Anyone ever do a Custom Custom in the neck?

[Artie]

Has anyone ever installed a Custom Custom (SH-11) in the neck? I was just looking through my pickup bins, and found a Custom Custom and a Custom 5 just sitting there. Also, off in the corner, was my original MIA Peavey Predator, with no pups in it. That's the guitar that I made my first ever forum question about pickups, (about 20 years ago), and people advised the C5/59 set. I got 'em and it sounded great. I only had one guitar back then.

So I thought, what the heck, and put them in. The C5 works great with the Kahler Flyer trem, and I'd forgotten how good the C5 sounds. Although, it needs to be a Trembucker. The high E poles sit squarely inside the high E string. I have mixed emotions about the CC in the neck. Imagine warm and hot, at the same time. At about 1.5 on my volume control on my amp is about as loud as I'd want to get in a "home" environment. Not a lot of high end but very bluesy and punchy. I haven't tried it with distortion yet, but I bet it will be sweet. I was hoping that the scooped brightness of the C5 would blend well with the "hot" warmness of the CC, but alas, they're OOP. I noticed that the tape had been messed with on the CC, so I'm guessing that a previous owner either flipped the mag, changed the mag, or both.

I'm going to sort these issues out, then play with it some more.

Side note: Anyone remember selling me a white Custom Custom, with about 3" of lead, and maybe some mag manipulation?

More to follow.

 

[Aceman]

I think a low output CC would be a really cool neck pickup. I want to say people have, but I can't speak to anything. So, maybe not...

 

[Mincer]

While I love the CC, the EQ would be perfect for a neck pickup. However, the inherent compression would wipe out any dynamics which is what I absolutely need in a neck pickup. It might work for music that doesn't use a ton of dynamics, though.

 

[Artie]

Yes, it IS compressed. I just tried it with some pedals. It's a perfect match for the BBE Bohemian Treble Booster. The BBE gives it that little raw edge that compensates for the lack of treble. (Duh!)

Also goes good with the Palladium, although it just sounds like a dirty bridge pickup then. And the Earthquaker Devices DreamCrusher Fuzz gives it an almost perfect "woman tone."

Meh, with the 5150 or Rocktron Rampage. Still testing though.

 

[ToneFiddler]

EVH did.
read up in the dimarzio “remembering Eddie van Halen”

 

[Artie]

EVH did.
read up in the dimarzio “remembering Eddie van Halen”

It's funny that they refer to the CC as having "medium output." Seems pretty hard hitting to me. Then again, that was the "competition" speaking.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I suggest trying an A3 in that CC. A little crisper, a little more definition and also a little less output/compression.
Still has the softer unoriented attack.

Custom3 actually makes a pretty nice PAF-ish bridge option in the hotter-than-vintage category.
Not as thin as one might expect.

 

[JOLLY]

When Jeremy and I went to NAMM back in the early 2000s, I remember us both being surprised that a Custom Custom came as a stock neck pickup in some Hamers.

 

[Aceman]

Again - is not that it "lacks" treble. It just has so much freaking mids!

I guess it is on the "hotter" side in that mid zone, but the moderate side on the treble and bass. Thus, higher output, but doesn't feel like a hot pickup.

 

[Artie]

Again - is not that it "lacks" treble. It just has so much freaking mids!

I guess it is on the "hotter" side in that mid zone, but the moderate side on the treble and bass. Thus, higher output, but doesn't feel like a hot pickup.

I guess it feels hotter to me because most of the time I have my volume set at around the 10 o'clock position. With the CC, I roll it down to about the 8 o'clock position. (Note that 7 o'clock would be all the way down.) There's no numbers on this amp. Bogner Alchemist 40-watt tube amp, with the switch on the 20-watt setting. BMT pots all at 12 o'clock and Gain at about 1/3 rd.

Tomorrow I'm going to run it through my little MXR 6-band EQ, and see how I can play with the sound.

 

[AdrianSD]

Will the tone change noticeably if it's lowered and have the screw poles flush with the bobbin, or even lower? And or change them for hex poles? And with a treble bleed circuit perhaps on/off switchable? I think Mincer is right, needs separate EQ.

 

[Artie]

I do have the screws flush with the bobbin. I don't know if it makes any difference, but it is a bridge pickup, and I wanted the Duncan logo right-side up, so the stud coil is closest to the neck. And don't get me wrong, I love this thing. It's just powerful compared to neck pups I'm used to. I still have some tweaking to do.

I also think that part of what I'm dealing with is that I'm a home studio player only. I bet this thing would scream, and come alive, at stage volume.

 

[PFDarkside]

Brian Blush of the 90’s band the Refreshements said he used a CC in the neck of his Les Paul into a Matchless HC30. His leads were creamy, buttery, and whatever other adjectives you want to use.

There are better known songs, but this lead…. I love it and I believe it’s a CC.

 

[Artie]

Sweet! I wasn't familiar with them before. Thanks.

 

[PFDarkside]

I think the Hamer Jolly mentioned and the Les Paul I mention above used JBs in the bridge. A bit more output to try to balance it out compared to a C5.

 

[Artie]

Interesting. I have a JB sitting here. I might move both over to a different guitar also. I'd prefer these in a hardtail. Not sure how much impact that will have.

 

[chadd]

Sweet! I wasn't familiar with them before. Thanks.

Most people only know them from the King of the Hill theme song (yahoos and triangles) or maybe Banditos (we used to play that one in my 90s cover band)

 

[Artie]

Most people only know them from the King of the Hill theme song (yahoos and triangles) . . .

Cool trivia. I didn't know that. That's one of the few "cartoon" shows I like.

 

[Ascension]

It's funny that they refer to the CC as having "medium output." Seems pretty hard hitting to me. Then again, that was the "competition" speaking.

It is pretty hard hitting and is my favorite in the bridge of all the Custom Variants. In the full band mix sits much bigger than a Custom 5 which because of the mid scoop gets lost on melodic playing. Is bigger and rounder than the Custom which can get harsh when you roll back the volume.
To me however it is way to hot and compressed to use in the neck.

 

[Ascension]

Again - is not that it "lacks" treble. It just has so much freaking mids!

I guess it is on the "hotter" side in that mid zone, but the moderate side on the treble and bass. Thus, higher output, but doesn't feel like a hot pickup.

Agree here. By itself doesn't feel that hot but with that mid punch in the right guitar it sits VERY well in the full mix. The Custom Custom really cuts through without being overly harsh and overall is a big smooth sweet sounding pickup. Washburn used the Custom Custom as the default bridge in the first of the US built MG series guitars and it sounded great in those.