Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

[maxime1122]

Hey guys!

I'm starting to post some useful tone tests and shootouts on my Youtube channel to try to help people on gear choice.. and for fun too

This is my second clip I did (my first one was a comparison between Super Lead, JCM 800 and JCM 900):

Pickup Comparison - Shootout (Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Slash Set VS Gibson 498T / 490R Set)

Shootout of 2 Popular Humbucker Pickup Sets:
- Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Slash
- Gibson 498T Alnico V / 490R Alnico II

All pickups were installed on a Gibson Les Paul plugged straight into a Marshall Super Lead 1959SLP (running at about 7 on the volume, no attenuator - so really loud!). That head was pushing two Marshall 1960X 4x12s (Celestion Greenback G12M-25). One of the G12M speakers was mic'ed with a Shure SM57 straight where the dustcap and cone meet, about 1" from the grill cloth. No post-processing was applied to those tracks (no EQ, no reverb, etc.).

Hope you like it and please tell me what you think!

Please subscribe to that channel if you would want to see some more!

 

[Demanic]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Seems like the AII Pro's have a bit more high end cut.

 

[jorge5150]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

I think the A2P bridge has more bass and treble, and the 498T has more mids. In the neck the A2P sounds smoother and thicker than the 490R.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

so much more clarity with the slash pickups. The 498t seems a little stuffy in the mids

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

I think the A2P bridge has more bass and treble, and the 498T has more mids. In the neck the A2P sounds smoother and thicker than the 490R.

Yep, the A2P has more clarity I find in the bridge position (you can hear more the details in the chords).. but has a bit less mids than the 498T. The A2P neck, as you said was smoother and thicker than the 490R.

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

'Ace of Spades' should have been saved for the demo of the upcoming Lemmy bass pickup.

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

'Ace of Spades' should have been saved for the demo of the upcoming Lemmy bass pickup.

Haha! What's the point? That's the first riff that came into my mind. I didn't want to do this shootout demo with some Slash's riffs in it, because it can do more than that!

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Haha! What's the point? That's the first riff that came into my mind. I didn't want to do this shootout demo with some Slash's riffs in it, because it can do more than that!

You should have played 'Holy Wars...The Punishment Due'.

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Nice, thanks for the demo.

I liked the openness and clarity of the A2P Slash and the chunk of the 498T. I wonder if there's a happy medium between them.

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Nice, thanks for the demo.

I liked the openness and clarity of the A2P Slash and the chunk of the 498T. I wonder if there's a happy medium between them.

There should be.. But, I really the A2P in a band mix!

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

The APH-1 sounded a little icepick-ish. Here's Slash playing his signature set and they sound much smoother, with a very similar rig. Still the same top end, but much more smoothness.

You might either be playing harder, or your treble is too high, or most probably the mic is too close.

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

The APH-1 sounded a little icepick-ish. Here's Slash playing his signature set and they sound much smoother, with a very similar rig. Still the same top end, but much more smoothness.

You might either be playing harder, or your treble is too high, or most probably the mic is too close.

Well, I see your point, but those two clips are in two very different contexts.

The clip you posted is in a band mix, with at least two guitar tracks, with reverb added on the track (add smoothness), pretty sure that there is some EQ applied to his track, and the sound quality is not that great (the video), so you loose a lot of clarity. Sometimes he's rolling off his tone knob (not sure if he did it there). I'm pretty sure he was using the Shure Ribbon mic that he was usually using live (I was using an SM57).

Thanks!

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Well, I see your point, but those two clips are in two very different contexts.

The clip you posted is in a band mix, with at least two guitar tracks, with reverb added on the track (add smoothness), pretty sure that there is some EQ applied to his track, and the sound quality is not that great (the video), so you loose a lot of clarity. Sometimes he's rolling off his tone knob (not sure if he did it there). I'm pretty sure he was using the Shure Ribbon mic that he was usually using live (I was using an SM57).

Thanks!

True, but if you compensate in your calculations to accommodate all that, the mic was still a little too close.

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

True, but if you compensate in your calculations to accommodate all that, the mic was still a little too close.

The 498T/490R combo was darker in comparison.. It was the same setup configuration.

The A2P neck is fine in that clip too.. It's just that the A2P bridge is a bright pickup.. that's why a lot of people like the neck, but not the bridge one.

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

The 498T/490R combo was darker in comparison.. It was the same setup configuration.

The A2P neck is fine in that clip too.. It's just that the A2P bridge is a bright pickup.. that's why a lot of people like the neck, but not the bridge one.

True. I've found the opposite with my preferences, though. I find the neck pickup creates (what is for me) an unpleasant natural scoop, but maybe that's just the way Slash dials it in, and so, everyone else does. The bridge pickup, in comparison, sounded clear and tight to me in all the demos I've seen so far.

I like the APH-1 set a lot apart from the mushiness of the tone, and the imbalanced EQ.

 

[Securb]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

The 498T/490R combo was darker in comparison...

That is why I have 498Ts in my SG, Les Paul and Ibanez Roadster. I love a darker tone sans mud. The pickup just seems spot on for my tone and style.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

You might either be playing harder, or your treble is too high, or most probably the mic is too close.

Slash's studio recordings are done exactly as Maxime has his set up: Les Paul into a Marshall 100W head, Marshall 4x12 cab with either Greenbacks or V30s, SM57 direct at the seam of the center cone, barely inches from the grill. The only difference is Maxime's recordings are what the pre-production sound would be prior to mix down - and that's a good thing because now people can hear what the equipment actually sounds like.

 

[Dahla]

Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

Slash's studio recordings are done exactly as Maxime has his set up: Les Paul into a Marshall 100W head, Marshall 4x12 cab with either Greenbacks or V30s, SM57 direct at the seam of the center cone, barely inches from the grill. The only difference is Maxime's recordings are what the pre-production sound would be prior to mix down - and that's a good thing because now people can hear what the equipment actually sounds like.

You forget the preamp, compressors and desk that is plugged between guitar and the recording medium. It's not just the mix down.

Tape rolls of high end too if that is the target medium.

What the guitarist is doing, and what the engineer is doing is two different things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maxime1122]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

You forget the preamp, compressors and desk that is plugged between guitar and the recording medium. It's not just the mix down.

Tape rolls of high end too if that is the target medium.

What the guitarist is doing, and what the engineer is doing is two different things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, for sure the recording chain change the tone also. I used a DBX tube preamp (it's good, but not the best) directly into the sound card. For sure, it's not the "same" recording equipment that the engineer used for Slash's recording. But, that's not the point of this thread.. it's to compare two pickups. From what I see, not everybody knows how the A2P pickup sounds.

That's why, like I said, a lot of people don't like the A2P bridge, because they find it too bright! Personally, that's my favorite pickup set, but I use the Tone knobs often too. The neck pickup is perfect IMO.

Thanks !

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickup Shootout - Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro VS Gibson 498T/490R

I love a darker tone sans mud.

So do I. My question is, how far would you go that way? I go quite far that way.