Gibson 500T Super Ceramic

Pickup features: humbucker. passive! you nuts? no active for me!
Impedence or other specs: don't really know that stuff

Model of guitar or bass: handmade mahagony baritone Flying V
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none, the guitar is brand new
Other pickups on guitar: none other than this one, don't really need it
Artists using this pickup: Don't know. The ones who wants to rock?
You musical style(s): Rock - neurosis, sleep, melvins, electric wizard, high on fire, today is the day, converge. It means heavy on mids and bass - but much more mids. That's the difference between rock and metal (althought I consider the REAL rock like Sabbath, sleep, neurosis... to be METAL), rock guys want pleanty of mids, and the "real" metal guys cut mids (thier own fault).
Reason for pickup change: No change. The guitar is brand new, and I wanted to make a ROCK guitar - and I friggin' did it!!!

Perceived output level: Well, when I open it completely, the feedback comes ringing, and I like that A LOT! So, I think that's loud enough. It is mighty. Kills!
Tone: People say it lacks bass. Are you fucking mad?! I almost can not use this one on my Orange replica amp!!!!! It has everything - The amount of highs is what you make it, it can be there or not,; depends on what you want, basically. But - mids and bass simply kill. It is not muddy AT ALL! Separation of tones is..like...awesome! The sound is soooo fat, it's crazy. Instant Sleep, Electric Wizard, Neurosis... sound. Old metal like Sabbath. Really.
Sonic evaluation: Like I mentioned, I like old skool stuff. I have people making me amps, guitars and cabs on specs I get from Orange, Gibson and those manufacturers. I like to experiment. A lot. I now have a Flying V baritone guitar and that's what I was looking for. On the baritone guitars their is more control on the low register, which is a VERY useful feature, because I like sludy and crushing sound of rockish lo-mids. I also have a handmade speaker cab having 4 Celestion Vintage 30 monsters. It is a bit strange to play on a guitar that has 122 cm, but the sheer looks of it is...whoa!! Plus all the people will look at it and won't believe their eyes. Great, isn't it! I like the sound to be loud and present, that's why I hate solid state gear, and modern guitars. Although 500T is a modern pick up, it sound all like 498T, but with more of everything. The sound that goes out from this Flying V is amazing. The feeling you get from playing with this pick up on this guitar on Orange and Vintage 30's at like 120 something dB is uncomparable to anything I felt before. Has a soul of it's own. God dammit, it has. Really.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Well if you're addicted to heavy rock like I am, there's nothing better. Metal guys will like it, but there's no predominant highs or bass - mids baby, this thing is ALL about mids. Suits my style perfectly.

Comments: CAN NOT be destroyed, MUST NOT be destroyed - that would be a sin. There's no way I'm gonna leave it without supervision. NO WAY. I play for about 10 years now, and went thru all the guitarists problem - like what stuff I need, what strings, maybe this, maybe that. But now I know. I exactly know what I'm all about, what guitar I need, what amplification and speaker combination I need; and what pick up I need, which was, believe me, the hardest of choices and combinations. Finding the right one is so hard. But I did. Thank God it's over, now I'm just need to concentrate on playing. Don't have to think about gear, yippy!!! You oughta try it, maybe you'll like it as I did. Who knows. But the bottom line is - it'll give you that old, midish, heavily overdriven guitar sound. To me sometimes it sound like horn on some goddamn huge, kilometter long ship, and you know how terrifieing would that be. Rock on my brothers.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Dont know

Model of guitar or bass: '01 Explore '76
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: 496 ceramic in neck i believe
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): rock,metal,loud blues and new country
Reason for pickup change: Didnt.left stock pickups in

