Gibson 498T & 490R Pickups VS Lollar Imperial High Winds
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ม.ค. 2021
- Hey Everyone! Today we are comparing some Gibson 498T and 490R pickups that come stock in many Gibson guitars to a set of Lollar Imperial High Winds
Signal Chain : Gibson Les Paul Custom--Various Effects--Soldano SLO 100
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490/498 are good pickups well balance so underated
Thanks for watching MMC! Yes they are not bad pickups, I prefer the Lollars more personally
希望妳改邪歸正 不要往不好的道路前進 gibson才才是正確的@@JonMonter
Thank you for doing this comparison. Very well done video and great playing.
Thanks Anriv! Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching
I’m a big lollar fan but I’m giving this one to the Gibson’s.
Those Lollars sound absolutely fantastic.
Great demo!!!Lollar -icon among pickups!!!
The 490 and 498 sound…. Balanced, perfect and almost mastered
I like the stock sound, but I can hear a difference and it’s what the player likes. Little upgrades and tweaks to make it just that little bit closer to what you want makes it worth the cost even hundreds for a small change.
I went for the regular winds in my Les Paul. They're pretty bright (but not overly bright in a Les Paul) and very clean and they almost edge on single coil territory. They don't sound like singles (they resemble a PAF) but they are bright and well balanced and literally have no mud in the sound so they can cover ground that I would normally prefer in single coils.
When I was a beginner, I would have liked the 498T/490R for their easy AC/DC like tone. Or for that matter, 57 classics. However with modern amps (or in my case modern OD pedals) I no longer need the higher output to push the amp. The Lollars possibly have the most high high end of any pickups I've ever used including several unpotted PAF replicas over the years, and I would say they were about 99.7% better :)
I have a LP R9 that I put in the regular winds as well and I love them! I've been really happy with the high winds as well. Thanks for watching shred5!
@@JonMonterOh sweet so you have choices :)
High wind has alnico 2 magnets vs alnico 5 in the imperial (regular) and low wind respectively right?
Hey Mannequin! Im not sure as far as the specific magnets go, im sure if you go on the Lollar website they will have all that for you
Those Lollars sound great!! I have deacci custom pickups in two of my Les Pauls and they are fantastic pickups too! The model pickups i have in are Deacci Vintage 2 PAF. Maybe check them out, they are out of the UK.
Thanks buddy! I'll check those out... there's so many boutique companies for all the gear now a days - I got turned on to those by a friend of mine or else who knows what I would have gotten
I like that you take your own route.
Thanks Nester, I appreciate you
Disagree, totally. Although the Lollar may have sounded, as you say "brighter", personally I think they cheapened the sound of the Gibson, especially when you were playing rhythm with distortion, they made the guitar sound like plastic. What you really should have done is showed what rhythm sounds like with distortion using the 490R neck pickup. You'll hear what I'm talking about if you get right up on it and down pick with some distortion. My guess is, there will be far more fatness on the 490R when comparing it to the Lollar.
Yes I love playing rhythm with the neck P/U too, maybe you would enjoy my Gibson video where I talk about them saving money with cheaper hardware
@@JonMonter - My apologies, I just reread my comment and noticed I had to revise my last sentence. Your thoughts?
yes perhaps, as I said in other comments a few EX sounded a little better with the stock P/U. Some might prefer the stock ones, others the Lollars.
490R 4 ever!😁😊🥲😋❤💯👍
Is it just my imagination or were the imperial pickups noisier?
That's a beautiful guitar that Custom! I actually liked the sound of the stock pickups better than the Imperials in this demo. But I can also see why the Imperials would be better suited to your style of music and playing.
Thanks for checking it out Felix! Yes the stock PUs are good no doubt, for the crunch I think the stock PU's are cooler IMO. Its a small difference which like anything else some prefer and some do not. See you later
I agree the stock sounded better to my ears too, more articulated.
Great demo, good clear comparison. Liked both types of pick up. Lolar was worth the upgrade,
Thanks for watching deluxetone! Yes i think the Lollars were worth it, sounded better in every example except maybe the Crunch example - and you could just turn up the gain on the amp to compensate for Lollar's lower output
Great demo!!!! They were better than the Gibson pick ups but not sure about the price tag...I think I would be happy with Seymour JB
Thanks Steven! Yes, those stock PUs are not ‘bad’ and most would be happy with them. I likened this upgrade to getting really nice Mogami cables- it makes a small improvement. But they add up over time. Thanks for watching!
