Members SlickRick Posted July 24, 2015 Members Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm sure this has been asked before but I'm new. So I just won a 490t off ebay(kinda by surprise) and just wondering if anyone on here has any opinions. Just throwing it into a crappy epi lp I have and I know its not going to solve all its problems but those damn stock pups have to go they are no bueno. Any info would be greatly appreciated, also I've never wired a four conductor before, so when it gets here I might have a few more questions haha, I am pretty legit with a soldering gun and a single conductor so maybe I won't have any questions. Anyway yeah thanks for the input cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AJ6stringsting Posted July 24, 2015 Members Share Posted July 24, 2015 A few years back, I rewired a Epi Les Paul Custom and put in a Alnico 5 Dragonfire Vintage Screamer .... made a huge difference. Just as good as my 1974 Gibson LPC !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted July 24, 2015 Members Share Posted July 24, 2015 A few years ago I replaced the 490r in the neck of my Les Paul with a Duncan Seth Lover. I wasn't crazy about the 498t in the bridge so just out of curiosity, I tried putting the 490r in the bridge. While the 490r was muddy in the neck, it came alive in the bridge with the added treble response of that position. I've kept it there ever since. I don't know how different the 490r is from the 490t, but I imagine it would sound fine in your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 25, 2015 Members Share Posted July 25, 2015 I don't think Gibson makes a bad pickup, it really just depends on the particular tone you're going for. I've got the 490R/498T set in my LP Studio Lite Deluxe and they're very articulate pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brian Krashpad Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 I don't think Gibson makes a bad pickup' date=' it really just depends on the particular tone you're going for. I've got the 490R/498T set in my LP Studio Lite Deluxe and they're very articulate pickups.[/quote'] ^This. I have the same set in a Studio Doublecut, and a pair of 490s in an SGJ. 490 Series get flack, but I like 'em fine. A little hotter than more traditional PAF-based HBs, but that gibes well with what I play anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted July 27, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 27, 2015 My stock fix for the 490R/498T combo is to swap the magnets. You then essentially have a set of slightly higher quality ToneRider Rocksongs, ie a high DCR Al II bridge and a vintage wound DCR Al V neck pickup. Works well in most guitars. Also sticking Al II magnets in Seymour Duncan JB has the same effect. Leon Trotsky and I never like ice picks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 As a latecomer to lower cost Gibsons, I had to learn to like the 490/498's. To me, they're quite nice but require at least some gain / volume to shine, moreso than any other pickup I've encountered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 Rare Krashpad sighting!!!! Still rockin I see - dat cat can play. Good on ya brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 Lower cost Gibsons? http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Les-Paul-Custom.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 Well, yes: my SG Special Faded was $484 new, and my LP Studio 50's Tribute was $600 used at MGR. As I recently posted on another forum which you may / may not frequent, the recent retail prices of Gibsons have shocked me. They are 40-50% higher than I would have guessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 28, 2015 Members Share Posted July 28, 2015 For whatever reason, that combination does get used on the four thousand plus Customs etc. Might be a few dollars less than the BBs and 58s as replacement pickups. Not exactly cheap however, and to my ears, in a good guitar, as good as any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted July 29, 2015 Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 Yeah, I think I just .... was not a 'Gibson guy,' and underestimated the thought / learning required to get to the creamy sweetness of double-humbucker configured guitars (semi hollows notwithstanding - different animals). Agree that the 490/98's are just fine. Threadjacking a moment, I have a set of NOS PAFs just sitting in the closet doing nothing. Where do you think they should go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 29, 2015 Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 Regarding the PAFs , not really sure what your collection is like. Probably wouldn't recommend replacing the ones in your Gibsons though. I discovered the hard way about the static electricity thing which is an inherent characteristic to the Gibson line caused by the Nitro lacquer used in finishing. Anyway, I put some open face boutique PAF types into my Gibson and it totally exacerbated the static issue. I had to put the stockers back in (490R/498T) and put the PAFs into my Hamer Special replacing the 59/JB combination. As it turned out the boutiques are more dynamic sounding in the Hamer and the Gibson stockers actually really fit the Gibson making me wonder why in the world I thought to replace them in the first place. As a side note, I'm not sure that the older Gibson's have this static issue - never heard of it. But anyway, both my Hamers are from the 90's (Chicago Era) are also finished with nitro and do not generate any static whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted July 29, 2015 Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 I don't have a lot of guitars that traditionally take HB's -- one huge reason that the pups are just sitting there. I originally got them to put in the 50's Tribute Les Paul, and the pair ran me $75. Then I got cold feet because the LP has been sounding great, and "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" etc. I have a silly # of single coil type guitars. Real Strats and Teles, off-brand Matsomoku 70's / 80's Teles and Strats, Jag / Mustang / JMs, and some semi-hollowbodies. One candidate would have been a MIK Squier Starfire SHB, but that has Duncan 59s that I put in it that sound great. One thought is my Squier CV Tele, which has those Toneriders that everyone loves but me. I don't know how it's routed, though, and if I put that much into the pups, I'd wind up wanting to change the bridge, too. Another candidate could be a gorgeous Ibanez SHB 12-string I have - but I'm nervous about messing with it, just because it's so pleasant now. I guess in reality I bought those pickups for when I found a HB routed guitar that was great acoustically and had bad pups. Now I'm not in buying mode. Duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted July 30, 2015 Members Share Posted July 30, 2015 I don't have a lot of guitars that traditionally take HB's -- one huge reason that the pups are just sitting there. I originally got them to put in the 50's Tribute Les Paul, and the pair ran me $75. Then I got cold feet because the LP has been sounding great, and "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" etc. I have a silly # of single coil type guitars. Real Strats and Teles, off-brand Matsomoku 70's / 80's Teles and Strats, Jag / Mustang / JMs, and some semi-hollowbodies. One candidate would have been a MIK Squier Starfire SHB, but that has Duncan 59s that I put in it that sound great. One thought is my Squier CV Tele, which has those Toneriders that everyone loves but me. I don't know how it's routed, though, and if I put that much into the pups, I'd wind up wanting to change the bridge, too. Another candidate could be a gorgeous Ibanez SHB 12-string I have - but I'm nervous about messing with it, just because it's so pleasant now. I guess in reality I bought those pickups for when I found a HB routed guitar that was great acoustically and had bad pups. Now I'm not in buying mode. Duh. Surprisingly, I've found myself in the very same boat - a couple of scweet buckers and no place to put them. I had paid a reduced price to replace the neck pickup in the boutique set I'd ordered on Ebay. One of the feet had been bent so far towards the pickup, there was no way to install it. So I'd gently nudged it back where it belonged and it snapped off anyway. The seller let me keep it, so I just need a sedaline torch to reconnect the leg (great pickup) and install it with a JB in the bridge, only problem is I'm just completely satisfied with all of my current guitars and their current configurations. Not gonna sell it cause that neck pickup is pretty special (scatter wound with uneven coils for that true PAF thang). Probably just sit there in the parts drawer with that leg broke off. (doh). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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