What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

rockinangus

rockinangus

New member
I have a original 1977 gibson explorer I just got, PERFECT Shape, never played. The guy replaced the pickups with Super Distortions from Dimarzzio, and after playing it and changing and the height of the pickup(bridge), it seems as if my 498t in my bridge of my les paul has more dirt and wails 10x better than the explorer which I thought was hard to believe but not according to m last gig this past saturday, I felt that I could shred a loottt better with my gibson les than I could with my explorer. So im wondering, is a 500t that comes stock in a standard gibson explorer stronger than a super distortion? or do i have some more tweaking to do? I've played an explorer with a 500t and I could play it no problem, soloing/shredding wise, lot of dirt and just wails, dont even need any effects for it, just played awesome. So I'm just curious if I need to replace?
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

The two pups should be in roughly similar in output. Maybe the SD is wired wrong? In parallel (weaker) instead of series?

The only other thing I can think of is the tonal differences btw the pups. If my memory is correct, the DMZ SD is fatter than the 500T. Would that affect your style? Just a wild guess on that one!
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

If the DiM was purchased around when the guitar was,it may be the p/up.
I've run across a few old DiMs that badly needed re-potting...
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

All PU models vary a little, due to windings & variances in raw materials, and I've noticed a good deal of variation in the dozen Gibson HB's I have, espescially in 498T's. Some are definitely brighter than others. Could be different specs from when they were made or just looser manufacturing tolerences. I think 498T's are around 14,000 ohms, similar to a Duncan C5, C, and CC.

The DiMarzio SD probably has a ceramic magnet, which is loud, sterile, bright, and tight, compared to the A5 in your 498T, which is bright, but has more color & character, more organic tones. I have a 500T with an A8 magnet, which is a good high-powered set up, but I'm not a metal player. Not sure, but a 500T may be a 498T with a ceramic magnet.

Remember, the wood has a big impact on how you PU's sound, and no two pieces of wood are the same (grain, density, mineral content, etc). Lots of guys on this forum have put the same PU in another guitar, and it sounded very different. There is no such thing as a PU sounding the same in every guitar; too many variables. You often have to use magnets, pots, & caps to dial, in your tone.

Sounds like the 14,000 ohm range works for you. What about trying an A5 in your DiMarzio SD? If that doesn't work, since you like the 498T, you could try another in your Explorer. Tweak what you have first before you start buying more PU's. Think this through & don't do the shotgun approach and waste a lot of money.
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

Blueman 335 how right you are. My guitar teacher just gave my Explorer the once over and it plays mint right now. He said the guitar was probably never set-up professionally since new. The neck had a bow in it so careful adjusting and tinkering got it to where it needed to be. Cleaned up the frets, checked the pots and wiring and adjusted the pickup heights. The complete set-up. It plays and sounds so good right now!
My teacher said the neck pick up is hotter than a 5 alarm red hot chili pepper! LOL!
Basically all it needed was some TLC after setting in the case for some 25+ years.
Does anyone have a pair of 1977 stock Gibson pickups for an Explorer?
I would love to have a pair of original 77 pickups for it as that's the only thing that is not original in the whole guitar. These guitars have some sustain in them!
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

I wonder if the Explorer would have originally had Dirty Fingers in it... They are hotter and dirtier than both the SD's that are in there and whatever is in your Paul...
 
Re: What is the Difference Between the 2 here?

Congrats on the Explorer bro, I dig explorers too. I've got 2 of them now, but never cared for the 500T/496R pups that came with 'em... they kinda sounded muddy with a wet blanket...

Anyways, I swapped out the Gibson pups for Blackouts in both explorers. Not sure if thats the same direction you wanna go with yours, but the blackouts sound absolutely great in an explorer. Even tho the blackouts are active, they sound very passive and organic.
 
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