490's. What do you like about them, what do you hate...

Personally I like them. They sound like a Gibson should, they clean up nicely and have a midrange punch that cuts through the mix.

Some people seem to loathe them. If you are one of those folks, tell me what it is you don't like about them. If you're not one of those folks tell me what you do like about them.

The neck pickup in my Les Paul is a 490R.

It works fine; sounds fine; and I’ve never seen a need to change it.

I thought it sounded good when I got the guitar. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the internet thought I shouldn’t like it.

Funny - that Internet!

Well, I still have it in my guitar and have no plans to change it.

But you ask: what DO I like about it? That’s tough to answer. It’s not like I have a specific thing. I just think it sounds good for what I do. I do like how it mellows out when I back off the volume. I also use it for solos because it can keep a solo from becoming thin; it maintains a thickness to the tone.

But, these are just subjective descriptions. I’m fine with the pickup.

“it sounds good for what I do” is all that really matters, imo.
There are so many variables by the time the sound gets from the pickup to your ears.
If you want to sound like a bumblebee in a beer can, there are plenty of other options.
I guess I’m saying I like it because it’s like a warm tube amp with plenty of headroom. A good platform to work with.
Once you dabble in higher output, it starts to become a one-trick pony, imo. But if that sounds good for what you do, then it is good.

shreddy bender said:

Personally I like them. They sound like a Gibson should, they clean up nicely and have a midrange punch that cuts through the mix.

Some people seem to loathe them. If you are one of those folks, tell me what it is you don't like about them. If you're not one of those folks tell me what you do like about them.

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Can't go wrong with 490s. I got the 490R and 490T in two different Gibsons and can get whatever sounds I'm going for with those pickups. They got a wide variety of good sounds. I have played a 498 and IMHO it's a little too hot compared to a 490.

My first SG was equipped with these pickups. it was a 2007 SG faded special.
I came aboard this forum soon after buying the '07 SG, and knew I had a lot to
learn from the members.

I'd been playing acoustic and bass for literally decades, and those had served
me well. I'm sure I made hundreds of dollars in all that time. I bought an SG
hoping to add something to my music, and I wasn't disappointed.
I liked the tone of my SG special instantly, just as I instantly loved the feel of
the neck and the faded finish. That's why I bought my first SG... I loved it as
soon as I got my hands on it in the store.

Anyway, I had not been "studying" electric guitar pickups. So I read carefully lots
of posts on the subject, and listened to online videos and reviews.
In 2008 and 09 there was a lot of hate for 490s, just as there was a lot of hate
for 300k pots and Gibson wiring and lots of hate for Gibson tuners and
the Nashville bridge. I found all this confusing, because they sounded like they
knew what they were talking about, but my guitar sounded fine, and all its parts
worked fine. I was happy with my SG that people were claiming was no good.
*laughs

I'm glad I paid a lot of attention, because I did learn a lot. I was an experienced
performer, so I knew about highs mids and lows, and I knew what a good mix
sounded like, as well as what a bad mix could sound like.

I thought my 490R sounded beautiful... deep rounded tones in the low frequencies
a firm tough presence in the midrange and lovely jangly highs. I still think this, even
though I've replaced my 490s with '57 Classic and Classic plus. I read posts by guys
who claimed they never used their neck pickup, and I thought that was weird.
I still think that.

The 490T was a little less satisfying for me once I got used to the settings on my SG
and on my first amp. I thought it didn't have enough presence. The fix for this was to
run the neck p'up at about 8 and the bridge p'up full on. My favorite position with the
toggle switch is middle position. I like to blend the tones of both pickups and that's
what my music needs. I do this with P-90 pickups as well, and I also do this with
my Fender Jazz bass. Blend the two pickups for the best tone, and when you want
to boost the signal for a solo, stomp the Blues Driver.

Did I answer your question? After reading a load of Gibson bashing, I concluded that
a lot of it was doo-doo. Gibson makes great guitars. Gibson pickups are accurate.
Gibson wiring works fine for thousands of players who never mod their SGs or Les Pauls,
but just plug them in and rock. SG Standards and Les Paul Standards were made for
years and years with a 490 at the neck and a 498 at the bridge, which solves the problem
of "not enough presence" with the 490T. People who think the 490R sounds muddy
simply don't know how to EQ their signal IMHO. The same for people who think the 490T sounds
thin. Get these p'ups dialed in, and you don't have to pop for new ones.

