custom vs custom 8 - Strat

[Ole]

Hi,
Sorry another custom 8 question for you folks
I`m planning on routing my ash bodied `79 strat -I hate the idea of having to modify the strat but I`ve tried a bunch of single coil sized humbuckers and not one of them sounds even close to the real deal.
So, what would be the difference between a ceramic custom and the alnico 8 in the strat ? I`m looking for a heavy sound, with punchy cutting mids, and supertight low end for D tuning.
Which magnet would be the tightest of the two ?

Thanks!

 

[Despair]

Re: custom vs custom 8 - Strat

The lowend is pretty similar between A8 and ceramic. Ceramic might be a hair tighter. Tradeoff is you get ceramic's high end. Some people (with high frequency hearing loss) love that, but many can't stand it, some even to the point of avoiding recordings where that gritty edge is present. (Custom is less annoying than many ceramics, though. Tends to be more bright than harsh.)

A8 has more rolled off treble/presence, some people feel that makes it's upper mids seem harder or too noticable. A lot of people LOVE what it sounds like and don't feel that's a problem at all.

Particularly in a bright strat, I'd go for the A8.

 

[Ole]

Re: custom vs custom 8 - Strat

Thanks for the info Despair
I`m really interested in testing out the alnico 8. I know from earlier experiences that sh5 in a strat is a killer combo.
Is it possible to describe which one would be the most punchiest of the two ?

 

[Despair]

Re: custom vs custom 8 - Strat

Punchiest? About equal. Ceramic will have a nastier bite, A8 will sound sweeter. In most guitars. A dull guitar might do better with ceramic.

Surface54 has some great samples of the Custom 8. Search the forums, may help you decide (well, if heavier distortion/thrash is your thing). Custom 8 can handle tons of distortion as well as the ceramic version seems to be the concensus. Some people like a LOT of bite on their metal rhythms. To me, the Custom 8 has more than enough bite for rhythm, and far better for leads than almost any ceramic I've heard.

You might prefer a TB-5, though, (trembucker/fender spaced, instead of old SH/gibson spacing, which isn't even the best option for Gibsons that aren't vintage models. Even new LPs tend to have wider spacing now...)