Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

[T. Erickson]

I need the perfect pickup for that great 70's vibe rock tone for my Les Paul. I have an old strat headstock Charvel with a Duncan Distortion, and a Jackson SL-1 Soloist with a JB for my 80's Lynch, Van Halen type sound, and they're perfect, and I need a bridge pickup for my Les Paul Standard that gets that sweet lead tone (Neal Schon) nice growl for rythm (Boston, Nugent), and enough gain for Tesla, Guns N Roses type stuff. I use Marshall amps, and was told the Custom 5 was the pickup I was looking for, but I decided to see what you guys recomend first. I have two kids so I can't waste a bunch of money on the wrong pickup. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Ton

The thing is, you can play ANY type of music with ANY type of equipment. It just hinges on how you adapt the equipment and your playing style. For instance, I played country music for years with an SG equipped with an Invader in the bridge and a Dirty Fingers in the front (consider that Nugent did a lot of his best work with a Byrdland).
I think you'd find the Jeff Beck model quite acceptable for what you're doing, although the Custom 5 is certainly a nice sounding pickup.

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Ton

I think the Custom will safer... wait for more posts, don't go out and buy it just yet, IMO.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

I'd second a Custom.

 

[Brow]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

I always heard that a Custom5 was a great pickup for Classic Rock tones, so I tried 1 in my Gordon Smith Les Paul. I'm not saying it's a bad sounding pickup, but it wasn't what I was looking for. It had kind of a 'hollow' tone to it which I didn't really like, so I swapped it out for a Screamin' Demon and couldn't be happier

Just my opinion

Craig

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

Custom 5 is a GREAT Les Paul bridge pickup. It's for the guy who want's a vintage vibe with enough output to push a Marshall. The C-5/59 will allow your LP to have the perfect EQ so that the LP's mahogany and the Marshall's EL-34's will dictate the midrange character. It's the best combo for the player that needs to jump between clean, midgain, and highgain. If you're looking for a bit more warmth and growl, go for CC/59 or CC/APII. If you use clean channels less, and spend more time in the metalzone, go for the Custom. To me, JB's sound good in hollow sounding guitars, but honk too much in LP's. Hope this helps. Two of my 3 Pauls are C-5/59, and the other is CC/Seth Lover.

 

[aestus]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Ton

Actually, I find the that guitars that are middy (LPs) are best for the JB. I'm still fighting with the JB in mine though. I tried it in my mahogany strat and I hated it. It was too dull sounding and thin. It wasn't bright or shrill, but just thin. The eq just didn't stick out at me, so I put my custom custom back in

I had the Custom 5 in my LP bridge, but yanked it out to give the JB a try. Never realized that the JB rolled off that much highs. The LP gives the JB just enough mid-ranged girth to cut. It sounds very even in the LP. Now I just can't decide if I like the custom 5 or the JB better.

One thing I am disappointed, however is the middle postion of the LP with the JB in it. When I had the schaller 50 bridge and even with the custom 5 in the bridge, the middle position had a very distinct quack to the sound. It almost nailed the signature "money for nothing" Dire Straits tone. With the volume rolled back, It was chimey and clear. Now that I have the JB in the bridge, the mid position is pure mud and sound like the original epiphone neck pickup that was in the guitar. It sound dull. I dunno, I may end up ripping it out and putting the schaller golden 50 back in, or perhaps a custom.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Tone?

I'd go for a set of 59's or Seth Lovers or Antiquitys myself...they're most similar to what most of the 60's and early 70's artists used because hot bridge pickups like the Custom 5 hadn't been invented yet.

I've worked on one of Ted Nugent's old Byrdlands for Ted...just had two identical stock mid 60's alnico 5 Gibson humbuckers in it. The Duncan 59's are very similar, but calibrated for the neck and bridge position.

Tom Scholz used a Dimarzio Super Distortion for the bridge humbucker and a stock Gibson neck P-90 for those early Boston tones...but he also used tons of processing and multiple overdubs to get that Bostom tone.

Van Halen used a vintage output humbuckers for the first few albums where he got his most popular tones...nothing overly hot. You could order a '78 HB from the MJ in the Duncan Custom Shop for that tone.

Didn't Lynch use a JB and later a Screamin Demon? I'm not a fan of his so I don't know for sure. But one of those will get you into Lynching Territory...

Neil Schon? I think he used stock Gibson HB's for the early Journey stuff...nothing special.

Lew

 

[SABOTAGE]

Re: Custom 5 (bridge of my Les Paul) for 70's (Nugent, Schon, Boston, Tesla, GNR) Ton

I'd go for a set of 59's or Seth Lovers or Antiquitys myself...they're most similar to what most of the 60's and early 70's artists used because hot bridge pickups like the Custom 5 hadn't been invented yet.

I've worked on one of Ted Nugent's old Byrdlands for Ted...just had two identical stock mid 60's alnico 5 Gibson humbuckers in it. The Duncan 59's are very similar, but calibrated for the neck and bridge position.

Tom Scholz used a Dimarzio Super Distortion for the bridge humbucker and a stock Gibson neck P-90 for those early Boston tones...but he also used tons of processing and multiple overdubs to get that Bostom tone.

Van Halen used a vintage output humbuckers for the first few albums where he got his most popular tones...nothing overly hot. You could order a '78 HB from the MJ in the Duncan Custom Shop for that tone.

Didn't Lynch use a JB and later a Screamin Demon? I'm not a fan of his so I don't know for sure. But one of those will get you into Lynching Territory...

Neil Schon? I think he used stock Gibson HB's for the early Journey stuff...nothing special.

Lew

lew is dead on the money with this recomendation!
for those styles with a marshall a set of seths or 59's are the best safest bet.
schon used PAF's,nuge used paf's,VH used paf's,lynch used a distortion for years until retiring it for the sig demon model which is very paf like anyhow :laugh2:
slash from GNR uses alnico II pro's again very paf like
so like lew said the seths or the 59's are a no brainer
:cool3: