Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

[Inkstained]

Looking at a new Gibson SG Standard (traditional). I know these pickups have been around for a while and are quite widespread, but I personally have no experience with them.

I play "classic" rock, jazz, beer-and-cues blues, etc. No metal. Amps include a DRRI, Princeton Recording Amp, Marshall Class 5, Fender Mustang III (v1) and a few others.

What's the consensus here on these pickups?

Thanks.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

I have tried half a dozen bridge pickups in my Gibson SG, and I still use the 498t in it. The 498t and 490R do not go together well. If you EQ the amp for the neck, the bridge will be too bright. If you EQ it for the bridge the neck will be too warm and muddy. I use a Duncan 59n in mine, and it works better with the 498t. I've heard that many people do a magnet swap withe the 490R to keep it from being so muddy. Someone will suggest a Custom 8 for the bridge about 30 seconds from now. I tried it and found it too aggressive.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

Alnico 4 magnet for the neck/Rhythm pickup. UOA5 for the bridge.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

I have tried half a dozen bridge pickups in my Gibson SG, and I still use the 498t in it. The 498t and 490R do not go together well. If you EQ the amp for the neck, the bridge will be too bright. If you EQ it for the bridge the neck will be too warm and muddy. I use a Duncan 59n in mine, and it works better with the 498t. I've heard that many people do a magnet swap withe the 490R to keep it from being so muddy. Someone will suggest a Custom 8 for the bridge about 30 seconds from now. I tried it and found it too aggressive.

I definitely agree with the comment about the two of them not pairing up well with each other and the 498T/Duncan 59 combo would be a great way to go for the kind of music that you play. I don't know about a Custom 8 but a SH-14 Custom 5 would be beautiful in the bridge! It's got some added output & attitude but it's still warm, rounded, and articulate... I don't really get along with ceramic magnets though, I've got a SH-5 in my L.P. that's going to be a SH-14 very soon. Exit ceramic, enter the A5!!!

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

I think the general consensus here is that they aren't good pickups - though I disagree with the consensus.

I think they can be *great* in the right application.

490R tends to be dark and muddy - which is perfect for Sabbath-y sludge-y stoner stuff.

498t is like a JB after a 3-day bender - dirty, ragged, big ol high mid spike in your stuff. Great for cutting through a mix in a hard rock setting.

I agree they don't go well together. Burstbucker Pro neck, being an A5, might pair better with a 498T. 490R would pair better with a similarly warm bridge pickup like, say, a Custom Custom or Dimarzio Breed.

 

[lemonman]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

Like all pickups, there are times when they do the job as well as anything. I have a 1993 LP that has had at least a dozen bridge pickups, including boutiques, and its original 498T is still the best pickup I've ever had in it; it just fits that guitar like a glove. The 490R matches a 498T better with an A5 magnet in it, IMO.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

Alnico 4 magnet for the neck/Rhythm pickup. UOA5 for the bridge.

+1. Then they become much better PU's, individually and together.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

I think the general consensus here is that they aren't good pickups - though I disagree with the consensus.

I think they can be *great* in the right application.

490R tends to be dark and muddy...498t is dirty, ragged, big ol high mid spike in your stuff.

No one said they're not good PU's. They're certainly not great PU's though, and combining the two in the same guitar (with the stock magnets) is possibly the most bizarre PU pair on the market today. That's where the complaints come from. It's not a quality issue, it's questionable judgment on Gibson's part.

They're definitely improved with more appropriate magnets that get the EQ's more balanced, but even then there's better PU's for anything they do. The OP should try them and see what he thinks. If he finds one, or both lacking, he can: 1) pull them and sell one or both, or 2) try different magnets. I bought a couple sets used (cheap) and put an UOA5 in the bridge and an A5 in the neck. Not bad in SG's. But I'd never pay full retail for them.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

If they do what you want, they are fine pickups.

The 490R is a slightly hot PAF-esque pickup. They are warm, but still have good bite. The 498T is a hot-rodded pickup. It's loud and hot, but not as thick and low-middy as a 500T, JB, or the like.

