C5 in a les paul

maxpower

maxpower

New member
I guy's, only the second time i post here, always good reading on this forum, heres my problem i have this early '70s Les Paul deluxe that i got 25 years ago at the time i really didn't care for the mini HB in there and immediately swap the bridge pick up for a Dimarzio x2n (didnt like that one) and finaly decide on a pair of used Dimarzio a double cream super distortion in the bridge and a zebra paf in the neck, i have try a JB at one time in the bridge but went back with the Dimarzio after a year.

Now the JB sounded nice for leads but lack the tightness of the Dimarzio and the mid sounded strange anyway, two months ago i decided to give this guitar a different look by changing both pick up with nickel cover humbuckers, i bought a used nickel cover Dimarzio paf classic for the neck and SD C5 for the bridge, heres the problem i always though that this guitar had a lot of mid,and i use to have a LP custom back in the days , i've never been able to capture the sound of that custom, someone told me that the custom had an ebony fingerboard which gives it more treble.

Soooooo, by reading the different post on this forum i decided to give the C5 a try, and after two months heres the verdict: i don't like it not that hate it but i think it's not for me, i like the bass, the tightness of it but it sound strange, it has more treble than the Dimarzio but i don't no how to say it but wheres the beef?lol!!!

And finally i don't gig anymore i jam with friends on occasion, i'm mostly a living room player, i don't play clean very often well maybe around Christmas i try to play some song to please my girlfriend but thats about it, and i play through a crate 60watt tube amp ( yeah i know, but it sound nice) and a tone lab st for distortion, any suggestion would be appreciated because i'm beginning to think the hell with covered pick ups and put back the Dimarzios back in, thank you for reading this and excuse me for my bad english

Oh one last thing i play Led Zep, Hendrix, SRV, Maiden, Metallica , that kind of music.
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

Well any suggestion for nickel cover humbuckers, that will do the job or just go back with what work in this guitar, thats all, maybe Duncans pick up are not for me after all, thanks anyway
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

You probably would like the regular Custom better (the C5 with a ceramic magnet). But if you were happy with DMZ Super Distortion, then why change?
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

GoDrex said:
You probably would like the regular Custom better (the C5 with a ceramic magnet). But if you were happy with DMZ Super Distortion, then why change?
Click to expand...

Well nickel cover wouldn't fit on the super distortion, and i really like the singing quality of the Jb and i tough that the C5 could have give me that, to put it more simply give me a super distortion with the singing part of the JB wrap up in a nickel cover, but like you said I'll probably go back with what i had before and the hell with the cover looks
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

Ok then based on that I'd try a Duncan Distortion with a nickel cover. OR swap out the JB's magnet for a ceramic and put a nickel cover on it.
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

Thanks for the replys guys, at first i wanted to try the custom but was not sure about the treble , same thing for the Duncan distortion , i don't know but Duncan pick ups seems to be higher on the treble side than Dimarzio, anyway i have an old junk Ibanez pick up around here, think i could try and pick the magnet in there, not sure if it's ceramic , i may try swapping the magnet of the JB i already got some old pick cover in my junk, bits and pieces box where i keep different part over the years
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

I wouldn't go for a Duncan Distortion - it's not really that close to the DiMarzio Super D IMO. You have the Custom 5, try changing the magnet to make it a Custom Custom. I think you'd like that.

But like the others said, change the pots for 250K ones first.

If all else fails - can't you get nickel Super D's? (I love the Super D/PAF combo myself I have to admit!)
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

Either buy a Duncan Custom or do a magnet swap and put a Ceramic in that C5, and you will discover where the beef is my friend =). The Custom has less treble than the C5 and is more balanced, and is has much much less treble than the JB.
 
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Re: C5 in a les paul

switch C5 to SH-5 via ceramic mag
don't judge all duncans by the C5; he didn't design the C5, it was a forum bastard (the p/up, that is)
get an LP with an ebony board! many of the cheaper mid-90s LPs have them.
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

I everyone, thanks a lot for answering my question, good reading on this forum, think i should have read a little more , i would have bought a custom so i could have swap magnet with the JB, but i really wanted to try the C5, anyway maybe the custom would be a better match for what i want, i think i may try a magnet swap, I'll let you know...thanks again
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

maxpower said:
Oh one last thing i play Led Zep, Hendrix, SRV, Maiden, Metallica , that kind of music.
Click to expand...

Now that is one awesome list. Rock on dude!

Back on topic, definitely mess around with pots and mags before you splash out on a new pup (as about a million people already said)
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

If turning down the tone on the bridge pup works, try changing pots. Still, magnet swaps are a lot more fun! A CC (same coil, Alnico 2 magnet) is anything but ice-picky; it's a much warmer, rounder response than a C5. The Custom (same coil, ceramic magnet) has even more highs than the C5, but they're smoother, not as spiky; it's the "pissed-off PAF." Both should work really well in a Paul. The C5 works best in thinnish mahogany guitars that are relatively rich in mids and poor in highs -- say, an SG or a PRS.
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

Do you guys think an Alnico8 magnet might also give him what he wants. A lot of mid, tight low end and moderate treble. It probably warm up his bridge pup sound.

+1 for the 250K pot also
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

I guy's, i drop by just to let you know that i've change the magnet in my c5, thank's to John Wymore for is help, i now have a custom, so far so good still have lot's of high but the mid are stronger and the sound is tighter, actually it's closer to the super distortion, just one thing i miss the singing quality of the c5, i think i was beginning to get use to the c5, anyway now that i know how easy it is to change magnet, i may become an addict or a tone chaser or whatever thanks to you guy's!
 
Re: C5 in a les paul

maxpower said:
I guy's, i drop by just to let you know that i've change the magnet in my c5, thank's to John Wymore for is help, i now have a custom, so far so good still have lot's of high but the mid are stronger and the sound is tighter, actually it's closer to the super distortion, just one thing i miss the singing quality of the c5, i think i was beginning to get use to the c5, anyway now that i know how easy it is to change magnet, i may become an addict or a tone chaser or whatever thanks to you guy's!
Click to expand...

sweet im just getting ready to test all the mags in the custom.
im thinking my favs will be A2 and A8.
 
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