Burstbucker Vs 490 Pickup – Difference & Which is Better?

You are a musician and you don’t know about Gibson pickups that is just impossible. Among its various collection, why do people choose Burstbucker and 490 the most? You must be curious to learn more about them and their differences.

That’s why we have come up with a solid comparison between Burstbucker Vs 490 pickups. As these pickups come from the same brand, many people would mistake them for the same pickups. But things are totally different and they have plenty of dissimilarities.

The Primal Difference in Short –

You will find the primal difference between Burstbukcer and Gibson 490 pickup lies in their sound quality. Burstbucker pickups with their alnico 5 magnets provide a strongly warmer and creamier sound. On the other hand, even though 490 pickups produce crunchier sounds, they sound more brittle because of their less powerful alnico 2 magnetic feature.

Apart from this primal difference, you will notice other many differences which will put Burstbukcer pickups ahead of 490 pickups. The comparison table below will guide you in short.

Comparison Table:

What are 490 pickups and Burstbucker pickups?

Gibson 490 pickups are humbuckers originally. They come with exceptional tonal characteristics and this makes them very different than the other pickups of ordinary brands. Also, they have midrange and sound like a pure PAF.

Then again, Burstbucker pros, a type of Burstbucker pickups, are also humbucking pickups. They come from the same Gibson brand as 490 pickups. But they are originally better since Burstbucker Pros is featured with alnico 5 magnets.

Review of Gibson 490 Pickups & Burstbucker Pickups:

Gibson comes with amazing pickups and their business running because of the high quality of the pickups. But the individual structure of each pickup can vary. They are not all the same. Their individual review can express a lot about the differences between pickups like Burstbucker and 490 pickups.

Burstbucker Pickup – Brief Overview:

There are controversies about the sound quality of the Burstbucker pickup. But the true information is this pickup has the most gorgeous warmer sound. You will find several options to pick from Burstbucker pickups.

The Gibson provides Burstbucker Type 1, 2, 3, and Burstbucker Pros. However, people mostly look for Burstbucker Pros for their amazing versatility. You will get Burstbucker Pros for both neck and bridge positions. Besides, this particular Burstbucker pickup is famous for its alnico V magnetic feature.

This magnetic force allows the pickup to produce a strong and powerful sound which the other Burstbucker pickups like Type 1, 2, or 3 cannot. It is because the latter ones carry alnico II magnets. However, the sound of Burstbucker Pro pickups is crispy and crunchy, and it has a lot of treble emphases. Besides, the output of Burstbucker Pro is almost 8.3 which is higher than most of the other pickups.

Things We Liked about / Pros:

• They come with wide variations so you can pick as per your desire
• Offers Burstbucker Pros as the tremendous pickup for its alnico 5-based magnetic feature
• Produces a warmer, crispier, and crunchier sound to play different types of music
• The bridge pickup comes with impressive output and high gain to tackle any struggle while producing sound

Things We Didn’t Like About / Cons:

• Even though the output is high, compared to 498T pickups, the Burstbucker neck pickup seems quite low
• Highly pricy

Gibson 490 Pickups – Brief Overview:

These 490 pickups come with two different names because they are different in their position. You will see both 490R and 490T in the list while checking out Gibson 490 pickups. The former is for the neck position while the latter is for the bridge position.

Both 490R and 490T carry an alnico 2-based magnetic feature. You will like the clean and punchy sound of these pickups too. However, the polepieces of the 490T are significant for it has a great ability to control the string spacing of your guitar too.

These 490 pickups can bring variations in tones as well. It is because of their lower output ability. You will hear the vintage tone through this Gibson 490 pickup. For metal songs, 490R pickups are great, as they are crunchier in tone. But the 490T bridge pickup comes with a brighter sound and clean texture. In terms of output, 490T wins because it has more output than the other.

Pros / Things We Liked about:

• Comes with two significant variations – 490R and 490T for your convenience.
• You can get both neck position and bridge position pickups
• The bridge pickup comes with cleaner while the neck pickup comes with a warmer tone
• The bridge pickup comes with 8.1 output which is great

Cons / Things We Didn’t Like About:

• 490R neck pickup has low output – almost 7.4

Difference Between Burstbucker Vs 490 Pickup:

The individual reviews of both Burstbucker and 490 pickups say a lot of things. You can tell by the review that there are differences because both pickups come with variations. Also, because both pickups offer neck and bridge pickups within their variations, the dissimilarities become evident.

a) Sound Quality –

Pickups are all about sounds and how they are efficient to produce. As not all pickups provide the same tone, the same thing happens with Burstbucker and 490 pickups. The Burstbucker comes with a warmer and crunchier tone. Burstbucker pickups for metal are the prettiest.

On the other hand, 490 pickups are also supposed to produce almost the same type of tone. But they are less warm and less crunchy than the Burstbucker ones. Also, you can feel brittle in the sound too.

b) Variations –

This is the best part about both Burstbucker and 490 pickups. They both offer neck and bridge pickups. While Burskbucker has variations like Bustbucker Type 1, 2, 3, and Burstbucker Pros, 490 has 490R and 490T.

So, Burstbucker clearly offers more variations. Regarding their variations, their other features vary a lot from each other.

c) Output –

It differs regarding neck pickups and bridge pickups of both Burstbucker and 490 pickups. We already assume Burstbucker Pros bridge pickup has the most output. But when we see them from the perspective of Gibson 490R and 490T pickups specs, we will find that the 490R and Burstbucker Pro Neck pickups have almost the same output – 7.4.

d) Magnetic Feature –

This is the most important feature and Burstbucker Vs 490 differ from each other in this case. We already know that alnico 5 has a greater magnetic field than alnico 2. And Burstbucker Pros pickups come with the strongest alnico 5-based magnetic feature.

So, it has more control over the steel-made strings of your electric guitar. But the other variation of Burstbucker which is Type 1, 2, and 3 comes with an alnico 2-based magnetic feature. Similarly, both 490T and 490R come with an alnico 2-based magnetic feature. So, they are less powerful and have less control over the strings than Burstbucker Pros.

e) Price –

You could easily tell that Burstbucker comes with the highest price range than 490 pickups. You have to pay 30 or 40 USD extra for Burstbucker pickups because they come with an alnico 5-based magnetic feature.

So, which Guitar Pickup is Better?

Even though Burstbucker pickups have almost all the positive signs and they work just fine for heavy metal and hard rock music, they are highly pricy. So, thinking of that downside, you can adjust your electric guitar with 490 pickups.

Besides, both 490 neck and bridge pickups are alterable. So, you can get twisted tones out of the pickups. Also, 490 pickups are totally worth it since they are cost-effective and come with immense versatility.

FAQs –

Question-1: Are Burstbucker pickups any good?

Answer: Burstbucker pickups are Gibson’s best-ever creations. These pickups have varieties, versatilities, and high output. You can play your favorite metal music using the extraordinary Burstbucker Pro neck or bridge pickup.

Question-2: Are Burstbucker Pros 4 conductors?

Answer: Burstbucker Pros pickups have 4 conductor leads. They work for phase wiring and are mostly coil-split. This feature enhances the feature of the pickups to a great extent.

Question-3: What are 490 humbuckers?

Answer: 490 humbuckers are pure pickups with some slight changes. They are a little different from ordinary humbuckers in the sense that they come with a modern edge. This feature brings a great change to the sound quality. You will get a distinctively contemporary vibe in the tone from the 490 humbuckers. on the other hand, the Burstbucker pickup comes with an alnico V magnetic feature.

Last Updated on January 16, 2023 by Perry Garner