Does anybody truely like the 490R 498T pickup combo?

[kspeed]

I play through a Peavey ValveKing 112 with the A/B tube option set strictly in between - 50% of both. I use the treble boost option for my LP's and have the bass minimized with mid and treble response both between 3-4 'o clock. I also use a Sonic Maximizer with LD Contour set around 11 'o clock and Process around 1:30.

The neck pickup - the 490R - sounds great in. The 498T, not so much. It sounds mid-heavy and wonky without much definition or clarity. I've adjusted pickup heights, angles, pole heights, everything I can think of.

My Number 1 and Number 2 are both P90 equipped guitars - am I just not liking humbuckers anymore? Or should I go ahead and swap both out with Alnico II Pro's, like I'm tempted to?

[JasonC]

Any of the Duncans will definitely give you much more treble clarity... that being said, I'm somewhat favoring single coils myself lately... Maybe slap in some Alnico II Pros and coil tap them.

[kspeed]

Originally Posted by JasonC

Any of the Duncans will definitely give you much more treble clarity... that being said, I'm somewhat favoring single coils myself lately... Maybe slap in some Alnico II Pros and coil tap them.

Very tempted to do so. I have a spare A2P bridge model lying around and plenty of 250k, 300k, and 500k split pots...maybe I'll swap out the 498T for the A2P, leaving in the 490R, and see how they compliment eachother

That said, the 490R is hotter than the bridge A2P so they might be tough to balance. Worst case scenario is some interesting audio clips, right?

[JasonC]

Experimentation is always good... you're most certain to stumble upon something you weren't expecting.

[C Squared]

If you're looking for a good bridge counterpart to the stock 490, you may want to consider either the DiMarzio Breed, which is hotter then the factory pup but very full sounding, or the Norton, which is similar to the output of the Breed but with a little more definition and clarity. I've used both in Les Pauls and Explorers. The DiMarzio website will have a few soundclips for you to check out.

[leewaun]

Originally Posted by C Squared

If you're looking for a good bridge counterpart to the stock 490, you may want to consider either the DiMarzio Breed, which is hotter then the factory pup but very full sounding, or the Norton, which is similar to the output of the Breed but with a little more definition and clarity. I've used both in Les Pauls and Explorers. The DiMarzio website will have a few soundclips for you to check out.

I find that the 490t is the perfect match to the 490R.

[WhippingPost]

My problem with the 490R 498T combination is that they're just too tonally different. If you eq the amp untill the bridge sounds good, then the neck is almost nothing but dark mud. If you eq for the neck, then the bridge is extremely bright. I always eq for the middle position, and the middle of those two pickups did sound fairly nice, but it still left the neck a little muddy and the bridge way too bright.

[moonchild]

I really do like the 490r + 498t combination in my 2001 Les Paul Standard. The 490r is the "blues/jazz" pickup and the 498t the "rock" pickup

However, I've always been tempted to try the 490t on that Lester. Maybe someday