[aquat26]

Hi,
I'm sure this is a question that has been asked many times before but here goes anyhow. What is the main differences between the 490R Humbucker/498T Humbuckers and the Burstbucker Pro Humbuckers? I would love to hear facts and opinions on the differences in the sound produced and the quality of the two products.
Thanks in advance.

[btoth76]

Hello Aquat26! Welcome! The ceramic humbuckers (490/496/498/500) are modern sounding pickups. They have hot, edgy sound. The AlNiCo humbuckers ('57 Classics, Burstbuckers) have more rounder, mellow sound, for those who prefer classic Gibson tones. As with anything related to guitars, let Your ears judge what's better for You. Play a few guitars. Most of the humbucker-equipped Studios have ceramics, Traditionals have '57 Classics, while the 2008 Standard has Burstbuckers. Burstbucker Pros have 4-conductor wire for coil-splitting (although some other types have this as an option too). Cheers... Bence

[Gary Moore Tribute]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 07:47 AM, said:

Hi,
I'm sure this is a question that has been asked many times before but here goes anyhow. What is the main differences between the 490R Humbucker/498T Humbuckers and the Burstbucker Pro Humbuckers? I would love to hear facts and opinions on the differences in the sound produced and the quality of the two products.
Thanks in advance.

Burst Bucker Pros (Previously known as BB5's) are the brightest Pickups gibson make, the other pro is they make the least Hum out of any pickup

490/498's are designed for METAL/ROCK and produces more lower range bite, these are the most common pickup used by Gibson and is especially used in SG's & "Designer" Guitars

[RUSHian]

Maybe I need a 498T. The BB3 is too bright for me. I need more chugin growl!

[kidblast]

my '02 standard shipped with (I think the first generation burstbuckers) my '95 standard has 490r/498t. I know that there have been a bunch of changes as the BB pickups evolved, but the ones in my '02, just weren't cutting it for me. they sounded "ok", but I always felt something lacking. Instead of getting another set of 490/498 I decided to try some Duncans, so I swapped out the BBs for an SH-1 (paf style) for the neck, and a SH-4JB in the bridge. Major improvement

I should note ultimately I had to swap out the volume pots and added a treble bleed circuit. The stock pots and wiring didn't seem to be all that compatible with the Duncan pickups, too much high end loss, and too steep a roll off on the volume. After I had completed the replacing of the pots, and installed the TB circuit, that axe is a tonal killing machine now. Maybe the Duncan pickups would work for you? I LOVE the sound of my 95 with the stock 490/498s but when it comes to how the 02 sounded then and now, I'd definitely do it again!

[aquat26]

btoth76, on 11 April 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

Hello Aquat26! Welcome! The ceramic humbuckers (490/496/498/500) are modern sounding pickups. They have hot, edgy sound. The AlNiCo humbuckers ('57 Classics, Burstbuckers) have more rounder, mellow sound, for those who prefer classic Gibson tones. As with anything related to guitars, let Your ears judge what's better for You. Play a few guitars. Most of the humbucker-equipped Studios have ceramics, Traditionals have '57 Classics, while the 2008 Standard has Burstbuckers. Burstbucker Pros have 4-conductor wire for coil-splitting (although some other types have this as an option too). Cheers... Bence

Thanks for that. This might be a silly question but which would you recommend for playing blues or jazz style tunes? Thanks once again.

[Gary Moore Tribute]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

Thanks for that. This might be a silly question but which would you recommend for playing blues or jazz style tunes? Thanks once again.

For Blues & Jazz you could use anything but mellow pickups are usually the best and these are 57 Classics

[Dg77]

Love my 57s! Classic tone I've always wanted and really pretty versatile IMO.

[btoth76]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

Thanks for that. This might be a silly question but which would you recommend for playing blues or jazz style tunes? Thanks once again.

Hello Aquat26! You are welcome! I completely agree with Gary Moore Tribute and Dg77. The '57 Classics are great for those styles. Cheers... Bence

[DiamondJig]

btoth76, on 11 April 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

The ceramic humbuckers (490/496/498/500) are modern sounding pickups.

Checkout the gibson site, store, pickups for details. The 490 and 498 do not have ceramic mags, the 490 is alnico II and the 498 is alnico V. The 490 is close to a vintage style pu, the 498 is a very fat sounding pu, plenty of mids and high output. The BB also has a alnico V mag for increased output and a mid bump compared to a 57 a very clear pu.

[mojjett]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

Thanks for that. This might be a silly question but which would you recommend for playing blues or jazz style tunes? Thanks once again.

Not a silly question. I chose the Seymour Duncan SH2 jazz neck & the SH4 JB bridge & I'm very satisfied w/the cleans & overdrive tones I'm getting. The JB is actually higher output though. Other manufacturers have similar products. I'd say look for something w/vintage or PAF design in mind. My main complaint w/my 490r was that it didn't clean up as much as I wanted. Still, I wouldn't call it a bad PUP. Good luck.