Perceived output level: Nice crunch,lotsa treble,good mids, very tight bass!! thought it would sound like it did in the Les Paul classic but its much different.Really great in solid Mahogany guitar such as the Explorer.
Tone: fairly balanced depending on how you run your rig,as a very hard edge on the treble.
Sonic evaluation: I really like the 500T in my Explorer,did'nt work well in the Les Paul,a bit thin due to the maple top. This pickup has a very hard peak treble response,i run the guitars stock tone pot around 7-8. I run my guitars vol about 3-5 and turn up to 7-8 for leads, as you wic up the volume, the distortion seems to blossom nicely however if i turn the guitars vol. all the way up its too much distortion for me. I am running Marshall reissues,stock SLP,1987x and JTM 45, the 45 works nicely as its not so loud an amp as the others. I get a nice bit of natural sounding distortion with my guitar's volu. down low, very nice sound for rythm, when i wic it up a bit to 5 i get a nice growl,it starts singing around 7 and past that it over saturates the closer you get to wide open. Responds well to adjustments at the guitar.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mostly rock,early metal,marshallized blues, and NC(new country which is Rock with harmonies and sweet vocals that the girls love

Comments: I like this pickup, i picked up a pair of very rare zebras someone pulled from a first year classic on ebay for 100. just to have around in case someone swipes my guitar(s)Playing 35+ years. I have a couple Randalls and a Hell Hound head and 410cab(besides my Marshalls). I have several other pickups from DiM,S.D., I really liked the JB's that were in my Hammers Standards but they have too much distortion and loose everything when you turn down at the guitar.The sound im looking for is a the original 490 with a little growl in it when you turn it up all the way on the guitar, Remember im not a set everything on ten and if it doesnt sound good forget it-youve got to turn those knobs.

Pickup features: Ceramic Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Flying V Limited Edition
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: To high to do me any good
Tone: fizzy and without any kind of depth or body at all. totally without balls.
Sonic evaluation: 90s Gibson Flying V Limited Edition through ibanzez Tube King into HiWatt DR 103 into HiWatt 4x12 with Celestion GT75s.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play old school metal (stoner rock to you kids). Sabbath, Blue Cheer, etc.

Comments: I bought my Flying V at a pawn shop, and after one practice I knew I'd need to yank these ceramic doorstops. Why Gibson would equip a nice guitar with these things is a mystery to me. I have since replaced the ceramics with some used 70's gibson 'buckers that sound GOOD.

Pickup features: HB
Impedence or other specs: Not checked

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Explorer LE
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: the front is a ceramic as well
Artists using this pickup: Gary Moore
You musical style(s): Rock/Blues
Reason for pickup change: none

Perceived output level: Medium, tons of treble and very tight bass great on solid mahogany guitars
Tone: Clean treble and tight bass and very clear thru the whole range
Sonic evaluation: My first experience with this pickup was in a LP Classic, I think the maple top made it unbearably "thin" sounding.Main characteristic in the LP is treble. Then I got the explorer with a solid mahogany body and WOW, I mean WOW, came to life. I run thru a Rat then either a Marshall 1987x reissue or a JTM-45 with a JCM 800 slant cab w/75 watt speakers (similar to Gary Moores set up). I read at least a couple others here have found similar results as i too back the treble off to about 7-8, the volume about 3-5 which leaves me plenty of headroom for leads- but i usually never wic the guitar up past 7,I am amazed at the sound!! Excellent-Super tight bass and sparkly mids and highs!! If i want more dist. i run it up on the Rat or open the vol. up on the guitar. And at the lower vol. its a nice clean sound with a bit of a GLOW-responds well to tensioned pick attack!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock/Blues/Metal/Alter.just about everything!!

Comments: This is my first time ever to this page, i originally wanted to check out the burst buckers for my Les Paul as the stock pickups (alnico's) the bass kinda waffs out and they (burst buckers)sound like the way to go- though a tried my bud's historic w/Duncan antiquities and those are very sweet, they have a sound all there own. That dude below who says they are **** I feel embareassed by his comments, i apologize to future readers for his lack exoerience!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker.
Impedence or other specs: Don't know.

