Gibson 500T Super Ceramic

FIRST OF ALL LETS STOP MESSING AROUND PUTTING THESE THINGS IN STRATS AND TRYING TO PLAY BLUES AND JAZZ.THE ADVERT EVEN SAYS ITS NO HOLES BARRED IN YOUR FACE.ITS A SUPER HOT PICKUP THAT HAS MASSES OF POWER.

I PLAY ALLSORTS OF GUITARS DEAN RAZORBACKS,IBANEZ RG,LES PAULS ECT.I FIRST NOTICED HOW GOOD THESE PICKUPS WERE WHEN I HAD A GO ON MY MATES FLYING V.

THIS SOUND IS MASSIVE ITS AS LOUD AS AN ACTIVE,I PUT THESE IN MY EPIPHONE LES PAUL TO BEEF IT UP AND IT NOW SOUNDS BIGGER THAN MY RAZORBACK WHICH HAS A DUNCAN IN IT,IT SOUNDS BIGGER THAN THE BARE KNUCKLE PAINKILLERS TOO.IT HAS THE BIGGEST GROWLING SUSTAIN YOU COULD EVER HOPE FOR AND THE PUNCH WHEN PALM MUTING IS MINDBLOWING.IF YOU HAVE GOOD GEAR AND PLAY HEAVEY DISTORTED RIFFS THIS IS THE ONLY PICKUP TO USE(PASSIVE).ITS DEFINED AND VERY POWERFUL.I HAVE ALOT OF AWESOME GUITARS WITH EXPENSIVE PICKUPS AND THIS SOUNDS THE BEST EASY,THE ONLY DRAW BACK IS IT ISNT SPACED FOR A FLOYD OR THIS WOULD BE IN ALL MY GUITARS AND THERE ISNT ONE AVAILABLE FOR FLOYDS EITHER.

THIS DESERVES A 10 ITS GREAT THE ONLY DRAW BACK IS ITS VERY RESPONSIVE AND SUCKS EVERY NOISE FROM YOUR STRINGS SO PRECISE PLAYING IS NEEDED,ALSO PINCHED HARMONICS CAN BE A STRUGGLE MAINLEY DUE TO THE HUG MID RANGE BASS EQ.I LOVE SQUELING SO IF THE SQUELS AERNT QUITE AS PERFECT AND THE REST OF MY TONE IS MONSTEROUS ILL EASILY PUT UP WITH IT.WACK UP THE GAIN AND OUT PUNCH EMG 81S!IF YOU PLAY WOOFTER MUSIC DONT BUY A CERAMIC PICKUP IN THE FIRST PLACE LET ALONE A 500T.

Passive ceramic humbucking pickup, I don`t know what the ouput is on this but I can say that it is high and hot. Too hot!

I bought a 1997 Gibson SG Special and someone had put these pickups in it.

This is just pure sh*t!!!! It has way to much high end, and I mean way to much. It has little to no low end what so ever and the mids leave much to be desired. The pickup is shrill, cold and harsh, and it has absolutely no warm or ballsy properties with it what so ever. Maybe, just maybe, it could suit someone else's style or fit in with there tone but not me, I hate it! I even tried my buddy's Les Paul Classic, which came stock with it, and the verdict was the same. He got rid of them and put in a set of Burstbucker's and I am putting in a 498T and a 490R, I think that they are just better sounding pickups and are far more versatile.

Like I stated earlier, I tried it in 2 different guitars and I came up with the same verdict on both trials. I HATED IT!!! They are just not the right pickup for me, but maybe someone else. But, you have to understand how limited it really is that it has no versatility, just hard rock or metal.

Ceramic magnet. Very hot and high output HB.

Stratocaster, Alder body, rosewood fingerboard, Fender original vintage tremolo bridge, 250K pots

Hotter than the JB. Bass is ok, mids scooped a little -but ok, highs are problematic- piercing, thin and too sharp even used with 250K pots. High e and b strings sounded too thin for lead work. It has a serious microphonic-noise problem in high gain application. Tends to sound mushy in high gain situations. It is not so bad, just not transparent, sweet and quite like JB.
500T is pickup for low to medium gain applications-ac/dc, zeppelin, free, zz top. It is ok for rhythm guitar, but I did not like it for lead work. If more dist from the amp is desired or breakup is harder to get, this is a good choice to push the amp harder and make you tone more distorted.
I believe it sounds a little better with mahogany bodies, but I would go for JB for both alder and mahogany. My friend pulled it out from Flying V because it sounded muddy to him. I have JB in my strat where this Gibson was and I am very satisfied. JB is the best HB for strat and alder guitars. My friend went for EMG 81. EMG is great for Gibsons and it does not sound so sterile or artificial through Marshall JMP, for example. It is good not just for metal, but also for hard rock, lead work???500T is in the drover for the time being???waiting for another chance..

