Gibson Les paul Pickup change

[roseyp]

Hi All,

I have a 2008 Gibson Les Paul Studio that is Left handed and in Wine Red.

At present it has the stock 490r/498t pickups in it that i am looking at changing as they seem to harsh and brittle especially the bridge 498t. The 490r I can work with a lot better, after i changed the tone pot to a 500K. I left the bridge at 300K to keep the highs under control.

I am looking at either the SH-1 59 set for both neck and bridge or the SH-1 59 neck and SH-14 custom 5 bridge combo, or any other suggestions from more experienced people like myself

The band i currently play in, covers everything from 70's & 80's rock to chimey indie numbers. I have a Ibanez RG470 that has the duncan hot rod set in (sh-2 and tb-4) so i can swap guitars for different sounds.

Any combo i put in I also want to have the chrome / nickel cover.

I play through a Peavey Valveking 100w 2x12 combo and a boss gt-10 effects pedal (4 wire hook up)

I am also considering the RS audio wiring upgrade to further release so tone (if he will ship to UK) !!



Thanks

Paul

 

[brunogio]

Re: Gibson Les paul Pickup change

The 490 set isn't that bad but if you feel up to doing a magnet swap you might be able to save some bucks.

Blues335 suggested a A5 magnet in the neck and an A8 for the bridge. I did this for my SG and I think it opens them up quite a bit. The plus is that it will cost you about $15.

Lots of information here on swapping if you feel up to doing it yourself. But a tech can do it for you too.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Gibson Les paul Pickup change

Hi All,

I have a 2008 Gibson Les Paul Studio that is Left handed and in Wine Red.

At present it has the stock 490r/498t pickups in it that i am looking at changing as they seem to harsh and brittle especially the bridge 498t. The 490r I can work with a lot better, after i changed the tone pot to a 500K. I left the bridge at 300K to keep the highs under control.

I am looking at either the SH-1 59 set for both neck and bridge or the SH-1 59 neck and SH-14 custom 5 bridge combo, or any other suggestions from more experienced people like myself

The band i currently play in, covers everything from 70's & 80's rock to chimey indie numbers. I have a Ibanez RG470 that has the duncan hot rod set in (sh-2 and tb-4) so i can swap guitars for different sounds.

Any combo i put in I also want to have the chrome / nickel cover.

I play through a Peavey Valveking 100w 2x12 combo and a boss gt-10 effects pedal (4 wire hook up)

I am also considering the RS audio wiring upgrade to further release so tone (if he will ship to UK) !!



Thanks

Paul

You're british, so you may order the magnets from Rockmonkey guitars, even though Wymore guitars.com would ship everywhere.

Get an A4 for the 490R and a A8 for the 498T. Half an hour and you've got yourself a new set of p'ups for less that 15 quid.

Use the search function to look for instruction in how to do it, or go to the Mojotone site, it must even be a video.

HTH,

 

[smorgdonkey]

Re: Gibson Les paul Pickup change

I have heard about how much those pickups improve with a magnet swap. I heard about it well after I sold the 2 sets of those that I had though.

 

[DonP]

Re: Gibson Les paul Pickup change

Before spending any money, just try swapping the existing magnets. Then if you are still not happy with the bridge or neck, try the above.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson Les paul Pickup change

The 490 set isn't that bad but if you feel up to doing a magnet swap you might be able to save some bucks.

Blues335 suggested a A5 magnet in the neck and an A8 for the bridge. I did this for my SG and I think it opens them up quite a bit. The plus is that it will cost you about $15.

Lots of information here on swapping if you feel up to doing it yourself. But a tech can do it for you too.

Swap magnets in a 498T/490R and they're much better PU's. In the stock version, the neck is fairly dark, and the bridge is quite bright, so how do you EQ your amp and make both sound good at the same time? This has frustrated many guitarists. It remains a mystery why Gibson hasn't corrected this bizarre pairing. But all it takes is a few minutes & a few dollars for you to do it yourself.

In the 490R (which has an A2 that makes it dark), an A4 will add some treble, and an A5 will add a good dose of it, which means more clarity & definition (takes away the mud). Both the A4 & A5 have a tighter low end than an A2.

In the 498T (which has an A5 that makes it bright & scooped), an A4 will add some mids and soften the treble; an A8 will also add mids along with kicking up the output. Both of those magnets keep some treble (for bite & cut) while filling in the middle.

Think of an A2 & A5 as opposites, one is mid-heavy & loose, the other tight and with a strong high & low end, and not much in the middle. A4's and A8's are more balanced EQ-wise and can be very useful when the extremes of A2's and A5's aren't working for you.