Turbo Charging My 2014 Gibson SGJ: Burstbucker Pro's Installed.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

I'd like to say, I too am shocked at how different these pickups sound on the video. These were filmed on the same amp, using the same camera, albeit, at perhaps a slightly different angle, using my common amp settings for a dirty sound. It's shocking to me, to hear how compressed sounding the other pickups are on film. To me, the new pickups sounded twice as loud, much more crisp and I felt like I could hear every note. Much more articulate sounding. I don't have a great recording setup, but all things considered, the dramatic change in volume and tone, you hear on KZbin, is absolutely representative of the difference I got in person. I bought these pickups used, and would recommend you do the same as they amount to nearly $400 CAD new. I paid $100 used:-)

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

New expensive strings and pickup height would have helped too. But like I said...those are among the best mass current produced pickups you can get. Don't forget you tone oil. Lol.

[@ReddenDoom]

Was good to see the difference. I currently was trying an SGJ next to a special faded from 04 and the volume difference, even with the "same" pickups, was almost doubled on the 04. Good to know that I might not have to yank the pcb but rather just get some other pickups in it.

[@torstt]

Video is great, Thanks. But not is possible making too big Level different only with pickups replacement. Sorry, not. I see another comparation Videos (SGJ/SG Standard etc.), Sound and Volume is Simile.

[@musiccer7446]

@@torstt I would advise that you learn to speak proper English. The video shows a clear and drastic improvement. I wonder how much the tone Woodbridge been different if you exchanged the nut, the strings and finally the pickups

[@landonbailey]

sounds and looks great! nice job, as always

[@Toedoog]

Wow those Burstbucker Pro's sound phenomenal. What an upgrade

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

I know..right;-)

[@bryantrockwell4676]

Always an improvement to see come to life on Woodeso guitar mods! Shiny SG.....very nice! Right on. Good times, Good video

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Thanks bro. Always appreciate seeing your comments:-)

[@blkjakk]

There is a method to their packaging!! The low E & A are twisted together. So are the D & G, and the B & high E. Also, the packaging is meant to protect the strings from moisture damage because nobody knows what kind of moisture levels vary from region to region and store to store. Unfortunately most people don't recycle like some of us do so D'Addario is trying to use less packaging and protect the strings too. I have the 2013 SGJ. I stuck Dirty Fingers in it. Big improvement as well. Anyway, yours looks & sounds great. 😊

[@choirofravens]

Those new pickups sound great!

[@moimeme7839]

Man your work is fantastic, you improve every guitar that fall in your hands👍

[@baddestgrampa8543]

Looks really good and sounds even better.

[@PaulLue]

Guitar looks great and sounds even better!

[@Bryan-kl5rr]

you have the perfect vids to play while i do guitar work and drink a beer. lol thanks for the no b.s. vids, good stuff

[@jeffmclowry]

I bought my first SG (special 2015) a month ago, and I am in fucking love!For the life of me, I don’t know why I snubbed these for so many years. I chose this one because it has the 1.8” nut, but aside from that feature, this thing is such a pleasure to play. It has taken the favorite spot held for many years by my Carvin Bolt. Now if I could deal with the static issue on the SG and the LP, all would be perfect.

[@1961jscofield]

Looks gorgeous. Those burstbuckers clearly have more snarl than the ones you took out, very cool!

[@98JamesNixon]

Love my burstbucker pros in my lp standard. They are so versatile it's unreal

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

That's coincidentally what these came out of:-)

[@sn95_mustang_garage]

Wow that Truoil changed the entire look for the better. Not an SG fan but she is looking good.

[@tonedriverss8629]

I have the exact same 2014 SGJ . The satin finish will naturally get shiny with age all on its own . Thats the beauty of the thin satin finish . Mine is aging well and more and more of it is getting shiny - er . "Satine" finish .... lol . I also have a US HWY1 Strat which came with a thin satin nitro finish when I bought it new . That Strat was totally mat black when I bought it new in 2009 . Today she is shiny black with see-through wood grain . I let her age naturally and she is beautiful today . I wouldnt do what you did. But hey , maybe the air is different in your neck of the woods. Cheers from Qc.

[@BadMotivator66]

i prefer how it looked stock tbh. i'm a big fan of the J series! and the laquer is a thin nitro, not poly :)

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

I collect vintage Gibson and fancy cork sniffer boutique pickups and those are the only current production Gibson pickups I like. Esp in semi hollows. For your own sake though: try the quick connects vs traditional. Traditional wiring sounds better. Quick connects are like using a cheap cable. Freq's get lost.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

NO,they do not.you have been sniffing a cork that was inserted in someones ass.

