For whatever reason I keep waffling on my 93 Les Paul -- I had settled on the JB, but then I put a JB in my superstrat and it sounds better in that one than in the LP, so I considered other options. I am about to try a set of Dimarzios that I got for a song ($80 for a Super Distortion bridge and 36th Anniversary neck), but if those don't fly, I've been considering other Duncan pickups.
Which brings me to the 59/Custom. Looking at the EQ on Duncan's website, what strikes me about the 59/Custom is the 59, Custom and especially the Custom 5 are really scooped. All of them have basically the same tone profile -- more bass and treble, less mids. This particular guitar needs mids for any power. It has a natural scoop to the tone, so it's either super low wind PAF types or (if you want it to rock, which I do), you need mids. Hence the JB and before it the stock 498t.
The 59/Custom Hybrid by contrast is voiced a lot more like the JB, but with a touch more mids and a touch less treble. The other pickup that falls in that category is the Custom Custom, which has even more mids and treble (but still the mid/treble balance of the 59/Custom), and less bass. My guess is the CC is going to be more compressed than the 59/Custom, and obviously a little hotter. I like a bit of bass in the tone, so it wouldn't be my first choice for this particular guitar, though the JB also shows a lower bass profile and seems to have plenty of punch.
All of that to say this -- I think the 59/Custom would be a great match for an A5 neck pickup in a guitar that needs more mids. If the guitar is naturally mid-heavy, I'd stick with the SH-5 (or something else with a modest mid scoop).
Which brings me to the 59/Custom. Looking at the EQ on Duncan's website, what strikes me about the 59/Custom is the 59, Custom and especially the Custom 5 are really scooped. All of them have basically the same tone profile -- more bass and treble, less mids. This particular guitar needs mids for any power. It has a natural scoop to the tone, so it's either super low wind PAF types or (if you want it to rock, which I do), you need mids. Hence the JB and before it the stock 498t.
The 59/Custom Hybrid by contrast is voiced a lot more like the JB, but with a touch more mids and a touch less treble. The other pickup that falls in that category is the Custom Custom, which has even more mids and treble (but still the mid/treble balance of the 59/Custom), and less bass. My guess is the CC is going to be more compressed than the 59/Custom, and obviously a little hotter. I like a bit of bass in the tone, so it wouldn't be my first choice for this particular guitar, though the JB also shows a lower bass profile and seems to have plenty of punch.
All of that to say this -- I think the 59/Custom would be a great match for an A5 neck pickup in a guitar that needs more mids. If the guitar is naturally mid-heavy, I'd stick with the SH-5 (or something else with a modest mid scoop).
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