Gibson 500T Super Ceramic

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Bully SG
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock in the neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Hard Rock (Black Sabbath, AC/DC, KISS)
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were not the best quality. I bought the guitar because it felt good and had a really nice look to it, but I knew the pickups weren't much.

Perceived output level: Much higher output over stock.
Tone: Trebly
Sonic evaluation: Epiphone Bully SG (Bruise purple) Marshall Valvestate 30. This pickup is 100% better than the stock. It has a very bright sound that sounds great when played through an overdriven amp. I think the clean sound is also pretty good. Perfect for Black Sabbath and AC/DC.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pick up is great in the bridge, but probably a little too much for the neck.

Comments: If you are looking for an excellent combo, I would buy an Epiphone and drop one of these pickups in. My $200 guitar with the $65 pickups sounds pretty close to any of the Gibsons. As long as you have a decent amp (Preferably a tube or similiar) you will have good sound, but at a fraction of the price. I recommend this pickup highly.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 15.??

Model of guitar or bass: Cort Les Paul copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande BBQ
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio paf pro
Artists using this pickup: don't bloody know.
You musical style(s): Mellow to jammin
Reason for pickup change: Needed a higher output pickup

Perceived output level: Cool, Cool, Cool! I mean hot but cool.
Tone: Totally balanced as far as I am concerned.
Sonic evaluation: The amp is a Crate vintage club 30 watt tube.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A little of everything. I don't know what it would sound like in the neck.

Comments: I would buy this pickup again as it is the best I have found so far.

Pickup features: Passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Dont' know

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup: No idea
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock
Reason for pickup change: I couldn't stand this pickup any longer, although I really tried (had it installed for two LONG years).

Perceived output level: Very Hot. Hot enough to ruin a decent guitar's tone.
Tone: Would be balanced if it weren't for an annoying upper mid "sqwonk" that is hard to get rid of.
Sonic evaluation: Les Paul Classic into either a 65 Bandmaster or JCM 800 head through a Stock Marshall 4x12. I also use various stomp boxes including a Rat, Green Rhino overdrive, Boss CE-2 chorus and a Dan-Echo delay.
I really tried to like this pickup, thinking that I simply needed time to adjust to its aggressive nature. Two years later, I can stand it no longer! Actually, the main reason I've been holding off on replacing it for so long was due to my obsession with keeping my Les Paul stock. As fate would have it, a buddy of mine had given me a Dimarzio FRED in trade for some other single coil pups. I had intended to install the FRED into the bridge position of my G&L S-500 but the poles peices didn't line up quite right (yes, the FRED is F-spaced but G&Ls are weird). After two weeks of collecting dust I decided that I had nothing to lose by replacing the Les Paul's 500T with FRED. While the FRED is nowhere near vintage territory, it was a huge improvement over the raucous sounding 500T. Thanks to FRED, my Les Paul now sings like a bird! What was Gibson thinking putting a pickup like the 500T into a "classic" reissue guitar? Oddly enough, I really like the 496R neck pickup. It's got a mellower, woody tone with just enough edge. Nothing like it brutish brother the 500T. Go figure.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly blues and classic rock for which the 500T absolutely bites. Probably best suited to punk, and alternative styles, or anywhere a rude, aggressive sounding pickup is needed.

Comments: If somebody stole this pickup, I'd invite them to dinner for doing me a favor. I've been playing for over 20 years and have tried LOTS of gear. I don't tell other people what to try, buy, or like. I only know what I like and the 500T ain't it! Hard Rocker purists that plug straight into high gain amps might fall in love with this pickup though. The rest of us can look elsewhere.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: check www.gibson.com

Model of guitar or bass: Hand made, telebody, flame maple top, mahogony back
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio X2n
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 496R
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Clapton, Peter Green, Duane Allman,...
Reason for pickup change: I hated X2n's. It is a stupid death metal pickup, where the deal is nothing but output. Basically, I could not use any clean sound on that guitar before.

