Help! Make a Custom TB-5 sound like a Duncan Custom DCJ ? (AKA Magnet swap magic).

[MRTHUD]

Thanks Guys! That answers my question. Beau having both in his jackson and saying they are the same is really all I need to hear.
Some good suggestions and pickup recommendations throughout this thread, thank you all!

[gsammo79]

Hi Adrian, thanks for the welcome
No not from Melbourne. Im based a bit rural, about 1hr west from Brissy.

Aceman, lol I get the frustration with the labelling But that sticker was the only way I found out which pickup I had (Which has just fallen off and devalued the entire thing haha.) I guess it could have just had DC on it. But who knows maybe MJ liked to put a few extra winds on, or use tape on the bobbins before starting the wrap hehe.. I dont think Quality control was invented until the 90's right But it must be pretty cool for the SD employees, as its almost like signing the pickup.

Welcome to SD forums. The "MJ wound" lore is a commonly quarrelled topic.

[beaubrummels]

For the record, I do have a Seymour JB that sounds significantly different from my new production JB. But I believe a fair part of that could be changes in construction (rough vs polished mags, butyrate bobbins vs poly-carbonate, etc.). Could also be the particular winding machine used at the time vs now, or anything else that might have differed, like how he layered wire on bobbins (don't know if he did anything else different or not, just saying construction changes can have an audible effect).

[Mincer]

For the record, I do have a Seymour JB that sounds significantly different from my new production JB. But I believe a fair part of that could be changes in construction (rough vs polished mags, butyrate bobbins vs poly-carbonate, etc.). Could also be the particular winding machine used at the time vs now, or anything else that might have differed, like how he layered wire on bobbins (don't know if he did anything else different or not, just saying construction changes can have an audible effect).

How would you describe the difference?

[AdrianSD]

Thanks Guys! That answers my question. Beau having both in his jackson and saying they are the same is really all I need to hear.
Some good suggestions and pickup recommendations throughout this thread, thank you all!

Another great SD pickup is the Black Winter, it can do a lot more than just high gain, very rich harmonically and splits really well.

[MRTHUD]

Just had my weekly jam with a local bassist.
'What do you think of my new pickup??)
...

'Keep searching'..
...

Bloody bassists, what do they know lol.
His feedback was that it lacks Lower Mids/ bottom end, (so..actually in the case with my guitar/config I agree. Reluctantly!!)
Will keep the Custom 5 and try it in a different guitar at some point. Will likely order another/different Seymour pickup (taking advice from the previous posts).

[beaubrummels]

How would you describe the difference?

The Seymour one is like a Custom with softer top end. It’s brighter than my new production and it cleans up when rolling the volume off. New production is a thick punch of mid spikes, no treble to speak of and never cleans up with the volume.

[Mincer]

The Seymour one is like a Custom with softer top end. It’s brighter than my new production and it cleans up when rolling the volume off. New production is a thick punch of mid spikes, no treble to speak of and never cleans up with the volume.

I might actually like that Seymour one!

[beaubrummels]

I might actually like that Seymour one!

If I recall, I think the original JB was just the quest for a hot PAF except for a Tele with 250k pots. The Custom was a hot 59 (another PAF type), so the original two are near neighbors.

[Mincer]

If I recall, I think the original JB was just the quest for a hot PAF except for a Tele with 250k pots. The Custom was a hot 59 (another PAF type), so the original two are near neighbors.

I don't think of a modern JB as anywhere PAF-related.

[ErikH]

Just had my weekly jam with a local bassist.
'What do you think of my new pickup??)
...

'Keep searching'..
...

Bloody bassists, what do they know lol.
His feedback was that it lacks Lower Mids/ bottom end, (so..actually in the case with my guitar/config I agree. Reluctantly!!)
Will keep the Custom 5 and try it in a different guitar at some point. Will likely order another/different Seymour pickup (taking advice from the previous posts).

You mention Custom 5 here. That is a different pickup from the Custom. Did you mean Custom TB-5 or SH-5? That’s the model number for it. The Custom 5’s model is SH-14 or TB-14.

[eclecticsynergy]

The Seymour one is like a Custom with softer top end. It’s brighter than my new production and it cleans up when rolling the volume off. New production is a thick punch of mid spikes, no treble to speak of and never cleans up with the volume.

I have a vintage JB that reads around 15.5K; my newer ones are both up around 16.5K.
The mags may be a bit different as well.
IMO the old black SH-1 mags sound richer than the ones they switched to in the 80s.

[MRTHUD]

You mention Custom 5 here. That is a different pickup from the Custom. Did you mean Custom TB-5 or SH-5? That’s the model number for it. The Custom 5’s model is SH-14 or TB-14.

Yes, I meant Custom TB-5.

[devastone]

I have a vintage JB that reads around 15.5K; my newer ones are both up around 16.5K.
The mags may be a bit different as well.
IMO the old black SH-1 mags sound richer than the ones they switched to in the 80s.

I've had old ones wound for USA Hamers that were close to 18k, the age doesn't matter, they just vary, could be variances in wire diameter, winder calibration, or just let's make some a little hotter today.

[CaptainWhizz]

Don’t forget temperature affects resistance in wire, as well as discrepancies in batches of wire, etc.