Gibson SG Humbucker Hunt & Mods (Gibson SG Standard '61 Reissue)

I'm on a hunt for the Perfect Humbucker for a Gibson SG Standard '61 Reissue - and I'm making some other mods too! What do you think I changed so far? Thanks a ton for checking the channel out, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and leave a comment if you dig the content! Also, follow on Instagram and say what's up in the DMs! www.instagram.com/edgeofbreakup

I picked up this Gibson SG Standard '61 Reissue a few months back and I've been getting to know it, and adjusting it for the feel I want. I have set it up both both slide and standard tuning / action, and I have found that the Gibson Burstbuckers are pretty great, especially with some heat cooking with your amp - so today we are gonna be looking at the tones you can get from those stock pickups.

Unfortunately, I did find that the guitar's tuning stability was quite lacking, so I replaced the tuners with @StewMac Locking Kluson Tuners which helped but didn't get me all the way there, so I am going to get the nut replaced with a @StewMac Bone nut, looking to learn to do that on the job! Maybe I will share a video... we'll see. I also replaced all the wiring with @Emerson Custom SG Wiring Kit, and added an Emerson Custom Treble Bleed to both volume knobs to preserve my top end when turning volume down. Finally, I replaced the stock stop tail/saddle/bridge with a Callaham stainless steel kit.

In the future, I am going to be dropping in some Fralin Pickups, Lollar Pickups, Seymour Duncan and Sonic Pickups to compare with this video! I am pretty stoked on comparing the results, and seeing if a new nut helps the tone and tuning stability as well! Thanks for checking it out!

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The hunt for the perfect humbucker starts here. Before we swap anything, let's hear what the Gibson SG Standard '61 Reissue sounds like with its stock Burstbuckers — after some meaningful mods along the way. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

This is the first episode in a running series: the search for the best humbucker for a Gibson SG Standard '61 Reissue. Over the coming videos I'll be dropping in Fralin, Lollar, Seymour Duncan, and Sonic pickups to compare directly against this baseline. But first — the stock setup, and what I've already changed on this guitar.

The Gibson Burstbucker set that ships with the '61 Reissue is genuinely capable, especially when you push an amp into its natural compression zone. Today's demo runs through the Benson Amps Vincent across its clean channel, pushed gain settings, and full dirt channel, and you'll hear exactly what the Burstbuckers can do in each context.

The guitar has already had a few key modifications. Tuning stability on the stock guitar was lacking, so I replaced the tuners with StewMac Locking Kluson units — an improvement, though a bone nut replacement is also in the works. All the wiring has been replaced with an Emerson Custom SG Wiring Kit, with Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds added to both volume knobs so rolling back the volume actually works the way it should. The stop tail, saddle, and bridge have been replaced with a Callaham stainless steel kit for better intonation stability and sustain transfer.

The Burstbuckers with these mods and a quality wiring harness tell a meaningfully different story than the stock out-of-the-box experience. This is the reference point for everything that follows — watch, listen, and let me know in the comments which pickup you think is going to win the hunt.