Gibson 498T pickups: Close to an overwound PAF?

[VonBonfire]

Bill's wife Becky and daughter Shannon still make his pickups and their prices are STUPID cheap! https://www.wildepickups.com/

I think you'd really dig their Q-Filter tone circuit!

"We offer a small, well-selected collection of Bill's original models. Since the days when Bill mass produced pickups, we still own an enormous amount of high-quality tooling and equipment which makes us independent from expensive outside suppliers. We are a small family based company and operate on a modest budget without marketing or paid endorsers. Our pickups are made in the USA using almost exclusively US-made parts, from the copper wire and machined parts to our injection molding and chrome plating. Just like our customers, we like to support small businesses offering an incredible product."

I've wanted to try some of those pickups as well as the Joe Barden HB's for a while. It was BL, Barden, or the Lollar DB so I went with that for the first go around. Not sure if there is a reason to keep hunting, I really like that pickup. The kid's steel should get here today I think he'll be looking at some BL stuff down the line too. Anyways, waaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaap?

 

[JohnnyGtar]

I've wanted to try some of those pickups as well as the Joe Barden HB's for a while. It was BL, Barden, or the Lollar DB so I went with that for the first go around. Not sure if there is a reason to keep hunting, I really like that pickup. The kid's steel should get here today I think he'll be looking at some BL stuff down the line too. Anyways, waaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaap?

LMAO Waaaaaaaazaaaaaaaaaaaap?

 

[JLR]

Every 498T I've had I swap mags with the 490R to better balance the set. Shaves off the 490 mud and sizzle on the 498.

 

[Caca_Spaniel_123]

Necromancing a dead post.. by myself, after accidently running into it searching for how the JB compares to the 498T. I found that the #7 pickups on the PRS is not the conventional PAF sound, it is much more tame and modernized than my Les Paul with Duncan '59s. That has the sizzle and quack of a PAF, the PRS doesn't. So it just happens that the 498T and the PAF doesn't really have much in common, but the #7 can be said to be sat somewhere in between those. I'm not sure what to do with the #7 pups at this point, the Gibson is far, far better at doing what people usually do with singlecut guitars. I might put hot pickups in the PRS again to make it a metal machine, but really I have no clue.

 

[Mike Oxhuge]

I really only like the PRS 58/15 LT of the PRS pickups I've tried. It is a slightly warm PAF and sounds great for everything. 498T sounds really good in Super Strats, Teles and SG type guitars and like the JB might not sound great in all but when it does it is great. Also lime other posters said, low down tunings aren't great and I prefer them without covers.

 

[jeff5]

I never jived with the 498T or any Gibson pick up for that matter. The 498T sounded like a cheaper Seymour Duncan. When I swtiched it for a Seymour Duncan Custom or even JB (very different pick ups I knok), they sounded better in every way.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Necromancing a dead post.. by myself, after accidently running into it searching for how the JB compares to the 498T. I found that the #7 pickups on the PRS is not the conventional PAF sound, it is much more tame and modernized than my Les Paul with Duncan '59s. That has the sizzle and quack of a PAF, the PRS doesn't. So it just happens that the 498T and the PAF doesn't really have much in common, but the #7 can be said to be sat somewhere in between those. I'm not sure what to do with the #7 pups at this point, the Gibson is far, far better at doing what people usually do with singlecut guitars. I might put hot pickups in the PRS again to make it a metal machine, but really I have no clue.

PRS hides what magnets they use in a lot of their pickups - I believe they use A4s in some of their stuff, and you may not be a fan of that EQ.

This has a different sound than the A5 and possibly ceramic magnets many makers use generally. Even the exact same pickup sounds quite different depending on the choice of magnets.

For example, some people say they love the 498T with an Alnico 8!

My point is, if you have some time and any inclination - magnet swapping can drastically alter the way a pickup sounds, and may make something you disliked before change into something you love.

I never jived with the 498T or any Gibson pick up for that matter. The 498T sounded like a cheaper Seymour Duncan. When I swtiched it for a Seymour Duncan Custom or even JB (very different pick ups I knokw), they sounded better in every way.

Agreed that those pickups have midrange character similar to the 498, but focused in different areas to give it more girth and a squishier feel.

Also, keep in mind as far as the way caps affect the tonal resonance/center point of a pickup. Gibson always uses .033 ceramic caps. I noticed that when I had the 498T in a tele for testing, it sounded really good with no caps at all in the circuit or with a .033. Everything else made it sound worse.

All of that being said - my 498T is sitting in a drawer until I feel like swapping magnets or something on it - I found better alternatives for what I like to do for sure.

 

[jeff5]

Also, keep in mind as far as the way caps affect the tonal resonance/center point of a pickup. Gibson always uses .033 ceramic caps. I noticed that when I had the 498T in a tele for testing, it sounded really good with no caps at all in the circuit or with a .033. Everything else made it sound worse.

This is a good point and I never messed with the caps when I tried a 498T or any other Gibson pick up. I know that tone is really the whole circuit so maybe they would have sounded better with a .033 cap.

 

[Caca_Spaniel_123]

PRS hides what magnets they use in a lot of their pickups - I believe they use A4s in some of their stuff, and you may not be a fan of that EQ.

This has a different sound than the A5 and possibly ceramic magnets many makers use generally. Even the exact same pickup sounds quite different depending on the choice of magnets.

For example, some people say they love the 498T with an Alnico 8!

My point is, if you have some time and any inclination - magnet swapping can drastically alter the way a pickup sounds, and may make something you disliked before change into something you love.


Agreed that those pickups have midrange character similar to the 498, but focused in different areas to give it more girth and a squishier feel.

Also, keep in mind as far as the way caps affect the tonal resonance/center point of a pickup. Gibson always uses .033 ceramic caps. I noticed that when I had the 498T in a tele for testing, it sounded really good with no caps at all in the circuit or with a .033. Everything else made it sound worse.

All of that being said - my 498T is sitting in a drawer until I feel like swapping magnets or something on it - I found better alternatives for what I like to do for sure.

I think in my case the issue has to do more with the wind itself, I also suspect they use A4s in the #7s. I put an A2 in the bridge to warm it down and an A5 in the neck for more clarity.. the stock #7 set has a very warm and underwound neck pickup with a pretty hot midrangy bridge, its hard to balance them. It got closer to what I wanted after the magnet swap but it still has that very tame and polite sound, maybe the brass baseplate rolls off treble and adds low mids? I much prefer my Gibson over the PRS for traditional LP tones.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I think in my case the issue has to do more with the wind itself, I also suspect they use A4s in the #7s. I put an A2 in the bridge to warm it down and an A5 in the neck for more clarity.. the stock #7 set has a very warm and underwound neck pickup with a pretty hot midrangy bridge, its hard to balance them. It got closer to what I wanted after the magnet swap but it still has that very tame and polite sound, maybe the brass baseplate rolls off treble and adds low mids? I much prefer my Gibson over the PRS for traditional LP tones.

I actually prefer A2s in the neck for a bit more snap and woodiness but that varies per guitar/pickup it seems.

The stock Gibson 490R/498T was hard for me to get balanced, so I swapped em out for that same reason, though maybe magnet swaps would have done them well.

My PRS has the stock McCarty Bass/Treble pickups, which I believe are A4s, and have a good quack to them in center position.

I would not say it sounds like my LP at all though - that is for certain! Totally different tonal palette for sure.