Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

[JarickL]

Long time no post! I've had some fun this year trading and acquiring new guitars and wanted some advice on an LTD Eclipse 1000 Les Paul type guitar. It came stock with a Duncan JB in the bridge and 59 in the neck. Sounded pretty good, but it could be better.

The JB sounds like a wah pedal stuck in the middle to me. I've tried it a few times and there's just too much midrange and not enough presence. I swapped it for a Whole Lotta Humbucker bridge which definitely had a more "even" sound but I'm missing some of that higher output compression that the JB had. Made the mistake of swapping mags on the WLH so I can't exchange. A8 was the best sounding one I tried, but still not quite there.

Would the Custom be somewhere in the middle between these two?

On the neck, the 59 has a really nice spanky sound due to the scooped mids and the high end spike, but I don't like the high amount of low end. I've tried the Jazz in a couple previous guitars and really liked it. I've tried swapping the 59 magnet to A4, A3, and A2 (maybe even UOA5) and I couldn't keep the highs while losing the lows.

So would this set work well together? Or should I be looking at something else?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

What kind of music are you playing?

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

SH-5 Custom would indeed sit between the JB and WLH in output. It's slightly scooped, which would match the scooped sound you seek in the neck.

Perpetual Burn might also be an option; to me, it feels like a hotter, more modern WLH.

For bright/scooped neck pickup, Jazz or Full Shred might be your ticket. Jazz has a softer attack, Full Shred feels very tight.

WLH neck might also be worth checking out, as similar to the 59 in feel, but more even EQ (less low end).

 

[elelpe]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

Custom won't give you enough presence like JB did. Go with Alt8.

 

[JarickL]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

What kind of music are you playing?

Hard rock/grunge. Think STP, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. 90% of the time I'm playing clean is going to be middle or neck position and 90% of the time I'm playing with gain is going to be bridge.

SH-5 Custom would indeed sit between the JB and WLH in output. It's slightly scooped, which would match the scooped sound you seek in the neck.

Perpetual Burn might also be an option; to me, it feels like a hotter, more modern WLH.

For bright/scooped neck pickup, Jazz or Full Shred might be your ticket. Jazz has a softer attack, Full Shred feels very tight.

WLH neck might also be worth checking out, as similar to the 59 in feel, but more even EQ (less low end).

Thanks, that makes sense.

Initially I thought about getting the WLH neck, but that scooped sound makes the pickup sound brighter and cleaner to my ears. Essentially I'm looking for the more scooped neck just with less bass than the 59. I may end up trading one of my guitars towards an SG Faded and either trying the WLH/59 set in there or some other low output PAF types for a different vibe so the LP could be a more modern sound.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

I'm gonna go with the original thoughts: Custom/Jazz. It is open, and the Custom has a bit of that compression going on, but not as much as a JB. Both pickups are really tight, too.

 

[leevc5]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

The best Duncan pickups I have found for a Les Paul are the Seth Lovers. I've tried many combinations but to my ears the Seths sound like they were specifically designed for a Les Paul.

 

[JarickL]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

Last night I decided to try one more thing with the WLH and that's putting an A2 magnet in it. I figured if the pickup was really aggressive sounding with tons of midrange and harmonics, maybe an A2 would tame it. And it did, but it took the high end with it. It's interesting with an A2 as it's more like a vintage sounding JB. Lots of midrange, a bit more open than the JB, less compression, not much low end or high end. A lot of the EVH style pickups seem to be hot wound PAF style with A2's, and cranking up the mids and the gain seemed like they might kind of get there.

Considering all that, I decided to spring for the Custom last night so I will see how that sounds. I'd imagine that, since none of the vintage sounding pickups did it for me, and the high output midrangey pickup didn't do it for me, the medium output pickup with a bit of a scoop might be the ticket.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

I'm with Mincer,love that combo in my LP!!!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

The best Duncan pickups I have found for a Les Paul are the Seth Lovers. I've tried many combinations but to my ears the Seths sound like they were specifically designed for a Les Paul.

Well, yes and no. For me & you, yes, they're great. For guys that play metal and other genres with a lot of distortion, there's better choices.

For me, the Custom/Jazz set is at it's best when both PU's have an UOA5 in them.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

Custom/Jazz is killer for hard rock in a Les Paul.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

The best Duncan pickups I have found for a Les Paul are the Seth Lovers. I've tried many combinations but to my ears the Seths sound like they were specifically designed for a Les Paul.

Except he is playing hard rock & grunge, so there are better choices. I love Seths, too, but not in this instance.

 

[JarickL]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

Custom arrived and installed last week. It's nice in some areas but I don't love it. It sounds very aggressive, almost like it's distorted before it hits the input. Maybe that's the ceramic magnet? I have a feeling I'd prefer either the Custom 5 or the C5/59 hybrid as that would be a little clearer sounding but without the aggressive mids of the WLH. Maybe the hybrid?

Listening to the clips on the site, and now with the reference of multiple pickups in this guitar, I really like the clean sound of the 59 bridge but the distorted sounds of the Custom 5 and the Hybrid. I can hear that midrange of the WLH and the darkness of the JB in those clips as well. Listening to neck pickups the Jazz definitely still sounds like the best fit for this guitar (less low end than the 59).

 

[blueman335]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

You can't go by clips. You don't know what guitar/wood/amp/tubes/speakers they're recorded thru, or the mic and where it's placed. Don't count on being able to sound like any clip you hear just because you have the same PU it used.

Is the Custom new, can you exchange it?

I don't care for Customs either, just don't like ceramic mags. But if you bought the PU used, you might as well swap magnets. Put in an A5 and you have a Custom 5. My favorite Custom version is with an UOA5, which gives it a more moderate output with a lot of rich texture.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

I have a custom 5 in the bridge and a phat cat in the neck of my les paul and it rocks. A humbucker in the neck is too smooth for rock in my opinion.

 

[JarickL]

Re: Custom/Jazz Set in Les Paul?

You can't go by clips. You don't know what guitar/wood/amp/tubes/speakers they're recorded thru, or the mic and where it's placed. Don't count on being able to sound like any clip you hear just because you have the same PU it used.

Is the Custom new, can you exchange it?

I don't care for Customs either, just don't like ceramic mags. But if you bought the PU used, you might as well swap magnets. Put in an A5 and you have a Custom 5. My favorite Custom version is with an UOA5, which gives it a more moderate output with a lot of rich texture.

It's new, so I'll call to exchange. Otherwise I would have swapped magnets.

The sound clips they had for all the pickups I have are similar to what they sound like in my guitar.