Model of guitar or bass: Flame top Raven.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Singlecoil in middle, Stock Humbucker in bridge.
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): Metal.
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickup sounded pretty good, but I wanted something heavier.

Perceived output level: Tons of crunch on Rhythm, lots of Treble for leads.
Tone: Good Treble and Mids. Not too much Bass, it more blends in well.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Flame top Raven, that looks like an Ibanez copy. I have run the guitar through a Crate Redline, a Crate 2x12 combo with an Ibanez Smashbox, and a couple of other amps.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal, and its perfect with this guitar.

Comments: The pickup seems to be a flame thrower in this guitar. Tons of crunch and Treble. It really cuts through with a really heavy gain amp. It didn't get muddy with a 5150 with its gain dimed. The cleans not bad neither, but I always use the neck pickup for that anyway. If it was stolen, I would flip and buy another one. I tried a bunch of Pickups, but this one had the sound I wanted.

Pickup features: ceramic magnet (i think)
Impedence or other specs: ??? way up there

Model of guitar or bass: unknown les paul copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock p.o.s.
Other pickups on guitar: matching neck pickup, 496R i think...
Artists using this pickup: hopefully nobody
You musical style(s): various
Reason for pickup change: the stock p-up was even worse

Perceived output level: super-duper-way-too-f**king-hot
Tone: muddy as hell
Sonic evaluation: played through a mesa studio .22+, an '84 jcm 800, a new jcm 2000 (both heads throught marshall 4x12s), it doesn't matter... this thing sounds like sh*t through anything.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: maybe if your into crappy, super-heavy, solid-state sounding music, you'd like this turd.

Comments: it is absolutely useless. the only reason i got the damn thing was because it was so cheap. i could've saved myself some time by flushing $30 down the toilet and taking a sh*t on my guitar.

Pickup features: Ceramic Magnet Humbucking Pickup
Impedence or other specs: Not Tested

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: 500 T
Other pickups on guitar: 496 R
Artists using this pickup: See other reviews
You musical style(s): Classic Rock, Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, Metal , Funk
Reason for pickup change: Pickup comes stock in Les Paul Classic guitars.

Perceived output level: Considerably higher output than alnico pickups.
Tone: Trebly, nice mids , loose bass
Sonic evaluation: I play the Les Paul Classic through a Fulltone Fulldrive2 and into a Fender Reissue Super. I have mixed emotions on this pickup and in this guitar. For the money the Les Paul Classic is a terrific instrument, although I have seen the price jump for 2001. Still the 500 T pickup puts out an incredible amount of treble. I tame this pickup by setting my tone knob no higher than 7 on my guitar. I usually keep my volume between 3 and 7 as well. This pickup is also very sensitive, and you will not lose much output by backing it away from your strings. In fact, you just gain string resonance. I use this pickup with a 496 R in the neck and keep the toggle set to both pickups. I generally keep both volume knobs at 3 for a balanced sound. If I desire more treble, I turn my bridge volume knob up to about 6 or 7. If I desire more bass, I adjust the neck volume. If I want to venture into metal territory, I throw all knobs to ten.
I am only dissapointed by the unbalanced treble to bass output. The bass suffers as one would expect, but can be compensated for with some knob turning. I also depend on the Fulldrive2 for tightening up the bass. This pickup has beautiful sustain when playing at high volumes on the high E and B strings, particularly after about the tenth fret. This is the main reason I haven't replaced it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Usable for all styles. Designed for high gain sounds.

Comments: If diversity is your thing, this pickup can do it. If you are a blues, country, or jazz player, you will undoubtably need to turn some knobs down. Still it lacks some of the characteristic warm bass of a PAF. I will eventually replace it with a Seymore Duncan Antiquity that is ridiculously overwound. I have an overwound original PAF in my 57 Black Beauty that is my benckmark for humbucking tone.