I think you might want to have a Les Paul handy that has the stock pick ups. Listening to this on my headphones I really like the sound of the stock pick ups, plain clean. They’re brassier rounder and more articulated. However, when you go into overdrive, crunch or distortion, that’s where the PAF style pick ups really shine. The hotter stock pick ups tend to get muddier and crunchier. The tone is more brash than brass. The PAF style low output, pick ups really love to be driven. It’s where they’re best and, quite frankly, it’s what they’re most coveted for. everyone wants to hold Gibson burst tone. I just ordered a Les Paul and I’m putting these high winds in it.
Actually, im just starting a twin neck project, researching pups. after hearing these, so far im going for Arcane triple clones on 12 string and Wizz Jimmy Page on the 6. i was thinking about the Lollars, but the crunch tones aound almost tinny to me. May put Gibson 57 and 57 plus in the 6, not sure yet. Just for those interested, going to use CTS 500k pots with Emerson PIO's and maybe tonepro treble bleeds. If someone has any ideas on pups im all ears!
Hey Mark! Wow man I hope you are victorious on your tone quest! Yeah the crunch tones on this vid have the Lollars not so hot, but they are killer P/U in the room. I think it’s hard to come to a good conclusion by TH-cam videos, you get different guitars, amps, microphones, rooms, DAWs, etc. I came across the Lollars bc a tech I know really loves the PAF tones from them. I trusted him and have been over all satisfied since I put them in. Once you reach your tone goal please keep us posted with a video!
need to put them back to back to tell a difference. not all 3 positions then switch guitars.
The Gibson 498t has always been my favorite bridge Humbucker, so of course I prefer the tone, You know you can roll down the volume knob a tad it cleans up, roll up and it has balls. The Lollars have no where to go by comparison IMHO. However, it's all about what you like so I'm glad your happy. Feel free to send me your old pups :)
Higher output pups do not always sound heavier. What matters is how they are EQd, and how they react to gain. I am a big fan of the medium output Duncan Custom, Custom 5 and Full Shred. All three are medium output, but they have a lot of cut with gain. The Custom is the heaviest sounding of the three, and also has a great, fast low end attack. The Custom 5 sounds big, but the low end is not as tight. The Full Shred has a fast low end attack, but fits into a more narrow tonal spectrum than the other two, so it's not quite as big sounding as the other two. You also have to consider the guitar. It doesn't get meatier than an LP Custom. Because the Lollar has more clarity it allows for the natural bigness of the LP to come through, whereas the 490 gets a bit muffled. I heard a great comparison video that compared many high output pickups to lower and the lower output pups often sounded bigger. Guitars have a natural resonance, and the best pickups bring that out, rather than cover it up. Good demo!
Hey Angus! You know your stuff man! You are right, in the past i have gotten a few higher output P/U's and eventually swapped them out for something not so hot. I'll check out those Duncan Customs, thanks for the tip!
@@JonMonter My main advice is this: ALWAYS take advantage of a good piece of wood. Medium to low output pickups are best in a woody instrument like an LP, or even a much thinner SG. Any good pickup designer knows how to enhance this. I highly recommend the Duncan Custom, Custom Custom, and Custom 5 depending on what you are going for. The Pearly Gates is also great, but it is very honky in the midrange like that Billy Gibbons tone. It was designed for BG anyways. But if you like that it delivers. So does the Custom, albeing in a slightly higher output way, with more of a mainstream rock emphasis. The Alnico 2 Pros Slash has been using since the recording of Appetite For Destruction is a medium output pickup and very bright. But it compliments the tone of an LP Standard beautifully. I've always prefered Standards because I find them a little easier to manage and a little lighter than the Customs or Deluxes. I can't play heavy guitars because of my back. Never really could. I've been playing alder strat style guitars or lighter mahogany guitars like my PRS and some of the older Yamahas I've owned like my old SBG 200, the closest thing they ever made to an SG, NOT to be confused with the very heavy SBG 2000, which Carlos Santana played in the 70s. I find that PRS nails it all. Now, I have an entry level PRS SE that came loaded with EMGs which I didn't like for that guitar, so I popped them into a very lightweight basswood Schecter Deluxe 6 and now it sounds like a million bucks. The PRS now has Duncans after some experimenting with a medium output DiMarzio Norton/Air Norton set, which was good, but a bit dry sounding without enough low end response. I have a Duncan Nazgul/Jazz set, which works great. The Naz is a very high output pup, but it captures enough of the natural characteristics of this guitar and enhances it. This PRS does not have a maple top. It's all mahogany. So it's tonalities are less complex. If it had a maple top I would have loaded with with a Duncan Custom. As far as the alnico vs ceramic thing, there are too many variables to hang your hat on either one. Some alnicos sound cold while some ceramics can sound warm, all depending on how they are wound, wire gauge, and other aspects in the fire art (not science!) of pickup winding. My rule with searching for tone is set everything, including your mind, at 12 O'Clock, and be patient. The path to the right tone will open before you like a hidden highway.
