Help me identify this Gibson pickup

S

seratone

New member
Hi Folks - recently I started a project where I revamped an Epiphone Dot to be as 335 like as possible (Bigsby, New Pickups, better tuners).... I managed to find a 57 Classic for the bridge and another - so far unidentified Gibson pickup purchased from a Russian dude at a gas station - he insisted it's a 59 'Classic' which as far as I know does't exist. It has a Gibson stamp and an upside down 'T' below it. Could this be a 59 'Traditional' - regardless I really like the way it sounds for a neck p/u and I'd like to get this combination again for another project

The image can be seen here:

http://imgur.com/1HNo3W8
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

Its a 'something' R.
Could be a 490R
or 496R.

The difference I think tends to lie in the magnet. 490R has an A2, the 496 has ceramic. Given it seems to tonally be matching a 57 classic I'd say it is a 490R
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

I have to ask: How did you happened to purchase an unidentified Gibson pickup from a russian dude at the gas station?
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

AlexR said:
Its a 'something' R.
Could be a 490R
or 496R.

The difference I think tends to lie in the magnet. 490R has an A2, the 496 has ceramic. Given it seems to tonally be matching a 57 classic I'd say it is a 490R
Click to expand...

Agreed re: 490R. It definitely isn't a '57 or Burstbucker, and I doubt it's one of those '61 pickups they did recently. A DCR reading would help narrow it down as a 496R is wound to about 11-12K if I remember correctly whereas a 490R is closer to 8K.
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

i dont think the 496r is that hot. i thought it was around 8k but with a ceramic magnet
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

A 496R that I've here measures 8,7k & 4,8H.

The "T" on the baseplate shows which coil must be the closest to the bridge. Its position in the pic confirms that it's a neck pickup. Impossible to tell more than that.
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

freefrog said:
A 496R that I've here measures 8,7k & 4,8H.

The "T" on the baseplate shows which coil must be the closest to the bridge. Its position in the pic confirms that it's a neck pickup. Impossible to tell more than that.
Click to expand...

I agree. it's a neck pickup. But we cannot be sure if it's a 490R or a 496R. A DCR measurement should be useful. 490R is in between 7.2-8.1 Kohm while 496R is in between 8.3-8.6 Kohm. We can be sure that it's a factory model (coming from a gibson from the early 90 till 2006, after 2006 all gibson pickup have stickers with model stamped) because of brained wiring and it was originally without cover. all 496R come without cover (produced only in double black or zebra) while a 490R comes in double black, zebra, with gold, nickel or chrome cover. and just to be accurate there are no 59 classic or 59 traditional pickups in gibson lineup. 57 classic (A2 with matched coils) and 59 tribute (A2 with mismatched coils) are in gibson line up and I'm 100% sure that the pickup you have it's not the former nor the latter.
Hope this can help
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

jeremy said:
i dont think the 496r is that hot. i thought it was around 8k but with a ceramic magnet
Click to expand...
I could easily be remembering wrong since I have metered a 496R in over a decade.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

Similar project: An Epi Dot in natural with a thick 1950's mahogany neck, I put a pair of Seth's in it. Nice sounding 335 on a budget. Don't know where you're at and what the availability is there, but if I was going to go the Gibson route, I'd use Burstbuckers (A2 magnets, not BBP's).
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

sorry i forgot one thing. I am so overwhelmed by the work that my brain struggles to put together all the thoughts. You can easily remove the cover and part of the protective tape, just to gain access to the magnet. And see if the magnet is ceramic or AlNiCo.
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

There's a significant difference in tone between a 490R and a 496R, even using the same magnets.

The stock 490R is fat, but with some definition in the highs dept.; it's an ok neck p'up if set correctly up. It's wound with ca. 5250 turns of SPN AWG#42 wire @ about 75 TPL.

OTOH, and comparing apples with apples, an A2-modded 496R, due to a pretty dark winding pattern, (don't forget this p'up was originally designed with a ceramic magnet in mind) it's useful only as a bridge p'up, if you ask me. It's wound with ca. 5500 turns of SPN AWG#42 wire @ about 35 TPL, with fairly lower tension than the 490R.

An A3/A2-modded 490R/496R set could work well in bright-sounding, like alder/maple 25.5"-scaled instruments.

HTH,
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

LtKojak said:
There's a significant difference in tone between a 490R and a 496R, even using the same magnets.

OTOH, and comparing apples with apples, an A2-modded 496R, due to a pretty dark winding pattern, (don't forget this p'up was originally designed with a ceramic magnet in mind) it's useful only as a bridge p'up, if you ask me.
An A3/A2-modded 490R/496R set could work well in bright-sounding, like alder/maple 25.5"-scaled instruments.
Click to expand...


+1. I haven't owned a 496R, but thought with an alnico it would be interesting to use as a bridge PU.
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

blueman335 said:
+1. I haven't owned a 496R, but thought with an alnico it would be interesting to use as a bridge PU.
Click to expand...
I actually own one, that's why the info I'm given is factual.

As a bridge p'up is pretty nifty, although the tone is not "that" vintage-y, mind you. I'm positive that if it wasn't potted, the coils are so loose, that it'll squeal at a pretty low volume.

HTH,
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

Said Russian dude (it was a Kijiji sale - similar to craigslist here in Canada - the deals for smaller stuff usually ends up in Gas stations or Tim Horton's Coffee shops) said it was an 8.3 OHM resistance .... from what you say - sounds like a 490r
 
Re: Help me identify this Gibson pickup

could be either......the 490 measure when it was hot or the 496 when it was cold.
 
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