[@shawnphase]

this thing sounds hot, dig it. hey, its how an sg should sound. everyone shold have at least an epi sg in their arsenal, just killer guitars for sustain and even better with good pups in em. if you find its too bright, i hope you decide to hold onto it and stick a 500k pot in there before ya do, it makes a big difference with burstbuckers. my guitar is really bright like this too and has that 'twice as loud' kinda feel, a lot of other guitars just dont feel like they've got the same guts that it does. so sometimes i cut back my volume to about 80%, somewhere in that 80-85% spot and it almost gives it a single coil kinda feel while having the balls and sustain. seems like when im recording that it gives it a different color too. ive even staved off changing strings for probably a good ten years longer than i should to dial down that brightness, ive had some success with that. been cool seein ya tool around with this sg, hope you dig it nelson!

[@WickedFesterBand]

My SGJ is an older one with the 490R & 490T pickups. I love the way those sound, just not the way they look. Black plastic covers on them. It is a production to remove the covers too because they mount to the rings via the pickup covers. You would need to buy and install a base plate if you remove the covers.

[@nathanward3888]

my SG Faded has 490R & 490T pickups that were open coil, so I just soldered on the chrome covers, and used silicone underneath to eliminate any microphonic problems. Worked like a charm.

[@josephscalone5402]

nice vid buddy, always loved the sound of a sg

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Same..:-)

[@VERBANDTREM]

looks good!

[@dalepal]

I think it looks better after you used the Tru-Oil. The new pickups sound great and it was so easy to just plug them in since they have the same connector.

[@bbnatedogg]

Every dude should experience a shiny headstock at least once in awhile.

[@CountryHouseGent]

I have a 2013 LPJ with the same colour and finish. The neck's polished up the same as yours through playing but I hadn't thought about polishing the body, so thanks for the tip. Can't make up my mind about a set of Burstbuckers, or a '57 Classic Plus / Angus Young combination?

[@BoudreauGuitars]

BB are awesome! I have a pair in my studio custom conversion

[@sweettoof9002]

For me shining up a Gibson satin finish I use Virtuoso Premium Cleaner followed by the Premium Polish. I buff in about 4-5 coats of the polish and it shines right up.

[@bbnatedogg]

I'd recommend taking the cover off of the neck pickup, but that's usually my preference with every neck humbucker. Just a touch more clarity and highs. My favs are overwound singles, vintage or underwound P-90's or low wound, uncovered humbuckers for the neck.

[@waynejohnson6594]

Nice SG! Sounds great.

[@krustybuzzard2477]

any time you apply any thing over a dried finish it needs a little stuff in order for it to adhere properly.1 exception. you can spray lacquer over lacquer because it eats in not just lay on top.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Cheers for the info bro:-)

[@krustybuzzard2477]

+Woodeso's Guitar Mods no problem

[@scottstenger8059]

How's the Tru Oil over the satin finish on the SGJ holding up? Looks great.

[@Имбирнаяпеченька-ю6ь]

I got the same question

[@patricktrites3381]

$15 for a set of strings in Alberta them strings are only $9. Guitar sounds good with new pick ups. Rock on

[@xklopan]

the BB pros sound a lot fuller and surprisingly brighter, I say surprisingly because covered pickups usually lost a little bit of high end, I have a say of BB pros sitting in a drawer somewhere that I took out of my standard they were a little hotter than what I wanted in that guitar. great pickups though need to get them installed in something else :)

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Agreed. These sound insane good. I've always liked these pickups in every guitar I've tried them in. They have a raw quality about them. Like a throaty exhaust note;-)

[@jeb0112]

I have a 92 Gibson studio ebony fretboard and all the cool stuff that made Gibson great, I like the quick connect my issue is There's only a few pickup options with those unless Gibson offers more now, I worked on my buddies 09" Gibson standard and he wanted a BB3 quick connect and couldn't find one, I called Gibson and they don't have them for an option! While talking to Gibson they also mentioned probably by accident that there volume and tone pots are made in China, that kinda sucks if u ask me..

[@jasonl.9689]

Hell yeah buddy. I wonder what Burstbuckers would sound like in my Es 339? Just might have to find out. Great video.

[@khalaziafaqih367]

beautyful white strat

[@rickysteve9948]

burstbuckers are some of my favorite pickups! have them in a few guitars.

[@lifewithtrevor364]

Can we get an update on the true-oil? Did it take well and stay over time? I have one of those anniversary SGJ's and I would like to put a shine on it without doing a bunch of work.