Gear: Alder Strat (250k pots), George L???s cables, MXR ZW44 OD, Customized Fender 2 channel 50watts Head, Engl VG412 cabinet with Vintage30 speakers.
I play Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Southern Rock, live with the band.
Wish it head more organic and tranpsarent tone, more mid-honk, less noise and feedback. Wish it were JB.

passive, although not in personality!

Comes stock as the bridge PU in the '98 Flying V that I recently bought. The neck PU is a 496R, I think.

Output level is high. VERY strong signal. I normally run it into an Orange Rockerverb 50 2x12 combo, sometimes kicking on a Fulltone OCD or Expandora, although they totally are unnecessary with this guitar and amp combo. Holy smokes! I'm not sure what some of the haters are talking about in some of the preceding reviews; I find this PU to be nicely balanced, albeit with an upper mid to treble emphasis. I play hard rock to blues to quiet ballads to country punk to whatever. I absolutely reject the notion that a PU can or cannot fit a certain style of music. Use appropriate technique, tweak the volume and tone on the guitar, mind your amp settings (make sure you have a DECENT amp in the first place), and you can do almost anything with any kind of PU. Shame on everyone who says the 500T is for metal only!

If the V was stolen, yes, I'd get another with the same PU pair in a heartbeat. I've been playing over 30 years, all types of guitars, all types of pickups and amps. It's pretty rare that I've come across a PU and style combination that just would NOT work, with possibly the exception of trying to do death metal with a cheap import single coil guitar. I'm apparently a lot more forgiving than some of the folks who have reviewed this PU...I love the surprises that different instruments and electronics can bring when you play around and use them with an open mind. I plugged the V straight into my Reverend Hellhound 1x12 combo and got the crispiest Albert King blues tone! A couple of tweaks to tone settings and running both PU's together got me respectable jazz and country sounds as well. It's all in the hands, people, not just the pickup. Happy explorations to all of you!

No pick up cover.

500T is stock standard in a '98 Gibson SG-Z.(model only run for 1 year. Google it for pictures. Mine's the "vomit green" one. I've never seen another one so I'm storing it and recently bought an Angus Young series SG...... see what is possible without a girlfriend!!!

Running through a Line 6 POD XT live I just thought...Yeah...just another HOT pickup. After lending the POD to my Bro-in-Law for recording, I had to go through my old boss super overdrive (SD-1)
What a difference!!!!! The "muddy" lows almost disappeared and a seemless match between mid's and hi's. It's too hot for clean tones but still does an OK job but if it's hard'n'fast rock'n'roll your after then get rid of your special effects,Keep your overdrive pedal
and discover the true sole of this pick up (or better still... Drive your amp really hard instead of using the pedal.... just don't forget to think about your neighbours)Great for AC/DC style but the Angus Young signature pickup will make you put your old school uniform on when you play. the 500T won't

If it was stolen/broken I'd definately keep my eye out for another one....but I wouldn't rush out and pay top dollar. I'd look for 2nd hand or cheap newies.(I've got a Gibson 498T bridge p/up in my toolbox which i got brand new REALLLLLY cheap just waiting for an Epiphone Les Paul... so I'll let you know how it sounds)
I've been playing for 18yrs.
OTHER GUITARS---Angus Young SG
50th anniversary Telecaster
Ibanez "S"series.... (boring "shredding"machine
with no character or sole)

This is a ceramic passive humbucking pickup with four conductor wires.

I replaced the stock bridge pickup in Epiphone Les Paul Custom with the Gibson 500T. I left the stock neck pickup in. I essentially wanted more distortion without muddiness, and the ability to series/parallel for classic rock tones with high gain.

This is a high-output pickup, part of the stipulation for most people to buy it. Although I tried it through a plethora of amps throughout its usage, I primarily used it with my own Marshall JCM800 2205 50W tube 2channel halfstack.

Before anyone buys this pickup, I beg them to please learn the difference between alnico and ceramic pickups. Don't be fooled by the claim that this pickup is for classic rock and don't buy it for the four conductor wires.

