Top Wrapping Gibsons

[gball]

I netted a massive difference in tone by altering pole pieces. It also showed up on the VU meter with perfect string to string volumes.

All my humbuckers are 4/64ths from the strings when fretted at the last fret.

It can't be too slinky for me. Several of my solos have repeated step and a half bends and now I'm running 16/11/8 on the g/b/e.

I couldn't begin to tell you the distance of the strings from the pickups - I just turn the screws until they sound right to me. My guess is the height is pretty different on my different guitars because of the differing output of the pickups.

I was seriously overshooting my bends when I first switched to the 9's. Just that little bit of tightenting up the feel and taking some time to get used to the slightly lower tension of the strings has done the trick though: I honestly wish I had made this change from 10's to 9's long ago: they sound better, the low end is tighter, and I am ripping my fingertips up a lot less.

 

[Cadorman]

I know our ears are all different, but for me that G string really sticks out if I don't adjust them. I much prefer when it nestles down and almost disappears. It's a thing of beauty if you think about it.

 

[Inspector #20]

I know our ears are all different, but for me that G string really sticks out if I don't adjust them. I much prefer when it nestles down and almost disappears. It's a thing of beauty if you think about it.

Exactly!@@!@!

 

[Inspector #20]

I couldn't begin to tell you the distance of the strings from the pickups - I just turn the screws until they sound right to me. My guess is the height is pretty different on my different guitars because of the differing output of the pickups.

I was seriously overshooting my bends when I first switched to the 9's. Just that little bit of tightenting up the feel and taking some time to get used to the slightly lower tension of the strings has done the trick though: I honestly wish I had made this change from 10's to 9's long ago: they sound better, the low end is tighter, and I am ripping my fingertips up a lot less.

I'm gonna go .046/.036/.026/.016/.011/.008 on all my guitars. (This is basically what Yngwie has been doing for over 20 years with a hybrid set)

After 2 (3) hour sets, the change and the reduction in torn up fingertips makes it well worth it...

Here's a pic - two (3) hour sets with .017/.013/.009 g/b/e



Two (3) hour sets with .016/.011/.008 g/b/e:

 

[Inspector #20]

I couldn't begin to tell you the distance of the strings from the pickups - I just turn the screws until they sound right to me. My guess is the height is pretty different on my different guitars because of the differing output of the pickups.

I was seriously overshooting my bends when I first switched to the 9's. Just that little bit of tightenting up the feel and taking some time to get used to the slightly lower tension of the strings has done the trick though: I honestly wish I had made this change from 10's to 9's long ago: they sound better, the low end is tighter, and I am ripping my fingertips up a lot less.

I tried a lot of different pickup heights, but in all honesty, it just doesn't start to sound good until about 4/64's, so I have adopted that spec.

Gibson's written spec for post 1970 guitars is 3/64" bridge and 4/64" neck, according to Gibson's Nicolas Chemsak.

 

[Cadorman]

I don't really measure overall pickup height. I get them where I think they sound good and then play some notes in the upper fret area. If they are too high I get weird overtones. I lower until they go away.

 

[Inspector #20]

I don't really measure overall pickup height. I get them where I think they sound good and then play some notes in the upper fret area. If they are too high I get weird overtones. I lower until they go away.

Only Stratocaster's give me strange overtones. Never had an issue with a humbucker.

Thesecustom, bar magnet single coils can be mounted right under the strings with zero anomalies.

 

[Cadorman]

Only Stratocaster's give me strange overtones. Never had an issue with a humbucker.

Thesecustom, bar magnet single coils can be mounted right under the strings with zero anomalies.

View attachment 66111

Only seems to happen in the extreme upper range on the high strings. Not sure what causes it, but backing off the height just a tad fixes it. I'm pretty much only ever using Alnico2 magnets which aren't crazy strong.

 

[gball]

I don't really measure overall pickup height. I get them where I think they sound good and then play some notes in the upper fret area. If they are too high I get weird overtones. I lower until they go away.

