Custom 8 paradise!

Re: Custom 8 paradise!

yep that sounds about right. now go crazy with the swaps! and don't forget to get a couple of each kind of magnet, and when you do order them enter sdforum for the coupon code.

Is there anything else I need to swap?? Is there a how to guide on this board?
Thanks
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

I had a5/a3 in it for a while but it was a little bright, so I changed to a4/a3 and I liked it for a while but now i'm finding it to thick and dark. Maybe I'll try a5/a4. If I could get a nickle cover on a p-rail I'd love to try it. It seems like the perfect neck pickup to me, and I may try one anyway, but I love the nickle covers in this guitar.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

Is there anything else I need to swap?? Is there a how to guide on this board?
Thanks

my answer to those who want to discover the wonders of magnet swaps!
it's actually pretty cost effective to do magnet swaps, since they're only about $5-$8 per magnet and swapping them yourself is real easy once you know the process:

how to swap mags:
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/barmagswap.htm

what each magnet sounds like:
http://wwwseymourduncan.com/forum/sh...ight=magnet+eq

where to get magnets:
http://shop.wymoreguitars.com/category.sc?categoryId=29
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

I love this tread... I only have one Custom 8 (only one guitar right now) but, oooh how sweet it is. I can't imagine life without it now. I need more guitars to put C8s in.

BloodRose, not to change the subject, but have you found a neck pickup you like the C8? I have the hardest time with the neck pup. I was just wondering. Maybe it's my guitar but I've yet to find one that does it for me.

well my baretta with a 598 is that alone. My Salas has cool rails neck and mid, those work ok. My MG104 has a 598n. This I think would be a great match if it was mounted with a ring so that I could lower it. Being direct mount, its alil much..Its KILLER for leads!! But just alittle off balance. But suprisingly, not as unbalanced as I figured it would be..
my explorer has a Custom8/59n and it works pretty. ( I may try the 8 in the neck, cuz it has a ring....)
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

well my baretta with a 598 is that alone. My Salas has cool rails neck and mid, those work ok. My MG104 has a 598n. This I think would be a great match if it was mounted with a ring so that I could lower it. Being direct mount, its alil much..Its KILLER for leads!! But just alittle off balance. But suprisingly, not as unbalanced as I figured it would be..
my explorer has a Custom8/59n and it works pretty. ( I may try the 8 in the neck, cuz it has a ring....)

So the 598n works good huh? I tryied a PG8n once when I first started swapping magnets and it seems like it wasn't all that bad, but I prefered the PCn at the time. I may try it again.
See,...In 20 years I've never used a neck pickup. I've always been a rhythm player with full on, in your face hard rock distortion all the time. Well, since I bought a tube amp I've really started to learn to be more versitile now that I have an amp that is.(not on purpose either, it just started happening) I'm learning how to play some lead and blues stuff now and I'm finding I need more options. I'm having a hard time with the neck pickup and thats why I ask. Thanks
I would like to try a 59n sometime. I think I might like it based on what I've read, but I don't know.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

So the 598n works good huh? I tryied a PG8n once when I first started swapping magnets and it seems like it wasn't all that bad, but I prefered the PCn at the time. I may try it again.
See,...In 20 years I've never used a neck pickup. I've always been a rhythm player with full on, in your face hard rock distortion all the time. Well, since I bought a tube amp I've really started to learn to be more versitile now that I have an amp that is.(not on purpose either, it just started happening) I'm learning how to play some lead and blues stuff now and I'm finding I need more options. I'm having a hard time with the neck pickup and thats why I ask. Thanks
I would like to try a 59n sometime. I think I might like it based on what I've read, but I don't know.

598n is alittle strong and would have to be set lower, but tonally its there..
598b is kinda like a vintage Custom8.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

598n is alittle strong and would have to be set lower, but tonally its there..
598b is kinda like a vintage Custom8.

Not sure what a 59n or 59b is??? I wonder which one my Golden 60 is like? Unless of course it simply stands for 59 Bridge and 59 Neck. What ever it is that pup has an A8 in it now and will never leave my Baretta.

As for the ESP LTD H50, I did the swap tonight with the CC and changed it into a C8. Definetly woke up the ESP LTD...it is singing and pretty fat...not as brite as my Baretta.

But the point of my ESP LTD is that it is more of an every day practice guitar that I use to avoid wear and tear on the Kramer. I wanted the ESP to sound good though and it realy did sound good with the CC in it. Changing it to a C8 has made it more present and a little more brite sounding..but it's still a CC with respect to mids...not as much treble as the 598 for sure.

Now I have this DD sitting around wondering what I should do with it. I wished I could change out the mag, because I have an A2, A5, and A8 mag now extra.

If I could get the mag to fit into the DD what would it sound like you suppose with one of those mags. Thinking maybe the A2 and put it into the neck position??? Probably not....probably should just sell it.
 
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Re: Custom 8 paradise!

Yes sir, n = neck, b= bridge
I have a 598bridge model in my baretta and a 598neck model in the neck of one of my MG104s



So, you like the custom 8?? :naughty:
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

Yes sir, n = neck, b= bridge
I have a 598bridge model in my baretta and a 598neck model in the neck of one of my MG104s



So, you like the custom 8?? :naughty:


Yes I think the C8 in my ESP is going to make the guitar more desirable to play. I used to play it with the CC in it...and then when I would switch to the Karmer with the DD...it would be this huge change in sound. I don't like my sound to change to drastically between guitars as it effects the amps EQ.

Maybe I'm just lazy because my Switchblade has like 32X4 programmable channels. But I don't like to channel surf when I'm playing because I forget where stuff is at.

