There is a reason Gibson has been installing 490/498 pickups in the Les Paul Custom since the early 90's. To me the 490 and 498 pickups are the most underrated pickups Gibson makes. They are my second favorite pickups next to the 57 Classic's.
Listening to the output is half the story. I much prefer the "feel to noise" of the the 49's. They seem to respond to my fingers with less effort and deliver a more consistent tone level.
490R/498Ts sound a bit brighter, a bit more bite, but a bit less volume. Burstbuckers remind me of Dirty Fingers, creamy, thicker, darker, more boomy. DEF prefer the 490R/498T. I have at least 4 guitars with them … 2 LPs, a LPDC and a V. LOVE the way they sound!
BBs have a stronger midrange and high-end clarity, in my opinion. The 498t and 490r don't sound bad, by any means. I just prefer the clarity of the BBs.
@@MrJabinho Fair point! BB Pros can be a bit bright at times. For me personally, I find that if I roll the tone knob back a hair, that takes care of it for me. I like having the brightness readily available for when I want it, but I can also easily dial it back if I want. Of course, if you never want the brighter tone, then the 498t/490r would definitely make more sense. What style/genre do you mostly play?
God I love the 490r and 498t set. They are just so perfect for bluesy classic rock. They have a real pro tone about them. I always think Les Pauls sound far better with Gibson pickups. Been through many many pickups big names and booteek and always always ALWAYS come back to this set. They are the best period.
BB Pros for me, but honestly I'd be pleased with either set. And I'm pretty sure that no audience could tell the difference in a band setting. Nice job on the demo
normally I prefer the 490 pickups but in this demo the burst bucker pro sound so much more juicy! glad I got both to figure out what works best for my les Paul. thanks for the demo video and I also enjoyed the country stuff you did. thanks again!
Good video. Gibson and the other big guitar companies should be doing side by side pickup demos to clearly differentiate their many models. I'd go with the Burstbucker Pros.
Thanks bills48321! Yeah, I don't know of many side-by-side comparisons except for what people make on their own for RU-vid. Gibson does have this post on their website that might be helpful: www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/tone-hunting-0309-2011.aspx (I don't think the audio players show on mobile browser) I know Sweetwater.com (and probably elsewhere) have audio samples for Seymour Duncan pickups. One example: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SH6bBlk (I don't think the audio players show on mobile browser) If they made it easy to compare pickups, then people would probably have a better idea of what they want and they wouldn't sell as many. lol
Excellent comparison! I have the 490R and 498T, but now I'm thinking about picking up a modern! The BurstBuckers let you here each individual note so clearly.
Thanks Paul Keefe! The Burstbucker Pros do have a bit more clarity. Definitely worth trying if that's what you're looking for. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Fantastic video and great playing. Guitar straight to amp and nice clear riffs really highlighted the differences. Wish other demos were this well made and played.
I own a Les Paul with each set of these pickups and I admit each set of pickups has it's unique nuances but honestly each one sounds great. Listening to this comparison is seems to me the 490's are a little more superior for the country or rhythm style player while the BB's have a better tone for a blues or lead style player. To me they're each a great sound and it comes down to personal preference, like anything else.
Just came across this video, 5 years later... Great playing and very consistent between takes which is absolutely required for this type of comparison. Burstbuckers for me!
Thank you! I'm a big fan of the Burstbucker Pros. Still have them in that same guitar....5 years later. Ha ha! Are you considering getting a set of them?
@@DadRockAndGuitars Yes I am. I was considering some boutique PAFs for a while, like the ThroBak Vintage Repro PAF, but they are so expensive. I am not that obsessed with reproducing the original design, especially that there were a lot of inconsistencies between pickups in the 50s-60s. Your comparison made me realize that a great warm sound does not need to cost an arm and a leg. Thanks again!
Thinking the amp played a pretty large role in the muddier tone, mainly on the crunch tones. Playing the BB Pros on a Peavey 6505, you don't get as much breakup on the lower end. To me that's what makes engineering a tone so tricky!
