Hi, I’m looking for replacement pickups for clean rounder sounds in both neck and bridge. This is the sound I am going for he is using a Gibson hollow body but I would like something that can hopefully produce a close sound with the thin body mahogany. Thank you
I have a 2004 SG Special with the same stock 490R / 490T combo and they sound fine to my ears. You can get a wide range of sounds by adjusting the pup height, controls on the guitar and amp.
When I read the initial question, I had these same thoughts as well as sometimes even something as simple as pup heights, or even a different value capacitor in one or both controls.
Some pickups don't work foe me either. I hear nice 335 tones coming from some people. 335 never did it for me when I'm playing though. Every time I've gone to buy one. They all ad the same boomyness that I couldn't get rid of. Was working on a jazz track. and wanted That 335 tone for the lead part. Borrowed an original 1963 335 from a friend, to finish the project. Ended up doing the part with a Les Paul. I have 57 Classics in my '61 RI SG. I like them just fine. Have the smoothness I like and they will growl when I need them to. 57's in a Les Paul don't work for me though. I do like the 490's. May be too high. Maybe just me.
I've messed with the controls for the 490s on my 2002 Faded and get a tone of tones: bright and brittle, to warmer and round. So, I got over the biased idea that I HAD to change the stock pickups. These are great. I play ALL kinds of styles: mellow, hard, Overdriven, heavy punk, Zappaesque, Latin, Turkish folk... it all works for me.
lots of Gibson bashers out there will tell you Gibson p'ups suck... that's just normal Gibson-bashing bull-taco. And it's bull... Gibson pickups are accurate. How you amplify the signal makes a HUGE difference. I believe most Gibson bashers have no clue about EQ. It's easier to say "Gibson sux" than it is to learn anything. So let them fulminate in ignorance... ETSG wisdom says: Play it before you buy it... Then you don't have to take anyone's word for anything... You pick the guitar based on how it can enhance your music. No one can do this for you. You have to do it for yourself.
The Seth lovers from Seymour Duncan has a bit softer and rounded treble response compared to for example the classic 57.