59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Guitar Rod

Guitar Rod

New member
Don't know if this is a review or an observation about my new pickup, the 59/Custom Hybrid. Anyhoo. Back when I was going to buy my first SD pickups, I was interested in the Whole Lotta Humbucker, but the 59/C was also intriguing. In the end the WLH won out and has never left that particular guitar. Later I got a Cort M600 in natural, a guitar I had wanted for a while. The previous owner said it came with a 59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. I had intended to switch them out for a PAF style pickup, but ended up loving them. Perfect for 80s rock. But it's not something I play often, so as time went on I found myself not playing one of my favorite guitars all that often.

A little over a week ago a 59/C came up in the local online classifieds in the box in great shape, lots of lead, and a good price. So I jumped. Thought it might be more versatile and get me playing that guitar more. Installed it. During the installation I found out the 59 in the neck was actually a Jazz (not bad, I always wanted one and have always liked the neck pickup). Plugged it in and played. Sounded like I was on the gain channel, but I was on clean. Every other guitar would be a light crunch, but this thing was angry! Rolled back the volume and it cleaned up wonderfully. Much better than the JB. But with all sorts of gain settings I couldn't get over how busy a pickup it is. Massive harmonics. Like a hundred sparklers going of at once. Found it a bit unsettling. It seemed hotter and more aggressive than the JB, which has a smooth high gain sound to it. Reserved judgement until I spent a week with it.

Week is up. I like it! Not love, but strong like. Still think the WLH is the best pickup I've played, and that the JB suits me better for higher gain. But the 59/C is just as it has been portrayed. A versatile pickup that can go from PAF to Metal with a twist of the volume knob. Take it down to 6 and it is clean. Clean, clean. Bump it up to 8 and it's about the same as my other PAF-ish pickups. 9 is perfect for high gain. But my only criticism is at 10/full. Just too busy, no matter what the amp. But that goes away by just taking it down a notch. So it lives at 8-9. And sustain for days. A note just refuses to die. It is a bit scooped as Mincer has mentioned before. That might be why I like the WLH more. Played them head to head tonight and the WLH is so full and has some body to it. The 59/C is flatter EQ'ed. Gonna leave it in there and see if it can go from like to love. The WLH was the same until I got it dialed in. Now I doubt I'll ever get rid of it.

Pros
Versatile. Use the volume and get pretty much any sound you want.
Sustain for days. The most sustain of any pickup I've tried. Nice bloom too.
Aggressive. Much more aggressive than the output indicates. JB sounds tame by comparison.
Tight bass, bright highs, but not an ice pick in sight.

Cons
Too many harmonics for my taste, if there is such a thing. Dialing it down to 9 helps. But a bit of a pain, especially when switching over to the neck.
A little scooped. Could use a mids transplant, without affecting the highs and lows. Perhaps great for music I don't play and soloing.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Thanks for the review! Lowering the pickup will help the mids & harmonics 'problem'. It is a great pickup for soloing, though!
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Sounds like you might want to try it with an A4 and see what happens.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Thanks for the tip, Mincer. I'll try that. Haven't had time to dial it in that way. Will try it tomorrow.

One thing I forgot to mention that I love is it the controlled feedback when playing an open or power D chord. Just lovely. I'll end on a D just to hear that.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

ArtieToo said:
I'd love you to elaborate on that. It's kinda like . . . my car corners too well. :drive:
Click to expand...

I love harmonics in pickups. I love harmonics in Formula1 V10s and V12s. But in this case it's almost too much. A very busy breakup that I haven't heard in any other pickup or in any songs. Dialing the volume back slightly brings it into line with nice singing harmonics instead of over the top, unnatural harmonics. Perhaps it's too close to the strings as Mincer said, though I have it set a bit lower than I had the JB.