I replaced the 490s in my prized SG Special... not because the weren't good but because
I listened to a friend of mine play his SG 61 RI and just loved the tone of that. I wanted
the best for my prized SG, so I watched until I saw the '57 Classic and Classic+ pups go
onsale at M/F and then I pounced. My SG sounds achingly beautiful with '57s in it, so
I don't regret a thing. IMHO SGs and '57 Classic pickups are made for each other.

So the '57s are my preference, but I put the 490s from my SG special into my step daughter's
Epiphone Les Paul Special ll. They sound great in that instrument, and they give that inexpensive
guitar a whole new voice that's way beyond what it was.

490 Gibson have a very nice sound signature but I prefer a 498T in the bridge position, more punch and power than the 490T.

shreddy bender said:

Personally I like them. They sound like a Gibson should, they clean up nicely and have a midrange punch that cuts through the mix.

Some people seem to loathe them. If you are one of those folks, tell me what it is you don't like about them. If you're not one of those folks tell me what you do like about them.

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I think many players (including myself) feel like the 490/498 series isn’t bright enough, and they also (at least to my ears) don’t have that sweetness. I have always been partial to P90s and mini humbuckers for those reasons. I have some stock Dimarzios in an old Hondo bolt on LP that are strong, bright and articulate. Those are the three qualities I want out of any guitar or pickup. Even Fender guitars/pickups can vary widely in these regards. I prefer the staggered versions and alNico 5 magnets. I have a friend who has a 54 Strat CS, and it is hands down the best sounding Strat ever. But that guitar is an example of “everything matters “ to what you are going to hear. The body, the neck, the bridge, the nut, the amp. It’s not just the pickups!

490 R and T sound good to my ears and are good for all kind of music. Jazz, Rock and blues. The tone knob also works wonders.

They don't sound bad, they sound different, they got their own thing going. A bit like the mudbuckers (Alnico 5) in older Epiphone. They don't sound bright per say, but they are rich and full sounding.

The amp you play pickups through have a lot to do what they can give you. That, we tend to forget.

I’m a fan. I like the fact that they are clear and clean when I need that.

I can always get more drive or distortion via a pedal or amp. I can’t get more clean - you have to start there.

shreddy bender said:

Personally I like them. They sound like a Gibson should, they clean up nicely and have a midrange punch that cuts through the mix.

Some people seem to loathe them. If you are one of those folks, tell me what it is you don't like about them. If you're not one of those folks tell me what you do like about them.

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I like them

I think they are just ok... I've still have them in the neck of both my SG and LP, but in the bridge position I've got rid of the 498T in both guitars and replace them for a 57+ in the SG and Dimarzio Super Distortion in the LP. Never going to put back the 498Ts again. HUGE diference in how tight they are in the low end, and how nice they clean up when rolling the volume down (don't let the Super Distortion name confuse you, it can clean up really nice!)

I have two Gibsons with 490R/490T, and they both sound amazing. One is a 1991 SG Special, and the other is a 2012 Les Paul Jr. Special. For whatever reason, the ones in my LP Jr. Special, sound almost like P90s. I can’t imagine either of those guitars with other pickups. I bought them both, because of how they sounded and felt. To me, they produce a very nice harmonic overdriven tone, when dirty, and full articulate tone, when clean.

NiteGoat said:

I bought them both, because of how they sounded and felt. To me, they produce a very nice harmonic overdriven tone, when dirty, and full articulate tone, when clean.

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My LP studio is set with the 490R/498T combo. Just plugged it into an Origin50 and with volume on the the 490R set to 5 and the 498T set to 10. The 490R has a unique, clear, warm clean tone and the 498T fills the nasty raspy slot quite nicely. Interesting harmonics out of the 498T too! The sound levels out of the 4x12 cab were strangely balance when flipping the toggle from R to L. Way cool....

Nothing not to like!

I have always liked the 490R, but not the T. The set sounds good in my two SG Standards, but didn't sound good in my LP Tribute. The best sounding Gibson I ever had was a Studio with 490R and 498T. I gave that one to my son. It's his favorite guitar.

They're inexpensive and sound GREAT too................cough cough ...........

cant get enough...........cough cough !!!

