First magnet swap was a success! (10/10)

[Gtrjunior]

I'm really liking the sound from the Custom, but.... its got a bit too much mid honk which gives it an 80s kind of sound that I can't get rid of. I'm going to put the A5 back in with my current amp settings so I can AB.

When I first installed my Custom I felt the top end had too much sizzle.
IÂ’m going to recommend that you live with the pickup for a couple of weeks before you decide to swap back.
It has grown on me and I feel like it is possibly the best bridge pickup I have tried so far.
If you donÂ’t end up liking it, swap back. No harm, no foul.

I just installed a Breed in my Ibanez and during band practice I didnÂ’t love it. But IÂ’m going to let myself get used it it. ItÂ’s different than what I was used to and it deserves a shot. Lol


Edit: just saw that you already swapped....

[Top-L]

When I first installed my Custom I felt the top end had too much sizzle.
IÂ’m going to recommend that you live with the pickup for a couple of weeks before you decide to swap back.
It has grown on me and I feel like it is possibly the best bridge pickup I have tried so far.
If you donÂ’t end up liking it, swap back. No harm, no foul.

I just installed a Breed in my Ibanez and during band practice I didnÂ’t love it. But IÂ’m going to let myself get used it it. ItÂ’s different than what I was used to and it deserves a shot. Lol


Edit: just saw that you already swapped....

It all depends on the guitar. This guitar has strong upper mids but isnt particularly bright. I found it could sound a bit nasal in the upper registers with a ceramic magnet (found this with both the Evolution and Custom). With the A5 magnet, the top has more air and it sounds more balanced. The down side is the notes aren't as thick. I'm thinking the perfect pickup for this guitar would be a Norton.

[Gtrjunior]

It all depends on the guitar. This guitar has strong upper mids but isnt particularly bright. I found it could sound a bit nasal in the upper registers with a ceramic magnet (found this with both the Evolution and Custom). With the A5 magnet, the top has more air and it sounds more balanced. The down side is the notes aren't as thick. I'm thinking the perfect pickup for this guitar would be a Norton.

Yeah, if you find that several different pickups seem to exhibit similar characteristics then yes, maybe the A5 is your best bet in that guitar.
I’ve never tried a Norton but I’ve seen quite a bit of positive feedback about it.

[GuitarDoc]

I would guess that the finish of the magnet does not change the magnetic field in any way.

You'd be wrong.

[GuitarDoc]

Well, you could just put an A4 in there if you want a little less than an A5.

Not the same as a roughcast A5.

[GuitarDoc]

Doh! I only have a smooth A4! (seriously. not serious.)

Put the A5 back in the Custom. It sounds more modern and got rid of the honk. Solo notes not as thick.

Now its clear to my why they shipped this guitar with the Custom 5. Would be nice if it was just a bit hotter. Maybe 10s would bring about that sound.

You could try an A8 or A9.

[GuitarDoc]

You guys are bringing up an old subject. The Custom is one of the most versatile pups, as it sounds great no matter what magnet you try in it (that's not to say that everyone likes every version). And every magnet made HAS been tried in the Custom. There have been many threads on this forum about that.

I personally have tried ceramic, A2, A4, A5, Roughcast A5, UOA5, and A8 in the Custom. I haven't tried the A9 or A6 in it yet, but I'm thinking that the A9 might be just what the OP wants...Stronger than A5, not as much scoop as A5, not the brittle scratchy highs of ceramic, nor the honky mids that some complain about with ceramic.

[Top-L]

You guys are bringing up an old subject. The Custom is one of the most versatile pups, as it sounds great no matter what magnet you try in it (that's not to say that everyone likes every version). And every magnet made HAS been tried in the Custom. There have been many threads on this forum about that.

I personally have tried ceramic, A2, A4, A5, Roughcast A5, UOA5, and A8 in the Custom. I haven't tried the A9 or A6 in it yet, but I'm thinking that the A9 might be just what the OP wants...Stronger than A5, not as much scoop as A5, not the brittle scratchy highs of ceramic, nor the honky mids that some complain about with ceramic.

Its worth a try. I only have spare A2 A3 A4 and A5 magnets. Maybe I can find some A8 and A9 on Amazon.

Generally I want it to be hotter but have more air on top than a ceramic.

[Mincer]

I've heard that EVH comes from the Custom Custom, but I have no evidence he ever used it. And I certainly don't go for that sound, but you can get pretty close with the right amp. I just like that it makes a pretty sonically big sound, which is great for 1-guitar bands. It occupies a big swath of frequencies.

[dystrust]

I would guess that the finish of the magnet does not change the magnetic field in any way.

They say it does.

They say that polished magnets can hold a slightly stronger charge than rough magnets.

When I compared rough vs. polished A5 magnets in the same 59 pickup set, I felt that the polished magnets gave the pickup a slightly brighter steelier sound.

I thought that rough A5 had more mids and more texture to those mids, and looser lows like you'd find with A2 but not as loose as you'd find with A2.

Lew is right. If you swap a roughcast A5 into a '59, the resulting pickup is the closest thing I've heard to an early 60s Gibson patent number humbucker.

I've never actually owned one, but I have played a decent number of original '58-'60 PAFs as well as early patent number humbuckers and T-Tops. Of these I actually liked the '64-ish patent number humbuckers the best. I've never played a '57 PAF, so I'm guessing that most (maybe all) of the PAFs were A4. Generally speaking I've yet to encounter an A4 that I didn't find bland, while A2 only works for me in the bridge of a Strat.

[Top-L]

Ok so here is a radical idea... Using an angle grinder to tune the pickup.

If the roughcast holds less charge, then grinding away some of the bar should have the same effect.

[GuitarDoc]

Grinding on a magnet will have the effect of losing some of the charge...it will not do what you ecpect.

[Top-L]

Grinding on a magnet will have the effect of losing some of the charge...it will not do what you ecpect.

GuitarDoc,
You are incredibly negative in most of your posts. You act "as if" you know more and are better than everyone else.

Lowering the charge of a ceramic magnet might have an effect that someone would desire. Like a way to lower the output of a pickup and slightly alter the tone.

How would you know if I want that? There is no way you would know what I want or am trying to achieve. You need to check yourself and your attitude.

[Lewguitar]

Ok so here is a radical idea... Using an angle grinder to tune the pickup.

If the roughcast holds less charge, then grinding away some of the bar should have the same effect.

Gibson switched from 2 1/2" length to a short 2 3/8" magnet in the first half of the 1960's. Those became standard in the T-Tops.

A lot of great players got their sound using those pickups including Larry Carlton.

You can just buy the magnets from Addiction FX.

I liked the sound from neck pickup. nice round tone. Lower output than the pickup had with the longer 2 1/2" magnet.

It only spent a few days in my guitar.

I never stopped liking it, I just wanted to keep going and learning some new things.

I might return to it. I've always liked the sound of a T-Top neck pickup although putting a 2 3/8" A5 magnet in a 59N didn't give me exactly that sound.

Close though!

Not sure if Gibson used rough or polished A5 magnets at that point in their history.

Mine are roughcast which generally result in a sound that's a bit warmer than polished.

[Top-L]

Does anyone know what the Custom sounds like with an A8?

In this guitar, I've decided that A5 is better than ceramic, but I want the pickup to be hotter.

I took out the Custom 5 and replaced with an Ibanez INF2, which is A5 and hotter than the Custom 5. I like it better than the Custom in this guitar, but it could be a little hotter.

Would an A8 raise the output and retain some of the top end clarity of the Custom 5?