:newbie: 
Hi all
I would like some advice to solve the tone issues I'm having mostly with the 498T sitting by the bridge in my LP.
It's a 2003 Swamp Ash Studio, with 1-piece body, two-piece top and ebony fretboard, plus of course mahogany set neck and Gibson scale.
When used on its own, the 498 sounds quite a bit harsh when clean and a little less so when overdriven or distorted, while paired with the neck 490R the harshness gives way to a somewhat garbled sound when driven.
I've noticed that in similar cases some users suggest magnet swapping, which should smooth off the top end of the 498 while adding girth to the tone in terms of mids - at least, this is what I reckoned after reading user opinions on AlNiCoII mags. Should this be the case, it would suit me fine.:cool3:
On the other hand, slipping the A5 in the 490 should scoop out the mids, while adding both bass and treble. I'm not quite sure if this would be any advantage over the stock configuration, since ash body&top and ebony fretboard should make for a treblier tone on their own :33:
On the other hand, I'd like to have the chance of rolling off the tone of the 490 without it becoming too dark... when I did that on a Yamaha SA500 (which I sold to buy the Les) I got a nice (semi)acoustic-y tone which I liked much.
The band I'm in (bass, drums, two guitars and me) covers mostly '70s rock, me being primarily the lead singer and filling in on occasion with rhythm and some soloing, and while I rely on my S-1 for the cleans (and also for some of the dirty stuff), I'd definitely like to get the humbuckers in the Les to have a more usable, all-around tone.
I've also read and listened about the advantages of PU hybridization, and I think that will eventually go that way or for a P-Rails set, but for the time being I'm in a very tight budget and I'd rather look for a free or cheap alternative.
Has any of you got experience with the 490R/498T combo in an ash body/ebony fretboard guitar?
Thank you all,
Andrea
Hi all
I would like some advice to solve the tone issues I'm having mostly with the 498T sitting by the bridge in my LP.
It's a 2003 Swamp Ash Studio, with 1-piece body, two-piece top and ebony fretboard, plus of course mahogany set neck and Gibson scale.
When used on its own, the 498 sounds quite a bit harsh when clean and a little less so when overdriven or distorted, while paired with the neck 490R the harshness gives way to a somewhat garbled sound when driven.
I've noticed that in similar cases some users suggest magnet swapping, which should smooth off the top end of the 498 while adding girth to the tone in terms of mids - at least, this is what I reckoned after reading user opinions on AlNiCoII mags. Should this be the case, it would suit me fine.:cool3:
On the other hand, slipping the A5 in the 490 should scoop out the mids, while adding both bass and treble. I'm not quite sure if this would be any advantage over the stock configuration, since ash body&top and ebony fretboard should make for a treblier tone on their own :33:
On the other hand, I'd like to have the chance of rolling off the tone of the 490 without it becoming too dark... when I did that on a Yamaha SA500 (which I sold to buy the Les) I got a nice (semi)acoustic-y tone which I liked much.
The band I'm in (bass, drums, two guitars and me) covers mostly '70s rock, me being primarily the lead singer and filling in on occasion with rhythm and some soloing, and while I rely on my S-1 for the cleans (and also for some of the dirty stuff), I'd definitely like to get the humbuckers in the Les to have a more usable, all-around tone.
I've also read and listened about the advantages of PU hybridization, and I think that will eventually go that way or for a P-Rails set, but for the time being I'm in a very tight budget and I'd rather look for a free or cheap alternative.
Has any of you got experience with the 490R/498T combo in an ash body/ebony fretboard guitar?
Thank you all,
Andrea