[RUSHian]

I always thought the BB3 had more output than the BB Pros?

[Gary Moore Tribute]

RUSHian, on 12 April 2012 - 07:03 AM, said:

I always thought the BB3 had more output than the BB Pros?

Pro's are a little brighter than BB3 (As I said they used to be called "Burst Bucker 5's)

[Gazinya]

Just like everybody said... It depends in what you want to hear.. I've had em all.... Right now I prefer the 490r and 498t's... 57's are good but not for me. Bb's are decent but once again... Right now... Not what my ears like..
490's-500's are rock out chugging machines but they cool right down for very good clean picking/strumming for blues/jazz for my taste. I've always found that the diff pickups would make me change my settings on the amp anyway so..... Whatever sounds good to you ears.. Check em out at your shop through a nice clean amp. Take home what sounds good to you.

[AlanH]

I happen to like the 490T. It's a PAF style pickup that Gibson describes as having a "modern take" with more mids and top end bite. This makes the 490T a great all round rock, blues and jazz pickup. While not being as hot as the 498T it still takes all the high gain you can throw at it (via amp or pedals) very well indeed. With the right settings you can easily do great '80s thrash tones, IMO. I also like the warmth of the 498T for blues, rock and metal tones but it would be harder to clean up if your amp is set cranked hard. 490s and 498s are wax potted (like '57s) and have even windings (like '57s but unlike BBs.) They also come with four conductor wires as aftermarket pickups....hence the "modern take" (compared to '57s) that the Gibson website talks about.

BBs will give the more authentic PAF tones (that I've heard described as being sparkly) because of the mismatched windings but I believe they are not wax potted so can be prone to squeal.

What I'm not sure about is how BB pros and their features compare to regular BBs and other Gibson pups other than that they're hotter.

What I will say is that all Gibson pups are great. If you want all round versatility and value go for 490R & 490T or 490R & 498T; if you want high gain go for 490R & 498T, 496R & 500T, BB Pros or BB2 & BB3; and if you like jazz, blues and classic rock go for 490R & 490T, '57 & '57 plus or BB1 & BB2.

[CajunBlues]

btoth76, on 11 April 2012 - 08:00 AM, said:

Hello Aquat26! Welcome! The ceramic humbuckers (490/496/498/500) are modern sounding pickups. They have hot, edgy sound. The AlNiCo humbuckers ('57 Classics, Burstbuckers) have more rounder, mellow sound, for those who prefer classic Gibson tones. As with anything related to guitars, let Your ears judge what's better for You. Play a few guitars. Most of the humbucker-equipped Studios have ceramics, Traditionals have '57 Classics, while the 2008 Standard has Burstbuckers. Burstbucker Pros have 4-conductor wire for coil-splitting (although some other types have this as an option too). Cheers... Bence

I am pretty shocked nobody has corrected this post.. .or maybe I didn't read the thread good enough..

490's are not ceramic.... They have alnico magnets...

[CajunBlues]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

Thanks for that. This might be a silly question but which would you recommend for playing blues or jazz style tunes? Thanks once again.

Not a silly question... for jazz, you will almost certainly be using the neck pickup... 490R makes an excellent jazz pickup.. but the burstbucker pro is good too...

490R IMHO sounds exactly like a 57 classic, so I would go with the 490R... But if it were me, I would say it doesnt matter...

[AlanH]

CajunBlues, on 12 April 2012 - 02:38 PM, said:

I am pretty shocked nobody has corrected this post.. .or maybe I didn't read the thread good enough..

490's are not ceramic.... They have alnico magnets...

Was corrected in post #10 above by DiamondJig

[CajunBlues]

AlanH, on 12 April 2012 - 03:00 PM, said:

Was corrected in post #10 above by DiamondJig

Thanks, Ive been staring at the computer screen all day at work... Just too lazy to read through all threads...

[Nic LP]

aquat26, on 11 April 2012 - 07:47 AM, said:

Hi,
I'm sure this is a question that has been asked many times before but here goes anyhow. What is the main differences between the 490R Humbucker/498T Humbuckers and the Burstbucker Pro Humbuckers? I would love to hear facts and opinions on the differences in the sound produced and the quality of the two products.
Thanks in advance.

I would say Burstbucker pros are more 'powerfull' and edgy, very cool for hi gain, but, on clean sound, the are a bit to bright in my opinion, especially the bridge pick up. On the other hand, the 490/498 are a bit more 'flat' but more versatile, less edgy. Personanly, I prefer the Burstbucker pros. I mean, bending a note on a distorsion set up with the neck pick up is amazing. They are very responsive.

... english is not my main language so excuse me if the terms I use are not precise enough.

Hope I helped though !


Nicolas