les paul pickup question

[Elmo89m]

So ive came down to deciding which les paul to get and i cant make the decision between the vintage mahogany or the studio. money is not an issue, im in favor of the studio because of its maple top and nicer finish but the one thing i cant make my decision about is the fact that the vintge has burstbuckers and the studio has 490 and 498 pickups. If the latter are beter than the burstbuckers i will definitly get the studio but i just dont want to get the studio because it looks good when the vintage sounds better..what do you all think?

 

[Bassman Brad]

Different strokes for different folks, but most people (by far) consider the Burstbuckers to be Gibson's best pups.

Brad

 

[Bassman Brad]

Also be aware that the all-mahogany Pauls sound considerably mellower than the maple-top versions. You may or may not like this sound.

Brad

 

[Light]

PLAY THEM. Then use your own ear to make the decision.

And if money is really not an issue, then you can try some different pickups at a latter date. Like a SD Alnico II and some Pearly Gates (a great combination on a LP), or get some of Lindy Frailin's humbuckers, which are great. Gibson pickups are, on the whole, pretty boring these days.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Henri Devill]

Ditto what has been said.Also closely listen and play the guitars unpluged for their acoustic qualities ie;tone,sustain and volume ect. Good luck

 

[hiwatt357]

I really can't say anything that hasn't been said here already. Play both and see which one to which you gravitate. Personally, I like the 490R/498T combination, but I play loud, punk-ish type stuff. That's the pickup configuration that used to come in the Standards as well. I've not played a guitar with Burstbuckers, but from what I've heard, they're not as hot a the 490R/498T's.

The all-Mahogany body will certainly make a difference in tone as well, as was previously pointed out.

Just go play 'em both.