To your example, a car can corner too well where it is no longer fun to drive. Grip vs handling and all that.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Controlled drifting, rather than riding on rails. I guess I get that. Maybe like "wolf" tone ?
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

If there's any weird "unnatural" or odd-order harmonics you can be sure the pickups is either too close or the guitar's action and/or relief is too low. IMO

I often hear the same complaint with the X2N, and it's almost always just too close.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

I think i know what you mean. I biught a Duncan Custom years ago for a maple/alder strat. At that time i used an amp with celestion V30. That combo was too much. I got rid of that V30, but the Duncan Custom went into drawer.
Some time ago i discovered it for a Les Paul. While my other LPs are on the PAF side, the Custom work great the short necked and fuller tone of the Les Paul. Just food for thoughts.
And: some bridge humbuckers like lower than 500k pots for Volume.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

dave74 said:
If there's any weird "unnatural" or odd-order harmonics you can be sure the pickups is either too close or the guitar's action and/or relief is too low. IMO

I often hear the same complaint with the X2N, and it's almost always just too close.
Click to expand...

Relief is 0.010 and the action is medium-ish. 0.070 (1.8mm) bass and 0.050 (1.3mm) treble. I'm thinking lowering it will help. I did that with the WLH for a while to get a more vintage sound. Eventually went back up because it just lives to do 70s/80s arena rock.

hamerfan said:
I think i know what you mean. I biught a Duncan Custom years ago for a maple/alder strat. At that time i used an amp with celestion V30. That combo was too much. I got rid of that V30, but the Duncan Custom went into drawer.
Some time ago i discovered it for a Les Paul. While my other LPs are on the PAF side, the Custom work great the short necked and fuller tone of the Les Paul. Just food for thoughts.
And: some bridge humbuckers like lower than 500k pots for Volume.
Click to expand...

I read in the original thread about some people preferring 300k pots. Also A2 magnets. Probably for the similar reasons. As far as the Cort M600, it's basically a double cut LP style guitar with an LP scale length and 1 volume and 1 tone. Sounds like an LP and not a PRS, SG, super strat, etc.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

I have a 59/Custom Hybrid in a Kramer F3000 super-strat and it sounds incredible! I love all the harmonics and sensitivity that the un-equal coils have. That is sort of what give this pickup its awesome characteristics. It is super sensitive to anybody's picking technique more than most pickups. It is the perfect output for most players, especially in the metal and prog realm of playing.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

I can definitely see it kicking butt in metal/djent/etc. Gotta learn some of those new fangled Drop D chugga chugga riffs. :cool:

Spent some time adjusting pickup heights. Lowering definitely helped. Still chock full of harmonics, but more pleasing to the ear. Ended up lowering it almost even with the ring, which is somewhere between a lower modern ring and a vintage higher ring. Sounded a bit fuller too, so for kicks I raised the bass side a tad to make the pickup perfectly even with the pickup ring, dragging a credit card across the ring until I couldn't feel the bobbin. Not scientific, but what the hey. Well I'll be damned, it sounds near perfect. Full, nearly no scoop, plenty of power, still aggressive. Stopping right there. Kinda love the pickup now. Fun to play. The WLH has a challenger. Rocked out some Bad Company and it sounded fantastic.

Thanks for the advice guys. Thought I already had it low. Lesson learned. What worked for all your other pickups means squat with a unique pickup like this.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

It still remains one of my favorite bridge pickups. It has a great split sound, too.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

I have one paired with a Jazz in my Fret-King Esprit 5 and it kills in that guitar. As Dave says, the split tone is great. I can get really funky with the all-mahogany Esprit in the middle position with both pickups split.
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

That sounds kinda cool... does middle position between a Custom and a 59 with coip taps on achieve similar results?
 
Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

Adieu said:
That sounds kinda cool... does middle position between a Custom and a 59 with coip taps on achieve similar results?
Click to expand...

It should do exactly the same, provided that you're splitting the Custom to the slug coil. I have a Custom and Jazz in my Explorer and split the Custom to the slug coil and Jazz to the screw coil and it sounds great.
 
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Re: 59/Custom Hybrid - Can there be such a thing as TOO much harmonics?

The Hybrid normally splits (not taps, a different process) to the Custom coil.
 
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