JB meets 498t?

[stm113]

I have a Les Paul Classic from 2012 that has a 500t in the Bridge. I’ve never bonded with the p/up but now that I am recording with it, it’s time. I like my mid 90’s studio with the stock 498 and I’m a fan of JB’s. I think I’d like to put something in the bridge of this guitar that’s maybe a perfect compromise between the two. i need something 4 conductor as I’d like to maybe go with Page wiring someday.

Thanks all!

 

[eclecticsynergy]

The 498T has a certain graininess to it that I haven't heard in any Duncans.

That said, the Duncan Custom is great in Les Pauls. It won't be as hot a the 500T, but it'll clean up a lot better with the volume pot.
And if you find decide the voicing isn't quite right for you, it takes a variety of different magnets famously well.

 

[Masta' C]

I hate to say it, but I don't think you'll find a perfect compromise between the 2. Been down this road. I like both pickups (JB and 498T), as well.

 

[stm113]

The 498T has a certain graininess to it that I haven't heard in any Duncans.

That said, the Duncan Custom is great in Les Pauls. It won't be as hot a the 500T, but it'll clean up a lot better with the volume pot.
And if you find decide the voicing isn't quite right for you, it takes a variety of different magnets famously well.

I have a Custom Custom, should I maybe try that? I haven’t had it in a guitar in years but I didn’t like what I had it in, it was too “clanky” but I can’t be sure I ever had it wired right.

 

[stm113]

I hate to say it, but I don't think you'll find a perfect compromise between the 2. Been down this road. I like both pickups (JB and 498T), as well.

How would you compare the two? I have history with the JB.

 

[Demanic]

Why do need a perfect compromise? The difference between the two can be a source of dynamics on the fly.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[Masta' C]

Why do need a perfect compromise? The difference between the two can be a source of dynamics on the fly.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

I was also thinking that an EQ could easily make either pickup sound pretty close to the other. Just didn't mention it in my earlier post

 

[stm113]

Why do need a perfect compromise? The difference between the two can be a source of dynamics on the fly.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

What I mean to say is I’d like a pickup that falls as close to as right in the middle of those 2 pickups as possible.

 

[Masta' C]

By the way, I think of the 498T as being sort of half-way between the Custom 5 and the JB tonally, but with that Gibson edge to it. Compared to the JB, the 498T is a little more muscular in the low-midrange and a little more open sounding up top, not quite as compressed as the JB can be.

 

[beaubrummels]

Duncan Distortion is like a 500T with something warmer/thicker on the bottom IME. Could be an option.
With an A5 I've heard the Distortion is like a nice JB variant (but I haven't tried this, so YMMV)
A JB with an A2 mag might be an option if the Custom Custom doesn't serve. It's sounds like a really loud Whole Lotta Humbucker.
A Slash bridge is a good all around rock pickup, thick and full, some top end, would be an improvement over a 498, has some heat to it, but not as much as JB/500T, but in the neighborhood of a 498 IME.

Like has been said, there isn't really something in directly between, just other variations that might be nice alternatives.

 

[Clint 55]

Make a hybrid of the 2.

 

[hamerfan]

To the OP: I am a big Fan of the Distortion in a Les Paul, i like the Custom more for Strats. And i have a LP Classic, too. There is Forum member here who showed how to convert the 500t to more Distortion like.
He changed one (or you can do both) of the side magnets to wood spacers. I had the chance to compare them side to side. Both spacers changed are really close with a little less highs, only one spacer changed is a milder and less granier 500T and still close to the Distortion.

 

[ItsaBass]

You should try the Custom 5 as your first step, IMO.

 

[stm113]

You should try the Custom 5 as your first step, IMO.

Why Custom 5? What do you like about it?

 

[stm113]

To the OP: I am a big Fan of the Distortion in a Les Paul, i like the Custom more for Strats. And i have a LP Classic, too. There is Forum member here who showed how to convert the 500t to more Distortion like.
He changed one (or you can do both) of the side magnets to wood spacers. I had the chance to compare them side to side. Both spacers changed are really close with a little less highs, only one spacer changed is a milder and less granier 500T and still close to the Distortion.

I am going to be putting a Distortion in an different guitar, an Ibanez SCA 220 it’s a mahogany saber style body but with a hard tail and 2 hums, no single.

I wanna put something different in the LP. But I do have a longer term fantasy about maybe figuring out some “quick connect” harnesses so I could easily swap pickups during recording projects.

 

[beaubrummels]

Doesn't need to remain fantasy. Just hit the local electronics store.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I have a Custom Custom, should I maybe try that? I haven’t had it in a guitar in years but I didn’t like what I had it in, it was too “clanky” but I can’t be sure I ever had it wired right.

If you already have a CustomCustom, I'd definitely try it. It's warmer and looser than the 498 or JB, but it's a wonderful pickup. If you want something with more bite and sparkle, you could try an A5 magnet in it. (The 489T and the JB both use A5 magnets.)

 

[ItsaBass]

Why Custom 5? What do you like about it?

I didn't say I like it. I don't. It's too hot for me. But I know its characteristics. I was trying to say it might be a good match to your criteria.

It's warm on the bottom end, but because it is mid scooped, it still has articulation and grit, if you use an amp with plenty of headroom to be able to control it. I use low headroom amps mostly, so I can't deal with higher output pickups.

IME, the JB is a little bit tighter on the very low end, and more piercing on the very top, but it's nasal and harder to keep from being mushy, due to its intense midrange. It's like it just has too much of everything. The Custom 5 is like a JB with the blanket taken off of it, but it still manages to have just enough warmth to not sound brittle. Much more tasty pickup IMO.

If you can imagine the what could be described as both a "Diet JB" and a "'59 on steroids," that's a Custom 5.

And, it sits right in the neighborhood of what you're talking about wanting/liking.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I was thinking maybe the Perpetual Burn?

 

[SweetClyde99]

I read the title and assumed you made a hybrid out of a JB and 498t (one coil from each pickup) and was excited to see how that turned out. Now that I’ve read your post, it sounds like you haven’t yet but should. Hell, I’ve got one of each around the house somewhere and could whip one up.