Gibson 500T Super Ceramic

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Slammer by Hamer XP-1 Standard (explorer)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: trash
Other pickups on guitar: 496r
Artists using this pickup: The Edge...anyone with a 76 explorer
You musical style(s): Edgy Pop Rock
Reason for pickup change: The original pickup simply wasn't bright enough and would not overdrive at all!!!

Perceived output level: Hotter and brighter than a Les Paul. It always seems to be slightly overdriven...which is PERFECT!!!
Tone: The tone is has balanced frequency response with a small spike in the treble. this makes for a very bright pickup with tight bass and mids...just like Gibson says.
Sonic evaluation: This is run through a tuner, A/B box, and 7 pedals into a Line 6 Spider 210. 99% of the time i use the Twang channel (which emulates the snap of 50's fender amps) and with this pedal i get a creamy slightly overdriven sound. Very very very nice!!! I just wish i had real tubes to use this pickup with but oh well...I can really see why The Edge uses these pickups in his Explorer.
I would almost go as far to say that this pickup is the opposite of the Bridge pickup of a Les Paul.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I find this pickup very versatile. I use it on songs that use heavy powerchord riffs and on songs that have sections of cleaner arpeggios and funk chords.

Comments: I simply replaced the pickups in this guitar so i can have the sound of a 76 explorer without shelling out 1500 bucks. Eventually i will be selling this and putting the money towards a real Gibson explorer.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: LOUD

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Flying V 98
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A. This is stock on the V.
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Metal and Prog
Reason for pickup change: N/A

Perceived output level: More output than any other passive pickup I have used.
Tone: Balanced tone, lots of treble but also bassy when played clean with vol turned down.
Sonic evaluation: This pickup is on my favorite guitar, a '98 V. It is well balanced, and its sound can be varied with amp settings. It is best for distorted leads, but can also be made to sound bluesy. Played clean, it is punchy like a P-90.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a great metal and hard rock pickup.

Comments: I have found my dream pickup!

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone LP
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: gibson 498t in neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): metalcore/hardcore
Reason for pickup change: The epiphone pickups weren't bad, but they weren't great either.

Perceived output level: hot, but not too hot (for metal)
Tone: Pretty balanced, just eq your head right
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my epi with the 500t in the bridge, into a Peavey 5150, into a straight mesa 4x12 recto cab. no effects.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: good for metal, maybe not for other stuff

Comments: This pickup rules for metal. The output is high enough to drive the 5150, and it's still clear when playing in drop c. The gain on my 5150 only needs to go to 5 or 6 and that's enough. The palmmutes sound good, pinch harmonics sound good, and so does everything else. It's not horrible clean, but not great either. My epi is my main guitar now (i also use a tele with a hotrails in the bridge). I wish I had my epi with this when we recorded, but i didn't so i used the tele. www.purevolume.com/lenore

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: high output ceramic

Model of guitar or bass: flying v faded and 1985 flying v
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: came in faded flying v
Other pickups on guitar: 496
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): neo-classical
Reason for pickup change: the 500T itself

Perceived output level: high output ceramic
Tone: on the trebly side.
Sonic evaluation: i had to return for comments. here's the scoop. this pickup came in the bridge position of the faded gibson v. i really tried to fine tune the sound thru different o.d.s such as the dod yngwie model, as well as, boss o.d. and boss super o.d., but no matter what the sound was always on the harsh side. i really couldn't get truely smooth melodic tones a la satriani or schenker, close but a certain harshness always cut thru. so i decided to swap the 500T with a duncan jb. wow what a difference, the mahogany body really shine thru the duncan. it changed from acdc to schenker tones, and combined with the 496 on the neck what a combo, sweetness at both positions. i gotta add the 500T is probably a great pickup for bar chords, blues based hard rock whatever, but for singing flute like tones it doesn't cut it. now here's the part that blue me away i decided to experiment and place the 500T on the NECK position of my 1985 gibson v, which has a duncan custom on the bridge. now i know this is meant to be a bridge pickup, but i gotta tell you, this pup made a complete 180. all of a sudden the harshness i just couldn't get rid of dissapeared. sweet flute like tones were coming out of the guitar, again a great compliment to the customs midrangy frequency. i can realy say that i've found the tone for these two flying v's with completely different pickup combinations.
if you'd like to share any comments or similar experiences or difficulties with tone please e-mail me at alvarezz5@aol.com

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: again, mostly neo-classical.