[@richardgallo3155]

I have a guitar that has treated with it 5 years in. Looks good…. It wares like a light coat of nitro in my opinion.

[@shanehewitt2]

How’s the true oil holding up now on the SGJ?

[@charliegoldspink5343]

I know this isn't really your thing but have you ever considered building and improving a kit guitar? I think it would make a fantastic little series. Aside from that I think what you're doing is great, it's really interesting to see all the little tricks you have developed to do things better or easier. keep it up

[@imrippingthefuckingheadoff]

I'd love to see that! Especially with his excellent finishing techniques (the sonic blue 70's Strat, the goldtop Les Paul, etc).

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

You know I have thought about building from scratch, but there are so many guitar that already exist, that I want to get my hands on, that I haven't yet tried. Honestly, I don't know if I ever will. So may guitars already exist that have a story, some trouble to sort out, and improvements to be made, that I may just always stay doing this sort of stuff. The thing about a kit for me, is I can't be sure of the quality of the components, the machining, or the fit. I've repaired a few of these and the story is always the same. They aren't quite cut properly, don't really fit together all that well, and have absolutely no resale value. Since I maintain this channel solely on trades and buying and selling, I couldn't do anything with a home built kit other than keep it. At the moment, I feel like keeping guitars is simply holding onto something keeping me from the next one;-)

[@davidallen346]

Huge improvement in tone with the burstbuckers and the oiled finish turned out great . That guitar has a good tone to begin with and the 24 frets are a plus . Btw my 2014 Gibson SGJ has a 60 cycle hum when i plug it into my tube amps , dunno if its the pots or what i have to do to it to make it more silent ?

[@nathanward3888]

My 2016 SG Faded has the hum too, but it's definitely not the pots. I know because I stripped out the plug-and-play PCB and installed 500k CTS pots, with the tone ones being push pull to split the coils. After rewiring the whole thing I still have that hum. I'm guessing some copper tape is in order next.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

bridge ground probably

[@12footgrave]

Looks great, hope you don't encounter any problems with the finish because I want to try this.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Yeah man... same. But it's been about week now since this was done.. I've been sitting on the footage due to a little bit of personal vacation. So far so good. It looks shiny and nice and hasn't started to do anything weird yet. At worst, I expect it'll maybe wear away, but you can always apply some more:-)

[@MEDiumInc]

Do you think it would hold up to heat and moisture? Maybe if you where doing an outdoor gig and lived by a lake or a beach?

[@voxpathfinder15r]

Wow those original pickups sound so compressed and buzzy - what model were they, so I know to avoid them, thanks.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

61 Zebra Alnico 5's. Stock:-)

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I thought you were going to say something shitty like some ceramics or something. Man sometimes Gibson hits 'em out of the park, and sometimes they're disasters.

[@BadMotivator66]

chappers made them sound great! i guess it's horses for courses

[@voxpathfinder15r]

ehhhh, I am very suspect of channels who have a vested interest in selling products. Especially in a world where there is probably 10X more guitars in the world than there people who can play guitar.

[@BadMotivator66]

either way. if they got a good sound of them, it can be done! it's all relative to your style, the sound you're after, and your other gear.

[@stevehogan8829]

Nelson, may want to check a couple of vids on using true oil. Works great but does better on wood than on poly.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Yeah I have my doubts of course, but this finish is so dull and it's been a couple of weeks since I actually did this, and it's still great looking. I reckon the only thing that'll happen now is is wears away and I can always add more. I'm pretty hopeful this will stay just fine.

[@montys8th]

This guitar is nitro. Gibson doesn't use poly.

[@stevehogan8829]

Yep, thanks guys, still not sure it will penetrate. Will be interesting. I'd be worried about peeling especially since nitro continues to cure for years. Of course nitro orange peels/checks anyway, so no matter.

[@jimpaton536]

Hi there from Jim Paton in Fife,Scotland.What was the yellow paint you used on the refurbishment of the SG you did some time ago? It looks great

[@electricgeorge5589]

Good videos

[@roninnemke]

Hello so i got 2013 sgj recently and few days ago i notcied the bzz sound when i hit 5th and 6th string and it happens only from 1fret till 8-9 without the amp And its bugging me so much I just dont know if thats normal or not

[@becomdavid]

Hey! Love your vids! I just have a quick question! I have a LPJ as well I noticed the ground wire is in that small olive greenish connecter to take it out of their all I do is push on the orange part to take it out?! I was looking into replacing all the electronics on mine with regular pots and I just had a little concern over that ground wire! I remember in an older video you accidentally broke that part right? Was it an easy fix? I can't remember! Thanks!

