Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

[Jeff_H]

Custom......Custom 3, Custom 4, Custom UOA5? None of these? I have an old 80's double cream Custom. I've never actually owned a true Custom. I've played them in other peoples guitars and in music stores. They have great crunch but seem a bit sterile to me if you need edge of breakup or clean tones. I've had the Custom 5, which was too mid scooped for my taste, even in a Les Paul. The CC is one of my favorite HB's in a strat, but not in a LP or Dean Hardtail. So..... what about C3 or C4. Any of these any better than stock? DC on mine is about 13.94.

Also, I have a DC 59'n here. I don't care for the 59' in the neck stock, but what about an A3 or A4? Either of these any good? I seem to recall several threads about guys liking the A4 in it I believe, but wanted to get opinions here.

Also, what about the PG, both neck and bridge? I will have the full set soon. I tend to love the neck quite a bit, but does either position benefit positively from a magnet change? My experience is the PGb needs some help in the low end.

These will likely go in one of my Hardtail's. I have the following magnets, but can get more from Addiction FX if needed:

A2 - Smooth Long
A2 - Short RC
A3 - RC
A4 - Mainly Smooth (2)
A5 - RC
A5 - RCUO
A8 - Though I doubt I'd like it in anything.... too hot.

My thought is A3 or A4 in the 59'n, but I don't know about the Custom or the PGb.

Please give me your thoughts and experiences.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

Don't know about the PG, but try the "Big" Custom, that is a Custom with a thick ceramic.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Discharged]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

Jeff, is early breakup is your thing, then sell the Custom and get a '59/Custom Hybrid and put a long A2 in it. It pairs up excellently with an A3-modded '59n.

For the PG set, I'd go with an A3/UOA5 mag set. All mods I've personally tried, so I can vouch for them.

/Peter

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

I'm loving the Custom5 in one particular PRS SE which is quite midrangey in nature: the C5 really cleared out the congestion for me. Les Pauls mostly tend to be naturally light in the mids and I'm not surprised that a C5 was too scooped for you there. A4 would be more balanced, and also has a bit less output if that edge-of-breakup range is important to you. I've tried the UA5 in several humbuckers and it has never failed to be an improvement. I really do think it has the best attributes of A5 and A2, a great balance between vintage and punchy. And I haven't found it to reduce the output as I'd expected.

Question about the CC: was it too warm for you, or too loose? Or both? If the highs & mids were to your taste, you might consider an A3 swap. It has a similar vintagey character, with a little less bass, a little less strength, and a little extra chime. Should be tighter and lighter. Full disclosure: have not tried A3 in a wind as high as the Custom myself, and some have cautioned that it might not be powerful enough to work well with that much wire. But I speak from experience when I say that A3s can be delicious in PAFs. An underappreciated magnet IMO, and I think it might be worth trying if you liked the CC but just found it a bit too spongey.

As for the 59N, I've used those in several types of guitar since the early 80s and never had a problem with them sounding bassy or feeling tubby. But for those who found them too boomy (usually players using Les Pauls with high gain, I think) swapping in an A4 has sometimes been just the ticket. It should add a little vowel tone to the mids too. Given my experiences with UA5, personally I'd be more likely to try that first. I have a couple of old Gibson Shaws that are just amazingly good neck pickups- UA5 magnets were the secret ingredient in those, IMO an important part of what has made them legendary. Or go for a truer old-school-PAF vibe with A3 as Discharged has suggested.

I would second Discharged's recommendation of the 59/C Hybrid, too- it's a real winner. Has more of a vintage feel than the Customs, with wonderful sparkle & mids that are lively but not nasal. Good cut without getting harsh. Enough output to push an amp, yet but more dynamically responsive than heavier winds. Less thick and less compressed. It cleans up with your pick attack or volume knob almost as well as a vintage-output pickup. One of my personal favorites.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

You have a double cream 59 neck? I'd like to make an offer on that....

 

[Discharged]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

You have a double cream 59 neck? I'd like to make an offer on that....

The double cream is a Custom.

The '59n is double screw.

Get two '59s; one zebra and one reverse zebra. Do the transplant, so you end up with a double cream and a double black. Easy Peasy!

/Peter

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

The 59' neck is double cream too, as is the CC and the PGb.

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

Hey Jeff,
I'd go with a Custom IV in the bridge and a 59 IV in the neck.
My PRS SE Custom Floyd has both A IV's in her and I'm
really digging it. Very organic magnet to my ears.

Peace,

Darrin

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

I'm really intrigued by A3 and A4 magnets right now. That's sort of where I'm leaning Darrin. It is always easier for me to give others advice than it is to do the same for myself. I'm debating about even keeping the 59'. It was an impulse purchase. If I do keep it, I'll try A4 and A3 in it. A3 is kind of the hot magnet right now for PAF's. The Gibson Custombuckers everyone raves about are A3, as are a lot of the popular PAF's from the boutique winders.

An A4 or A3 Custom may be a cool sound for sure. Thanks to all who have answered so far. RCUOA5 is on the menu too, at least in the bridge.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

One thing I've always found is that if two pickups with the same magnets work well together, these combos usually work well:

A3n/UOA5b
A4n/A4b
A4n/A8b

and if the bridge is a bit hotter, A5n/double ceramic bridge.

 

[Discharged]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

The 59' neck is double cream too, as is the CC and the PGb.

Oh, I see. I stand corrected, then.

/Peter

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Custom Magnet Swap, 59'n Magnet Swap & Maybe PGb Magnet Swap

Not that color matters to the sound, at all.

I prefer double cream pickups, old or new but the draw of these pickups I bought are that they are vintage SD pickups 30+ years old. I have had many SD pickups, old and new. There is something about the old ones that seem to have some extra mojo. I don't know if it's just simple aging of the pickups and their materials or the fact that they've been played all these years or that the rumors of the materials used in the old one's being different than new production pickups is true. But I like the old ones better.

If you think about it, a SD pickup made in the 80's is MUCH older now than the PAF pickups in original bursts when they were used to record the iconic tunes they became famous for in the 60's and 70's. They were 10 years old in the late 60's and 20 years old in the late 70's. So, how long does a pickup need to age before it acquires some mojo from the aging process?

I'm off topic, but it was something I started thinking about.