Comments: probably would except now i know i would place it in the neck position.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: only the sound matters

Model of guitar or bass: flying-v faded
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: gibson 496 on neck position
Artists using this pickup: have no clue
You musical style(s): neo-classical
Reason for pickup change: again, it came in the guitar

Perceived output level: output seems a bit higher than duncan jb and custom models which i also own,
Tone: honestly i haven't run it thru my boogies. here's what i know i ran it thru my practice peavey 30 classic tube amp, linked thru a dod yngwie dod, also thru boss overdrive and superoverdrive pedals. it seems to work better thru the dod. the mids on this pickup cut thru quite well, as well as the low end. artificial harmonics pop effortlessly, along with great power. can really get those schenker type tones. many seem to complain about the harsh high end. here is my advice number 1: lower the pickup to a point where the smoother high end sounds comfortable to your ears of course in accordance to your musical style and taste. number2: adjust the treble, once again, according to your taste, i say in most amps you need to be at about 4 or 5. boost the mids to about 6 or 7, and the lows at about the same. then let it rip.
Sonic evaluation: explained above.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: again, neo-classical. as far as good match, i would say yes, but not the best.

Comments: not sure if i would buy it again, i tend to love some of the duncan pickups. i have been playing since the age of thirteen, i'm 37 now. i currently own two gibson v's. jap and american strats, and a custom ibanez. as far as amps, i own mesa boogie old 50 watt-heads and a peavey classic 30. as far as searching for the perfect tone...still looking.

Pickup features: Humbucker Passive
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Faded Cherry Red 67' Reissue
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: 496T Neck
Artists using this pickup: Probably not enough
You musical style(s): METAL
Reason for pickup change: I did'nt change

Perceived output level: Hotter than Hell
Tone: All of the above
Sonic evaluation: Gibson Flying V thru a Boogie F-100, thats it. No muss no fuss no pissing around. I don't need any effects to make this combo howl. The onboard distortion of this amp, with this pickup is heavy metal thunder.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, that's it! But its a LOT!!!

Comments: For playing my tunes this pickup is MY sound. Playing other peoples tunes a person may want something more versitile. With my "V" and my boogie this is my sound I FOUND IT!!!

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: i don't know

Model of guitar or bass: custom rhoads model
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: duncan custom
Other pickups on guitar: duncan jazz (neck)
Artists using this pickup: I hope none
You musical style(s): metal
Reason for pickup change: I couldn't stand a les paul sound like crap, so I put this pick up on my RR

Perceived output level: more output than the duncan custom
Tone: muddy like a hot stock pickup
Sonic evaluation: I use a RR model (made by myself, I'm a luthier)--> brunetti preamp-->mesa boogie 500 stereo power amp---> 4x12 celestion vintage 30. Few effects (crybaby, boss chorus, boss distortion and korg digital delay). This pickup sounds muddy and makes everything sound like cheap crap. Lots of mids and highs and no tone at all. The duncan custom is 1000 ways better

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: metal, it's not good for it though its power

Comments: I took off from my guitar this thing as soon as I heard it. I play from 20 years and I'm a luthier, I've got 4 guitars (fender st., gibson lp classic, a RR and a ~soloist made by myself). I hate this pickup because it devalues all the gear through is played. I wish it had less power and more tone.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: not positive, but it sounded great so I didn't ask many questions.

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer USA Custom
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Steve Morse in the neck position.
Artists using this pickup: Not sure, really. Quite a few, I assume.
You musical style(s): Hard rock, lots of chugging chords, also blues
Reason for pickup change: Well, the other guitarist in my band is a HUGE fan of the EMG-81 active pickup. He has them in almost every one of his guitars. I really liked his tone. The unknown stock Hamer pickups were pretty weak and not very "metal". I didn't want to hassle with adding a battery cavity to accomodate the EMG to my Hamer, so I went for what I was told would be the next best thing. I read reviews and asked as many people that I could find that had the 500T in their Gibson what they thought. So I ripped the guitar apart, had a little trouble with the schematics, so I had my tech friend put the final touches on it.
So I plugged into my practice rig (Crate GLX15) and holy crap, it was bright. That's what EQ's are for. I made some adjustments to the pickup height and plugged it into my live rig (Marshall JCM2000 DSL100). Now that's the stuff right there. I was pleased as hell.