It's not that this pickup sounds bad. Gibson uses it in their Les Paul Classics and Explorers (have a listen to Weezer's fifth album Maladroit to get a feel for the sound), and if you like classic 80s (not 70s) rock then this might really work out for you. Anyone looking for that ACDC or Jimmy Page tone should go with a Seymour Duncan Custom 5 (SH-14) or 59, or even better a Gibson Burstbucker Pro.

For a while I thought this sounded really great, but then I compared it to higher end alnico pickups and realized I was really missing out.

The coil tap was almost indistinguishable as well. This pickup has one sound and one sound alone. Poor cleans with razor distortion. If you want 80s distortion without the active pickups, this is what you need. If you want classic rock get a Burstbucker Pro and feel better about yourself.

I give it a 3 because some people will love it and it will be perfect.

I eventually sold the guitar and pickup, and now I have a Fernandes Dragonfly Elite, Crate Class A amp (no more Marshall, although that was a GREAT amp), and a Fulltone GT500.

I wish I had put a Burstbucker Pro in the guitar instead, it would suited my needs a lot better. I've been playing 5 years and have an ear that is honed more to understand pickups and tonewoods so given the chance to do it over again I would have never considered ceramic.

I just write because want everybody know that the best sounding guitar ever is my '95 plus Fender Stratocaster with a Gibson 500T lol

For bridge, of course. Not well balanced with a PRS, so a '59 or a Jazz is the best.
I prefer the Jazz, but have the '59...

Sounds perfect. Metal, rock, blues... Just turn the volume up and down to request the signal u need!

I will try to put these pickups in all my guitar, if I can.
Difficult to make in a YJM strat. My '79 SG has '70s DiMarzios to get the vibe.
Soloist: you are going to be next!!! lol

Humbucker passive

Impedance 14.5K

I istalled it on a Chinese Epiphone SG 400, replacing the crap bridge pickup, and leaved the neck with the stock just to fill the hole.

The output level is monstruous, this pickup is hotter as hell and a tricky horse. It tries to stablish complete domain over everything in the studio.

The tone is sometimes bassy, sometimes extremelly trebly. The highs are well defined but the basses are muddy, specially playing flat E and A (if this pickup was really made for metalheads they would have a real problem using it).

On the other side it is an artificial harmonics machine, very easy to obtain them.

For my style the pickup wasn??t good. I play blues, punked blues, old school hardcore, 70??s punk, garage and and alernative. Even for the noisier side of my sound I felt the 500T too hot (I don??t need tons of output to make good NOISE).

With vintage effects it really doesn??t work. If you are used to old fuzzes/fuzz control with guitar volume, forget about this pickup. It love modern effects, and maybe the best for it are the digital ones.

If you play hardcore I recommend something less metal like, as the 498 Gibson series.

Ok, the 500T is very good to cranck up an amp.

If it were stollen I would cry for the bucks that I won??t make ebaying it.

I play since 1984, thrash metal in the 80??s, punk rock and hard core from the 80??s to the 90??s, punk, alternative and blues in the 2000s.

I think that even if I played metal today I wouldn??t like this strange pup.

I changed it for a 490T on the bridge and ok, thats what I wanted.

Humbucker,Passive, specs are on Gibson's Website.

Installed in a 70's Les Paul Deluxe. Bridge Position. Replaced old DiMarzios from the 70's. Also had the 490 R installed in the neck position.I heard Jimmy Page used this pickup. I never liked the sound of the old DiMarzios through the Marshall TSL 122. I checked out the soundbytes on the Gibson website, and thought these pickups would be a good choice for the Les Paul.

Hot, nasty, high output, good for screaming solos. I cut back on the Volume and Tone knobs on the Guitar, and crank it up come solo time. I use a Marshall TSL 122 100 Watt Combo Amp. This amp and the Gibson pickups are an excellent combination. I use a Snarling Dogs Wah Wah,a Boss Chorus, and an Ibanez Delay. I think the tone is rather well balanced especially for what I play. I play Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Mountain, etc. This pickup with my amp is an EXCELLENT match for this type of music. This pickup is good for slide guitar also.

I would DEFINITELY get this pickup again. I'm 50 and I've been playing for many years. I also play a Gibson Les Paul Jr. with Seymour Duncans, and an Epiphone Dot 335 Copy stock. I'm very satisfied with this pickup, there's nothing I don't like about it. With all the stuff out there, it's nice when take a chance making a modification, and you're happy with it. I would suggest getting it installed by a reliable Tech. like I did. I brought the guitar home and it was set up fantastic, perfectly balanced.