That's how I do it and sometimes the tiniest turn of the screw makes all the difference. For me its the overtones and also muddy wound strings on the neck pickup if they are too high.

 

[Inspector #20]

Only seems to happen in the extreme upper range on the high strings. Not sure what causes it, but backing off the height just a tad fixes it. I'm pretty much only ever using Alnico2 magnets which aren't crazy strong.

It's magnetic pull, called a Wolftone. It pulls on the string and disrupts the natural vibration, causing an audible oscillation. Stratocasters are notorious for this anomaly...

Many people mistake it for incorrect intonation.

 

[Inspector #20]

That's how I do it and sometimes the tiniest turn of the screw makes all the difference. For me its the overtones and also muddy wound strings on the neck pickup if they are too high.

On my guitars, the higher i go, the brighter and more clarity I get.

If I drop them, the output drops and they get muddy sounding.

On my Les Paul's I only use one pickup - the Epiphone version of the Gibson 498T/496R - known by Epiphone # as H8BN/H6BN.

After trying Virgil Arlo's, Thro-Baks, Seymour Duncan, Carvin, and Gibson's, I settled on the Epiphone based on the tip from Nicolas Chemsak.

Here's the specs on the Gibson 498T/496R:
Gibson 498T........................(Alnico5)..........................12.3 to 13.5kΩ
Gibson 496R........................(Ceramic)...........................8.3 to 8.6kΩ

And here are the specs on my favorite Epipphone pickups:
Epiphone HOTH8B...................(Ceramic8).........................13.14 to 14.4kΩ
Epiphone HB6N.........................(Alnico5)...............................8.12 to 8.60kΩ

Anything less than this and I want to throw the guitar away. It's just weak and dead sounding, even the revered Gibson T Top was muddy to my ears. Now, for some, that low output tone is golden, and that's cool, but it doesn't "happen" for me under about 14k, and I've spent a fortune learning this lesson.

Now, DiMarzio built me my custom humbucker that we called The Neanderthal. It is 16.5k Alnico 9 with 53mm spacing and nickel-silver baseplate.

It's almost a sonic match for an EMG81TW, but with greater clarity and articulation.

Look at this photo - the left waveform is EMG81TW and the right waveform (after the break) is the DiMarzio Neanderthal.



I had a 2015 Gibson Les Paul 50's Tribute with a 498T/496R and the Epiphone H8BN/H6BN sounds identical.

@Mitch Pearrow SJMP was at Primo studios in Riverside and heard me switch from Gibson to Epiphone pickups and he couldn't tell a difference, neither could my bandmates.

Since then, I've installed a bunch of these Epiphones for people who wanted an alternative to the 498T/496R with great results.

 

[Inspector #20]

@gball - Here's a side note...

My Gibson 498T/496R were noisy. Not bad, but noticeable. The Epiphones are dead quiet.

I have a set of Epiphone's I bought from The Stratosphere on ebay that have Gibson USA baseplates and the Eliphone H8BN/H6BN decals.

 

[Inspector #20]

Here's my video detailing some of the noise anomalies I encountered with my real Gibson's, dating back to 2017:

Gibson Pickup Noise Anomalies:

Ok, Many of you will recall the constant buzzing I encountered in my 2016 Gibson SG that got worse if you touched the pickups. This noise anomaly remained through 3 sets of Gibson pickups - two pairs of 490R/490T and a set of brand new Gibson '57 Classics. No matter what I changed, amplifiers...

www.thetonerooms.com

 

[Cadorman]

Interestingly, I sold the 496R and 500T high output ceramics from my Les Paul Classic. I used them for 15 years and could never bond with them. Been running all lower output since then and am much happier.

 

[gball]

@gball - Here's a side note...

My Gibson 498T/496R were noisy. Not bad, but noticeable. The Epiphones are dead quiet.

