490R and 498T pickups

[weldaar]

Other than measuring the output, is there any other way to tell this set from other Gibson pickups. There are around 20 in a box and I need to find the 490R/498T set for a 1992 Les Paul Standard I am looking to sell.

 

Thanx in advance,

 

Jeff

[Sabredog]

Other than measuring the output, is there any other way to tell this set from other Gibson pickups. There are around 20 in a box and I need to find the 490R/498T set for a 1992 Les Paul Standard I am looking to sell.

 

Thanx in advance,

 

Jeff

 

Strange and interesting all of the newer ones from the last 10 years have a sticker on them. So these must be very old pickups to have no labels. So even the output resistance may not give you the complete answer they might not even be Gibson pickups at all.

 

So yes if the sticker falls off I see no way of identifying it. Others may have some clues but it's good to take a real expert who winds pickups.

Good luck.

[weldaar]

OK Thank you.

[capmaster]

Strange and interesting all of the newer ones from the last 10 years have a sticker on them. ... So even the output resistance may not give you the complete answer they might not even be Gibson pickups at all.

...

This is not true. Two 490R/498T pairs of mine stock in guitars made in 2011 and bought new came with no stickers at all.

 

Their backplates are engraved saying "Gibson USA" right in the middle. There are two rows of six screw holes each including two more holes either for mounting the bobbins. The centre to centre ca. 49.4 mm "R" spaced row of holes carries the pole screws of the 490R pickup and is located above the Gibson USA engraving when upright. The centre to centre ca. 52.0 mm "T" spaced row of holes carries the pole screws of the 498T pickup and is located below the Gibson USA engraving when upright. On either pickups the slugs of the second coil are visible through the second row of holes, and it's quite obvious that they don't match their spacing.

 

DC resistances are roughly around 8 kiloohms for the 490R and 14 kiloohms for the 498T. Reading impedance and its further components inductance and capacitance takes equipment around $ 2,000 or € 1,800 or the like. Output measurements require a rather advanced physical laboratory, and I think there are very few around the globe only, typically at universities.

[weldaar]

Thank you, this was very helpful. I have seen this box of pickups yet so I cannot comment to what he has. They are all Gibson that i know for sure. I will take a look and figure out which is which.

Thank you again. As far as the readings go, I have a pretty good meter, not what you described, but it's fairly accurate.

[capmaster]

Here are some pics I found on the web:

 

498T on top with script upside down, 490R on bottom:

 

 

498T on top, 490R on bottom:

 

 

Some do carry stickers, here on a pair of uncovered pickups with 4-conductor wires - engraved script upside down on 498T:

[weldaar]

This is great. Thanx.

[weldaar]

 

Here is a pic of two of them. he has four of them with the stamped Gibson USA on them. Two are covered, two are not. 1992 were the pups covered or uncovered, or did they come both ways. Also they are braided.

[capmaster]

As far as I know, 490R and 498T came with chrome-plated covers, gold-plated covers, open coils with black bobbins and open coils with zebra bobbins. I think the screw coils were always black. I don't know when they introduced 490R and 498T with nickel-plated covers, but I guess they were always made as replacements only, not for stock use in Gibson guitars.

[weldaar]

Judging by the pic I posted, these covers were added. Sloppy soldering job.

[capmaster]

... he has four of them with the stamped Gibson USA on them. Two are covered, two are not. ...

Sorry, I forgot to mention that 490T, 496R and 500T pickups use the same backplates as 490R and 498T. 490Ts are available in the same configurations as 498Ts are. 496Rs are uncovered except on the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess, and all 500Ts are uncovered because soldering heat would affect their two outer magnets. (500T and Dirty Fingers come with three ceramic magnets each.)

[capmaster]

Judging by the pic I posted, these covers were added. Sloppy soldering job.

Hmmm... I'm not so sure. The soldering points often look a bit sloppy. Making them is not easy and has to be done very fast, not only for profit in this case but for raw function without deteriorating more essential pickup properties. ;)

 

There are nineteen Gibson pickups in my arsenal that are covered, 1970's tarbacks not counted. All the solderings are quite functional, but there's not a single beauty among them.

[weldaar]

Being a retired welder, I take much pride in neat welding and soldering as well :) Hot iron does the trick. I do not have many Gibson pickups as I mainly use WCR's in my guitars.

[capmaster]

I'm not a welder, but I love doing pretty soldering points, regardless if using leaded or unleaded, RoHS-compliant soldering wire. Anyway, as a worker I think I would try soldering pickup covers with a pretty hot soldering iron in one shot per point within less than 2.5 seconds using the now practically extinct 60Sn40Pb, and 4 seconds using 99Sn1Cu. I know this is not easy, but either one shot and very fast are critical.

 

To avoid affecting the magnet, some minutes of cooling down before a second try would be needed, and this is not good for the progress of manufacturing. However, at times it may take that, and the customer is worth that, too.

[weldaar]

I agree. hot iron is always better. I have done many re-soldering and wiring jobs. Sometimes though it's hard to be neat in some of the smaller cavities.I made this template for working on LPs.Just in case I get carried away with the iron. :)

[capmaster]

I agree. hot iron is always better. I have done many re-soldering and wiring jobs. Sometimes though it's hard to be neat in some of the smaller cavities.I made this template for working on LPs.Just in case I get carried away with the iron. :)

Great idea!

[Zentar]

my 498t meters at 14.6 ko