Gibson 496R and 500T

Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

i like the set, the 500 is killer for leads and high output, and the 496 cleans up really good..........+1
there awsome
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

Don't care for em...duncan's high gain buckers blow em outta the water.

They're definately not bad...just not real great.

I swapped em in favor of a custom/jazz set.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

Cool thanks guys...
I also favour duncans to pretty much everything out there. But I've never played around with these 2.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I had them in my gibson explorer, they are very nice pickups, but i was wishing for a thicker sound for palm muting then i changed bridge with Duncan Custom and a couple of months later i changed the neck with Pearly Gates..

500t sounds like something between JB and Duncan Distortion and 496R sounds like 59Neck. They are quality pickups with high outputs.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

Istanbul said:
I had them in my gibson explorer, they are very nice pickups, but i was wishing for a thicker sound for palm muting then i changed bridge with Duncan Custom and a couple of months later i changed the neck with Pearly Gates..

500t sounds like something between JB and Duncan Distortion and 496R sounds like 59Neck. They are quality pickups with high outputs.

The 469 sounds like a 59?? I thought the 469 was supposedly a really hot pickup?
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

500T I like...once you play with it to get to the sweet spot (which takes some time). But once you do, very nice pickup. Kind of a cross between a DiMarzio SuperD and a Duncan Custom. Just a little too much compression on top.

The 496...meh......pretty sterile..no warmth...too compressed...not even that great for high gain Gary Moore/John Sykes type lead tones. And yeah, I wouldn't say it sounds anything close to a 59...maybe a full shred...or Jazz..if I had to compare...
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

spuds said:
The 469 sounds like a 59?? I thought the 469 was supposedly a really hot pickup?

The 496 is the 490R with the A2 magnet swapped for a ceramic. The 490R is more or less an easier-to-build '57 Classic, so I can see that comparison.

The 500T is the 498T with the A5 mag swapped for three thick ceramics, a la X2N and Invader.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I had a set in a Gibson Explorer I had. I liked the 500T a lot, but changed them both out for Duncans, then put them back in and traded the guitar for a Hamer.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I’m really not a fan of either. I find the 500T to be thin and compressed and a bit bright (all of which I attribute to the ceramic magnet). The 496R is warmer and fuller than the 500T, but still kind of compressed.

I really prefer the 498T/490R set to the 500T/496R set, but that’s just the way I prefer my cup of tea. ;)
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

krankguitarist said:
Don't care for em...duncan's high gain buckers blow em outta the water.

They're definately not bad...just not real great.

I swapped em in favor of a custom/jazz set.

I saw you have the Wicked's Custom8 ; how does it feel like ?
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I also prefer a 498T to the 500T -- takes some of the harsh edge off. A 500T can be great in just the right guitar but a 498T has broader "appeal" among guitars -- more of them like it than like the 500T. Although I bet the 500T would sound a lot better with an Alnico 8 mag...
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

they seem like cheapo standard pickups for me. they cost almost the same as Duncans. 57 Classic is the only good gibson pickup around nowadays.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I had both in a basswood LTD with a Floyd, and they made that guitar VERY LP-ish. The 500T seemed pretty par for the course for high output 'buckers, but I LOVED the 496R.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

Zhangliqun said:
I also prefer a 498T to the 500T -- takes some of the harsh edge off. A 500T can be great in just the right guitar but a 498T has broader "appeal" among guitars -- more of them like it than like the 500T. Although I bet the 500T would sound a lot better with an Alnico 8 mag...

500T has 3 ceramic magnets so even if you were to change the bar you'd still have some of that 500t tone! ;)

I think they are great high output buckers. I wouldn't dismiss them right away. I, too, find 500T kinda thin. But I love a 496R, I guess it is one of the best high output neck HBs out there. And I pairs with an invader really well.

B
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

I heard the sound clips from the gibson website and thought they were shocking. Really.

I ask because I'm getting a Les Paul Classic... I guess I'm gonna ditch them and get duncans. Haha.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

They sound different in a Les Paul vs. the Explorer Gibson uses to demonstrate them...dont base you opinion soley on those clips...play with them first...they are not vintage by any means, but they are good hard rock/metal pups.
 
Re: Gibson 496R and 500T

fab.regnaut said:
I saw you have the Wicked's Custom8 ; how does it feel like ?

Killer pickup...probably my favorite so far. I'm gettin another A8 and puttin a custom 8 into my brian moore as well. It just seems to be an overall improvement on the custom...a custom injected with awesome sauce.
 
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