Swamp Ash Superstrat -- bridge pickup suggestions

[David Garner]

Got the Custom Custom and got it installed. Amazon sent me solid shaft pots instead of split shaft so I have to wait until Saturday to swap them out — I did go ahead and install the solid shafts just to test it out.

I only got to try it through S-Gear because it was late and I’m out of town tomorrow, so Saturday through my normal rig will be the acid test, but first impressions are positive. It’s kind of ridiculous how “Van Halen in a box” this pickup is. I always heard these were dark, but I hear it more as an oxymoronic “bright but warm.” It has a nice spongy give to the tone that is just spot on brown sound. A little loose in the bottom for really heavy chug metal, but it does 80s metal really well. I played some Ratt and Dio in addition to Van Halen stuff and it held up fine.

The JB was probably a lot closer to those last two, but the CC does them just fine. I’m pleased so far. I’ll report back over the weekend when I can try it through a proper tube amp and board.

[Mincer]

Yeah, I never thought the CC was dark at all. It has plenty of highs, but it is attached to wonderful body in the sound. It does instrumental fusiony stuff well, too. It also splits good.

[David Garner]

So I've had a few weeks to deal with the Custom Custom, and I like it a lot. The A2 just gives that traditional bite and crunch you hear out of old PAFs, but while still giving you the extra push for heavier stuff. It's a very nice "do it all" sort of pickup, probably why EVH loved them so much. It's very sensitive to the tone knob -- much below 6 and the whole bottom end just mushes out. I'm thinking of putting a felt washer under the tone knob just to ensure it stays where I put it. Short of that though, it sounds amazing. I'm very pleased.