Jump to content

Gibson 498T.....is it bright or is it just my SG?


kombi1976

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Last January I bought a 2005 Gibson SG Standard Natural Burst from US eBay and was delighted with it from the moment it got to me.
I particularly like the 498T bridge pickup which stays tight in the heaviest of overdrives.
It has a snarly upper mid sizzle that does some awesome 80s Hair Metal tones through my Laney Protube AOR amps.
Of course, it also completely replicates that classic British ACDC crunch.
I'm wondering, however, if the tone I'm loving isn't just the pickup but is the lightness and thinness of the guitar itself?
I know this pickup is also a standard item for the Les Paul Studios.
Does it still have that sizzle in the Studio or do SGs in general have the sound I'm talking about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The guitar could have a lot to do with it. I had an LP Special with a 498T in it. I struggled with the guitar sounding sometimes really good with the mids that pickup gave that guitar and sometimes the mid was just too much and without some low end and the other goodies in it that I like to hear. I sold that guitar and ironically I found a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus that I was looking forward to having the stock 57 Classics in it but the owner had replaced them with none other than...the 498T and 490R...... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I did not get to try it before buying but since it was a good deal I intended on replacing the pickups. The seller commented that the pickups hardly changed the tone in the guitar after he replaced them...yeah right! I didn't get to hear it with the 57's in it but I'll be damned if this guitar and the pickups don't sound awesome and nothing like the LP Special with the 498T in it did. There seems to be plenty of low end in this guitar with the 498T. Honestly, these are my first impressions just after the first few days of owning the guitar. The guitar and the neck are so much more massive and it is way heavier than the LP Special that maybe it just seems that way but the seller said the same thing that I am hearing. Many people say the 498T is the perfect pickup for an SG but my experience is quite the opposite since the LP Special was like a slightly thicker SG to me. That Special could have also just been a "special" guitar alright so who knows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The guitar could have a lot to do with it. I had an LP Special with a 498T in it. I struggled with the guitar sounding sometimes really good with the mids that pickup gave that guitar and sometimes the mid was just too much and without some low end and the other goodies in it that I like to hear. I sold that guitar and ironically I found a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus that I was looking forward to having the stock 57 Classics in it but the owner had replaced them with none other than...the 498T and 490R...... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I did not get to try it before buying but since it was a good deal I intended on replacing the pickups. The seller commented that the pickups hardly changed the tone in the guitar after he replaced them...yeah right! I didn't get to hear it with the 57's in it but I'll be damned if this guitar and the pickups don't sound awesome and nothing like the LP Special with the 498T in it did. There seems to be plenty of low end in this guitar with the 498T. Honestly, these are my first impressions just after the first few days of owning the guitar. The guitar and the neck are so much more massive and it is way heavier than the LP Special that maybe it just seems that way but the seller said the same thing that I am hearing. Many people say the 498T is the perfect pickup for an SG but my experience is quite the opposite since the LP Special was like a slightly thicker SG to me. That Special could have also just been a "special" guitar alright so who knows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've really heard the 498T's tone vary quite a bit depending upon which guitar it's in. Even if it's in the same model. Like right now I have two SG Stds in the house, one is denser and heavier than the other, and it really imparts a significant difference in its tone. For now, I'll just say I like its tone better in the lighter SG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've really heard the 498T's tone vary quite a bit depending upon which guitar it's in. Even if it's in the same model. Like right now I have two SG Stds in the house, one is denser and heavier than the other, and it really imparts a significant difference in its tone. For now, I'll just say I like its tone better in the lighter SG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've been using a lot of different Gibson pickups lately and have been pleasantly surprised by the 498T played clean.
It works very well with 50s wiring, interacting with the tone pot better than some more exotic pickups. I obtained those hard-to-find "sweet spots" easily.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...