490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

[MattPete]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Hasn't anybody else had problems while changing between neck and bridge pickups while playing? I find the 498t horribly thin compared to the 490r. Anyone else?

Yep, but my experience is with the 490t and 490r. From the reviews I've been reading, it sounds like the 49x pickups are pretty OK, but it's as if the neck and bridge pickups were designed indepedently, with no thought going into making them a calibrated set.

[korovamilkdud]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

So true. Come to think of it, I always thought my 490R with the 498t sounded a bit muddy.

Now the interesting thing is when you use the 490r in the bridge instead...

[Luke Duke]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

I went from a 498 in my custom to a C5. I loathed the C5 so in went the 498. It still had the ice-picky highs so I exchanged magnets between that and my 57 classic. I was shooting for a CC esque eq. I've heare the 498 is akin to a JB which I feel is very accurate. It (a2 mag) really smoothed the rough edges of the 498 and the guy I traded the guitar too LOVED it. So what I guess I was hearing was a gibson A2 JB tone.

By putting an A5 in the 57 it got brighter and less grainy (my beef with it) under gain. Clean the A2 mag sounded great though.

Luke

[Aceman]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Man I hope you don't kick any time soon, you've only have one (or possibly two) Les Pauls listed!!!!

You know - as I get older, I do notice that I have lowered my standards! That's two "real" pauls and two "sort of's" I count the Kaman GT-36 black custom these days...but hey for $150, it's close enough! But a DiMarzio tone zone is going in there - save the choice tones in the real Pauls for Seymour! Yet again I wasn't good enough for Santa to bring that Wine Red Cusom! But damn if the kids didn't get some cool stuff!

Some mentioned in a thgread a whiule back that late 70's/early 80's 490's used A2's in the 490; Is that true and would that make them basically a Alnico pro2?

[big_black]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

I just bought an SG with the 500T in it. What can I expect it to sound like?

[Bluzboy66]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

I agree, to an extent.....

My '91 Les Paul Classic has always sounded great to me with the stock ceramic pu's..........until I started cleaning my tone up a bit. After 25 years, I'm reinventing myself after listening to Johnny A., old ZZ Top, Allman Bros., Peter Green, BB King, etc. I'm playing through a Fender Super-Amp (4x10) now, instead of my Hot Rod Deluxe, or DeVille. I recently quit the Variety Cover band that I'd been in for 4 years. The Fender Hot Rods were perfect 'grab and go' amps for that band. In the past, my main stage amps were a Soldano Hot Rod 50, and a modded '78 Marshall Super Lead 100, both with 4x12 top cabs. As you can see, high gain was my goal all along.

I'm preparing to launch a Blues project, and now that cleaner tone is my goal, the ceramic pu's just aren't cutting it. To me, they sound harsh and sterile if they're not being pushed into heavy OD.

I'm hoping that my new '59 set of SDs will give me what I'm looking for. I've had the '59 neck pickup in MANY guitars, mostly Hamers, and Gibsons, but I've never tried the '59 bridge.

All in all, I'd recommend the ceramic Gibsons if you're into crunch. I'll be keeping the PRS 'HFS', and 'Vintage Bass' ceramics in my bone stock '91 Paul Reed Smith Custom for the heavier stuff.

Mike

[Fusion1]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Big Black, did you get an SG-X, with the single 500T at the bridge? I have a Les paul Studio with a 500T bridge and it sounds full and brightens up the guitar and it is very powerful.

In my SG I installed the 496R and 500T set and I am trying to like the 500T in the bridge compared to the Duncan Distortion that was in it previously, and it isn;t bad as it is bright and powerful, but in the SG it sounds a bit thin to me.

[big_black]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Yeah, I got an SG-X. I'm going to refinish it and mod it out, get a sweet
MOP headstock overlay. Thanks for the tip. Is it bright like a JB? Maybe change out the pots to 250k?

[That90'sGuy]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Sorry guys, the 490/498 set in my Gibson Les Paul Standard was complete trash. You can play any music style with the right amp, regardless of pickups. The 490/498 were bland and boring. Buy a set of Wagner Custom Rewinds or some Seymour Duncan custom shops / Antiquity line and you'll hear what a "real" pup is supposed to sound like.

Gibson once made amazing pickups, they were known as the PAF humbuckers. I played an original Gibson Les Paul stock with the old school PAFs (yes, it was the real deal, I can thank a good friend of mine for that) and they were everything people praise them to be. They were sweet, they sung and could bite like no tomorrow. They made you want to play like a pro and well, the pickups Gibson does now, don't.