Thanks for the video. The 498T is an upgrade pickup according to bumf from Gibson and the web - over wound, fully wax potted and about $120 (per pup) to buy separately. It's targeted at rock players and when set with the 490 at the neck it gives an immediate boost for lead solos without necessarily having to wind up the volume (or use a foot switch). Incidentally, the basic Burstbucker is an old, lower powered pickup despite the name. The Burstbucker Pro a later upgrade. 57's are another good Gibson hum-bucker I have in an SG - a hark back to the late 50's / 60's PAF sound which I believe was a little crisper - still hum cancelling and more bite than a single coil though. Through a Wah, Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Marshall 40w valve amp cranked up they sound stratospheric (think Gary Moore) especially if you like the 60's British Blues vibe.
agreed. both have unique voicing, but both sound great. BB's are more bright and clear, 490/498's have that classic LP sound. excellent job and awesome playing!
490's for me as they're more polite sounding, the Burstbuckers have more edge or hair which is also great just a matter of what you want. Gibson covered it pretty darn good with these pickups. Great video thanks.
Finally a video with expressive playing that really brings out the voice of the pickup, this is what I'm interested in when looking into pickups. You called your playing mediocre, but you sounded good, and I was impressed with your consistency.
@@chansomanmusic PB is medium output while 498 is high gain.. The first comment make all sense and if you play metal you will desire more output to push the amp.
I prefer 498T over the bridge, thicker low-end, hotter. The neck pups are a tossup. Both sound great, but just tonally different. Well, that's what I was about to end it on, but after hearing the more OD section, both bridge pups sound equally great, just different. I can see different uses for both. No overall preference for either set.
Ditto. Although, I did prefer the BB Bridge Split Mode better. The BB neck was far superior, IMHO! BTW- I thought the playing was perfect for the demo! One of the best side-by-sides EVER!
BB sound "spankier" to my ears. Nice sound if that's your thing. The 498 & 490 sounds more "vintage" LP to me. Thanks for the comparison. I'd stick to my stock pickups on my 93 Les Paul Standard.
I prefer the 498T in the bridge. It seemed to have a warmer, more rounded tone whereas the Burstbucker sounded louder, thinner, and more shrill. In the neck I preferred the Burstbucker over the 490R. The 490R was way too meek sounding. The Burstbucker was much bolder. So I guess the ideal set up for me would be Burstbucker in the neck and 498T in the bridge.
I agree. I'd have to go with the same setup. 490 didn't have the ass in the neck. Great comparisons though. Course I'm a little more crunchy on up to high gain
It sounds to me like the burstbuckers are a lot brighter, but I'm glad I watched this video, because I was debating, but now I will definitely be going with the 498t/ 490r set up, thank you!
It would be interesting to know which you chose. I was expecting to like the Burstbuckers more but in this demo I preferred the 498T and 490R set. Thanks
Hey Mark, I ended up going with the Burstbuckers. I did several other personal tests as well and they work better for what I'm currently doing. With all the options on the Tweaker 15, I'm able to get the Burstbuckers to sound pretty close to the 490s, but not as much the other way around.
StereoLaunch Thanks for replying. I think that's really useful to know as you can hear them in the room as opposed to how they sound recorded and on RU-vid.
I love Gibson pickups. I have most of them. The only guitar I switched out from stock was my LP that came with 57’s and people seem to love those. Weren’t hot enough for me. I’d go with the 490s here, but I like the BBs too.
Really helpful comparison. I prefer the 498T. I play rock. But the Burstbucker sounds like it's better for country. Btw, you're not a bad player at all.