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: Well I already mentioned the amp, but I'll start from the guitar. Samson Airline Wireless--Boss Super Overdrive--Boss V-wah--Boss TU-2 pedal tuner--Boss NS2 Noise Supressor--Marshall DSL100 head. In the Effects loop I run a Boss DD-5 delay and a Boss BF-3 Flanger. Everything is wired with high quality cables. Anything over 1 foot long is a Monster 500 series.
Hey, the 500T in the configuration I'm using it in, is KILLER!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for hard rock and even some metal. A little to grainy for blues. I prefer a neck pickup for that style anyway.

Comments: I would definately replace it if it were stolen, but in order to steal it, you'd have to steal my favorite guitar, which would lead to a severe ass whooping and as soon as you ALMOST heal up, I'll find you and repeat the process until you die.
I have been playing for 17 years. Besides the aforementioned Hamer, I also play a 1978 USA Strat, a Mexi-Telecaster, an Epiphone FlameKat, Chet Atkins acoustic, Ibanez acoustic, Martin Backpacker, and various other cheapo/project guitars.
I love how the 500T cuts. It's got a nice high/mid boost, but not peircing and annoying. Sounds pretty bad at high volumes with a solid state amp, but who the hell plays those anyway?

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: big

Model of guitar or bass: Steinberger Spirit
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG / Select
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup: Various amp bludgeoners
You musical style(s): basically rockish blues or bluesish rock depending on caffeine levels
Reason for pickup change: The EMG/ Select are boring beyond words

Perceived output level: very hot
Tone: bright ceramic hot tone, tough not pretty (but can do pretty as well with the neck pup)
Sonic evaluation: Vox AC 15 reissue w/ Blue Celestion speaker
Fender Vibrolux "Custom" 2x10 , Mesa V-twin, varous vintage effects

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Definately good for rock, but with the neck 496R I can get clean and bluesey!

Comments: The reason I am submitting this review is that I totally dissed this pickup and the matching neck 496R. I am a snob. When I acquired my Les Paul Classic, I removed the 500T and 496R immediately and put in some vintage PAF style pickups, and I`m not sorry I did. I just had the 500T and 496R lying around when I decided that anything would be better than the EMG/Select pickups that were in the Steinberger Spirit. My guitar tech installed them, and holy mackeral!! No fancy wiring, (2 conducter versions only) but I can get three very good tones neck, both, or bridge and all have a lot of merit. This little Steiney is just a dangerous little sawed off runt now! I get such a kick out of it! Kinda like packin` a sawed-off, cut down, double barreled 10 gauge, loaded with double-ought buck under your coat........like I said before, I am a snob; but this pickup has its place; and I like having one guitar that brings out the savage in me. My Steinberger with these things in it is THAT guitar

Pickup features: Humbucking. passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Paul Reed Smith Custom 22
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: PRS Dragon II treble
Other pickups on guitar: PRS Dragon II bas
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Incubus collides with Creed and Further Seems Forever
Reason for pickup change: PRS makes wonderfully crafted, beautiful guitars.
They shouldn't make pickups

Perceived output level: Nice N Dirty
Tone: semi muddy. really good at overdriving my tubes
Sonic evaluation: Mesa/Boogie 3 Channel Triple Rectifier Solo Head
Mesa/Boogie Trem-O-Verb 100 watt head
Rivera Knucklhead Reverb
Bogner Esctacy.
Sounds like alot, but i know the right people and have semi-endorsements.
Mesa 4 x 12 cabs
Marshall 1960 cabs
Bogner cabs

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: hard. drop d

Comments: yes.
7 years. LOTS of rack effects
dirty tone
yes. 496 and seymour duncan. this one is by far better for my style
satisfied with pickup