[@richardgallo3155]

BB in SG's sound better to my ears. That said 57’s sound better in ES Style guitars for my money... 😎

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

thats a pretty 339,keep it and stop buying so many damned guitars,IM FUCKING JEALOUS

[@yurimennella8793]

Burstbuckers are the best pickups that gibson mades, amazing choice man

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

AGREED!!!

[@gearhead762]

oil finish penetrates laquer? i would just buff the laquer to a shine if that is what you are looking for. nice axe!

[@BIBSTERSrepairshop]

What is the best way to keep a guitar that is not used very much I have heard to de-tune what do you think

[@imrippingthefuckingheadoff]

DO NOT detune it or take the strings off! The strings should always stay on so it keeps the tension on the neck and doesn't fuck up the truss rod. When you bring it back out of storage, the fretboard will be really dry, so you should restring it and hydrate it with lemon oil.

[@BIBSTERSrepairshop]

TOAN 6 SPIDER thanks I kinda thought that but was not sure

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

No man.. keep it tuned up. For sure. I would say that it's due to be checked out at least once a month. Strum it a bunch, tune it, and put it away.

[@bobby9727]

Hi Nelson the guitar looks great buddy.I got a question for the SG pro YOU.If i remove a pick guard on a Gibson SG with the bigger pick guard does it have huge routes under the PG in the body and can i stall pickup rings on the pickups without any holes showing.The reason i am asking is i am looking for a Gibson SG but i see alot with the large pick guard and i am trying to remove the pick guard but fear that it will have big holes in the front of the body.I do not like pick guards so i want a SG with the pick guards.Thank you inadvance.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

they are not routed underneath,its all good.

[@montys8th]

Great video! Like I said on Instagram I can't believe how much the truoil has popped that cherry (oops did I really just say that). I've got a 2013 SG 50's Tribute in satin black and a 2013 SGJ in satin chocolate that are just crying out for some truoil. Just got to find somewhere in Australia that sells it now. Wow....blown away. Love it when you mod stuff. How much truoil did you use on this guitar? Can you do a comparison between the Burstbuckers and the 57's in your Standard please

[@jamesoconnor1368]

Like what you did to it! I put EMGs in mine (81 85) with those cheesy skull knobs you get from amazon lmao

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Whatever you like is what's important. The fact that these sell new for $500 USD is what makes them ideal for modding. A standard is so expensive that you don't really want to do anything to it. I haven't touched my own except to change the trussrod cover. Keep modding man...\m/ :-)

[@jamesoconnor1368]

+Woodeso's Guitar Mods will do!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

gay,sorry had to say it but its truth............

[@wickedninja8599]

Question about Gibson.... What (if anything) can you do to fix the minor cracking on fret binding that happens due to lack of humidity?

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

BUY A HUMIDIFIER

[@vapporiesat3125]

how did the true oil finish turned out over time?

[@nicholasrobert9104]

Need advice from a fellow Canadian, I have a Gibson SG Special 60's Tribute and it has P90's. What Humbucker's could I change to without routing a new hole?

[@montys8th]

Gibson mini humbuckers are a direct drop in replacement, they even use the same mounting plate as the soap bar P90's (but not the dog ear P90's). Seymour Duncan also make a mini humbucker if you don't want to go the Gibson route.

[@nicholasrobert9104]

+TimB4305 Great! Thank's, I don't have dog ears for it so I guess I could get The Gibson Mini Humbucker.

[@montys8th]

+FWS Nicholas I have the SG 50's tribute with P90's and I picked up a set of 1970's Gibson mini humbuckers off eBay for about $75US.

[@misterknightowlandco]

have you had any issues with direct connect pups? my 2014 melody had a few issues. i kind of just want to go back to real pots. can i keep my pups and just cut the ends off or do i need to get new pups?

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

No, I haven't personally had any issues, but I do have a PCB that needs repairing for an upcoming video. I'll go over the entire PCB during that video. It's actually not that complicated.

[@montys8th]

You can cut the quick connect adapters off and wire it old school. I got a used set of 490R/498T with quick connect and cut them off and dropped them into one of my Flying V's no problems whatsoever.

[@misterknightowlandco]

+TimB4305 thanks!

[@joshfeatherstone8546]

I just did the same swap with my 2008 SG Special. Did yours have the 490's in it before?