MY GUITARS( gigs) gibson 2013 LPJ 490r/498t ,epiphone les paul 2011 bonamassa goldtop burst buckers 2/3 i like my 490s better than any othe pickups (nailbombs close but...)my burstbuckers give me sweet and sour (amp turned up) so after trying many pickup combinations the best i have found for all around , funk, rocabilly, punk, country, rock, reggae,twang,blues,ska is my 490r/498t combination , i sometimes put a nail bomb in place of the 498t or place a emg81 for a metal vibe experiment it works on some styles of music.......play on stereoLaunch
Am I the only one that use both? I prefer and use the 490r in the neck position and the BB pro bridge (cover removed) in the bridge position in my LP...I think they work perfectly togheter. Great video!
After owning Gibsons, fenders and many cheap guitars, the real difference between these two good pickups, is like 2-3% because you can EQ your amp and get your desired tone, adjusting one pot on the amp makes waaaaaay more difference than changing the pickups IMO
The BB's do have a bright clear sound but it's almost thin sounding. The 490/498 have an unmistakable fatt sound that is simply cool sounding and you can literally just turn the treble up. That 490 tho wow, it's frikkin' niiiice!
Hey S/L thanks man! Great video! I’m actually looking at B.B. right now and this helped to confirm my suspicions all along. Good stuff bud, thank you!!
Soooo good; thanks heaps. Was looking for a Studio with 490's, but have widened the search to include BurstBuckers... in fact, that's now my preference. Thanks again!
Thank you Mike Sadler! One thing to keep in mind is that if you find a good Studio with 490's, it's likely you can do a straight swap on pickups. I ended up selling my 490's for the same as the cost of the BBs. Good luck with your search for a Studio! I love mine.
Thank you for the compliment! I really try to make my comparison videos as consistent as possible. It’s good to know it’s appreciated. Thanks for subscribing too!
Good video. I've heard several demos of the BBs sounding way worse than 490s and 57s, but on this one they don't sound bad at all. I had written them off but these sound pretty damn good. Still think the 57s are the best for that old school tone.
I haven’t looked into the 57s much. I’ve always been happy with the BB Pros, though I may switch them out for something else for a bit just to change it up. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Holy shit, a comparison video that tries to keep all the same components besides the pickups. Good work. It made me decide to swap out my old 498 bridge from my Les Paul. Everyone else just plays two separate guitars with different pickups. Thanks for the attention to details that actually matter.
I'm old school. I like the Gibson pickups better . 490-498 ... Thank you for your video... I know a lot of hard work went into all ya had to do there... Thank you and God bless ...
Here is another vote for the 498T actually I love the 490r as well. Warm not muddy at all. The most versatile as well-High gain to country twang they do it all. They do get a bad rap as muddy sometimes but I think that's a result of Gibson wiring them with 300k pots on some guitars (sg's and lp specials). Throw some 500k pots with these and they scream.
@@gobinstruments4597 just lower the volume. I use 490/498 and if I want to clean them, I just lower the volume and can get the cleanness that many guitarists need.
Tech tip, a slight EQ tweak or height adjustment on the pickup will likey get you where you need to get. Find a pickup that you like and tweak the amp to your taste. Don't let the tone controls get dusty either. I find the 490t sweet spot is tone at like 9
Good tips 👍 Yeah the EQ on the amp is there to be used. Can be surprising how many tones you can get by changing the EQ. Pickup height is also a great way to dial the pickups in. Thanks for watching 👍
Bought a pair of 490T & 498R did not know how they sounded. But in my ears they sound sweet. I bought a Epiphone LP Standard and i am gonna upgrade it with these.
Awesome! I had an old Epiphone LP with the old really dull and lifeless pickups (I think the current ProBuckers are a lot better) and changed them out with the Burstbucker Pros and it was night and day difference. Once you swap them out, let us know what you think!
Absolutely a GREAT video. Best side by side of almost anything gear related that I've seen. Exactly what I needed to make my decision. I know a lot of time and effort must have gone into making this vid. Thanks SO much!!!
This sounds like country to me even with a Les Paul 👍, i just traded my Classic Vibe Tele for a Korean Epiphone Les Paul Standard with Gibson pick ups which a Gibson collector said its what used to be the 498 but now they are just labeled "Gibson USA".
