Expert Review:
SGD Lutherie is a small independent builder in the New York area with a rather unique line of pickups. Taking a cue from the legendary Hagstrom Bi-Sonic pickup used by Guild in the 1960s, co-founder David Schwab has designed a humbucker with a "flat" frequency response— in other words, all frequencies have fairly equal representation. The sound is big, warm, deep and powerful, with plenty of highs when you need them. Series 3 pickups are available in a number of shapes, including EMG (shown), Bartolini, Music Man, Fender and Gibson/Epiphone, and are voiced for "neck" and "bridge" positions (I recommend the former). They are very reasonably priced at $110, and can be purchased directly from the company. If you need more convincing, there are sound samples on the SGD website.