Duncans, Dimarzios, Bill Lawrence, Fralins, WCRs, Harmonic Design etc... they almost always sound better than a guitar's stock pickups. I bought a Genesis Sounds "Mr. Browney" and it was a true PAF type pickup that really brought out harmonics, try finding that with Epis stuff. There is a market for pickups for a reason, they are sorely needed.

[Aceman]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Again - here we go calling them trash! I have to say, though, I was very surprised by the general positive responses that have been popping up here. You clearly want the tone of an old tired mellow vintage paul. Great. But just because you don't like the tone doesn't mean they suck. As Seymour would say "Tell me what you need more/less of." I think big black asked the right question - What's the 500T going to sound like? Not "Do 500T's stink"

And by the way - that "vintage PAF" you heard probably didn't sound that way 50 years ago! Unreliable production and time works some freaky mojo on those magnets. On my '79 I feel like the neck has became awesome sounding over time. The bridge however, just sounds tired. By tired I mean low output. So I'll be moving to a Duncan Distorion eventually.

[Bluzboy66]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Aceman,
It has a lot to do with the player too. We can't forget that. A really responsive guitar with hot pickups will scare some players away. More forgiving pickups will allow the player to warm up to the guitar, maybe even inspire the player to step out a little. You've heard that a good Tele will either make you or break you. That's the God's honest truth. Both of my Tele's sound awsome, but on a bad day (playing-wise), I'll keep them in the case........and yeah, all players have bad days, regardless of your experience. The Teles scream, wail, and have attack for days. When I'm pumped, I reach for them.

I've learned to approach my guitars with kid gloves. That's why I have a bunch of different guitars. I think the Les Paul loaded with '59s is going to be my new medicine. It's been a couple of months since I played for any length of time, and I feel that the 'warmed' Les is really gonna pull me back in.

Mike

[Aceman]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

Absolutely Mike! I always say that there a few key components to the whole sound thing:
1. The guitar (construction, woods, etc..)
2. The pups - probably the #2 thing, and the easiest thing to change, and they interact with #1. Always remember that a pup can't put something in the axe that isn't there to start with!
3. The amp - I tend to believe the biggest overall factor. A Hondo (remember them!?!?!) will roar through a Marshall stack. It will blow through a 10 watt Fender solid state. An LP Custom with a JB will still sound weak through a bad amp. It would sound magical through the stack though...
4. The amp settings! So few people know how to "play the amp" Even Stevie Ray would always set it on the same numbers- his tech then changed the settings and put the knobs back on so he wouldn't know!
5. The chops themselves! SOme people just suck. I, like you, have better and worse days. When I can get some practice in, I'm better no matter what I play. Eric Johnson would sound like Eric Johnson no matter what he played.....

After that, it's all matter of taste. Which is why I like people who say what they want specifically, instead of awesome/suck statements. I think people in this forum tend to focus a lot on ONLY one aspect - the pup. I've read a lot about people who don't like the Dimebucker (RIP). But remember, that's only one part of the "Dime" stew. It also includes a 300 watt Randall on 10, an MXR box and a Washburn/Floyd guitar. Of course a squire strat through a crate amp (even a 100 watter) doesn't get all Pantera on you. And an Invader through a Marshall just isn't going to do subtle blues.

And I'm still going to replace my bridge 490(?) with a DD. Why, because for what I play and how I play, it's got more of what I'll like.

[MikeS]

Re: 490/498/500T undeserved bad rep!

I've still got the stock 490R/498T set in my LP Studio. My take: the 490 in the neck is nearly unusable. After having played many other LPs since I got mine years ago I've come to the conclusion that mine is a little darker than most. The 490 in the neck is very muddy and inarticulate. Clean or dirty, I've not been happy with the tone.

The 498T on the other hand I love. Because the LP is a fuller darker body the brightness of the 498 helps clear up the tone quite nicely. I find its very articulate and works great with the style of music I play (just a grippin' & rippin' blues based hard rock). My only complaint about the 498 is that clean, it is a tad on the bright side, but I can usually find a good clean tone by using both pickups with the tone on the 498 rolled back a bit.

I've thought about trying a PG set in my LP just for kicks, even though I'm somewhat happy with the 498. It's worth a shot... Now if I could just stop buying stuff I don;t need I can start getting some new pups.