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Thread: 490T too weak?

  1. #1
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    Default 490T too weak?

    I play my SG a lot. I gig with it, do all my practice with it, and pretty much kick the old lady (sorry jamie) out of bed and sleep with it.

    That being said I can only say ONE bad thing about it:

    I'm not too thrilled with the bridge pickup in it.... Its a faded gibby and its loaded with a 490T - and its weak - that has a weaker sound than the 490R, and I love that pickup.

    I have a Paul, with a pearly gates in it but it also has 300K pots (vol. & tone.) so its a little rounder sounding than most....not to mention its got a single coil in the neck......I digress.


    So my question is, should I switch this 490T out for a Pearly Gates, a pup I love..... or will it sound waay too bright with the 500K's that are in my SG...

    Should I put some 300K's in my SG? I don't want to change the tone of my neck pup though.
    Guitars: Epiphone Special 2 LP modded with a SD Pearly Gates and a SD Alnico 2 flat strat pro.300K pots.Tone pros Brass Stop tailpiece.Dunlop frets dressed to .031,LSR roller nut, Spezel custom stainless steel locking tuners. Satin finished neck.Fender MIM 50's strat modded with LSR roller nut, graph tech string tree,sperzel satin chrome locking tuners, graph tech saddles,300K push pull volume for "neck on pup" and 200K tone pots.PUPS:Neck seymore duncan QP single coil for strat. Middle: Seymour Duncan JB Jr with coil tap (so actually a 9 way tone selection). Bridge: Same as neck.Amps/Cabs.2 Epi Valve Jr's, Peavey Delta Blues 1x15. Randall RG200es,Guitar research 4x8 cab loaded W/celestion super 8's and rewired for two-2x8 operation.Marshall 4x12 slant lead cab,Johnson cab 1x12.

  2. #2
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    Get a Duncan Custom 5 for the bridge. Or get a Gibson Classic 57.
    Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.

    Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube

    Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz

  3. #3
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    I never cared for the 490 in my Les Paul. It always seemed to lack definition. I switched mine out for Dimarzio Virtual PAFs and haven't looked back. I have never thought of the Pearly Gates as an overly bright pickup. I think you'll be fine. You can always roll a little high end off with the tone control.
    Patrick

  4. #4
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    I'm not a big fan of the 490, either.

    The Pearly Gates is a nice pickup and I think it will be fine with the 500K pot.
    Guitars: 2008 Gibson SG Classic, 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard LE, 2002 Gibson SG Supreme, 2001 Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus, 1996 Les Paul Studio Gem, American Deluxe Double Fat Strat, Bluesville "Super" Strat Copy, MIK Fender "Limited Edition" Tele, JD Bluesville "Night Pilot", Yamaha AES 820, Steinberger Spirit GT Pro, Taylor 355CE, Ovation 1897 Adamas, Ovation CC057 Celebrity

    Amps: Axe FX centered rack rig, Mesa 4x12 cab. Germino Club 40, Johnson JM150 Millennium, Johnson JM250 Millennium, Gibson Titan Medalist Frankenstein.

    Effects: Tonebone Trimode, EH Holy Grail, Boss CH-1, Dunlop Crybaby Classic, Framptone Amp Switcher, THD Hot Plate, Yamaha AG Stomp Acoustic Processor, Boss BCB-60 Pedal Board.

  5. #5
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    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by Tone2TheBone
    Get a Duncan Custom 5 for the bridge. Or get a Gibson Classic 57.
    I have the Custom 5 in my LP Classic. :

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Krashpad
    I have the Custom 5 in my LP Classic. :
    Yes you do my friend!

    So what have you decided on LG?
    Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.

    Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube

    Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz

  7. #7
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    I'm going with a pearly gates....... I love how they sound.

    I don't necessarily want to change the neck pup....I like its sound, but if I were to change it...... any suggestions my fellow fretters?
    Guitars: Epiphone Special 2 LP modded with a SD Pearly Gates and a SD Alnico 2 flat strat pro.300K pots.Tone pros Brass Stop tailpiece.Dunlop frets dressed to .031,LSR roller nut, Spezel custom stainless steel locking tuners. Satin finished neck.Fender MIM 50's strat modded with LSR roller nut, graph tech string tree,sperzel satin chrome locking tuners, graph tech saddles,300K push pull volume for "neck on pup" and 200K tone pots.PUPS:Neck seymore duncan QP single coil for strat. Middle: Seymour Duncan JB Jr with coil tap (so actually a 9 way tone selection). Bridge: Same as neck.Amps/Cabs.2 Epi Valve Jr's, Peavey Delta Blues 1x15. Randall RG200es,Guitar research 4x8 cab loaded W/celestion super 8's and rewired for two-2x8 operation.Marshall 4x12 slant lead cab,Johnson cab 1x12.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by LagrangeCalvert
    I'm going with a pearly gates....... I love how they sound.

    I don't necessarily want to change the neck pup....I like its sound, but if I were to change it...... any suggestions my fellow fretters?

    SD '59? That's one smooth pickup for neck positions.
    Guitars: 2008 Gibson SG Classic, 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard LE, 2002 Gibson SG Supreme, 2001 Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus, 1996 Les Paul Studio Gem, American Deluxe Double Fat Strat, Bluesville "Super" Strat Copy, MIK Fender "Limited Edition" Tele, JD Bluesville "Night Pilot", Yamaha AES 820, Steinberger Spirit GT Pro, Taylor 355CE, Ovation 1897 Adamas, Ovation CC057 Celebrity

    Amps: Axe FX centered rack rig, Mesa 4x12 cab. Germino Club 40, Johnson JM150 Millennium, Johnson JM250 Millennium, Gibson Titan Medalist Frankenstein.

    Effects: Tonebone Trimode, EH Holy Grail, Boss CH-1, Dunlop Crybaby Classic, Framptone Amp Switcher, THD Hot Plate, Yamaha AG Stomp Acoustic Processor, Boss BCB-60 Pedal Board.

  9. #9
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    This is probably a silly question but have you tried adjusting the pickup height? I mean between both pickups even?.

    I only ask because you complained about it's weakness rather than it's sound/tone

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy
    This is probably a silly question but have you tried adjusting the pickup height? I mean between both pickups even?.

    I only ask because you complained about it's weakness rather than it's sound/tone

    Yeah I have tweaked and tweaked....but to no avail.

    It still sounds thin and has less volume than the R........

    Either way I just got a Pearly Gates for the Bridge and a Jazz for the neck....
    Guitars: Epiphone Special 2 LP modded with a SD Pearly Gates and a SD Alnico 2 flat strat pro.300K pots.Tone pros Brass Stop tailpiece.Dunlop frets dressed to .031,LSR roller nut, Spezel custom stainless steel locking tuners. Satin finished neck.Fender MIM 50's strat modded with LSR roller nut, graph tech string tree,sperzel satin chrome locking tuners, graph tech saddles,300K push pull volume for "neck on pup" and 200K tone pots.PUPS:Neck seymore duncan QP single coil for strat. Middle: Seymour Duncan JB Jr with coil tap (so actually a 9 way tone selection). Bridge: Same as neck.Amps/Cabs.2 Epi Valve Jr's, Peavey Delta Blues 1x15. Randall RG200es,Guitar research 4x8 cab loaded W/celestion super 8's and rewired for two-2x8 operation.Marshall 4x12 slant lead cab,Johnson cab 1x12.

  11. #11
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    good combo!

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