So I replaced a Gibson 500T with a Black Winter

Rex_Rocker

Rex_Rocker

Well-known member
Since we're on the topic of 500T's and Gibson pickups, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this swap I just made.

I was absolutely enjoying the 500T in my Les Paul Tribute, but as always, I like swapping pickups around and trying new combinations out. So I decided to swap the 500T for a Black Winter that I had laying around.

I was surprised about how different these two are. I mean, on paper, you'd think they'd be more similar. The 500T is triple ceramic 15K-ish. The Black Winter is triple ceramic 16K-ish (mine measures 15.4). But they sound really different. Don't get me wrong, in the grand scheme of things, they're both HOT, tight ceramic screamers, but I was expecting them to be closer, TBH.

The 500T has really neutral mids. Not scooped like a Custom, but not pushed like a JB either. It has some grind in the lower treble side of the spectrum and a chunky but tight low-end.

The Black Winter is REALLY mid-pushed. It's not stuffy like a JB can be at times, but it has lots of upper-mid cut and aggression. It also has a lot less low-end, which in turn, makes it tighter and more modern. It also has this very characteristic modern-sounding clanky attack that I absolutely love. I was also expecting it to be hotter, but I don't think it is.

I like both, TBH. I still haven't made up my mind about which one I'll keep on the guitar.

Just wanted to share my thoughts. :)
 
Rex_Rocker said:
Since we're on the topic of 500T's and Gibson pickups, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this swap I just made.

I was absolutely enjoying the 500T in my Les Paul Tribute, but as always, I like swapping pickups around and trying new combinations out. So I decided to swap the 500T for a Black Winter that I had laying around.

I was surprised about how different these two are. I mean, on paper, you'd think they'd be more similar. The 500T is triple ceramic 15K-ish. The Black Winter is triple ceramic 16K-ish (mine measures 15.4). But they sound really different. Don't get me wrong, in the grand scheme of things, they're both HOT, tight ceramic screamers, but I was expecting them to be closer, TBH.

The 500T has really neutral mids. Not scooped like a Custom, but not pushed like a JB either. It has some grind in the lower treble side of the spectrum and a chunky but tight low-end.

The Black Winter is REALLY mid-pushed. It's not stuffy like a JB can be at times, but it has lots of upper-mid cut and aggression. It also has a lot less low-end, which in turn, makes it tighter and more modern. It also has this very characteristic modern-sounding clanky attack that I absolutely love. I was also expecting it to be hotter, but I don't think it is.

I like both, TBH. I still haven't made up my mind about which one I'll keep on the guitar.

Just wanted to share my thoughts. :)
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Good to hear your thoughts on those two pickups. Also Ill stand by those Les Paul tributes any day of the week it's a solid Les Paul and good luck finding another Les Paul with a satin neck that's not custom shop. I can't tell a difference between the maple and mohagony necks(sound wise) but I prefer the feel and playability of the satin neck/body over the gloss anyday.
 
I actually just picked up a "Blackened" Winter bridge pickup myself. I have it as a back up if I dont like the 500T in this Epiphone Elite LP Standard.
 
Mikelamury said:
Good to hear your thoughts on those two pickups. Also Ill stand by those Les Paul tributes any day of the week it's a solid Les Paul and good luck finding another Les Paul with a satin neck that's not custom shop. I can't tell a difference between the maple and mohagony necks(sound wise) but I prefer the feel and playability of the satin neck/body over the gloss anyday.
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Mine plays alright. Looks OK too. It's just the thin finish makes it sound really really good.
 
So I returned the 500T to the guitar yesterday night. I think can give some more in-depth comparison of both pickups.

The 500T is fatter for sure. I wouldn't say it's a loose pickup, but it's definitely chunkier in the lower mids. I find it's slightly darker than the Black Winter too, which honestly, surprises me, seeing the BW is higher DCR. Maybe "darker" or "brighter" is not the right way to describe the difference, but the Black Winter is definitely sharper in the high mids because it has less low-end. I hear a lot more of a modern focused tone.

I decided to go back to the 500T because the Black Winter was a bit too much in the attack for this particular guitar. It was getting too chirpy for my taste. The 500T is smoother by comparison, but it's definitely not a smooth-sounding pickup in the grand scheme of things. It's just slightly more "full-range" if that makes sense. I find that the mids are more neutral, as I said in my first post. But both have got this ceramic-y grind to the treble that make both sound really pissed off.

This time around, I can tell the 500T is lower output too. Not much. It's still a screamer, but it doesn't hit as hard as the 'Winter. Part of it has to do with the whole voicing of the mids, but I'm pretty sure recording DI's, the peaks reach higher up with the BW. Both are HOT pickups, though. I think the 500T might be more in line with the output of the Distortion, but I don't have a Distortion at hand to really compare.

Overall, based on my past experience with the Distortion, I'd describe the 500T as a fatter, smoother Duncan Distortion 80's-90's EQ profile rather than the more modern, tighter, sharper voicing of the 'Winter.
 
Demanic said:
De-Gaused ceramic.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk
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Just took some Wilkinson "low gauss" ceramic singles out of my T. They sounded pretty bad, TBH. Very little low end and harsh. The neck was replaced with a Wilkinson alnico 5 Tele pickup and the bridge is now a Fender Vintage Reissue '52 Tele bridge pickup.

Hopefully tomorrow, the neck will get replaced again. This time with a Fender '62 Tele neck pickup just ordered. The current pickups sounds quite good together but I went with the 62 neck anyway.
 
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