I'm glad I'm not the only one. I thought I was going insane. I thought to myself when I first got my 1960 Classic with the 496R/500T, "who sounded like this in 1960, or ever really?". I bought the 1960 Classic for one reason; it was the only Les Paul Standard I could find that hadn't been routed out or whatever they call it when they drill out 8 or 10 cylinders of mahogany (about 3/4" in diameter I think) to lighten the guitar. This was in about 2006 and the only way you could get a Les Paul Standard type guitar complete with all the wood, was to buy a custom shop for twice the price. Thanks to the heads up guy at Musicans Friend who knew this and told me. I loved everything about the drilled out Standard except for that weight thing they did, which ruined the guitar, IMHO. I feel that if you can't hold one of these all night you shouldn't be playing a Les Paul. To me, part of the beauty of a "real" Les Paul is it's weight. Yeah, it's over the top but it gives the guitar a tonal quality that only the weight can give it.
You want to love, or at least like these pickups and you try but your faithful, good ear won't let you. I can't imagine Jimmy Page ever being in the same room with these pickups. I can best describe these pickups as very "cold" with absolutely no personality. Just blah.
The 1960 Classic Les Paul guitar is a very well kept secret - fantastic guitar, great 60's neck, but the pickups will not move you in any way (except to the nearest store that sells replacement pickups). I really like alnico humbuckers with equally wound coils, like the Seymour Duncan '59er - that is such a sweet sounding pickup. I have a LP copy (an Edwards made by ESP - Japan) with the Duncan 59'er in the neck and a Duncan JB in the bridge - very common and typical pairing, and although I hate the neck on the ESP, the pickups sound fabulous. I would rate the '57 Classics as average because of the uneven coil windings - just something I don't like about them. I'm not crazy about the 490R/498T but the 490R is pretty nice - good tone but can get muddy when you crank it - it's almost too hot. At least it has personality unlike the 496R/500T.
I'm of the feeling that once you acquire pickups as good as the Duncans, you would be wise to spend the rest of your time working on your imagination and technique. Things you can't buy.