Humbucking w/ coil taps

Installed in a Ibanez S470 in the bridge position. 1st I replaced the stock P/u w/ a Gibson 498T and loved it. For some damn reason, I thought I'd want this new pickup......

Comparing the 500T to the 498T I had is just no fair to the 500T. I didn't like the tone nor the gain on it. While it is a "hot" pickup, it almost sounded like a copy of a Super Distortion. No doubt the 500T is gonna sound great with "dropped nu metal", but I play 80's rock and the 498T is FAR superior in tone for me.

Others will disagree, but for my money, the 498T is a fuller sound without the tinny highs of the 500T. It's coming out of my guitar tomorrow and going back. Long live the 498T!

Humbucking pu. Passive. High output. Awesome!

This pickup came stock on my gibson les paul classic, in the bridge position, which is one of the reasons i bought this model of paul.
It has a 496r in the neck
Jimmy page

The output on this pickup is HOT! One of the hottest pickups i've heard. I run it through an analogman moded tube screamer (awesome overdrive!), a damage control solid metal pedal, boss dd-5 delay, boss compressor, and a visual sound chorus w/ echo, into a mesa boogie nomad 45 two 12 combo amp w/ celestion vintage 30's.

The tone on this pickup is not thin at all, it is huge. Plenty of bass and highs with just the right amount of mids for me. I play classic to modern rock to punk with this pickup and it serves me very well. Definetly a rockin pu, and if I want to cut through the mix a little more I just turn up the mids on my eq a little bit.

If it were lost or stolen I would definitely buy a new les paul classic with this pickup in it the next day. It has such a huge sound and the tone is awesome when paired with my mesa boogie combo. I've been playing for about 13 years and own a few other electrics: Fender strat, gibson les paul jr., Gretsch hollowbody, and for classic to modern rock to metal to punk, this is the pickup for it.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone ES 335
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: 496R In Neck (the sister pickup)
Artists using this pickup: anyone who is awesome
You musical style(s): garage rock, classic rock, and blues (w/ or w/o slide)
Reason for pickup change: wanted a good sound, more umph, more

Perceived output level: enormous, if you want to end a show w/ feedback...look no further. But seriously, fantastic
Tone: My amp is pretty flexible (vfx5212 tube amp) and really really lets you do anything. This isn't a 'play nice' type pickup...if you like rough hardass dirty blues, or iggy pop style garage, or straight up led zeppelin, this is what you want. "smooth jazz" need not apply
Sonic evaluation: Again, using a VFX5212 (crate); 50 watt tube, 2 celestion 12" speakers
pedal chain: wah-->dd-5 delay-->cool cat chorus-->ds-1 distortion-->digitech overdrive pedal.
this is the key. put the ds-1 BEFORE the overdrive (weird, i know). It adds this ridiculous crunch that is amazing. its not a hollow distortion or a "tinny" bullshit sound...this is like a resonating rock machine. great for those frantic garage rock chords or for some nasty slide action.
note: in G tuning this thing is unreal...
This is made even weirder by the fact that these pickups are in a hollow body. its weird, the guitar looks to 'church' to make shuch awesome sounds.

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

Comments: this pickup is unreal
throw it through any good tube amp and you are locked and loaded

Pickup features: Ceramic Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 16k

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Emporer II Joe Pass
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Kent Armstrong OEM PAF
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jazz, Rock, Blues, et al.
Reason for pickup change: Muddy sound.

Perceived output level: Too Damn Hot!
Tone: Overpowering
Sonic evaluation: Great on its own, but "QUACKS" when blended with the neck pick up. I had posted previously than I had the 500T in the neck position. Well, too much treble. This pick up does not play well with others. A solid body Hard Rock guitar is where it belongs.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Anytime you want to stick out and dominate, use the 500T.

Comments: Good, but not very versitle.

Pickup features: Humbucking Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Emporer II Joe Pass
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: Epiphone
Artists using this pickup: Many
You musical style(s): Jazz, Blues, Rock & Classical
Reason for pickup change: Dull muddy stock pickup

Perceived output level: Hot & Punchy
Tone: Bassy & Trebly
Sonic evaluation: Roland Jazz Chorus 120 & Behringer GX110

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly Jazz, Blues & Rockabilly. This pickup works well with them all.

Comments: I have been playing for 28 years. I use this pickup in the neck position and it provides me with brilliant highs, punchy mid tones and plenty of bass. I use flat wound strings that sounded very dull with the stock Epi pickup...... Not any more!!!!!!

