My first post! Yea!
This is exactly the same problem I am running into with a new LP Supreme I just got--it also has the 490/498 combo. Get the amp set up for one--and then the other sounds terrible. My favorite of the two I guess would be the neck 490, but it is very dark sounding.
Replacing the pickups in the Supreme is going to be a total headache--remember, there's no back access plate on the Supreme. This something I only want to do ONCE! I'm probably going to do an RS kit and replace the pots at the same time.
I need a setup that it going to versatile, yet consistent. I do Classic Rock, Pop, Oldies, Jazz, Blues and even some Country in a cover band. My amps are all Mesa Boogies, and I usually use either a Mark IV 112 EVM Combo or a Mark III 112 EVM Combo. And I love all those great PAF tones from Santana, Cream, ZZ Top, Peter Green, Duane, Betts, Warren, et. al. I'm not into metal--I'm looking for classic tones.
And I know regardless of how somebody else sounds, I have to find my own voice. I want that sweet top end, with solid bass, and a full and complex midrange. I want a pickups with character--I don't want ones that are harsh, or that are muddy. I need some good definition for chording, and they should sing out when soloing. Sometimes I need "Texas Grind" and sometimes I need "Woman Tone".
I was thinking about Seths, but I'm worried about the lack of potting with the Mesa's high gain lead channel--and the Supreme is "chambered", though the maple top and back should be pretty stiff--feedback could be a real issue.
So that puts me into Alnico Pros, '59s, Pearly Gates, Custom Bridge+???Neck, the ubiquitous '59n/JB bridge combination--or some other combination of the above. I've even thought about Gibson '57 Classics, Burstbucker Pros, or a BB 1 & 2 or BB 2 & 3 combo.
Any more ideas on how to solve a 490/498 problem in a Les Paul Supreme????
Thanks,
Bill