@@angusorvid8840 holy shit you're the pickup guru! what would you recommend for a Gibson explorer in the bridge? I have a seymore Duncan JB in there now and I think it works for me but what do you think?
@@JonMonter It depends on the sort of tone you are going for. If you want a more vintage tone, I'd go with a Duncan 59; for a hotter tone in the hot PAF tradition, a Duncan Custom or Custom 5, the latter being very bright if that's what you want; if vintage doesn't matter, perhaps a Duncan Distortion or Nazgul, but they are VERY hot and will not emphasize the natural tone of mahogany. I once removed a Distortion from an LP after a few days because it was canceling out the natural, warm tone of the LP. And ALWAYS try adjusting the height and pole height of your pups because you may find that the pickups you already have are perfect. If you have a JB and it's a little muddy, try lowering it while raising the back pole screws. This has helped me a LOT with various pickups. It even helped me get more clarity from a DiMarzio Tone Zone, a very difficult pickup to work with because of it's rather heavy emphasis on low end. Tinker with the JB, and try to get it to the point where it's got more clarity. Try some jazzy chords with overdrive and see if you can get more clarity. If that still doesn't work I'd try a Custom or Custom 5. The standard Custom is ceramic, but I would not get hung up on that if ceramic ain't your thing. It's still a pretty warm pickup. The Custom 5 is brighter, but has a loser bottom end, but a decent amount of clarity with the right settings. The Full Shred is one of Duncan's clearest pickups. It doesn't have much low end, and it like a Custom 5 with tighter bass response and very tight pick tracking. It all depends on what you are going for. A lot of djent players have come to love the Full Shred for it's fast response, but it is medium output, not a big, thudding machine. It gets a nice, mid 80s Sunset Strip crunch, like a JB with more clarity and a dialed back high end, while still being sweet. The harmonics are very sweet and responsive, and the sustain is wonderful. It also coil splits very well. Cameron Cooper has some good vids where he demonstrates a number of Charvels with the Full Shred/A2 Pro combo and they give you a good idea of what the pickup can do. I always use a Jazz neck because I love how open and crisp it is. It really pops without a huge amount of compression, and compliments every pickup I've paired it with.
@@angusorvid8840 Thanks so much man, overall im happy with the JB I have in there now but will tinker with the PU height like you said. You are a fount of information sir, and will look back on these comments in the future if I want to swap something out. Thanks for taking the time to write me
Thanks man!
Thanks for watching Giacomo! Are you from Italy?
@@JonMonter My family is from Italy, I lived there too for a while, but I live between Lima and United States.
Thanks for this video, I am thinking of getting one Imperial for my SG STD bridge, and a lollar novel 90 for the Neck, not sure yet about this configuration yet, the other option would be a pair of Novel 90s. Your video was very useful! If you got the chance, you should compare novel 90s, with p94's and Fralins hum-canceling p90s, there are no vs. videos of these HB size P90, at least I could not find them. Thanks again!
@@giacomocicirello3538 My wife and I played at a festival in Bagnara di Romagna a few years ago and it was one of the best times with some of the best food we have ever had. I dont know much about the Fralin pickups but i only hear good things about the Lollars. Good luck with your tone hunting!
Right dude,lollar has clarity
Thanks for watching Josip! Yes I would say they are more clear, not a night and day difference but def. an improvement IMO
Gibson pick ups are the best..✨👍
thanks, researching lollars to put on a ES339.
They are quality pickups, im sure they will be an improvement
In a semi hollow you may prefer the low or regular wind. I found the high wind rather dark when I put them in a 335....the regular wind set was spectacular in the same guitar
@@MisterTee Thanks man! Good to know
Lollar Imperial High Winds, clarity for fun!
the Gibson stockers actually sound very good. It is clear that the Lollars are higher output though
Hey Bryan! Yes for a few examples I think they are a little better than the Lollars. But I think overall the Lollars are more clear
I don't understand how some people preferred the Lollar? ok, it sounds good, no problem, but it doesn't sound "Gibson". Better to buy another guitar if you don't like this kind of warm and creamy sound. The 490R / 498T combination is a typical success in the spirit of Gibson. Thanks for the video. A french musician.
