Rig Talk Pickup Selector

[JohnnyGtar]

498t: Very underrated. Has a killer bite to it through a 4 hole Marshall.

I didn't like 'em when I was selling Gibsons back in the 90's, but those had covers and were hooked up to 300K volume pots.

The fact that you dig 'em makes me want to try one again. This time with a 500K pot and no cover.

I've also heard that this is a good trick: with the 490R/498T set, the 490R has an A2 magnet. 498T has an A5 magnet. Simply swap them: A2 magnet goes in the 498T, A5 magnet goes in the 490R. Less fizz, more mid crunch and punch in the bridge, better clarity in the neck. That would be fun to try.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I'm a Tone Zone convert. A lot of online reviews say the Tone Zone is dark, but I actually find it a bit brighter and punchier than a JB. JB sounds like a muddy mess to me. I bought a RG652AHM with a Tone Zone and hated it. I went through 3 sets of pickups before I realized the guitar was just a bright mess. Tried the TZ in a few normal guitars and it was incredible. Combination of a tight pickup in a tight/bright guitar was just a recipe for disaster.

Funny, I had an Ibanez RG652MPB. Was an absolute monster of a guitar. I just could not resonate with it for whatever reason which is werid, because until this day, that is probably my favorite Ibanez neck carve that I have felt. Really killer beauty that just didn't connect.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I didn't like 'em when I was selling Gibsons back in the 90's, but those had covers and were hooked up to 300K volume pots.

The fact that you dig 'em makes me want to try one again. This time with a 500K pot and no cover.

I've also heard that this is a good trick: with the 490R/498T set, the 490R has an A2 magnet. 498T has an A5 magnet. Simply swap them: A2 magnet goes in the 498T, A5 magnet goes in the 490R. Less fizz, more mid crunch and punch in the bridge, better clarity in the neck. That would be fun to try.

Raaaunchy upper-mid oriented rock vibes for sure. 500k pots, the proper caps, and no cover is the way to go, though they are fun on a tele build with lower value pots (still no cover, and adjusted polepieces).

I also heard people love an AlNiCo 8 in the 498T!