Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

[KLINKDETROIT]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Anyone try a C5 or ab TB3 in a Schecter, Mohagony body?

[MattPete]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Custom (9.5/10): Very nice pickup, and more articulate than the JB or Custom Custom. Nice mids that aren't overbearing. Likewise, nice highs, but not remotely icepicky. Has plenty of harmonics, yet the high strings don't sound thin at all. Bass is fine, too. Overall, it's a nicely balanced pickup with just a hunt of honk to it. A very versatile pickup that can go from a classic hard rock type sound (AC/DC, Son Volt) to metal. Somewhat brownish at times. Sounds OK clean, but that's not it's natural domain. Really, there is very little I would change about this pickup. I use this in a chambered Warmoth mahogany strat (maple/rosewood neck) with a Floyd Rose.

Custom Custom (8/10). Very mid dominant. Think Fair Warning or "Money for Nothing" for extreme examples. Having said that, the amount of mid dominance depends on the amp settings, and those were extreme examples. Nice smooth top - you'll never, ever, accuse this pickup of being ice-picky. I tried this in the Floyd equiped Mahogany strat mentioned above, and it did not work in that setup. The lack of bass from a Floyd guitar when paired with the lack of bass in the CC gave it an AM radio type of sound. Having said that, it sounds great in my Warmoth PRS clone (mahogany neck, mahogany body with maple cap). I think the reason the CC works so well in that guitar is that the guitar adds what the CC lacks: lows and low mids (mahogany body and neck) and highs (maple cap). Not as versatile as the Custom, but what it does, it does very well.

C5 (6.5). I really wanted to like this pickup. Robert's sounds clips with the C5 sound amazing. I first tried it in the chambered Warmoth strat mentioned in the review of the Custom. In this guitar, the high strings just sounded too thin and weak. Mahogany guitars like Les Paul's are supposed to have a lot of mids, so I saved the C5 for my next project guitar, my Warmoth PRS clone (mentioned in the review of the Custom Custom). Oooh, did the middle strings sound sweet! Then I started playing a solo on the high-E. Yikes! thin and nasty! I think the highs of the C5 interacted with the maple cap to produce icepick highs. But those middle strings sound pretty cool. Let's move down to the low-E. Blam! Mondo-bass...books fall off the shelf, cracks appear in the wall. WTF? Did I accidentally hit the volume on the amp? The A strings sounds nice, so let's try chugging on the E. Boom! It's like the low-E has it's own separate amp!. The moral to this story is that the C5 somehow combines too much bass with icepick highs and weak mids. Maybe this would work well in a mid-dominant guitar like an SG? On a side note, I also tried out a 59b, and I found it to have more mids, less bass, and smoother highs than the C5.

[motorhead]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

I gave the C5 an honest try in a Strat and did NOT like it at all.

The cleans were very musical (loved it) but distorted it was all mud and bassy. The height played a huge factor on the tone ... more than any other Duncan I've tried. Around mid-height it was actually good for my distorted tone but not good enough.

[RCM78]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Custom Custom (8.5-10)
Guitar is an '87 Kramer American Stagemaster Deluxe. Maple neck through with Alder wings and OFR trem.
This guitar originally had a JB in it and I never liked it. The CC fits it perfectly. The guitar is naturally brite so the CC curbs the highs just enough...
The pickup is slanted so I think that helps to warm up the bass. I never thought this guitar lacked low end with the CC in it.
The CC is the most open sounding pickup I own. Every note of a chord can be heard easily and clearly.
I installed this pickup in '92 or '93. Cant remember exactly, but I still use it today and still love it.
Over the years I used this pickup in this guitar with these amps:
JCM800 Jubilee, ADA preamp, JCM900, and currently a 5150 combo.

[Guitarist]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Duncan Custom SH-5:

Perfectly tight and thick bass attack with crystal clear articulation. The mids are beautifully present without making the sound nasal, and the highs are smoothly rounding off to make for a top notch pickup. It's the most versatile pickup I've had experience playing on for any rock situation. Beautiful pup. I love it to death.