[@phillipscc]

wtf is the problem with the strings?! D'addarios are awesome!! :P

[@Toedoog]

For strings that are near double the price of competitors they should ABSOLUTELY come in individual packaging. For example a set of Ernie Balls are half the price - they all come in recyclable paper packaging.

[@NicolasCageisGod]

I don't care about all of that tbh. The fact is that I've never had a d'darrio string break

[@phillipscc]

Meddie Diablo Exactly! they are great!

[@adavgt2873]

I haven't ever broken any d'addario strings (touch wood!) unlike Ernie Ball strings for some reason.. but d'addario should definitely have individual packaging. Would make them even better for the price tbh

[@PatatoKeftes]

If they had individual packaging the price would be higher. Larger packs of strings means less pieces shipped for a given shipping cost, plus more packing material used.

[@Landfir]

Could you show how to install a 7 way switch :) and do a demo pls

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Have done.. poke through the older videos. Easy!

[@soulagent79]

Has anyone ever tried to put some clear coat lacquer on one of the 'faded' oder 'worn' Gibson-finishes?

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

That was my first thought... and may still happen to the back of the headstock;-)

[@nine-graves]

If you go that route, you definately have to upload this on your channel. I've got a LP Studio Faded i'd like to clear coat as well but the wood isn't grain filled either and it looks just like your SGJ. Cheers!

[@LordSonny94]

What typeof oil are you applying? :)

[@DaniWhiteESP]

Are they the same pickups but with a cover?

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

I love D'addario packaging, individual string packets is a waste, I hated that shit when I used to use EB, getting done and having some giant fucking pile of paper envelopes, fuck that shit.

[@stevehogan8829]

Check out Crimson, he just put up a new vid using Crimson finishing oil. Very close to true oil,,I think I saw you using his stuff.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Yeah man, I love his stuff:-)

[@Agar4Life]

Tru-oil is great and creates a great finish - but it ages badly in the bottle. Shelf-life is maybe a year or two tops. After that it gets thicker in the bottle and won't harden like it used to. You might find that future projects won't turn out the same and stay sticky - in that case it's time to buy a new bottle.

[@jakem.6394]

Do you wanna sell the old pickups?

[@mr.mcmagpie6606]

thank goodness you don't work on my guitars... lighter fluid as a cleaner?! Trujillo over an already satin finish?! man, so crazy... Good luck in the future. cheers.

[@complexshadows483]

ryan g lighter fluid is commonly used

[@FretFriendGWaL]

Idiot! Lighter fluid = Naptha which is what you use to clean guitars! You cannot buy Naptha in the UK so we use Zippo lighter fluid...

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

watch anyone who works on guitars,THEY ALL USE NAPTHA AS IT LEAVES NO FUCKING RESIDUE.

[@PatatoKeftes]

He is experimenting on HIS guitar so that he finds out what works and what doesn't, so when YOUR guitar gets to him will have a correct treatment. There are only 2 effective cleaners especially for the fretboard, lighter fluid and saliva. I think going for the lighter fluid is the correct decision.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

LIGHTER FLUID IS A PERFECT CLEANER,IT EVAPORATES without leaving any residue... the satin finish on these sgj's looks like ass and it looks way better after his trujillio job.

[@calvinneason3059]

looks like lipstick... i like

[@spencer205]

whats in the yellow bottle?

[@chrishenderson9130]

CJH lighter fluid

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

They purposely don't include individual string packs because it's a waste of paper and it's stupid and unnecessary. When I used to use EB strings, I hated being stuck with this giant pile of waste after a string change, I'd never go back to EB strings unless they changed their wasteful practices.

[@bobdimarzio3541]

$15.00 ? Use Amazon the next time and buy the 3 pack

[@jeffersoneinstein9641]

Those strings are a pain in the ass but at least you get a worthless sticker. Reminds me of the shitty piece of gum that used to come in a pack of baseball cards, why bother?

[@jeffersoneinstein9641]

sorry to hear that :} I would have preferred another card over gum that would shatter when dropped on the sidewalk. Cheers

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Seriously! Skip the sticker and give me individual string packages. I'm sure the cost of the sticker makes up for 6 individual string packages. But.... they are good strings. That's the main thing...:-)

[@jeffersoneinstein9641]

Woodeso's Guitar Mods That was my point exactly. I also should have mentioned that the tru oil looks awesome on the sg but I got worked up and I was hungry. :} Cheers!

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Jefferson Einstein of course bro. I hear you loud and clear:-)

[@markdalton293]

Dude I enjoy watching your videos but what is up with the wierd ass singing and all the foul language . You do know that kid's might be watching your videos too.