Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

[borgercat]

Hello everybody! Been looking for a HB to put in the bridge of my poplar squire Strat. I want something that splits good, bright, but not very much. Which one of these can split for good cleans?
Apparently the custom splits very good, but is the ceramic magnet warm enough? And which one is brighter, A5 or ceramic?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

Custom Custom might be what you are looking for. It's a stellar pickup in a Strat. Round treble, aggressive mids, decent bass. It also splits well.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

+1 for cc
Jb is actually my favorite split for classic 2, but not good with cleans as a humbucker.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

Of the 3 pickups you listed, I think the C/59' would be the best. The custom is tight and aggressive, but it might not be warm enough, depending on the natural tone of your guitar. As mentioned above, the CC is also my favorite HB in a strat. If you wanted more tightness, all you'd have to do is replace the A2 Mag with a ceramic and bam, you have a Custom.

 

[smitty302]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

I don't know how a custom will sound in a Squire, but it's my favorite in a mahogany body. It's really not to aggressive to me like some people say, and it's just bright enough to cut through the rest of the band when you want to be heard. I think Seymour describes it best, "a P.A.F. on steroids". But if I couldn't get that the c/59 is awesome also, and may be better for your guitar.

 

[borgercat]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

Thanks for the replies! The squier comes with cheap ceramic pickups, but the cleans on the middle and neck pickup are somewhat good. The neck position sounds surprisingly warm, but i’m upgrading all pickups anyway. I was planning on e a SSL-2 on the neck, Will it be warmer than ceramic, right? And i wanted a bright humbucker to have a balanced setup. Also i’m planning on upgrading the trem block. My question is: will brass leave me with very reduced brightness? Or should i go for a steel block?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

Of the 3 pickups you listed, I think the C/59' would be the best. The custom is tight and aggressive, but it might not be warm enough, depending on the natural tone of your guitar. As mentioned above, the CC is also my favorite HB in a strat. If you wanted more tightness, all you'd have to do is replace the A2 Mag with a ceramic and bam, you have a Custom.

I have to agree with all of this.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

Thanks for the replies! The squier comes with cheap ceramic pickups, but the cleans on the middle and neck pickup are somewhat good. The neck position sounds surprisingly warm, but i’m upgrading all pickups anyway. I was planning on e a SSL-2 on the neck, Will it be warmer than ceramic, right? And i wanted a bright humbucker to have a balanced setup. Also i’m planning on upgrading the trem block. My question is: will brass leave me with very reduced brightness? Or should i go for a steel block?

SSL-2 is a great choice for the neck. Nice pickup. A brass block will add warmth and take off some high end in my experience. It's good for a strat that is bright and needs warmth and sustain. The steel block will yield brighter tones, but not overly bright. It's my preferred choice. I cannot recommend the Callaham replacement blocks and replacement bridges enough. Callaham is simply the best strat hardware available. They have everything from blocks and replacement saddles to complete hardware replacement kits for nearly every kind of strat. I highly recommend one of their complete hardware packages if you really love everything about your strat.

 

[borgercat]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

A question: what volume pot should i run in the strat? 250k or 500k? Been searching about which is better for a HSS strat, but havent found good advice. I will run one tone for the bridge HB (500k), and one for neck and middle (250k). What cap would you reccomend in the bridge tone? .22 or .47?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

I use a 500k volume pot, and have a separate 250k pot for the singles, and 500k for the humbucker. If I need a master tone, I go 500k. It works just fine.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Custom vs 59/Custom vs JB

A5 and Ceramic can both be very bright, it depends on the guitar and the pickup.

All of those pickups will sound good split. I'm going to recommend a JB 2, thats a JB with an A2 magnet in it.

I think you will be extremely pleased.