I never regretted swapping a 490 for any other GIBSON USA pickup.......'57,'61, BB1,2,3, BB Pro, Tar Bee, VELEVETTY BRICK (Did I 4get 2?)......or especially what IMO opine is the BADDEST GIBSON Pickup.....a Late 1970's DIRTY FINGERS, oh how I wish I hadn't got rid of those ('95?) !!! AND I thought nothing of it at the time....... OMG..... **** ME !!!!

MR D said:

They're inexpensive and sound GREAT too................cough cough ...........

cant get enough...........cough cough !!!

I never regretted swapping a 490 for any other GIBSON USA pickup.......'57,'61, BB1,2,3, BB Pro, Tar Bee, VELEVETTY BRICK (Did I 4get 2?)......or especially what IMO opine is the BADDEST GIBSON Pickup.....a Late 1970's DIRTY FINGERS, oh how I wish I hadn't got rid of those ('95?) !!! AND I thought nothing of it at the time....... OMG..... **** ME !!!!

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But what is it exactly that you don"t like about them?

I have BB Pros in my Les Paul and am on the fence about them. They always sound good but some days they seem a little to hot and spikey for my tastes. Granted I have had 490's the longest so my ear is very accustomed to their sound. To me they are predictable and I never have an issue dialing in a good rock, country, blues, metal or jazzy tone from them.

What is it about 490's that sounds bad to you?

MR D said:

They're inexpensive and sound GREAT too................cough cough ...........

cant get enough...........cough cough !!!

I never regretted swapping a 490 for any other GIBSON USA pickup.......'57,'61, BB1,2,3, BB Pro, Tar Bee, VELEVETTY BRICK (Did I 4get 2?)......or especially what IMO opine is the BADDEST GIBSON Pickup.....a Late 1970's DIRTY FINGERS, oh how I wish I hadn't got rid of those ('95?) !!! AND I thought nothing of it at the time....... OMG..... **** ME !!!!

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You haven't answered any questions. Every post about pickups you say 490's suck and PLACE YOUR FAVOURITE PICKUP HERE!! IT'S THE SHIZZLE!!@, but never explain why you dislike 490's.

I played my Burstbucker Pros on Tuesday and got terrible feedback through my Hiwatt and Tone Bender. Had to turn the volume down on the Tone Bender no help. Had to turn the guitar's volume to half just to get through the song.

Now I have to trouble shoot. I think they are not a good match in output to the other guitars I use in that band. I will have to make some adjustments in my approach with this guitar.

Burstbucker Pros are twice the price as 490's and I haven't needed to be this meticulous with 490's.

Is more expensive better?

shreddy bender said:

You haven't answered any questions. Every post about pickups you say 490's suck and PLACE YOUR FAVOURITE PICKUP HERE!! IT'S THE SHIZZLE!!@, but never explain why you dislike 490's.

I played my Burstbucker Pros on Tuesday and got terrible feedback through my Hiwatt and Tone Bender. Had to turn the volume down on the Tone Bender no help. Had to turn the guitar's volume to half just to get through the song.

Now I have to trouble shoot. I think they are not a good match in output to the other guitars I use in that band. I will have to make some adjustments in my approach with this guitar.

Burstbucker Pros are twice the price as 490's and I haven't needed to be this meticulous with 490's.

Is more expensive better?

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REALLY ? Show me where in the above post/comment I said '490's SUCK' ! the word 'SHIZZLE' is not in that comment either. if you want to quote me, why not be correct when you do so , eh ?

if I get feedback, I usually palm mute and/or move further away from the Marshall or etc etc......

MR D said:

REALLY ? Show me where in the above post/comment I said '490's SUCK' ! the word 'SHIZZLE' is not in that comment either. if you want to quote me, why not be correct when you do so , eh ?

if I get feedback, I usually palm mute and/or move further away from the Marshall or etc etc......

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Sorry. I was being a bit facetious. You still haven't said what it is you don't like about them.

I Realise My burstbuckers are hotter than my Strat and Tele I use in the band I play in. My amp was on 2 clean then I hit the tone bender for the solo. Our rehearsal space is tight. There are many variables. I like them sound wise but I need more work dialing them into my rig. I never had this issue with any other guitar.

Just saying...