Perceived output level: Less than X2n (by the way that is the highest output giving pickup) but quite high
Tone: very good, clear when humbucking, yet lots of output. With single coil switch it sounds great too
Sonic evaluation: The amp I am using is Fender deville, for thse of you who do not know what it is, it is a nice tube amp, with 9 tubes if i am not wrong. I also use a preamplifier, mesa boogie v twin.
The sound is just great, i really did not know the guitar was that good. I literally get the same tone and power of the intro of southbound, an allman bros song; and lend me a dime, a bozz scaggs sound and duane allman on guitars. I am using gibson 496R on the neck. 500T as humbucker and 496R (reverse connected) as single gives a (was very very astonishing to me) very nice muddy tone.
Doing 500T single and 496R humbucking sounds great too, and has a clean yet slightly darker but tele mid position type of sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: refer to above

Comments: One comment I may put here is a comparison of 500T and seymour duncan plus coming stock with fat texas special strats. The sound was more or less the same, the output tone and action. Everybody knows that SD pearly gates are great pickups, yet I do not have an exact idea how a pearly gates plus (on fenders) and standard pearly gates compare.
One other thing is 500T maybe better, in the sense that my strat is swamp ash body, and 500T is on a standard les paul wood guitar. So I would have expected if the pickups were to be the same, fender to deliver slightly more treble sound (yet the sound is quite strong, it is not treble like a single coil pickup, if oyu know what I mean), But I was again amazed to find out that 500T delivers (not much though) a little bit more treble sound, again stronger.
On the mids part and bass i guess they are pretty the same as my ears did not pcikup any difference.
Thus, I would say, (again I stress pearly gates plus is the pickup i am talking about) 500T is the better choice.
There is only one bad thing to it, routing is more difficult. Unlike duncans and dimarzios gibsons have 2 legs, which makes one to carve a little hole in the pickup slot if you did not have any. But that is not a great deal I suppose.
I am gibing it 10 because it was 60 bugs.

Pickup features: Three magnets..humbucking..zebra coils..passive
Impedence or other specs: ???

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul DC Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Evans Eliminator II
Other pickups on guitar: Aero Leevl 3 humbucker
Artists using this pickup: Yes.
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: The EII sounded great, but it had no sustain. I needed a powerful pickup to balance with my neck pickup.

Perceived output level: Seems loud enough.
Tone: The tone is great...clear and defined...full sounding..tight...balanced. Reminds me of my Bill Lawrence L-500xl.
Sonic evaluation: So far just an LP DC and a VHT 50-12 Pittbull.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a lot of styles..rock for the most part.

Comments: This is a great pickup...I am getting another one just as a spare. I have been playing over 20 years. I thought about getting this pickup for a long time, but I bought other pickups..finally I went out and found one on sale. I am very happy with it. I am not into the vintage tone...I have had Fralins...and several other types of pickups in that guitar. This pickup is so good, I want to put it in my main guitar, a Jackson Soloist. I was at the store playing a LP Classic, to try the pickup..even though I had already bought it..I found out that I could get a great sound for leads and rhythms, but only with the amp gains set pretty low...in fact it's one of the best pickups I have used..in the LP DC it just shines....in the Gothic Explorer it seemed like it lacks something...but that may be because the guy I heard playing it used a LINE 6 amp....even so..it was still killer.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock 498T
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup: Dunno
You musical style(s): Everything
Reason for pickup change: Needed a more output and crunch

Perceived output level: Same as the stock, but with more balls.
Tone: This is a very ballanced pickup. I have read other evaluations saying that it has less bass, I found this to be totally untrue. Harmonics are very enhanced with this pickup!!
Sonic evaluation: I am running my Les through a Marshall Valvestate, and this pickup was just what I needed to get that extra crunch.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play alot of rock/metal. Don't expect to get a very clean sound from the 500T, Its definatly a drivin' pickup!!

Comments: I would purchase this pickup again and again if I had to. I have had Dimarzio distortion, Semour invader, fullshred, and jb and this blows them all away. I am going to put one in my Jackson to beef that up a bit. Definatly shop around for the best prices,they seem to vary alot! I love it!!