Hey Eric, Thanks for watching!
You have an excellent picking technique. I thought the 490/498 pick ups only came in the LP Studio? I thought LP Customs came with the high end Burst Buckers. My LP Standard 60s has Burst Buckers.
Thanks for watching Keto! Ya I know I thought the customs came with better P/U too. That LP was from the factory and had those 490 blah blah installed. What the hell? Check out my Gibson quality control video - they are cutting costs and an easy way is to skimp on hardware. Bastards. But I love that guitar anyway
@@JonMonter I personally really like the 490/498 PU. Maybe even a tad more than the Burst Buckers. I was just surprised that they were stock on a Custom model.
@@IndyRockStar Me too
More, neck pu is ALNICO II vs V on Gibson...
Buenos días, muy bien vídeo amigo.
Estás dos pastillas, están en la misma liga, he tenido las dos y a mí me gusta más la Gibson 498t, va a gustos. Un abrazo ❤.
Hi Fernando! Im sorry I don't speak Spanish, but I know enough to read the first sentence, thanks for watching!
498T & 490R 😉😊🥲😋💘❤💯👍
Preferred stock. Lollars oddly remind me of my Ltd ec1000 with emgs, just doesn't sound like a classic les paul
I have the normal wind imperials on my R9 for a more traditional sound, going for a ‘hot rod’ tone on this one. These high winds don’t sound like EMG’s in the room but I get what you mean
@@JonMonterit's a beautiful tone, but to me they make an LP lose it's nastiness, and move into the realm of a PRS
@@JonMonter and for the record, emgs can produce some beautiful tones, just don't tell anyone I said that
@@notabot6837 yes I love the cleans you can get with the headroom, and for certain metal tones yeah they are cool!
I agree with this. Maybe it’s the TH-cam compression doing it. I personally love EMGs because they punch so cleanly on clean settings and compress so tastefully on high gain. I’ve got the 490/498 set right now and the 498 is too hot for me. I’m thinking I’ll try swapping the magnet for an A2 or just reverse the pickups and have my 490 in the bridge. Great video and playing!
Are those 500k pots?
Hey RateDepth! Man, im not sure. I believe they are the stock ones from the factory , why do you ask?
@@JonMonter It has a pretty significant effect on tone. 500k pots will be much brighter (wide open) compared to 300k or 250k pots.
Nor surprised you didn't like the 498. Oriented AL5 magnets just dont do cleans well, they sound dull and compressed with no zing. The 490 uses an AL2 magnet, which is why they actually sound good for cleans. The Imperials use AL2s as well.
Hey HB you know your stuff man! Thanks for watching
498 is not made for clean stuff. That's why we have the 490R along with the 498. However, a hot pickup like the 498 is awesome for mid position stuff and for coil tapping or splitting
@@maraviyoso8473 waters wet sky’s blue
@@thenumber1bobo well, have you ever studied science? WATER IS NOT WET!!!!!!! Water WETS.
Gibson’s for the win
Hey Gary! Yeah the stock Gibson’s are not bad p/u at all… I have the same stock 490R neck p/u in my older explorer and that one sounded much better than the newer 490R, not sure why. I do find the Lollars are a bitmore clear , at least to my ears. Thanks for watching
Lollar neck, Gibson bridge
Hi Joaquin! Thanks for watching!
kind of hard to tell the difference in most examples, some examples Gibson was better, others Loller was better, bridge pos Loller was better. The biggest differnce was in the last couple examples where the Loller was clearly the winner, (see what I did there?)
If I was gigging, or upgrading my #1 or #2 Les Paul, I wouldn probably spend the $ to go Loller, but I would want to hear them vs SD Jazzbuckers and Lindy Fralin first.
Hey Dan thanks for checking it out! Yes i agree it is not a night and day difference. But i enjoy the slightly added clarity and ya the lollars sound better with drive and distortion IMO
@@JonMonter do you have any PAF or Lindy Fralin you can side by side the Lollers with?
@@dancurtis461 No I don't have those, once I find a P/U set I like I usually stick with it.
Using a comp in a vs is totally stupid, dorry.