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 10 K, or something... Ceramic magnet

Model of guitar or bass: 2003 Tokai Love Rock (lefty)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Tokai Stock bridge pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Stock neck pickup
Artists using this pickup: dunno... Page?
You musical style(s): Classic/Hard Rock (Thin Lizzy, The Darkness, etc. Songs with solos anyway...)
Reason for pickup change: Stock sounded nice, in a sort of classic PAF sort of way.
But it was too weak. I had to struggle with it just to get some pinch harmonics out of it. I had the 500 in another guitar (my Van Halen-mod for a Epiphone-strat with worn frets) which I was about to retire anyway... A friend of mine helped me out with the work.

Perceived output level: So hot you can almost sing through it. (Didn't try that yet, but I'd bet you could)
Tone: Just right for me. A bit on the midrangey side for some, but that's what the EQ's for.
Sonic evaluation: At home, a 1998 Marshall Valvestate 15W. Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak"-sounds jumpin' right out of the speaker. My friends couldn't tell the difference. ("I can't believe it's you!"-sort of phrase)
At the band's practice room, a Marshall MG100CDR head, coupled with a Behringer 412S cab. (I'm not favoring solidstate heads, mind you, I just have a tight budget.) Listening to the sound coming out, personally I thought it was close to Van Halen's first album, or "Fair Warning"-album. I just had to back off ont the gain a bit... It was overkill for me.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I try to play all kinds of music: Jazz to rock to reggae. This pickup isn't that kind for clean sounds, but that's what the volume knob and the neck pickup is there for

Comments: I'm lovin' this pickup. Wouldn't change it for the world.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson 67 V re-issue
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: 496R
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Hard rock-metal
Reason for pickup change: Didnt have a good resonance for the V

Perceived output level: Probably Gibsons second loudest pickup(original dirty fingers are #1)
Tone: definite crunch
Sonic evaluation: The 500T came stock in a 67 V re-issue (mahogany body and ebony fingerboard. I use marshall and peavy tube amps. It sounded dark and crunchy . It really didnt complimemt the V's natural tone very well(leads just got lost )So I put a duncan JB in and it helped the V out a lot(not perfect but better).The 500 laid around for a couple months and I decided to try it in a 1977 Gibson RD . The RD is a total different tone than the V(rosewood fingerboard ,maple neck-body, and 300k pots came stock). WHAT A DIFFERENCE!It was the best passive pu I
ever had in that RD (and I had tried them all).Since the rd sounded very simular to a lp on its own, I must say I think the 500T was developed for a maple top lp and is an afterthought for the other Gibson models! The reason some owners of newer LP's dont care for this pickup may be that they have 500k pots and not 300k pots like the RD has (Gibson used to put 300K pots in a lot of guitars back in the 60's and 70's).The different pots tame some of that nastinest and are a lot cheaper than buying a duncan custom custom.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is basically a bridge pu but you need it in a maple top axe or youll get buried in the mix.

Comments: If used in the right apllication I give it a 9.As it comes stock in a V I give it a 6.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic (black)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Non-working 500T
Other pickups on guitar: 498T
Artists using this pickup: Jimmy Page
You musical style(s): Goth+Industrial, metal, 70s' rock, indie
Reason for pickup change: Replace defective pickup

Perceived output level: High output
Tone: trebly & loud like a Duncan Distortion, tight crunchy sound
Sonic evaluation: The Gibson Les Paul Classic comes standard with the 500T.Tone falls somwhere between a Duncan JB and a Duncan Distortion, but with more grittiness in the midrange. This pickup can easily be used for metal. The midrange grittiness is a quality you may or may not like, but it never goes away. It's there even on clean settings. This pickup is standard on the Jimmy Page model Les Paul. I can't imagine why he would use this pickup, it's too metal for his style. If you play metal and aggressive rock & roll this is a very good choice. Real high output with a distinctive Gibson PAF sound, and a slightly scooped EQ curve.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This a good pickup for the goth+industrial style I play with the band I'm in, The God Project. For 70s' rock and indie rock you'll seriously need to back off your treble and overdrive settings.

Comments: If this pickup died I would replace it with the same thing. I like my Les Paul Classic and would prefer to keep it as stock as possible. If I bought a used Les Paul with some cruddy aftermarket puckups like "Dimarzio super distortions" or whatever, I would like to try the Gibson Burstbuckers for a more traditional vintage rock&roll sound. In any case, you can't go wrong with Gibson brand p-ups in a Gibson guitar.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: not sure...

