Members jrm27 Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Hey guys.. oen of my first posts, so please give me some leeway if this has been answered before.... I have recently acquired a new (to me) Les Paul. Its a 2001 goldtop with some modifications made to it. It has a new RS wiring kit,a gotoh bridge, and new pickups to start with. The stock pickups were the standard 490/498 gibson setup. The new pickups are a JB and a Seymour Duncan 59. I don't really know anything about these pickups.. any help from anyone would be extremely valuable. I think I'm going to want to put covers on them because I like the look. Anyoen have any comaprison with the stock pickups? Or any info on the RS wiring kit? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 my gibson has the 490/498's, they are my favourite pickups that gibson makes, and some of my favourites overall, they sound like gibson describes them, a hotter more modern style PAF, I think they sound great:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Those pickups are somewhat of an improvement over the 490/498s, but I'm not a big fan of either set. I like a more classic PAF tone for a LP. I have Burstbuckers 1 and 2 in mine and it sounds just like a LP should. I have a friend with a JB in his LP and it sounds okay, but just doesn't have that great classic LP tone you expect. The 59's a pretty popular choice for the neck and a pretty good pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrm27 Posted November 7, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Cool, that info is actually what I was wondering about.... I've played some with the stick pickups and really enjoyed them, but I know nothing about the JB and the 59. Any other info anyone? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldFenderGuy Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Originally posted by Alchemist my gibson has the 490/498's, they are my favourite pickups that gibson makes, and some of my favourites overall, they sound like gibson describes them, a hotter more modern style PAF, I think they sound great:) +1 I have them in my Gibson LP Standard, and also had them put in my Epi LP Custom.. I love the tone.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acravero Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 The JB/59 are one of Seymour Duncan's most popular sets. The original owner probably installed them to get more options, as the OEM 498/490 set only has 2 conductor wiring. I'm not sure what the "RS" wiring kit is, but maybe you have some switches or push/pull pots that control splits/phasing/etc. I'm more of a fan of the 490/498 set than the jb/59, but they're all decent pickups, it's just a matter of personal preference. If your are uncovered, you can order covers for them & have them installed. The Burstbucker Pros i've not heard good things about, but the Burstbucker 1, 2, and 3 models are supposed to be very good and sound more like "PAF" style Gibson pups. The numbers are the pups "heat", if you will--1 is more like a lower output PAF, 2 a little more output, 3 a little more still. . .but, none of them are high output (a good thing, IMO) like the JB. Plus, they use Alnico II magnets for a warmer sound vs. the 498T's, SD 59's and JB's use Alnico V . The 490 has an Alnico II, which is why that pickup sounds a bit warmer, at least to my ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TattooedCarrot Posted November 7, 2005 Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Originally posted by jrm27 I think I'm going to want to put covers on them because I like the look. The JB is a fairly hot pickup, if you put a cover on it you better wax pot it, or it will be prone to unwanted squeal/feedback when playing loud and/or with lots of gain. Duncan makes a version already poted and covered for about $20 more than the uncovered one, if you really like the pickup maybe swap it out for one that's already covered from Duncan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrm27 Posted November 7, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 7, 2005 Cool! He is sending the original pickups with the guitar and those are already covered. Maybe I'll throw those in and check 'em out. Glad to hear that people like them! Any other advice for a first time LP owner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TattooedCarrot Posted November 8, 2005 Members Share Posted November 8, 2005 Most people would consider the Duncans to be an upgrade over the stock pickups, in the tone dept. anyway. I find the Gibson pickups are much better with upgraded electronics, so the RS kit you have in their should bring them up to their potential if you put the stockers back in. But personally I'd choose tone over looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members curseoftruth Posted November 8, 2005 Members Share Posted November 8, 2005 The PAF pups as mentioend sound the best, but depends on what you play. I went with a set of Gibson 500T/496Rs and totally dig them for high gain applications. I have the SD JB/Jazz combo in my Fernandes Ravelle and I am going to can the Jazz. Nice pup, but nothing special. I want a little more of the orignal PAF style. The JB in the bridge is a really good pup, I like it a lot. I am going to replace the 500T/496R combo with a 57 Classic + in the bridge and a 57 Classic in the neck within the next year. It fits the type of music I'm starting to play a lot better (more of a classic rock sound). The 500T/496R will go into my Squier Subsonic Baritone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sparky6string Posted November 8, 2005 Members Share Posted November 8, 2005 Originally posted by jrm27 Cool! He is sending the original pickups with the guitar and those are already covered. Maybe I'll throw those in and check 'em out. Glad to hear that people like them! Any other advice for a first time LP owner? If you end up not liking the 490/498 set I'll take them off your hands. Been wanting to try these out in one of my humbucker guitars. Oh and advice? Don't overpolish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrm27 Posted November 8, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 8, 2005 great advice.. I'll watch out for the polish....... ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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