Indecision is a bitch

[rbert0005]

I am torn.
I bought a 50s LP last week with the Probuckers in it. Not bad, but I have a set of Gibson 490 and 498 pickups sitting around doing nothing.

part of me wants to be good with the Probuckers and the other part wants to just do the swap and be done with it.

Talk about wishy, washy

Bob

 

[BadPenguin]

Do the swap, be done with it. And if you hate them, swap back on a rainy afternoon. Give ya something to do!

 

[E.T.]

Do it! I haven't even got my new guitar and I'm already thinking about swapping the '57 classic and '57 classic + in it for a 496R and 500T..

 

[rbert0005]

Don’t be in a hurry for that. The 57s are fantastic.
I have some in my 60s Tribute Plus.

Bob

 

[DrBGood]

I am torn.
I bought a 50s LP last week with the Probuckers in it. Not bad, but I have a set of Gibson 490 and 498 pickups sitting around doing nothing.

part of me wants to be good with the Probuckers and the other part wants to just do the swap and be done with it.

Talk about wishy, washy

Bob

Don’t be in a hurry for that.

Have someone swap them (or not) and the have you blind test them to see if it souns better.

 

[LuckyDan]

Do the swap, be done with it. And if you hate them, swap back on a rainy afternoon. Give ya something to do!

This sounds like good advice. If you know how to do it, and enjoy doing it, do it.

I've never really caught the tinkering bug, especially on guitars I already like. I have heard some guys say things like, modifying a guitar makes it more their own. I get that, but then I always think, paying for it made it my own.

 

[BDW60]

The Probuckers are funny ... they don’t sound good enough that you absolutely love them bit don’t sound bad enough that you know right away that they’re goners.

The 490/498 will make the guitar a lot different. Less vintagy, more modern. I will say that the Probuckers in my 50s Standard got a much needed clarity boost when I dropped the heights a bit and raised all the pole pieces. For an A2 pickup, the bridge is still a little bit strident to me. I really need the tone rolled off or have to mess with amp EQ. I like bite in the bridge and the Probucker has it in my guitar ... it’s just not exactly the sweet kinda bite I prefer.

 

[Doc Richards]

I'm partial to '57s myself... though I have 496s and 500s in other models... in fact I had an extra set of 57s sitting around from a factory repair on my ES-355, and couldn't stand the idea of an excellent set of expensive pickups collecting dust, so I put them in my D'Angelico DC... sound like a 355 now. Depends on what you play and what you want to hear coming out of your amp.

 

[musicmaniac]

I put in a new harness and Burst Buckers I had laying around and it was night and day!

 

[Jymbopalyse]

I am torn.
I bought a 50s LP last week with the Probuckers in it. Not bad, but I have a set of Gibson 490 and 498 pickups sitting around doing nothing.

part of me wants to be good with the Probuckers and the other part wants to just do the swap and be done with it.

Talk about wishy, washy

Bob

They are both great pickup's. Just different.

For a rough (real rough) differentiation
If you were Malcom, I'd hand you the Probuckers.
Angus gets the 490's. I think they BITE more.

I didn't care for the 490's until I started to (try) and play lead. Then I understood.