1st Les Paul in hands... what can you tell me about it?

[Rex_Rocker]

Congrats! That should rock pretty hard!
If it were mine, I'd already have a TB6 on order!

Have you tried the 500T? I think those go well with Gibsons too!

 

[alex1fly]

Thanks everyone! Stoked to get to know it. Pretty different than what I'm used to!

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

Have you tried the 500T? I think those go well with Gibsons too!

Yes, they are the only Gibson pickups I've ever liked!
(Although I haven't tried the dirty fingers in anything yet.)


And actually (in my opinion) the 500t is very similar to the SH6.

 

[Aceman]

Les Paul Special with 490/498T would be my call.

Should pretty much be a Les Paul.

 

[Aceman]

Yes, they are the only Gibson pickups I've ever liked!
And actually (in my opinion) the 500t is very similar to the SH6.

Not an opinion, pretty close to fact. I'd never remove 500T's from a guitar.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

And actually (in my opinion) the 500t is very similar to the SH6.

Yep. 100% agreed.

 

[EmiAba]

As a piggyback to my "first lp" thread, I picked up this one used over the weekend. Price was right, guitar is solid, seemed like a good place to start. From what I can tell its a 1992 LP Special so slab body and no maple top. Frets in particular are in amazing shape for a 31 year old guitar, so I wonder if its been refretted or at least been worked on. No idea what the pickups are. I do like the little inserts under the pots, pretty neat. Beyond that is there anything I should know about this axe? Also, any warning signs that it isn't a legit Gibson?

Seems legit to me. But it's a 98 not a 92. Are you going to leave it stock?

 

[alex1fly]

Are you going to leave it stock?

God I hope so. I keep swearing off mods but somehow end up doing them.

 

[EmiAba]

God I hope so. I keep swearing off mods but somehow end up doing them.

Me too. I easily get tired of what I have in my hands. I spend more time modding than playing. At the moment only one guitar I own is stock. And it's a 1990 LP standard. Anyway, it's always a matter of taste. A 498t, if the bridge pick up is a 498t, is a good pickup. The only one I dig together with the 500T in the Gibson line up. I like that grainy sound it has. I guess the neck is a C rounded shaped one. I found it comfortable more than the slim taper neck I have in another LP I own (2004 standard).

 

[EmiAba]

Gibson switched to a wider bridge spacing many years ago, but I don't recall the exact year. Might have coincided with the introduction of the Nashville bridge, but don't quote me on that. ICTGoober would likely know.

If I am not wrong 1998

 

[Rex_Rocker]

If I am not wrong 1998

I thought the 498T was older than that.

 

[EmiAba]

I thought the 498T was older than that.

Yes right, Gibson started using 490r 498t in early 90s. But before the end of the decade Gibson decided to have a wider bridge slot. Don't know why. If you want to buy a pre-wired dimarzio classic rock set, you will find the SD in f spaced version to best fit in the bridge slot of post 2000 les paul

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yes right, Gibson started using 490r 498t in early 90s. But before the end of the decade Gibson decided to have a wider bridge slot. Don't know why. If you want to buy a pre-wired dimarzio classic rock set, you will find the SD in f spaced version to best fit in the bridge slot of post 2000 les paul

Oh, yeah. I was aware the DiMarzios F-spaced pickups fit the spacing most modern tune-o's better than they actually fit Fender bridges. But I didn't think that was a Gibson-exclusive thing.

I don't have any DiMarzio F-Spaced pickups right now, but I do think the DiMarzio F-spacing is narrower than the Gibson "T" spacing which is slightly narrower than the Duncan Trembucker spacing... right?

 

[EmiAba]

Oh, yeah. I was aware the DiMarzios F-spaced pickups fit the spacing most modern tune-o's better than they actually fit Fender bridges. But I didn't think that was a Gibson-exclusive thing.

I don't have any DiMarzio F-Spaced pickups right now, but I do think the DiMarzio F-spacing is narrower than the Gibson "T" spacing which is slightly narrower than the Duncan Trembucker spacing... right?

An f spaced pickup is 5.11 cm wide, a duncan trem is 5.3 cm wide. The wolfgang is 5 like my prs 85/15 S. I don't have the burst bucker pro anymore(sold ages ago) that came with my 2004 standard so I can not confirm

 

[alex1fly]

The bridge pickup in this thing is great. The neck pickup is a bit muddy. Not terrible, does the smoky jazz thing well, but I could see putting something like a Pearly Gates in there. That's always the balance though... embrace the sounds it has or make it sound more like my other guitars? I have plenty of bright neck tones with other axes. Don't know if this has a PCB either. I figure the longer I can keep from opening the guitar up, the longer I can go without modding it... lol

 

[Rex_Rocker]

An f spaced pickup is 5.11 cm wide, a duncan trem is 5.3 cm wide. The wolfgang is 5 like my prs 85/15 S. I don't have the burst bucker pro anymore(sold ages ago) that came with my 2004 standard so I can not confirm

I believe Duncan regular-spaced as well as the Gibson PAF-types are all 4.92. I would have thought the Wolfgang was 4.92 seeing as there was a thread where someone swapped out the baseplate from Wolfgang to a Custom Custom.

I'm pretty sure the Gibson T spacing is 5.2. Slightly narrower than Duncan TB's. I have a 500T right now, but no calipers to measure it.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

The bridge pickup in this thing is great. The neck pickup is a bit muddy. Not terrible, does the smoky jazz thing well, but I could see putting something like a Pearly Gates in there. That's always the balance though... embrace the sounds it has or make it sound more like my other guitars? I have plenty of bright neck tones with other axes. Don't know if this has a PCB either. I figure the longer I can keep from opening the guitar up, the longer I can go without modding it... lol

I don't think they were using PCB's back then.

And also, yeah. That's a common complaint with the 490R. I had one in my Tribute. I left it there while I only changed the bridge pickup to a Black Winter. I found the 490T kinda muddy and severely underpowered.

 

[Mincer]

I had the 490 set in my early 90s Howard Roberts. They were bright and thin...didn't like them at all.

 

[Mikelamury]

Gibson 498T/490R is my favorite Gibson set and currently in every Gibson I have. I'm just now getting over the honeymoon period (2 years later) since I got my first Gibson and I think I'm ready to try some other pickups in a few of my Les Paul's. I'm going to put a SD Custom/jazz set in my Les Paul tribute and when I get my greeny I'm going to put a super distortion/PAF36 anniversary in there. Going to keep the 498T/490R set in my Les Paul standard faded and my SG standard.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I had the 490 set in my early 90s Howard Roberts. They were bright and thin...didn't like them at all.

You thought so?

I would agree about the 490T 100%. Bright, thin, and weak.

But I thought the 490R was kinda the oposite. Round and kinda muddy... but still weak.

The 498T is a totally different pickup, though. I love it. I don't love the 490R with it, though, TBH. But I doubt you'd like the 498T knowing what you usually like pickup-wise.