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epi garbage
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Epi garbage
Artists using this pickup: errr....
You musical style(s): Rock/Blues/Metal/etc.
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups were junk

Perceived output level: way hotter than stock, not quite as hot as an active
Tone: Pretty well balanced
Sonic evaluation: I put this pickup in the bridge of my brand new Epi Les Paul standard, and play through a digitech RP200 running into my Fender M-80. The M-80 is a solid state paperweight, although not as bad as some that I've played through... and the RP200 sucks for any kind of clean sound - it will KILL your sustain, no matter HOW great your guitar/pickup/amp is. This pickup, however, even sounds great through this pile of garbage. I originally played this pickup in (I believe) a '57 reissue with a 496R in the neck through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier head and a 4x12 cab at a music store, and the sound was apocalyptic. Harmonics abound, so hot it'll sear your skin off, and a bone-shattering crunch. I was looking for a pickup that was capable of performing a range of tasks - my stock pickups were horrible, with no definition and very muddy. I hooked up this pickup and I was astonished! Playing on a clean channel I went from nasty sounding chords with no mids (stock) to clear-ringing, beautifully sustaining sounds (500T). Playing it dirty (the way I like it) it can bite, growl, scream and crunch. I tried it through a range of settings and could get all kinds of sounds out of it, from an Angus-esque crunch to a steel-shredding Wyldeness. Even through my junk rig, harmonics and sustain are awesome, which is why I wanted a Paul in the first place (wish I could have afforded a Gibson). Playing the stock neck pickup and this combined, it surprisingly sounded pretty darned good... though the neck pickup alone still sounds like junk. This pickup really woke my cheapo Epiphone up!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think this pickup is very versatile, good for rock, blues, metal - covers all my bases!

Comments: If this pickup were to somehow meet an ill fate, I would probably replace it - this guitar is my versatility guitar, and I feel this pickup meets that task well. I AM dying to try out an EMG-81/85 combo tho... planning on those for a goth Paul when I get the cash!

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 2002 Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: 496r
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): light finger picking to heavy n fast
Reason for pickup change: Looking to replace it

Perceived output level: Hot, loud. Easy to distort on a clean ss amp.
Tone: Overpowers everything. Way too trebly, too bassy.
Sonic evaluation: I am currently using a Randall rg75 with a Zinky 2x12 cab. Had a Fender Hot Rod Deville and Zinky MOFO that I played this through, but downsized to the solid state amp until I find the tube amp for me. Constantly use different effects or none at all. No matter what amp I play this guitar through, it sounds like poo. I have to roll the treble and bass back on the amps, the sound is too big, so much so that notes don't sound articulate. I play with the volume and tone knobs on the guitar rolled back to half. Sure, the sound is fat and powerful and distorts easy, but there is no singing tone, no definition, no magic. Just balls out, overload everything mud. The Les Paul has a beautiful acoustic sound, and I want to capture that accurately. If you know how to do that, please email me with your advice. Thanks.

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

Comments: Wouldn't buy this pickup. Might try it in my Carvin V220 for kicks. The overpowering boost in tone might be just what the all maple Carvin could use to give it a unique tone. Or kill it with way too much treble. Who knows. I've been playing for about 17 years? I really haven't liked this pickup no matter what I've tried. I hate that it overpowers the amp so much that the tone just turns to mud. Any recommendations for a les paul pickup combination that lets the tone come through, retains definition from clean to distorted with effects? Please let me know. Thanks. BTW - The neck pickup is crap, too.

Pickup features: black open coil passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ask gibby

Model of guitar or bass: esp ltd-100 flying V
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock duncan designed hb103b
Other pickups on guitar: same, but for rhythm (hb103)
Artists using this pickup: nomad
You musical style(s): nomad rock - see sepultura
Reason for pickup change: wanted something earth shattering.

Perceived output level: high output ceramic humbucker, on bar with the duncan custom or thereabouts.
Tone: hot, dark and sizzling. decent clean, malevolent distortion.
Sonic evaluation: flying v -> orange twin channel -> mesa 2x12 custom with eminence (patriot series).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this is a good metal guitar pickup.

Comments: heavy and dark, might have to roll down the bass a bit on your eq. it could be the tonal characteristics/sustain properties of this guitar, but i digress. a bit too muddy and dark, high end is clear but not singing enough. output level is ok. i would use this for rhythm primarily but as it does not bode well for guitar switching (in terms of eq) i will pry not keep this one. nice pickup, just not for me. i'm putting a JB model humbucker in my V like mustain has in his custom model. made the switch, the mids/highs and high output has done wonders to compensate for the V's sustain and depth.

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.