-
Hi everyone!
About a year ago, I bought a 1989 Mahogany ES-175 relatively cheaply. It's my first hollow body, so I don't have much experience with them. I had only briefly tried a few before. I immediately noticed that it sounded.... different compared to my other guitars (I mainly play semi-hollows), even with the same strings (flatwounds, 12s).
I haven’t played it very much, but recently I’ve been thinking about giving it a real chance.
I’ve always found the treble to be harsh and the tone somewhat thin, which I initially thought was normal compared to more modern ES-335s. Not at all as warm and mellow as I would have thought.
The tone feels more acceptable when the tone control is rolled down to around 2(!) and the pickups are set lower than on any other guitar I’ve owned.
When I later examined the pickups more closely, I noticed that the previous owner had likely modified them (judging by the sloppy soldering). I believe the former owner played rockabilly, but I’m not entirely sure.
I recently bought a multimeter, which might have confirmed my suspicions, as the neck pickup measures 7.29 OHMS, which from what I’ve read, should be too low for a standard pickup for this model. I’ve never really cared much about electronics, and of course, I should have checked this earlier. Is it possible that this could be original pickups, considering the ohm reading and the soldering?
I’m now planning to replace the pickups, and I’m leaning towards Gibson ’57 Classics, but I wanted to ask you for some input first.
-
04-27-2025 09:07 AM
-
Classic 57’s are an excellent choice.
-
The pickup in the picture looks like a very early classic '57 pickup or a Tim Shaw, in any case a Gibson pickup.
For the DC resistance, I think you measured 7.29 kOhms, not Ohms, which is ok for a neck pickup.
One of the solder joint looks original, the other might be a factory flaw.Last edited by bluenote61; 04-27-2025 at 04:42 PM.
-
That’s probably a 490R, I think.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I like the 490r and 490t
Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
-
That’s the patent number for a Gibson trapeze tailpiece. It was accidentally put on different Gibson humbuckers for several years (up to the early ‘90s, IIRC) and no one seems to know exactly why (or why they didn’t switch to the correct one when the error was identified).
I don’t see anything in the pic to suggest that this pickup was modified. The smeared solder is probably from slopping melted solder from the iron’s tip onto the pickup before the metal was heated enough to keep the solder melted and let it flow. This is operator error, and it’s probably original since there’s no sign that a previous solder application was ground, scraped, or wiped off.
If the pickup measures a consistent 7.29k, it’s probably fine. There may be a nonstock pot or tone cap in the guitar, which would affect tone. If the guitar seems otherwise fine, you could try wiring the pup directly to your amp’s input to make sure it works fine. From the picture, it looks like the pickup is pulled all the way up and out of the ring. But you say it’s very low in the guitar - did you tighten the suspension screws when removing it?
It certainly shouldn’t sound harsh and thin, especially with flats on it. Something’s off somewhere between the hardware and your expectations. You may have to go completely through the guitar to find the problem. If you have another pickup you can swap in as a test, it’d be a quick diagnostic. I would not buy a new pickup before making sure everything else is fine.
-
The 490R has usually no Pat.No. stamped on. Also, the DCR of a 490R is approx. 8k and not 7.3k as measured by OP.
-
First, put on a fresh set of strings and try adjusting the overall pickup height and the pole-screws. Start with a basic pole-screw adjustment, shown here high-e on the left to low-e on the right: Originally Posted by Teltamoj
- - _
_ - _
Then adjust the overall pickup height. The closer you get the pickup to the strings the louder and fuller it should sound. Often you'll end up setting the high-string side a few turns closer than the low-string side.
Once you have the overall height dialled-in you can fine-tune the balance of the strings by tweaking the pole pieces.
This work is 100% free. You can't hurt the guitar or the pickup.
If you really, really can't get a good sound out of a 30-yo Gibson pickup with 12s then go ahead and start a pickup hunt.
All the best with your quest.
-
Fully agree Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
I own a 1988 ES175 with those pick ups, it really sounds like a charm with the appropriate height. I noticed those pick up were quite sensitive to distance with strings, spend some time on this & you will save a lot of money, those pick ups are excellent.
-
Then again, if you can't get a good sound out of a 175 with 12s and almost any of the Gibson humbuckers that came in them over the years, it might not be the right guitar for you. Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
-
The early ones 1989/1990 have the stamped patent no. baseplate and those large bobbin screws. 7.3 is on the low side for them, but not far out of typical spec, generally between 7.5 and 8.0. Do I know this is a 490 series pickup? No, but given the tight timeline of this guitar being a 1989 model and the appearance of that baseplate that would still be my best guess. Not much else makes sense. Originally Posted by bluenote61
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I have a T Top with a similar DCR but it has a Pat no sticker and slotted baseplate screws.
-
Congrats for having a great guitar! I have a blonde from 1984 and I love it.
A lot of good information and experience here already mentioned. All I can add is a notion that if they are (were?) Shaw pu’s, they are very low output.
And a question: a humbucker consists from too coils. They should be assembled in series. Could they be in opposite phase? Apparently from factory?
Before changing the pickups I encourage You you to check the pots and caps to.
And the pole screws. And the height.
good luck!
Reply With Quote
Kalamazoo award $17,000.00 pickup Rockford mi....
Today, 06:24 PM in Getting Started