Help with pickup ID please?

[Daves-drums]

Hi everyone, Dave from Birmingham.

This may be impossible, but:
Please take a look at the pickups below, trying to figure out what they are exactly. As I understand, there several versions of the 59 humbucker. I "think" this is a 59. My brother gave it to me and neither one of us remember what they are, a friend had given them to my brother long ago, the friend is no longer with us, unfortunately.

As I recall, they are two conductor (one wire with shield) Had them in my SG for a long time, sounded great - but thinking about putting them in my new J5 Squire Tele. They sound great for stuff like rush/,ac/dc, etc. not for super heavy molten metal tones. They have a distinct smoothness to them. I wonder if they may be the blues version? What do I know? I'm a bloody drummer!

Thanks for any help on the ID! Any opinions on using these in the J5 tele?

Thanks!
Dave

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

The "Gibson" logo doesn't ring a bell? If the "neck" written on the p'up is accurate, it can only being one of the following p'ups:

1. 490R
2. 496R

If you take a DC reading, it can be accurately established.

HTH,

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Probably a 490 or a 57 Classic

 

[Daves-drums]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Thanks for the replies, no... the logo didn't ring a bell, remember... I'm a drummer! ha ha. In any case I think the two pickups will sound good in my new J5 tele. Thanks.

 

[Davii]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

The "Gibson" logo doesn't ring a bell? If the "neck" written on the p'up is accurate, it can only being one of the following p'ups:

1. 490R
2. 496R

If you take a DC reading, it can be accurately established.

HTH,

Did 496s come with covers? The solder joints look rather big mind you.

 

[Daves-drums]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

As far as I know, they were taken from a guitar rather that purchased outright, so I'm sure they came that way. I do suspect they are either 59, or 57's. Seems that's what was mentioned when I got them, it was a long time ago however.... Wasn't there a blues version of the 59?

 

[Davii]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

I think the two LtKojak mentioned are the more likely stock pickups on Gibson SGs, I'm far from being anything close to expert on these things myself

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Probably a 490 or a 57 Classic

*NOT* a '57 Classic. It doesn't use those baseplates.

HTH,

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

I do suspect they are either 59, or 57's.

They're neither.

You ARE a drummer, aren't you..?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Did 496s come with covers?

Of course they did... in Les Pauls, to be precise.

Now that I think of it, I don't recall any Gibson guitar with golden hardware hosting the 496R/500T set, so that neck p'up MUST be a 490R.

HTH,

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Did 496s come with covers? The solder joints look rather big mind you.

Those solder joints look very consistent with some factory gibson pickups I have owned. (And replaced)

59s would be a Seymour Duncan labled baseplate, rather than Gibson.

 

[Davii]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Those solder joints look very consistent with some factory gibson pickups I have owned. (And replaced)

59s would be a Seymour Duncan labled baseplate, rather than Gibson.

Just wondered if it had had a cover added, especially looking at the pole screws, and thought the larger joints might have been a giveaway

 

[Daves-drums]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Again, I doubt the pickups were altered in any way. They did not come from an SG, we have no idea what guitar they came from, the guy who gave them to my brother died a few years back. But anyway, thanks for all the help, I'll call them 490's for now. I know they sound really good. However, I may keep the pickups I have now on the John-5 Squire Tele. It arrived about 2 hr's ago and I'm loving it! Great neck, great set-up as well. Was shocked that after tuning down (CFBbEbGC) the action is still great, plays like a dream!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Kojak/Pepe is correct.

The baseplate has screw holes to accommodate polepiece spacing for either neck/Rhythm or bridge/Treble position humbuckers. The fact that the pickup uses the narrower spaced set of screw holes indicates that it is a neck position pickup.

The gold-plated cover and polepiece screws would not be out of place on a Les Paul Studio or the B. B. King Lucille model.

D.C. resistance meter readings should confirm the 490R deduction.

 

[Davii]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

Of course they did... in Les Pauls, to be precise.

Now that I think of it, I don't recall any Gibson guitar with golden hardware hosting the 496R/500T set, so that neck p'up MUST be a 490R.

HTH,

Just to say, I hadn't meant to sound in any way sarcastic, just never come across them with covers

 

[ToneSage]

Re: Help with pickup ID please?

it has "Gibson USA" stamped on the bottom. I'm pretty sure these pups can't be older than a mid-80s. after Gibson moved from Kalamazoo they started with that logo.


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