The combination will work okay if you primarily like to use your bridge pickup for single notes or a couple notes at a time, and your neck pickup more for full chords. But if you, as I normally do, use the bridge pickup mostly for chunky or crashing rhythm, and the neck pickup largely for single notes or a couple notes at a time (partial chords), then the two are not a good match. A pair of 490's is much better in the latter scenario.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

+1 to the comment that nobody has said they are bad pickups. The consistent position on this forum is that they are poorly balanced. However a much better set would be the Custom/PG in an SG. That seems to get the most likes around here.

 

[Inflames626]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

The 498t is one of the best bridge pickups I have ever played. It's very even and balanced, IMO, but for what you're playing, I have to wonder if it's a bit much.

Also, I wouldn't klnow about the 490r, but assuming that the 490r is similar to the Classic 57 and the 490t is similar to a Classic 57+ (with the main differences being 4 conductor wiring), I have tried a 57+/498t with great success. The 57+ is great for bends at the neck. It has an A2 vocal, stretchy quality.

You might want to try a 57+ in the bridge. I did and found it very acceptable even for harder stuff, but it could be dialed back easily if you don't need that much juice.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

+1 to the comment that nobody has said they are bad pickups. The consistent position on this forum is that they are poorly balanced. However a much better set would be the Custom/PG in an SG. That seems to get the most likes around here.

Or the old forum favorite, C5 and '59N & more recent favorite, C8 and '59N. Regardless of which Duncan's you go with, Duncan has better-sounding (and more affordable) options if someone decides to pull the 498T/490R set out of their guitar.

 

[Inkstained]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

Cool. Thanks, guys. What I'm hearing is that these pickups are *not* a reason to avoid this guitar necessarily, but after living with them for a while, I may want to swap them out.

 

[Inkstained]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

From a Sweetwater review of the 498T:

"I found this to be a very MELLOW pickup for being listed in the "HOT" catagory. I expected alot more from a supposedly hot pickup. But there is both good and bad to everything. Now the good stuff. It is a very clear sounding pickup. Every notes/chord can be heard."

Just shows that everyone hears everything differently ...

 

[blueman335]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

Cool. Thanks, guys. What I'm hearing is that these pickups are *not* a reason to avoid this guitar necessarily, but after living with them for a while, I may want to swap them out.

That's a great plan. Report back when you've played them and let us know what you think.

 

[scottffitch]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

In my experience, the 490R and 498T are decent. I think they're Gibson's attempt at creating a higher output, modern PAF style pickup for mass production. They do what they need. They're particularly decent in all mahogany bodied guitars (SG..) but I've found anything with a maple cap tends to draw out more treble and to my ear the bridge can be a little too bright.

They can't be too terrible; Gibson's kept them in the LP Custom for years. Like I said, they're voiced very nicely for mahogany guitars and higher output situations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[blueman335]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

They can't be too terrible; Gibson's kept them in the LP Custom for years.

That logic doesn't necessarily hold. Gibson management has a tendency to ignore customer input. They know a large part of their sales come simply from the name on the headstock.

 

[scottffitch]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

That logic doesn't necessarily hold. Gibson management has a tendency to ignore customer input. They know a large part of their sales come simply from the name on the headstock.

That's a very good point. I hadn't thought of Gibson in that light. (you're 100% correct, IMHO)

Regardless, I don't regard the 490R and 498T as sub par pickups. I think of them as a benchmark set; as close to the middle of classic design meets modern tone that Gibson offers. You could potentially go both ways with upgrades; more vintage with a set of '57 classics or burst buckers; or go more modern with a set of dirty fingers, or other Gibson ceramic sets. I'm only using Gibson products to compare apples to proverbial apples..

I'm of the opinion that Seymour Duncan makes the best bang for your buck pickups money can buy. Also, the SD selection leaves nothing on the table. They're like a Whitman's Sampler--something for everyone. But don't expect any of us to agree on what's the "best." :9:

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

They're not bad but you can get a lot better pickups for the same amount of money you're gonna spend on Gibsons new or used..
There are just a lot more and better pickup options for the money than a 490R or 498T..
I'm not saying they suck, I own a couple of Gibsons, I'm just saying you can do much better..

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Are the Gibson 490R and 498T good pickups?

What's the consensus here on these pickups?

Separatly, they're passable, at most.

As a set, they're pretty bad...

HTH,