How to Install Tony Iommi Pickups in a Gibson SG

Gibson SG guitars offer a compact, thin-line design for easy playability and a sleek look. However, even a high-end Gibson SG guitar is not without room for improvement. The pickups in the Gibson SG are by no means substandard, but an experienced guitarist may want to upgrade for even better tonal qualities. Tony Iommi pickups are produced by Gibson as a high output alternative to stock Gibson pickups. According to Guitar Center, Tony Iommi pickups feature heavy wax and epoxy shielding to "prevent unwanted feedback," as well as a patented magnet configuration designed to boost output. While Gibson SGs require slightly different installation practices than other Gibson models, the process is not overly difficult if you follow the right steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Phillips screwdriver Wire cutters Wire stripper Soldering iron Solder Electrical tape

1. Use a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the 10 screws lining the edge of the Gibson SG's pickguard.

2. Unscrew the 4 screws holding in the Gibson SG's stock pickups.

3. Lift the pickguard away from the guitar's body and set it off to the side. The pickups themselves are no longer attached to the pickguard, so they will remain in the guitar's body cavity when the pickguard is removed.

4. Snip the wires coming from the pickups; cut these wires as close to the pickup as possible to allow for excess slack during installation of the new pickups. Each of the guitar's 2 stock pickups will have a red and black wire --- both of these wires need to be snipped.

5. Strip the recently snipped wires, exposing at least 1/2 inch of bare wire.

6. Strip about 1/2 inch off the wire coming from each Tony Iommi pickup. Inside the pickup's thick, main wire are 2 smaller wires and an uninsulated ground wire. Once you've stripped the main wire, individually strip 1/2 inch off each of the 2 smaller wires housed inside.

7. Twist the red and white coming from each Tony Iommi pickup together. Each of these wires is attached to an individual humbucker coil; to access both coils for maximum output, the wires need to connect uniformly to the Gibson SG.

8. Solder the twisted white and red wires to the recently snipped red wire coming from inside the Gibson SG's body cavity.

9. Solder each of the black wires coming from the Gibson SG to the uninsulated ground wires coming from the Tony Iommi pickups.

10. Wrap electrical tape around the newly soldered connections to prevent the exposed pieces of wire from touching neighboring wires.

11. Attach the Tony Iommi pickups to your pickguard using the 4 screws you removed in Step 2.

12. Reattach the pickguard to your Gibson SG using the 10 screws from Step 1. Your pickups are now installed and the guitar is ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• If your Gibson SG guitar is still covered under factory warranty, you should get the Tony Iommi pickups installed professionally to avoid voiding your warranty.

References

• Guitar Center: Gibson Tony Iommi Guitar Pickup

Resources

• Shopzilla: Gibson Tony Iommi Guitar Pickup
• Musician's Friend: Gibson and Epiphone SG Electric Guitar Buyer's Guide
• Musician's Friend: Gibson SG Standard Electric Guitar.