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  • gibson pickups - you like them?

    I recently had a les Paul studio with the 490/498 pickups. Nice guitar, but not a keeper. Sold it.

    Just got a 2018 explorer which has the burstbucker 2/3 combo.

    Both sets of pickups have that similar gibson sound, seem kinda congested/dense/strong in the midrange, with an attack to match it.

    Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad and obviously many great artists have used them and gotten great sounds out of them.

    I've used duncans and dimarzio almost all of my guitar life, and for some reasons the gibsons just don't do it for me.

    Anyone agree with what I'm saying? I hope so...

  • #2
    Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

    Gibson pickups get me in the ballpark. Other company’s pickups get me on the field. Duncan pickups get me to the plate.

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    • #3
      Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

      The only modern one I've been able to get on with is the 490R......but thats with any other magnet than what it comes with (A2). Short A5, UOA5 and A4 are what I've used. They suit the guitars they are in, but I have guitars with aftermarket pickups that get a lot closer to the sound I want.

      Obviously I have older Gibson pickups......Tarbacks, Shaw's and T-tops are great. They're all very open and reward those with high playing skill in the feel department.

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      • #4
        Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

        I like my 70s T-tops and early-80s Shaw PAFs quite well.

        In modern Gibson pickups I've found I like a Burstbucker 1 at the neck in a bright-natured Les Paul. The BB2 was a bit harsh & scratchy at the bridge in that guitar though.

        I have a set of 57 Classics that are good in a Johnny A Custom - that guitar has a snappy character due to an ebony fretboard and its 25˝" scale length. 57s have a reputation for often performing well in semihollows.

        I like Gibson's modern production P90s just fine. Didn't like the P100 quite as much as the regular P90s.

        I have one friend who swears by the 498T; puts them in all his guitars and they sound good through his Powerball.
        I generally play with less gain, and found the 498 has a certain slightly grainy quality that didn't suit me well.
        .
        "You should know better by now than to introduce science into a discussion of voodoo."
        .

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        • #5
          Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

          I didn't love the 490/498 combo in my Studio, but I didn't hate them, either. I preferred them over a few of the Duncans I tried, but that simply boiled down to initially choosing the wrong Duncan for the sound I was looking for. The Gibson pickups found a home in a BC Rich NJ Classic Mockingbird that I eventually sold. The Studio has been my #1 for 20 years, has seen a few pickup changes, and finally settled with a pair of Duncans (59b rewound to PATB-3 specs and a 59n).
          Duncan Pickups in currently in use: '59 (rewound to PATB-3)/'59, Custom/AP2H, Tapped QP set for Tele, Crazy 8/Cool Rails, Screamin' Demon/Stra-Bro 90, Custom 5/Phat Cat, SP90-1/SP90-2, SMB-5D

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          • #6
            Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

            My favs from Gibson are the '57 Classics and their P90's. For me they work. I've used the '57 in Strat build and Les Pauls. The best sound from the neck I've gotten is without the tone control connected to the neck pickup. It opens it up just a little more.

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            • #7
              Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

              i really like the bb1 and bb2 combo in most things ive heard them in. the 57 classics seem to have changed over the years, heard some that were good and some that were muddy and harsh and clanky at the same time somehow

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              • #8
                Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                Like any other company, maybe more so, they are hit & miss. Lately they have been on a bit of a streak.

                T-Tops: HATE them
                P-100s: Suck big hairy moose
                490/498: Hate the combo. Individually, meh. Lots of better things I like way more.
                500T - Love it. Wouldn't ever swap one. Same as a Duncan Distortion to me.
                BB1/2 - Great combo. Wouldn't change them either
                BB2/3 - Still good. Like it, just not as much as the 1/2
                57's - Meh. Not bad, just not my thing.
                P90 - Classic P90 goodness. Nothing but Love!
                Dirty Fingers - Oh hell yes! when you need that. I'd argue you really don't need that...but hella loud fun!
                Shawbuckers - Whateverbuckers.
                Originally posted by Bad City
                He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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                • #9
                  Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                  I find a lot of their pickups dark in Les Pauls. I always assumed it was their pots. I love Derek Trucks tone and he uses 57 classics in lightweight 22 fret SGs.

