Gibson 496R/500T Replacements

[Snyp3rsc0pe]

Hey guys, I have a Gibson Explorer with the stock 496r/500t pickups in it. The 496 in the neck works well with a low volume for cleans, but whenever I turn up the volume its gets incredibly bassy. I have a Dimarzio 36th PAF lying around that I was thinking about dropping in, but I'm open to any suggestions.As for the the bridge, the 500t is too gainy. Light distortions sound slightly harsh, but heavy gain or fuzz becomes unusably distorted. I was thinking about a pair of Seth Lovers, but I'm worried that they won't hold up well with feedback (I like my Swollen Pickle). What do you guys think?

For reference, I play through a Vox AC100, either straight through the amp or with the Swollen Pickle fuzz, and I play a lot of blues rock and early metal (think Sabbath). I like old-school tone, warm and clear, yet nice and raunchy when it gets loud. I'm also gonna put 500k pots in with the pickups, so the highs are a bit more pronounced. What do you guys suggest I go with? Thanks so much for helping out

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Gibson 496R/500T Replacements

I've used the pup combo you have. The DMZ PAF is worth a try. I would see what you think after that, as that will be a much different style of guitar pup, that is, lower output.

That said, I get the feeling you'll like a pup that tends toward a more "vintage" sound. That DMZ is is one, some great Duncan models too.

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson 496R/500T Replacements

I think a pair of good PAF's (DMz, Duncan, Lollar, Fralin, etc) is a better fit in an Explorer or V than the 500T/496R set. I'd put your 36th in, and maybe an Seth or A2P in the bridge.