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock
Artists using this pickup: Mark Tremonti (Creed) anyone using a Gibson Les Paul Classic
You musical style(s): Hard rock/metal
Reason for pickup change: Stck pickups were not scrumptious sounding.

Perceived output level: Very high output. It has a ceramic magnet, what do u expect?
Tone: Very balanced. It has infinate sustain. If you play any type of rock or metal, you need this pickup. Creed is one of my favorite bands (which is why I got the pickup), so if you want that sound, this is the pickup to have.
Sonic evaluation: I have a Carvin tube amp and this pickup complements it very well. I also have a Marshall mg80rcd and it sounds amazing with that also. I cant even imagine how good it would sound through a triple rectifier or marshall tsl.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is the perfect match for rock/ metal/ punk music.

Comments: This pickup is truely great. I would deffinately replace it if it were stolen(how would someone steal a pickup out of my guitar?). I have been playing for 3 years and have tried the seymour duncan custom custom, gibson 490t, and dimarzio distortion pickups and the 500t blows them all away.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: not sure

Model of guitar or bass: LesPaul 1960 re-issue Gold Top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: 498T
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Very ballsy and creamy. Not harsh at all.
Tone: Some treble and mids. A nice blend
Sonic evaluation: I am playing through a Marshall JCM900 with an additional cabinet. Gibson and Marshall have a good combination. I play straight with no effects. Not clean, not distorted, just crunchy..

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, such as Gary Moore, and classic rock, such as Allman Bros. and Lynryd Skynryd, etc...

Comments: This pickup is excellant in my opinion. I have owned Gibsons for 35 years and these pickups a far better then the ones in my 55 LesPaul, and my 68 Goldtop. I also have a Strat, Ibanez semi-hollow, a 1964 Gibson accoustic.

Pickup features: passive
Impedence or other specs: hmmm?

Model of guitar or bass: 83' Gibson explorer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: duncan dist.
Other pickups on guitar: pearly gates/replaced by a 57' classic
Artists using this pickup: Jimmi page, nothingface....
You musical style(s): speed,thrash,some death metal. anything with a guitar
Reason for pickup change: looking for that extreme crunch.

Perceived output level: hot is the word. a little bit on the treble sid but us metal heads need all that. the treble part can ba counterd by tweaking with your amp. this is about 50% louder than the pearly gate and about 30% more crunch than the duncan dist.
Tone: nice mids. see most metal heads heads suck the mid out and push the treble up. thats cool and this pickup is cool for that. but i drop the treble and boost the mid and have an eq to V out my tone. this pickup has so much treble i rarely push the treble past 4 or 5.
Sonic evaluation: ok he we go--- 83 gibson explorer--bad horsie wah-wh1 wammy- phase 90--boss ps-3 pithshifter/delay--bf-2 flanger(boss)--boss 7 band eq-- boss hyper fuzz-- boss turbo overdrive-- dod grind box-- jekyll&hyde-- ibanez compressor-- JCM 900 50 watt 2 12 combo

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: skinlab,living sacrifice, mudvayne,pantera,slayer,strife,sepultura/soulfly,nothingface and maybe some cannibal corpse. now you know what kind of tone im looking for.

Comments: this is a good match up with the classic 57' up front. i give it a 9 cause if i would most likely sound heavier with some emg's but i like to play clean too.

i 've been playin for 3 years solid. i can play all those bands i listed email me if you need a guitar player that sounds heavy(and plays lead) addicted_to_headbanging@msn.com

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Steinberger
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: 498N
You musical style(s): All
Reason for pickup change: Try something new.

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: OK Here's the deal. This picup sucks when wired up in the standard series config. It's too loud, has too much output and basically has an overpowering shitty tone. But I wired it in Parallel and it is real nice. It rocks, gets that Satriani type sound. It has a tight punchy tone with a nice high end and enough bottom. Balanced well. And it works great as a clean pickup too! I wired it's brother in the neck position in parallel as well (no switches involved - Series IS OUT!). I'm keeping these now! I give it a 4 when wired in series but a 9 when wired in parallel.