I have a set of Epiphone's I bought from The Stratosphere on ebay that have Gibson USA baseplates and the Eliphone H8BN/H6BN decals.

I've never had any noise problem with Gibson pickups. There are some that I don't like that much: the high-output alnico models. I am a big fan of the low-output alnicos and ceramics though.

 

[Inspector #20]

Interestingly, I sold the 496R and 500T high output ceramics from my Les Paul Classic. I used them for 15 years and could never bond with them. Been running all lower output since then and am much happier.

I've never used the 500T. But it's probably pretty hot. I need out plus clarity, and it's not easy to find.

I have tried a few 7.8k to 9k Gibson humbuckers at one point. It was so weak that a good Stratocaster single coil had more output.

Another huge disappointment was the Seymour Duncan Slash APH-2 with specs of Neck: 7.92 k; Bridge: 8.53 k.

Don't even get me started on the $1,500 dropped on Thro-Baks that I ended up giving away.

 

[Inspector #20]

I've never had any noise problem with Gibson pickups. There are some that I don't like that much: the high-output alnico models. I am a big fan of the low-output alnicos and ceramics though.

I wish I had your luck!

As I am sure you know, 3 of my new Gibson's acted the same way (noise, picking up radio stations and two-way radio traffic) and were sent back to Gibson through the artist relations program. I was later notified that all three had shorted pickups, even though they were bought at different times from different suppliers.

Talk about bad luck.

I bought 5 new Gibson's (2 SG's and 3 Les Pauls) between 2015 and 2017 and I had electronic issues, humped fretboards, too steep a neck angle on an SG, loose frets and incorrectly placed frets on them.

I ended up trading @eSGEe a 2016 Gibson SG for a Chibson Slash Les Paul that had spot-on fret placement, scale length and neck angle.

It's one of my main stage guitars...

Now here's the interesting part. That SG has been though several owners who can't stand it. It's had several sets of pickups in it and I put a $100.00 Tone Man harness in it and even tried Gibson Wildwood's and Virgil Arlos in it to no avail.

I guess some guitars just can't be saved???

 

[gball]

I've never used the 500T. But it's probably pretty hot. I need out plus clarity, and it's not easy to find.

I have tried a few 7.8k to 9k Gibson humbuckers at one point. It was so weak that a good Stratocaster single coil had more output.

Another huge disappointment was the Seymour Duncan Slash APH-2 with specs of Neck: 7.92 k; Bridge: 8.53 k.

Don't even get me started on the $1,500 dropped on Thro-Baks that I ended up giving away.

You need a Dirty Fingers. They are the loudest, clearest, maybe most dynamic pickups I've ever used. They have extremely high output and will push a high-gain amp right over the edge but retain total clarity. Not sure what they special sauce is but they are not like other super high-output pickups designed in that era like Super Distortions and Duncan Distortions in that they don't sound hairy on their own and can clean up beautifully when you want them to.

That all being said I kind of prefer vintage-output pickups these days. My amps all have unnecessary amounts of gain available and I don't need a pickup to slam them, so I have been sticking with the more mellow tones of the old-school pickups.

 

[eSGEe]

I cant find a TOp Rapper named Gibson .....................................

 

[Inspector #20]

You need a Dirty Fingers. They are the loudest, clearest, maybe most dynamic pickups I've ever used. They have extremely high output and will push a high-gain amp right over the edge but retain total clarity. Not sure what they special sauce is but they are not like other super high-output pickups designed in that era like Super Distortions and Duncan Distortions in that they don't sound hairy on their own and can clean up beautifully when you want them to.

That all being said I kind of prefer vintage-output pickups these days. My amps all have unnecessary amounts of gain available and I don't need a pickup to slam them, so I have been sticking with the more mellow tones of the old-school pickups.

You mentioned these before. I considered them, but once I found the Epiphone H8BN/H6BN, I quit messing with them, but I believe your description of them!!!!!