Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I've had that pickup on my Les Paul for a while. Love it. I've tried different pickups on that Les Paul just to see if I find something I like more. Nah. I keep coming back to the 500T.
But I recently got an LTD EC-400VF. I've tried a couple different pickups in it, and I've liked them, but I keep comparing them to my Gibson, and it just doesn't sound as good (to my liking). The LTD has a "thuddy" nature to the low-end that I keep fighting. It's to be expected. It doesn't have a Maple top and the bridge pickup is two or three mm further away from the bridge itself compared to the Gibson. I've been playing that guitar a lot lately because I really like how the neck feels. The Gibson not so much. So I figured I'd borrow the Gibson's 500T and put it in the LTD just as an experiment.
LOVE IT. It keeps the fat nature of the guitar, but adds that AGGRESSIVE pick attack that I hadn't been able to get from the Custom or the JB.
The 500T is a somewhat unique-sounding pickup. I know people here consider it interchangeable with the Duncan Distortion, but I disagree. It's got similarities with the Duncan Distortion, that's undeniable. But it's its own thing.
Comparing it to Duncans people are probably more familiar with, I'd say it has elements from the Distortion, the Black Winter, and the Custom. That's to be expected. It's 15K-ish with a triple ceramic magnet. AFAIK, it's 43AWG wire, so it's certainly not a clone of the Distortion. I feel it has a similar upper mid grind as the Distortion does, but it does have a more open top-end like the Custom as well. It has a similar characteristic raspy and strong attack as the Black Winter. It's leaner in the lows than the Distortion and the Custom. It's not as tight as the Black Winter, though. I'd say the low-end is the middle-ground between the Black Winter and the Distortion, but the top-end is more open and aggressive than either.
I find that the Gibson pickups I've tried have a similar thing going on where the low-end isn't huge and there is a lot of "rudeness" to the high-end (when comparing them with the Duncans that are sort of along the lines). It's super easy for the 500T to get harsh, but once you learn to tame it with the right pot values, it just translates into a tight-sounding pickup with lots of aggression and character. I run it with a single 250K volume in my Les Paul and a single 500K volume on LTD which has a tendency to make pickups sound fatter/smoother.
Overall, I think it's worth trying if you're into 90's or 2000's Metal sounds. As far as I know, it's a pickup that has made its way into Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquillity records. Very Swedish-sounding. It's a cool alternative to try if you're into those kind of tones.
But I recently got an LTD EC-400VF. I've tried a couple different pickups in it, and I've liked them, but I keep comparing them to my Gibson, and it just doesn't sound as good (to my liking). The LTD has a "thuddy" nature to the low-end that I keep fighting. It's to be expected. It doesn't have a Maple top and the bridge pickup is two or three mm further away from the bridge itself compared to the Gibson. I've been playing that guitar a lot lately because I really like how the neck feels. The Gibson not so much. So I figured I'd borrow the Gibson's 500T and put it in the LTD just as an experiment.
LOVE IT. It keeps the fat nature of the guitar, but adds that AGGRESSIVE pick attack that I hadn't been able to get from the Custom or the JB.
The 500T is a somewhat unique-sounding pickup. I know people here consider it interchangeable with the Duncan Distortion, but I disagree. It's got similarities with the Duncan Distortion, that's undeniable. But it's its own thing.
Comparing it to Duncans people are probably more familiar with, I'd say it has elements from the Distortion, the Black Winter, and the Custom. That's to be expected. It's 15K-ish with a triple ceramic magnet. AFAIK, it's 43AWG wire, so it's certainly not a clone of the Distortion. I feel it has a similar upper mid grind as the Distortion does, but it does have a more open top-end like the Custom as well. It has a similar characteristic raspy and strong attack as the Black Winter. It's leaner in the lows than the Distortion and the Custom. It's not as tight as the Black Winter, though. I'd say the low-end is the middle-ground between the Black Winter and the Distortion, but the top-end is more open and aggressive than either.
I find that the Gibson pickups I've tried have a similar thing going on where the low-end isn't huge and there is a lot of "rudeness" to the high-end (when comparing them with the Duncans that are sort of along the lines). It's super easy for the 500T to get harsh, but once you learn to tame it with the right pot values, it just translates into a tight-sounding pickup with lots of aggression and character. I run it with a single 250K volume in my Les Paul and a single 500K volume on LTD which has a tendency to make pickups sound fatter/smoother.
Overall, I think it's worth trying if you're into 90's or 2000's Metal sounds. As far as I know, it's a pickup that has made its way into Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquillity records. Very Swedish-sounding. It's a cool alternative to try if you're into those kind of tones.
Last edited:
