490's in a 355

[lengle1981]

Got handed a set of these very cheap by my mate. I've currently just got the stock pups in the 355 and like them but loved the 490's that I had in my old gibson SG. I know that was a solid body but wondered if anyone has tried some 490's in a 355 or another semi?

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks

[rednefceleb]

Hello guitar stringer. I used 490's in a Les Paul Double Cut. Now I'm playing a Les Paul with '57 & '57 Plus Gibson pickups. Thes are very sweet pickups for Blues but can cut it for slide/Rock/Standards etc.

[lengle1981]

Hello guitar stringer. I used 490's in a Les Paul Double Cut. Now I'm playing a Les Paul with '57 & '57 Plus Gibson pickups. Thes are very sweet pickups for Blues but can cut it for slide/Rock/Standards etc.

 

Sorry, do you mean the 490's or the 57's are?

 

I love mine on my SG but not sure if they'll be as good in a semi and rarely see people saying they've put them in a semi it's usually the 57's which are nice.

[mcgruff]

I've currently just got the stock pups in the 355

 

What are they?

 

490 should work just fine in a 355. If I had them I'd definitely give them a try out - but I've modified my dot with mini-din sockets in the pickup cavities to make this kind of thing easy.

[lengle1981]

What are they?

 

490 should work just fine in a 355. If I had them I'd definitely give them a try out - but I've modified my dot with mini-din sockets in the pickup cavities to make this kind of thing easy.

 

Alnico classics and to be honest they're pretty good but alongside my Sheraton 62 reissue with gibson mini humbuckers I can tell the difference. Think I'm gonna give them a go.

 

Also, got any pictures of what you've done to your dot? Does it mean you can just pull out the pups easy?

[mcgruff]

Sorry no pictures. I've got a female mini-din in each pickup cavity on the end of a cable leading off to the volume & tone pots etc. Humbuckers each have a short cable and male mini-din - now I can swap pickups in and out quickly with no soldering. I started winding pickups recently so I've got a lot of testing and experiments to do.

 

To get the mini-dins to fit, I had to strip off the plastic shells; they're not perfect for the job. Something small and flat would be better. A shielded connector is probably best. Four wires if you want to do coil splitting.

 

Also something that makes a robust connection. If you gig with the guitar you wouldn't want a plug coming adrift while you're pogoing around on stage.

[lengle1981]

Sorry no pictures. I've got a female mini-din in each pickup cavity on the end of a cable leading off to the volume & tone pots etc. Humbuckers each have a short cable and male mini-din - now I can swap pickups in and out quickly with no soldering. I started winding pickups recently so I've got a lot of testing and experiments to do.

 

To get the mini-dins to fit, I had to strip off the plastic shells; they're not perfect for the job. Something small and flat would be better. A shielded connector is probably best. Four wires if you want to do coil splitting.

 

Also something that makes a robust connection. If you gig with the guitar you wouldn't want a plug coming adrift while you're pogoing around on stage.

 

Sounds like a very good idea mate. I've never changed pickups on a hollow body before though so it should be an experience ha. I'm thinking ill be using a lot of string in the next few weeks!

[mcgruff]

It's not as bad as it looks if you know the drill - sounds like you do. I've been building a new wiring harness tonight as it happens with four push-pulls and Jimmy Page wiring (coil splits, series/parallel, in/out of phase). The pots etc are all set up on a bit of cardboard spaced the same distance apart as they'll be in the guitar. I left a little bit of slack in the wires between each pot so there's room to wiggle them around a little bit when they go inside - otherwise the pots would all have to be perfectly aligned with the holes all at the same time before they'd pull through.

 

Also, I'll test it outside the guitar before installing. Once it goes in, it's not coming out again.

[Bender 4 Life]

Alnico classics and to be honest they're pretty good but alongside my Sheraton 62 reissue with gibson mini humbuckers I can tell the difference. Think I'm gonna give them a go.

 

Also, got any pictures of what you've done to your dot? Does it mean you can just pull out the pups easy?

 

same exact reason i'm about to drop a set of Bill Lawrence "circuitboard" Gibson USA1 p'ups into my Sheraton II.....to help it keep up w/my '62/50 Sheraton.

 

the circuitboard p'ups are ideal for this, (soldering done on p'up backs) and I have a set laying in my parts box.

[lengle1981]

Thanks for your comments guys. Has anyone actually tried these in a semi though?

[mcgruff]

No but you can get a good idea how they'd work out from the design. Anything close to the vintage PAF spec, like the 490's seem to be, should be in the zone.

 

Clean tones are usually important for semi-hollow players and lower-output humbuckers, like the vintage PAFs, are usually best for this (if we're sticking with 'buckers - P90's have a lot of fans). Lower number of turns of wire give them a higher resonant frequency - more top end. Humbuckers can very easily get dark and muddy. Also, putting a few more winds on one of the coils and not potting can add some character (although I expect the 490s are normal, balanced, potted coils).

 

These are the kind of pickups I've been experimenting with in my dot. By varying the number of winds, winding pattern, magnet wire, and magnet type I can try to juggle the frequency response to get a nice, rich, balanced sound.

 

Overdriven sounds are more about a nice, mid-range kick-in-the-tubes. If that's what you're looking for, you wouldn't miss the kind of airiness which can sound good clean. Something darker (more winds) could work fine.

 

The way I look at this is I want to nail the clean sounds first, and then work with that. You can always use an EQ pedal to push the mids a bit, or a boost pedal to up the signal.

 

Everyone (including me) wants to know which pickup is right for them but my honest answer is that you have to experiment a bit to find it. That's why I started winding ;) The perfect sound depends what kind of music you play, what sounds you want, and what amps you use. If you've got a bright amp like a Vox, for example, you might be fine with less top end.

 

I don't know if the 490s will be your perfect pup but I'd certainly give them an audition.

[lengle1981]

No but you can get a good idea how they'd work out from the design. Anything close to the vintage PAF spec, like the 490's seem to be, should be in the zone.

 

Clean tones are usually important for semi-hollow players and lower-output humbuckers, like the vintage PAFs, are usually best for this (if we're sticking with 'buckers - P90's have a lot of fans). Lower number of turns of wire give them a higher resonant frequency - more top end. Humbuckers can very easily get dark and muddy. Also, putting a few more winds on one of the coils and not potting can add some character (although I expect the 490s are normal, balanced, potted coils).

 

These are the kind of pickups I've been experimenting with in my dot. By varying the number of winds, winding pattern, magnet wire, and magnet type I can try to juggle the frequency response to get a nice, rich, balanced sound.

 

Overdriven sounds are more about a nice, mid-range kick-in-the-tubes. If that's what you're looking for, you wouldn't miss the kind of airiness which can sound good clean. Something darker (more winds) could work fine.

 

The way I look at this is I want to nail the clean sounds first, and then work with that. You can always use an EQ pedal to push the mids a bit, or a boost pedal to up the signal.

 

Everyone (including me) wants to know which pickup is right for them but my honest answer is that you have to experiment a bit to find it. That's why I started winding ;) The perfect sound depends what kind of music you play, what sounds you want, and what amps you use. If you've got a bright amp like a Vox, for example, you might be fine with less top end.

 

I don't know if the 490s will be your perfect pup but I'd certainly give them an audition.

 

Sounds good, I play a lot of stuff ranging from Paul weller, oasis, small faces, Beatles, black keys so kinda varied. Like I said, I liked them in my SG so think ill try them out

[rednefceleb]

My opinion is this. I have the 490R & 498T in my Les Pau DC. They sound great for ZZ Top-Like Rock. I would use '57's in any hollow body. Unless you're Ted Nugent.

[Bluemans335]

I have 490's in a couple SG's, not 335's, but they should sound good in those too.

[Red 333]

Thanks for your comments guys. Has anyone actually tried these in a semi though?

 

I have them in my Gibson ES-333. They have an aggressive edge--less sweet and smooth than the '57 Classics in my ES-335.

 

Red 333

[lengle1981]

I have them in my Gibson ES-333. They have an aggressive edge--less sweet and smooth than the '57 Classics in my ES-335.

 

Red 333

 

I think I'm gonna give them a go in the 355. I like the sound of an aggressive edge.

[Aoresteen]

I have a 490R in my '96 Epi Dot (named Lucy) and I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Lucy is set up with .012s flatwounds and the sound is so creamy.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I don't have a bridge pickup in Lucy but she doesn't need one :D

[CheapShoes]

Try raising the Al classics fairly high, and then raise the poles on the screws even higher on the outer coil if you want more definition. I put some PAFs in my Dot and ugh. brittle. Loving my 57 classics set high in my 355 better. These semihollowbody guitars seem picky about pups. The same pups in my V are dark sounding, so go figure, but that's what the bright switch on the amp is for.

[old mark]

I have a 2011 Chinese made Dot with Gibson 490's in it - They are the main reason I bought the guitar.

I love the pups - have them in a Gibson LP Special and a Gibson SG Special as well...but they are VERY rock & Roll sounding in the Dot, and very different from the factory Epi pups...I have 2 Dots, the modded natural and a Korean made ebony, which is completely factory stock. They sound very different.

 

FWIW, you can get a lot of sounds out of a Dot with either pups.

 

mark

[Red 333]

Now that I think about it, I think the pups in the Elitist Dot are Epiphone-branded, Gibson-made 490/498 equivalents.

 

Red 333

[rednefceleb]

Sorry, do you mean the 490's or the 57's are?

 

I love mine on my SG but not sure if they'll be as good in a semi and rarely see people saying they've put them in a semi it's usually the 57's which are nice.

[rednefceleb]

I am thinking that '57s would be sweeter on the 355 than the 490/498. Having said that, I have not ever changed out and tried both sets of pickups on a hollow body. I am very fond of the Gibson 490/498 pickup set as well. At the end of the day it seems to be a case of trying both....somwhere where you can check all volumes and your settings/styles. Good luck!