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                  • #10
                    Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                    I had a Duncan 59 in the neck position of my Tele. I switched it out for a Gibson 57 Classic. I like the Gibson better.
                    -
                    My Rolling Stones tribute band: The Main Street Exiles

                    At the battle of the bands, the loser is always the audience. -Demitri Martin

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                    • #11
                      Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                      The 490 set is about the blandest set I've ever used. An obvious 'wind to a price point' rather than a tonal target.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

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                      • #12
                        Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                        498t sounds great in a Les Paul special my buddy owns. The bb 3& pro I dig a lot. The 57 classic + is a very good stock pickup. Very versatile. 500t isnt my thing but it is a great option for hard rock & metal--just dont warm up to ceramic magnets easily. I agree with mincer about the 490 set. The 490t is the worst Gibson pickup I've played, and it's not even close
                        Last edited by gsammo79; 05-27-2020, 12:15 PM.
                        Epiphone Les Paul Tbte Plus (SD custom shop humbucker & SH2b neck)

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                        • #13
                          Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                          I like the Burstbucker 1 a lot. I think it's their best pickup.

                          I like the 490 R and T set as well, especially in an SG or 335.

                          I had a '57 and '57 Plus set in an SG for over 15 years. Good enough for most things I did.

                          The stock Burstbucker Vs (same things are now called Burtsbucker Pros) have been in my '04 LP Standard since I bought it new. They're too strong for my taste (A5 magnets in hearty but not extreme P.A.F. winds). But I've learned to work them over the years. I can make them shine in an amp with a fair amount of headroom and great e.q. controls, like my Mesa Express 5:25 Plus. But I can't deal with them in what have traditionally been my main amps: classic style low wattage Fenders and Ampegs.

                          I have an all original '68 SG Standard, which has pre T Tops. For a time, I had that Epi Japan SG with the aforementioned '57 and '57 Plus set. And for a very brief time, I had a 2012 SG Special Faded, with a 490 R and T set. I did a little experiment, doing tonal tests between the three dual humbucker equipped SGs, all with Gibson pickups. Same amp settings. Recordings. Listened back without knowing what was what. No consistently detectable tonal difference, outside of the fact that the '68 would feed back like crazy in loud situations. These are pickups that ranged from 7.5K to 8.5k, and A5 to A2 magnets. Perhaps different wire insulations as well ( I forget those specs). Even isolated, though headphones, they were close enough to be called effectively identical to me ('68's feedback aside). Put in a mix (i.e. "real world use"), and the differences matter even less.
                          Last edited by ItsaBass; 05-27-2020, 04:49 PM.
                          Originally posted by LesStrat
                          Yogi Berra was correct.
                          Originally posted by JOLLY
                          I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

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                          • #14
                            Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                            My SG came with 490s. The bridge had no character at all but sounded decent overdriven / with distortion. The neck sounded better, but lacked clarity when played clean. I replaced them a Pearly Gates bridge and a Gibson Iommi in the neck. Maaaaaaaajor upgrade. The Iommi I had laying around and is just there temporarily there, and going in the bridge of another guitar soon. Its output is quite a bit higher than the PG.

                            The Iommi is fantastic! It's a jack of all trades that can cover any style of music. It excels at high gain but has remarkable clarity, presence and string separation without loosing any smooth warmth. It uses both Alnico 2 and ceramic magnets, and that really shines through. I switch pickups around all the time, and the only time it sounded bad was in my Hamer Echotone (335) bridge.

                            You can use the pickup in either position on solid body guitars (particularly darker woods like mahogany) and it sounds great. Harmonically saturated jazz chords in the neck, shredding metal leads in the bridge, you name it. I have most of my humbuckers in triple shots, and the coil split & parallel also sound really good.

                            I liked whatever pickups came in the early to mid 90s Howard Roberts Fusion I had on long term loan from my dad. They complimented the guitar very well.

                            The only Gibson pickup I would buy on its own is the Iommi. Although for the high price, I would probably go the boutique route or get a pair of Duncans rather than buying a second one.
                            Last edited by piblock; 05-27-2020, 08:22 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Re: gibson pickups - you like them?

                              I like the 498t/490r set. I love it with UOA5 magnets. I also love the 57 Classics.

                              I love the JB/59 and Custom Shop Pearly Gates set more though.

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