Pickup features: passive
Impedence or other specs: 9.5 (gibson website)

Model of guitar or bass: epiphone les paul std
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: epi "498"
Other pickups on guitar: epi "490"
Artists using this pickup: me and my buddy jimmy page
You musical style(s): discodeath metal,gospeljazz and hard rock,Bj?rkmetal...etc
Reason for pickup change: the epi squeeled when playing at high volume,and i needed some more output,the epi seemed quite weak.

Perceived output level: much hotter than the epi``s
Tone: makes my epi lp sound more" focused" and less muddy when distorted
Sonic evaluation: epi lp and marshall!!!I am quite happy with this pickup.The epi wasn``t bad,but the feedback it created made the guitar hard to control at high gain settings,so now it should be smokin`.haven``t tested it at rehearsal

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think it suits every style,really..might not be good in neckposition.

Comments: I am going to get me some more 500``s to put them in my other guitars.if it where stolen,the I guess that my guitar would be gone too...but it``s not gonna happen..been playing for 15 years now,,own 13 guitars(ibanez,gibson,epiphone and a few others).I think its balony that some people say you cannot get a clean tone out of this pickup,I had no trouble whatsoever,,,niiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Pickup features: Ceramic Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Designed piece of crap
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Designed piece of crap
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Punk and Rock
Reason for pickup change: I just bought the Hamer Standard based on looks alone - it's got that sweet flame paint job (check out my review in the guitar section). I was highly disappointed in the sound of the guitar though. No tone, no sustain.

Perceived output level: I'd say quite a bit hotter than your normal passive humbucker but not close to an active.
Tone: Tone is trebly, but only sligtly
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this pickup in a Hamer Standard import. The tone was lacking and there was no sustain to speak of...i mean NONE. I put the 500T in the bridge position and it cured the problem immediately. Good tone (for the music I play) and great sustain. I have it running into a BOSS GT-3 and then into the return loop of a MESA DUAL RECTO.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly punk and rock. Heavy distortion 95% of the time. This pickup suits that style perfectly.

Comments: If destroyed or stolen i would definitely get this pickup again. It's pretty friggin' hot and my guess is that it would make a piece of dental floss on a twig sound pretty kick ass. Bear in mind that I play punk and rock, and I use a lot of distortion. If going for a cleaner, more mellow sound, this isn't the pickup for you. It really made my Hamer sound a lot better. I have a Gibson Les Paul with a 498T at the bridge. The 500T is a lot hotter. I had to turn my amp volume down for this pickup. Comparing the two they sound almost the same, it's just that the 500T has a higher output. I never use my neck pickup, so I kept the crappy duncan-designed one in. I'll probably never change it because i'll never use it. I highly recommend the 500T if you play distorted rock or punk.

Pickup features: Ceramic Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Volcanic

Model of guitar or bass: 2001 Gibson Les Paul Special SL
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: 498T
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup: Jimmy Page I think?
You musical style(s): Blues, Hard Rock, Funk and Jazz
Reason for pickup change: I needed a pickup with more balls!!!!

Perceived output level: WAY MORE HOTTER THAN THE 498T!!
Tone: overall balanced with a dash of treble. Thick, warm, crisp and has a LOT of SUSTAIN!!!!!
Sonic evaluation: I am playing a Gibson Les Paul Special SL. I run that through a Morley
WAH Pedal to a Fender Deluxe 85 (solid state 65Watts).I have also replaced the neck pickup with a 496R. Great Combonation. If you want your LP to sound like Gary Moore's LP then buy both these pickups. These pickups RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sustain for Years!!!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Blues, Funk, Hard Rock and Jazz. This pickup combo(496R and 500T) is suitable for everything!

Comments: If it was stolen I would snap the theif's arms and legs! I've been
playing for 18 years. I own a Fender strat. The 496R clean has a warm,
crisp,articulate snap to it. Distorted its creamy and thick with screaming sustain. The 500T is balls-to-the-wall volcanic scorch!!!! These pickups are the best I've heard in a long time. Their worth every penny spent!!!! Go out an buy these right now!