I don't have a d-tuna on my Kramer (yet) so the ESP is used when I want to quickly drop tune...and when I want to do sweeps and toggle both the neck and bridge pups.

What pup should I put in the neck of the ESP to compliment the C8 in the bridge? I have the POS stock ESP pup in the neck right now.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

Yay! Yeah, the custom 8 has a broader spread of tone than the CC, is more aggressive, but NOT harsh. To me, its a great all around pup.. Chunky with a great singing lead voice..

As far a neck pup.. Id try a 598. I have one in the neck of one of my Washburn MG104s and it sounds great. The ONLY drawback is that it is alittle strong. But tone is great! On my guitar, the pups are direct mount, so I cant lower the pup more to get a little less power. But if yours is on a mounting ring, that would be ideal.. Worse case scenario, you decide its too much.. then just put the stock magnet back and run as a 59. As is, the balance isnt too overwhelming. Its just not perfect. But I like it so much, I cant change it. It just wails for leads in the neck and bridge.. Doesnt have a pristine clean, but has a warm, sweet bluesy tone when rolled back. I will definately try the combo in a guitar with pup rings where I can drop it some..
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

probably like night and day, since the a5 has much less mids than the a8, and more mids have a good bit more volume(imo) than scooped mids in similar settings.

"I gottsta know"...it reminds of that line in Dirty Harry when he does he most powerful handgun in world speach to the guy laying on the ground (beginning bank robbery scene).

So I stuck the C8 into my Baretta (Maple body) last night...holy crap is it louder then the Schaller Zebra 8 (598?) that I had in the guitar. The mids are way present....I think I kind of like it better then the 598...I will have to play it for the next couple of weeks and see.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

Just want to chime in and say I've got an A8 in a Full Shred and I like it a lot. Is the FS the same wind as the Customs? I thought I read that somewhere around here. Anyway it sounds good to me.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

This thread is raising some questions in my newb mind.

1) does having a more powerful magnet affect sustain? I've read some marketing stuff that says it does, but you know marketing.

2) Are magnets comparitively stronger as their name suggests? For example, is an alnico 8 twice as strong as an alnico 4?

my answer to those who want to discover the wonders of magnet swaps!

That middle link doesn't work.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

This thread is raising some questions in my newb mind.

1) does having a more powerful magnet affect sustain? I've read some marketing stuff that says it does, but you know marketing.

2) Are magnets comparitively stronger as their name suggests? For example, is an alnico 8 twice as strong as an alnico 4?



That middle link doesn't work.

there's a dot missing inbetween www seymour in that link. sorry about that:laughing:
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

This thread is raising some questions in my newb mind.

1) does having a more powerful magnet affect sustain? I've read some marketing stuff that says it does, but you know marketing.

2) Are magnets comparitively stronger as their name suggests? For example, is an alnico 8 twice as strong as an alnico 4?



That middle link doesn't work.

Hey! Cool avatar BTW!

Yeah, the stronger magnet CAN affect sustain. But dont be afraid that if you use an 8, you will notice a big loss of sustain. If properly adjusted, that wont be the case at all. I have Custom 8s and ceramic magnet pickups that sustain as good, or better thatn alnico 2 mag pup guitars.
All you have to do is find the sweet spot when setting the hieght. You may need to have the alnico 8 magnet pup just a tiny bit lower.

as far as the numbers, Yeah Im pretty sure that it correct. But Im only speaking from experience using them and what Ive read, not scientifically..
 
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Re: Custom 8 paradise!

1) does having a more powerful magnet affect sustain? I've read some marketing stuff that says it does, but you know marketing.
Of course it does, but just listen to what BloodRose had to say on subject, he got it covered pretty well.
My custom 8 sustains like crazy. (but I never raise any pickup too high).


2) Are magnets comparitively stronger as their name suggests? For example, is an alnico 8 twice as strong as an alnico 4?
No. As far as I know, numbers are connected with a date of invention. So, Alnico 8 is the latest alloy they came up with.
 
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Re: Custom 8 paradise!

This thread is raising some questions in my newb mind.

1) does having a more powerful magnet affect sustain? I've read some marketing stuff that says it does, but you know marketing.

2) Are magnets comparitively stronger as their name suggests? For example, is an alnico 8 twice as strong as an alnico 4?

The low number alnicos aren't as strong as the higher ones, but there's probably no mathematical formula. Basically to me A2 & A3 are low output, A4 is medium output, and A5, A6, and A8 are high output. Ceramics are very high output.

Sustain comes from a lot of things, including your wood, guitar design, and amp. A solid body sustains more than a hollow; a thick body sustains more than a thin one. A stronger magnet may sustain more, but you could get the same sustain with a low output PU by turning up your amp or overdrive slightly. And a strong magnet could just as easily reduce sustain by pulling on the strings if it's too close to them. Don't get hung up on sustain, especially when it comes to PU's. Priority #1 is tone. If your tone is off, all the sustain in the world won't help your playing.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

How would you compare the C8 to the two other Customs I've tried, the regular ceramic and the A2?

I need to pull that pickup apart (the magnet's in backwards), and maybe I should try an A8 as long as I have it apart.
 
Re: Custom 8 paradise!

How would you compare the C8 to the two other Customs I've tried, the regular ceramic and the A2?
I`ll try to put it short. C8 is tonally somewhere in between them, and it`s less compressed than both of them. Very pronounced mids, stronger bass and highs than A2, but less fizzy and sharp than ceramic.
 
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Re: Custom 8 paradise!

How would you compare the C8 to the two other Customs I've tried, the regular ceramic and the A2?

I need to pull that pickup apart (the magnet's in backwards), and maybe I should try an A8 as long as I have it apart.

Just DO IT
 
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