I know that the high score I'm about to give this pickup will seem a little awkward to you (and hell it does for me too! I never rate things this high!), but in this case - I can't dock any points from any spectrum of its tone.

SH-5 Rating = 10/10

[StefanM]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Anyone want me to do a Custom (Sh-11) vs Custom-4 (same pup, swapped out ceramic for an Alnico IV) in exactly the same guitar comparison review? Or do you only want off the shelf pups?

[MattPete]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

It might be off topic, but I'd be interested in a Custom vs. C4 review, especially if you have sound clips.

[philthis]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

when all the workers at the guitar store (along with myself) played the custom custom we all said "man, alot of midrange here" that was takeing turns playing it on a single guitar-strat with hard tail. then we closed the store and started jaming togather and it got real load real fast. the single coil strats were instantly hung up in favor of the humbucker equiped strats couse everyone was trying to be heard over everyone else includeing the drums and base. finally somebody picked up the hard tail strat with the custom custom in it and it cut thru the best of any of the the guitars. alone it sounds midrangy but in a jam or stage band this pickup realy shines.

[philthis]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

when all the guitar players at the guitar store including myself played a strat hard tail equiped with the custom custom we all said " man this pickup has alot of midrange" later we closed the store and started jaming and it got real load real fast. the single coil strats were instantly hung back up in favor of humbucker equiped strats cuz everyone was trying to be heard above everyone else including the drums and base. finally somebody picked up the strat equiped with the custom custom and it cut right thru the best. by it self it sounds midrangy but in a band or stage jam this pickup realy shines.

[papersoul]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

when all the guitar players at the guitar store including myself played a strat hard tail equiped with the custom custom we all said " man this pickup has alot of midrange" later we closed the store and started jaming and it got real load real fast. the single coil strats were instantly hung back up in favor of humbucker equiped strats cuz everyone was trying to be heard above everyone else including the drums and base. finally somebody picked up the strat equiped with the custom custom and it cut right thru the best. by it self it sounds midrangy but in a band or stage jam this pickup realy shines.

That does sound great but I am afraid it won't have the thump I'd want like with the JB or BBQ.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Custom 5.

I'm a big fan of Alnico 5, in both humbuckers and strats. Alnico 5 is usually dubbed the "musical magnet" because of it's ability to naturally reproduce the tone of the guitar, while sending a well balanced signal to your amp.
My favorite humbucker tones have always been from pickups that are similar to the '59 or JB, so when I'd heard that Duncan had released a pickup that was basically a 59 with deeper, tighter lows, and expanded output like the JB, it didn't take long before I had this pickup in my #1 Paul, a goldtop.
This replaced a list of humbuckers that hadn't quite nailed what I was looking for, like the Gib 57 Classic, JB, CC, and Fralin, for instance. The Custom 5 is a high output pickup with a tight percussive bottom end, but seems to leave the mids and highs sounding like most good vintage Alnico 5 pickups. It's one of the very few pickups that excells equally good at clean, midgain, and super highgain, but you've got to love the sound of your guitar and amp or you may not be impressed with the C-5.
Since then, I've installed it into these guitars, with these results.

Les Paul 57 Reissue Goldtop w/pullup tones to split. Amazing. Perfect balance.
You can still hear the stringy nuances, but has nice punch, power, harmonics.

Les Paul Std Prem Plus. Sounded just as good as the goldtop, but the highs were just a touch bright. I swapped it's magnet for an Alnico 4, so the pickup is now a Custom 4. Now, the pickup is extremely articulate, with smoother mids and highs, and the bass is a little rolled off, compared to the C-5.

57 Black Beauty (all mahogany) In this guitar, the Custom 5 sounds huge. Most complaints about the C-5 being hollow in the mids are by guys who used it in hollow sounding guitars....not the mahogany Custom! The wood naturally fills in the mids, which is exactly what I want to hear! The C-5 delivers crushing lows and airy highs on this guitar.

