Custom 8?

[SFW]

Talk to me about the Custom 8. How does it differ in tone and feel from the regular Custom or C5 or CC. Have you tried the A8 magnet in any other pickups? Has any one tried the A8 in a Screamin Demon?


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[beaubrummels]

I have an A8 in a Skinnerburst bridge (other than an Ibanez Artist in the 70's, that's the only time I've experienced an A8 pickup.) The Skinner sounds like a very smooth and even Custom with an A8 in it. I've never put an A8 in my Customs as I've been mostly happy with them as is (the ceramic Custom could use less highs, but the tone knob solves that; no need for surgery.)

[superpete]

it seems like a few years back the C8 was highly praised on this forum as the answers to all tonal prayers. Recently people here seemed down on it. I have it in 2 guitars, and I like it. I found it unique in the custom line as it didn't really seem to boost a single frequency, it kinda boosted everything evenly. Like, the C5 is scooped and the CC is middy and the C has that ceramic bite in a PAF flavor...the C8 was, to me vs the other 3, most like a custom that had been kinda smoothed out. but not from dulling the high end, just by leveling out the eq, if that makes any sense.

[Ace Flibble]

I only tried it in one guitar and only with very high gain, but for me going from a Custom to a Custom 8 basically sounded like I'd just rolled the tone control down by a notch. Since that guitar was for D Standard I swapped it back to ceramic for the sake of keeping the 6th and 5th strings clearer. Maybe with low or medium gain, or clean, or in other guitars or other tunings there would be other differences that would be noticeable. But for my one test, it seemed like too small a variation on the standard ceramic that I've never cared to try it in any other configuration. I have A8s in other pickups that are wound very differently and it works fine in those, some of which I've also tried with ceramics and noticed a significant difference between the two. But for the Custom wind, A8 and ceramic seem to be so close there's no point going through the bother.