24 fret SG style tone experiment

Git-Fidler

Inspired
Hey guys. I thought I'd share about the guitar that I've built and the path that it's been on. I started this as a tone experiment. I love the shape of an SG but I didn't like the sound of an SG as much as a '70s Les Paul. Some early '70s LPs had maple necks and were very heavy. The body thickness on these LPs were around 2&1/8ths" thick at the tailpiece studs. So my body is that thick, throughout. I also loved the idea of a 24 fret neck. So, I ordered a 24 fret rock maple neck from Carvin back in '96 and started building my "Super" SG. A friend had a '72 SG that I traced. I had some 80+ year old Brazilian mahogany that had been used as window sills in a beautiful old home in Detroit for the wings. The pickups I chose were a '59 LP pickup in the neck position and a LP Custom pickup in the bridge. Then I tried a trem. I wanted a Bigsby but a guitar tech talked me into trying a Stetsbar Pro. He couldn't get it to work without going out of tune. I'm not blaming the Stetsbar at all. It seems like a well made well thought out unit. It just didn't work for me. As I was removing the Stetsbar a couple weeks ago to put on my original stop tailpiece, I ran across the Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul. I really liked how this guitar sounds. And then I saw the Evertune. I just couldn't help myself. Can I really get the flexibility of the Fishman Fluence pickups including coilsplitting, with perfect intonation and tuning? I thought some of you guys might find this continuing experiment interesting.
...I've also decided to mill the wings down on the back but leave the body thicker at the tailpiece studs, again to try to keep that '72 LP tone.
 

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Don't feel bad about the Stetsbar. I put one on my Epiphone Les Paul, and I couldn't get it to stay in tune either. I thought it was such a great concept though!
 
After reading more in this forum, it seems my pickups choice wasn't the best? Yikes! Maybe I should return them...
 
What exactly is the problem. I see no reason why this won't work. The Evertune is an epic irreversible mod though .
 
Hey Andy! I've been devouring alot of posts, and yours are always spot on. The pickups that I chose for my latest Super SG iteration are the same ones used in the Epiphone Prophesy Les Paul, the Fishman Fluence Moderns. I've watched all the YouTube vids that I can find, and I can't find any guitars in stores around me, so I figured that these would be great. (since they are all sold as fast as they come in) I've read here though that many folks think that these pickups sound harsh? So now I'm unsure.
 
Hey Andy! I've been devouring alot of posts, and yours are always spot on. The pickups that I chose for my latest Super SG iteration are the same ones used in the Epiphone Prophesy Les Paul, the Fishman Fluence Moderns. I've watched all the YouTube vids that I can find, and I can't find any guitars in stores around me, so I figured that these would be great. (since they are all sold as fast as they come in) I've read here though that many folks think that these pickups sound harsh? So now I'm unsure.
Hi.
They have a wide dynamic range and a very quick response that can sound harsh,BUT the exact same issues are levelled at EMG 85s and it is very much down to who is playing and what . The EMG85 is the bridge pickup in Mark Knopflers Pesa Suhr and I don't think anyone would complain about the tone in there. Active pickups are often accused of sounding harsh/clinical and it is usually down to preconceived expectations and not what they actually sound like. Yes they are not PAFs but I'm guessing that's not exactly what you want either. Ultimately you can only decide yourself and owning things is often the only real way of testing them . Rest assured that they are very good versatile modern sounding pickups.
 
That's a very nice looking SG! Back when I made mine I wanted a 24 fret neck, plus that Les Paul thickness. I love how the SG looks, but I thought that they sounded a bit "woofy", if that makes sense. I attributed that to the thin mahogany body. Glad to hear that Gibson is upgrading the SG. I think that model is very special. As soon as I get some projects finished around the house I'll fire up the router and install that Evertune. Then I'll mill down my SG wings to reduce some weight! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy that awesome guitar!
 
Hey guys. I thought I'd share about the guitar that I've built and the path that it's been on. I started this as a tone experiment. I love the shape of an SG but I didn't like the sound of an SG as much as a '70s Les Paul. Some early '70s LPs had maple necks and were very heavy. The body thickness on these LPs were around 2&1/8ths" thick at the tailpiece studs. So my body is that thick, throughout. I also loved the idea of a 24 fret neck. So, I ordered a 24 fret rock maple neck from Carvin back in '96 and started building my "Super" SG. A friend had a '72 SG that I traced. I had some 80+ year old Brazilian mahogany that had been used as window sills in a beautiful old home in Detroit for the wings. The pickups I chose were a '59 LP pickup in the neck position and a LP Custom pickup in the bridge. Then I tried a trem. I wanted a Bigsby but a guitar tech talked me into trying a Stetsbar Pro. He couldn't get it to work without going out of tune. I'm not blaming the Stetsbar at all. It seems like a well made well thought out unit. It just didn't work for me. As I was removing the Stetsbar a couple weeks ago to put on my original stop tailpiece, I ran across the Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul. I really liked how this guitar sounds. And then I saw the Evertune. I just couldn't help myself. Can I really get the flexibility of the Fishman Fluence pickups including coilsplitting, with perfect intonation and tuning? I thought some of you guys might find this continuing experiment interesting.
...I've also decided to mill the wings down on the back but leave the body thicker at the tailpiece studs, again to try to keep that '72 LP tone.


WOW I just saw the neck joint, on the back of the guitar. CRAZY!!! :D
 
WOW I just saw the neck joint, on the back of the guitar. CRAZY!!! :D
lol. It's pretty curvy. I will mill the wings down to about 1,5/8ths thick. I might slim down that neck joint area, too. It definitely can be thinned down some. I need to put this Super SG on a diet!
 
I can't wait to get her all back together with her new pieces. I picked up a String Butler for her, too. Anyone try one of those?
 
Oh, there isn't a neck joint, really. This is a neck-thru design, so I should shave this area down. I was trying to get that fat '72 Les Paul tone. Thats why this thang's sooo thick. I'm getting all experimental on this body now...
 
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