PRS McCarty. The Custom 5 corrects just about every complaint a person could have about PRS's tone. PRS's tend to be nasal in the mids, bright on top, but tight on bottom. Now, add the C-5! The lows are even tighter, the low mids are where they should be, and high mids are pulled back, and the highs are still present, but less icey.

Am Std Strat. Here's where the Custom 5 is purely a matter of taste. I can understand any complaints about the C-5 sounding more transparent here, but you've also got to consider that it tonally balances with singles because of that fact. On my strat, if I go from the 2 Fat 50 singles to a JB or CC, it'll be like jumping to another guitar. If you go to a Custom 5, it still has that hollow airy tone like singles, only you hear it in a humbucker form. I really like the way my strat sounds with the C-5, but I'm not as stuck on it as I am with the LP's and PRS's. You won't be disappointed at all with the C-5, but if you want more mid punch, you may be better with JB, Custom, or 59. I've put a CC in strats and I think the lack of density in a strat chokes off the CC's highs, so I went to the C-5. I like it, and will probably keep it, but I may do more experimenting till I nail the tone I want.

Continued below.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Overall, I'd say the Custom 5 is the pickup for the vintage Alnico 5 lover who wants the kind of output a JB or Custom delivers. If your ears are tailored to the sound of Alnico II, you'll feel that it lacks mids. If you're used to vintage vibe humbuckers, you'll love the additional output and ease of pulling harmonics. If you use a JB or CC, you'll appreciate the more natural and open character of the C-5. To me, it's the best balance of output and pure tone of all the Custom Series. I've heard a lot of humbuckers, and it's the one I always come back to, and the one I could be happy with in every single guitar I own, if I had to.

The other pickups I have in guitars are
Fralin Vintage Hot singles in a strat.
Fender CS Fat 50's in a strat
59 necks
Seth Lover neck
PRS McCarty humbuckers
JB bridge
G&L Asat Z-3 pickups

[papersoul]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Great stuff as usual Gear! I liked the C-5 in my LP, especially the tight lows but the things I didn't are as follows:

My LP is barely over 8 lbs but sound rich and lively....very clear and some may say bright but I think this is really my perception because my Dean is very dark.

I found I just couldn't get the thickness or aggression i wanted with the C-5 and I wanted the highs to maybe be a little thicker. Maybe I didn't give it time though, but I will say I go for a modern, aggressive and throaty tone.

I think if I could find a pickup like the C-5 with a tad more mids, I'd be all over it.

I like the BBQ a lot but the bass is rather fat and round and not as tight as the C-5.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

Papersoul, are you using black or nickel covered in your LP? You are a perfect candidate for owning one of each of these...Custom, C-5, JB, CC. Until you actually buy a Custom, JB, and CC, everything you seek will go unanswered. As indecisive as you are, you owe it to yourself to spend a few bucks and get the other custom series pickups, and install them all one weekend. You're narrowing down your favorites, but I won't believe you've found it till you create the post "I Am DONE with my pickup search." Just stop confusing yourself by listening to clips and opinions. You need to try them for yourself. That's pretty much directed at everyone reading this. It's YOUR tone. Who cares what everyone else says. Personally, I like the C-5, but only because it fits my other gear and my playing. I don't even care about continuing my search because my fingers can take care of the rest. Pickups only put you in the ballpark. It's up to you to hit the ball.

[BS123]

Re: Reviews of the Custom Series Pickups

I have owned two different Custom model humbuckers.

SH-5 Duncan Custom - This pickup was my favorite in the 80's and 90's. It was a perfect fit in guitar with an H-S-S layout. I also really liked it in a Les Paul. It's very tight and the attack just leaps out. It's aggressive but tame. I was able to do a nice smooth bluesly vibe with it as well as get some real crunch. Yo me, it's the best all-around bridge humbucker.

SH-11 Custom Custom - I used one of these in a semi-hollobody Samick RL-3. To my ears, it had almost as much output as the SH-5 but a bit warmer and smoother. It would do a nice Metal tone but I felt it needed a bit more edge to it. I used it more in a Smooth Jazz, Blues area. It was a really nice compliment to the APH-1n I had in the neck.