitrary placing of the P.U.'s. I thought they would have figured it out after so many years of selling overpriced guitars. Seriously...
(FWIW I own a 2001 LP Std honeyburst plaintop, which I picked from different Gibson models (which have different dimensions in the most important area of the guitar)).
Originaly I wanted to buy an SG though.
Great Video. I gonna replace the humbuckers on my cheapo epiphone with P90, or at least the neck. Thanks for your content, I always enjoy watching your videos!
That guitar sounds MUCH better now.
Also I agree that for the most part, most pickup changes are marginal. However lately I have personally experienced a much greater noticeable change going from standard potted pafs to more vintage specced unpotted pafs (the latest was the probuckers in my Epi 50’s gold top to mojotone 59’s - huge difference)
One thing I never noticed but you may have mentioned in the original comparison. The bridge pick up on this is further back closer to the bridge than the other two. So that fact it is more brittle and lower output isn't actually that surprising. I think that is actually the main driver (out of the box) for the difference.
Cheers Graham... yes indeed I mentioned it several times in both videos! 🤣
Whenever I make a mistake doing stuff like you and your too long screw ,it always makes me ask myself why I even started it 😂😂😂great video as always Colin 👍
Great episode 👏 very informative and love the technical side of changing electronics and pickups although both before and after sounds sounded just as good 👍 keep up the good work many thanks 😊 👍
A wonderful job as is come to be expected from you. I’m so glad you are happier with it now. Cheers my friend!
Another compensated tailpiece to check out is "The Savvy" by Music city bridge. I'm not sure if they ship internationally though. Love the channel!
I admit I don't hear a ton of difference on the bridge pickup (possibly due to YT's compression), but that neck pickup - wow! Oomph indeed! More body and low end. And the most important thing is that you feel it and it inspires you. Great video as usual! Bummer about the hole in the back, but let's just say it adds character and will discourage you from putting it on Reverb again. 😂
Cheers Fred, yes its a keeper now!! 🤣
Black SGs need a white or aged white/cream pearloid pickguard to make them pop! Like a reverse white SG with a black guard.
Oh my goodness I was literally saying under my breath "be careful "
and it happened. 😱
I love the fact you didn't hide it but it truly must have hurt your heart 💔 😔
Hey Colin, in 39:01 where you said you can't explain it, in the tokai video, you already did, in your own words: "Livelier feel".😎, oh and boutique "adds finesse" - classy.
Nice video, gorgeous pimped SG 😁 with a small new vent-hole , and as usual so pleasant and funny to watch you; At the beginning the best sounding one seems to be the epiphone 🤣😂🙃, mate you are becoming famous, cheers, well deserved. Oh and I do remember that the best sounding paf above all in that tokai mod, were in fact, Murray's and he even answered, such a nice guy Ben, I wish, to earn in British pounds, to pimp all my guitars. lol. Cheers. and say hi to Ben please.
Cheers man, thanks for the kind words as always! I think that Ben Murray might be onto something… will pass on your love! 😎👍
You can say hello personally lol, I read your comment, thankyou for the kind words. I know people want to argue online endlessly about what makes a great tone. I dont think you can pin it down to one thing but if you pay close attention and you experiment a bit you can make incremental improvements. Its controversial because its very hard to tell if for example wax potted sounds better or worse than unpotted or if a different type of magnet is better or worse, its all subjective. However, to compare it to food, you could argue that lamb is better or worse than beef but if they're prepared badly, not cooked properly they won't taste as good as either of them would in a 5 star restaurant. When its prepared with love and the chef and the waiters genuinely try to to give you a great experience the food tastes better. MacDonald's gives you good value and feeds you but its not where you'd take you wife for you're anniversary. My restaurant is run from home but you can bring a date here, its a lovely atmosphere with great food. Thats the difference between Seymour Duncan and me. Hes got a avast food empire and I'm running a quaint little gourmet restaurant from home.
@@murrayguitarpickups9545 Nice analogy.... reckon this is the mission statement for your website! 😁👍
@@murrayguitarpickups9545 Hi Ben, Patrick here, glad to hear from you, yes indeed, you should have at least 5 Michelin stars 😁 by now, I checked Jim Lill's video about the Wood tone in solid guitars: th-cam.com/video/n02tImce3AE/w-d-xo.html, and for me the list comes: first, you chops and your approach to all the variables, use, familiarity and/or knowledge in your instrument and style, then quality components, and between those, the crucial would be the pickups, because the rest of the electronic components just add like 1-5%. Hopefully next year I can save some, (my oldest son just finished college, so 1 tuition ended) to purchase your humbuckers and p90s for my guitars, I have and SG and a les paul, in desperate, need of your great recipe. Some big manufacturers, have a bullet proof recipe, but still against yours, they still need that special ingredient that makes, the outstanding ones, now I'm hungry lol. Take good care, maybe someday I can call you and chat about your craftmanship. Cheers.🖐😎
those pups was a much needed improvement for that guitar also love the zebra look you gave it with the pup setup, love 50's wiring as well, the new pick guard was also a nice touch never understood why black SG's come with a black pickguard. and not in white or the one you choose. its such a beautiful SG now. side note everytime i hear that Epiphone SG special im always surprised with how good it sounds, especially when i consider it's cost. Great video glad you didnt sell it.
I like the new pick guard, but I would have stuck to black pickup covers for both (or both white). But that's personal taste and it's your guitar 🙂
To me the Epiphone sounded better stock than the other two. Much richer and more defined.
I had one of these, sold it (to fund a 335). I really loved the guitar, but the sound was a bit weak; mainly, I think it's because the bridge PU is *SOOOO* close to the bridge. If it was back a little further, it'd be picking up more bass and more signal from the strings. That's my theory, anyway.
Bridge pickup is crazy close to the bridge for some reason on the black one. Only so much you can do with that placement.
Yes it’s too close and makes it very brittle