Wow. Burstbuckers sound way better. I'm thinking about a Studio (because I don't need to spend $1k more for what's mostly cosmetics), and now I know I'll need the pups swapped. Thanks for the great comparison!
Wow, that's like that's the first time I've heard come right out and say it. I think it's a good solid pup and not muddy, etc. I got a few of them. Never had the desire to swap. Cheers ! Glad someone said it.
With love from England. The 49x every time. Your guitar playing isn't mediocre at all, you're good. Thanks very much. I needed a reminder to stay away from Burstbuckers. They're horrible.
I generally prefer the clarity of the BB Pros and find that they usually sit well in a mix, but I have run into an amp/setting every now and then that they are a bit bright. I've considered getting another Les Paul with different pickups for those situations and just have a different flavor, but haven't yet. Thanks for watching and commenting fedboy21!
When you said mediocre playing i was expecting i few strummed chords & some attempts at out of time rythm playing, don't sell you self short you can flat out rip! Sounded great I'm about to purchase an lp studio so this vid was a huge help!
Great sound rivaling the tele with 490’s and the BB’s which I absolutely love. I think the BB’s have a little more volume behind them both are really clear and pronounced
I love a good Tele too, but these are great pickups! Still rocking my BB Pros after all these years. Thanks for watching and appreciate you sharing your thoughts 👍
@@DadRockAndGuitars If you like the BB Pro, maybe the Haeussel 1959 (neither the custom nor their custom+ variants) would also be an option suitable for you. But they cost about 50% more and are not necessarily better.
I very much appreciated watching this. Would have been (even) better if you'd turned the volume down on the backing track. I liked the 490/498, personally. Thanks.
Thank you for this comparison. I have the same studio and I think default picks sound more original. But pros sound real nice too. The only thing is, they sound just a bit artificial to my ear.
super good work. That's exactly what i call a test espacially in clean mode which is so rare neverthless so important. I congrat you for the extreme regularity of your play. Thank you.
Love it. I had some excellent aftermarket pickups in my Les Paul and my SG. I think the factory 490r/498t and BB pro respectively sound best with factory electronics.
For what is played here, either pick up is a quality sound..But the difference can obviously be heard. There is nothing wrong with either pickup set, guitar, amp or the playing.....Everything right. All are top notch to me.. I could listen to this for hours and I've been playing guitar for 34 years, 4 or 5 days a week. You don't need another guitar or amplifier than what is being played here and either pickup set will do just great. I use to play in this style often years ago but it's been a while since I've heard this or personally played in this style and It's as great as ever.
This is really a good video. Like others have said you can hear the difference whereas other videos don't get the separation as well. I personally think for the music you are using in your demo, the BB fits better. I can hear a more rock tone from you 498. I have a 1960 Classic that came stock with the 498T/500T and that was a perfect fit for me at the time. Too bad that guitar is long gone now.
More treble in the Burstbuckers. All depends on taste. For this style Burstbuckers create a more twangy sound which is more appropriate. If you were playing with more drive the 490s might be a better choice.
The burstbuckers sound cleaner and brighter. If you’re after that sound then burstbuckers. The 498T is warmer and darker. I would probably chose 498T and burstbucker neck. I’d like to hear the burstbucker neck around then 12th fret with some more gain. To see if it has that thick creamy sustain that the 490R has. This is a great demo. You did a lot of work on this. And it clearly shows the subtle differences in sound between the pickups. Did you get tired of playing the same song ?
have to say I do like the 498T Bridge. Helped make my mind up about a Les Paul Tribute 2020. Especially in Tobacco Burst Finish. Just Need Gibson to start Production and shipping to the UK now. Thanks for spending the time to create this :)
Great job, pal! Your video threw a stream of light on the shade of my ignorance and really helped me to choose between those two types of pickups. Thanks, now I am sure that for my style of guitar playing - more blues and jazzy staff rather than hard rock and metall - I will clearly prefer the 490's. Keep it up!
