HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

[orpheo]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

is it me, or am I the only one who finds it difficult to fit the resoldered leads under or between the bobbins, but neatly enough for a cover to slip on without a hitch?

[DougGuy]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Stumbled on this thread not long ago, liked what I read, craigslisted a 59 and a custom 5, both bridge pups, and did the swap on both pickups, then A/B'ed them, along with an ebayed EVH Frankenstein pickup. Man, I'm nothing short of floored with the hybrid!

To begin with, I have owned a bunch of original PAFs over the years, and I was probably the guy who most influenced Lindy Fralin to begin winding his PAF versions back in the late 1980s. I went through a bunch of his prototypes, most of which sounded as good as the best PAFs, quite a few sounded better to me, because we were able to wind hotter, etc.. Suffice it to say that I got a pretty good ear for what I would call the "overwind" tone...

Enter the 59/Custom5 hybrid. Whoa! Holy sheeiat! The bottom is clear, yet fat and strong, but no mud whatsoever, and even after letting the chord decay, it retains it's string balance and character very well. The mids are somewhat scooped as you would expect from looking at the tone charts for the SH1 and the SH14, each having a 6-3-8 rating for bass, mids, treble. The highs this thing produces are stunning! This pickup reaches into a tonal dimension all it's own, I have never heard any single pickup that does the entire tonal range with so much balance and presence. I haven't tried all the big name boutique winds, but I have used a good number of them and nothing comes close IMHO.

Some examples of sounds that this pickup nails would be Billy Gibbons low end, EVH highs and harmonics, Mick Ralphs' solo on Bad Company's "Moving On" comes across very convincingly. Brad Whitford's creamy singing lead tone comes pretty close.

In the A/B of the hybrids, using the '59 slug coil on the Custom 5's baseplate, magnet, and screw coil, the overall output seemed a little stronger than the hybrid made from the 59's baseplate, magnet, screw coil, and Custom 5 slug coil. Although they both have Alnico V magnets, and ohm out at 11.45k and 11.39k respectively, there were slight differences.

Comparing them to the EVH Frankenstein pickup, ALL of these got a really good "brown sound" think You Really Got Me/Runnin' With The Devil, but the scooped mids, clearer fatter bottom and glorious highs of the hybrid kicked the Frankenstein's butt without question.

Thanks to the OP and all other posters, this is truly a remarkable pickup that I will make more of.

[skynyrd]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

I am really considering making a hybrid out of a PGb and a Custom,,screw coil of the PG and slug coil of the custom. I love the vintage PAF tone but would like hair more meat with the taters.

[BachToRock]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Hey DougGuy... are you originally from Philly?

Nice review...

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

how come this isn't a "sticky" any more? the hex screws look killer on that 59/custom
hybrid. what differences in tone do they make?

[BachToRock]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

The hex screws spread the magnetic field more broadly/evenly... makes it a little thicker sounding.

[marcello252]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

So I have a gfs crunchy pat, what gfs do you guys think would go good with that for a hybrid? I'm thinking a vintage 59

I did it, it worked

[Ed Hunter]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Glad to see read this thread "stickied" once again!
The original custom /59 hybrid(your mag of choice) is still one hell of a cool pup!

[DougGuy]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

After running around and finally finding my socks and putting them back on <snicker>LOL... from the first C5/59 A5 builds, I tried some unoriented A5 and wasn't at all impressed. Made another hybrid with an EVH Frankie/59N A2 and was equally not impressed, what the C5/59 A5 had over the Frankie in it's as-issued state, the EVH/59N hybrid lacked as well, not as definied and lacking any particular dynamics that reached out and grabbed ya, so I might put the EVH back together and fleabay it.

However.... removing the nickel plated slugs and pole screws and replacing them with non-plated 1215 alloy slugs and 1022 alloy non-plated pole screws, swapping in an A4 bar instead of an A5, and putting this assembled hybrid into a thin PAF style nickel silver cover worked vintage tonal nirvana wonders for the bridge position in a Lester, paired with an Antiquity neck.

I am getting a real nice set of Fillmore tones now out of this guitar, and using the volume and tone controls rolled down farther than I normally do produces some exquisite dynamics, very articulate and intimately sensitive to the picking attack, any smear, slide, double stop, chiming vibrato and chirp in fingering comes through very transparently in that it just sounds like the guitar does acoustically, but through a modded Peavey Delta Blues 2x10 it just sounds like a WAY HUGE Seth Lover.

If you are a PAF lover, this slightly off kilter A4 hybrid with non-plated poles/slugs offers a little more of the original holy grail tone, a super nice edgy gritty picking attack and slightly less over the top insane harmonics, but retains the high output/articulate and defined overall tone of the C5/59 A5 hybrid. I got back a good bit more of the middle position sweetness that was pretty diminished with the C5/59 A5 in the bridge position and the Antiquity in the neck. This version is ~the~ blues/vintage rock tone MONSTER!

@BachToRock: Nahh man, not from Philly, growed up way down south..

[BachToRock]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Posted some newer photos on page 1... check out the sweet GMP with double cream Brobucker and Jazz/59 neck hybrid!

[orpheo]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Posted some newer photos on page 1... check out the sweet GMP with double cream Brobucker and Jazz/59 neck hybrid!

very sweet guitar!

how would you compare the brobucker with the custom/59 hybrid?

ps: how would you describe, or think, a custom/PG hybrid would work out?

[BachToRock]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

The Brobucker and the Custom/59 Hybrid are pretty similar, but the Brobucker can sound a bit congested in comparison. The Hybrid has greater clarity and dimension.

The PG wind is very similar to a 59, but is uses an A2 magnet... I have made several and any difference is negligable.

[orpheo]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

The Brobucker and the Custom/59 Hybrid are pretty similar, but the Brobucker can sound a bit congested in comparison. The Hybrid has greater clarity and dimension.

The PG wind is very similar to a 59, but is uses an A2 magnet... I have made several and any difference is negligable.

thanks for the info! sounds like it will sound great!

[orpheo]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

I love the 59B/jazzB hybrid in the neckposition of a les paul. its SO awesome. its clear, articulate, flutey, warm... damn!

about my PG/custom5 hybrid with an alnico5 magnet: its got MIDS! the guitar sounds HUGE. more mids than I would've thought. no need for an a8 or uoa5. maybe I'll raise the polepieces for more bit, but so far, I'm lovin it! it's got more growl than a '59/custom hybrid.

[CloneRanger]

Re: HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

Thinking of getting a 42/44 AWG neck hybrid made. I put together a DiMarzio PAF/SD hybrid a couple of years ago, unwinding the SD coil down to 5.9K to match PAF output, surprised at the modest (but distinct) tonal difference between the two coils, but very happy about the subtle 3D beauty of especially the parallel mode. I reckon a 44 AWG coil would match PAF strength somewhere around 7K, and since there'd be lots of room for a good crazy scatter, that would be an option... The basic idea is obviously to do a 'bucker that cuts to 2 distinctive singles, yet blends for 2 wide open humbucked sounds... Ideally a 4-in-1 pup, though that might be a bit too ambitious. With a as weak a mag as feasible. Any thoughts?