Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

[JD Clark]

What Up everybody? Looking to put one of these prospective pickups in the bridge of my SG. I've been advised that they could all sound good but I'd like to know how they stack up next to one another. This is a guitar used mostly to play leads (Bluesy/Hard Rock) and heavier parts so I need something that can cut through the mix and the rest of the band and still be versatile and effective. People are pushing me towards the custom but I'm afraid it won't have enough balls. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! I also want to put a Jazz in the neck position (which I have in another guitar and love (for my clean tones) that I would mainly only use for clean tones. Any thoughts on how a jazz would match up with any of the "custom" pickups!

JD

 

[Marcel]

Re: Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

I think custom has lots of balls and Custom bridge / Jazz neck is a famous combo here...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

SG's are kind of thin and twnagy and, IMO, sound best with a bridge humbucker with plenty of bass...like the alnico 5 59B. Personally, I'd probably go for a Duncan Custom first. Strong bass, strong mids and strong highs. The Custom Custom is a favorite of mine in a Strat and in semi hollow body guitars but I wonder if it might lack some bass in a SG? Very strong mids and very smooth highs from the Custom Custom. The Custom 5 is a cool pickup when cranked...but at lower volumes I find it a little thin in the mids and a little to bright for my tastes. Sounds killer played loud though. Again, for what you're describing, I think the Duncan Custom would be a good choice. Lew

 

[bloodswords]

Re: Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

i currently own all 3 pickups in the following guitars:

Custom- Ibanez RG321
Custom5- GIbson SG Special Faded Edition
Custom Custom- Ibanez SZ320WB

what Lew said: the Custom has more bass in it, it'll be great with the SG if you are the palm-muting/ chugging type. as for me, i play black metal (& fusion at times), so i was looking for a Duncan with a healthy dose of lower midrange but nothing excessive & the C5 was it for me. don't get me wrong though, the C5 isn't a one-trick pony, it does hard rock/ blues crunch very well too.

my C5 with the AIIP in the neck

 

[Aceman]

Re: Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

+1 Lew

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Custom vs. Custom 5 vs. Custom Custom

I found my SG to be lacking in the lower mids more than bass really. I went with a Custom Custom in mine, and it really thickened up the sound. I haven't tried the other customs but I'd worry about a lack of mids with the Custom 5 sounding rather weak and thin.