Differences between CC (SH-11) and C5 (SH-14)

[mikjwilli]

I'm considering a pickup change in my '01 Hamer Studio Custom. The current pickup config is a C5 in the bridge and Jazz in the neck (will swap to Alnico II Pro, as I did with my LP Std - Great pup!), which I've had for a while. I'm looking to get "more". How will a CC (SH-11) sound in the bridge compared to the C5? The Hamer is a mahog. body with maple top. BTW - versatility is important as my cover band covers dance to modern/classic rock.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Differences between CC (SH-11) and C5 (SH-14)

I have a CC at the bridge, and Alnico 2 Pro in the neck of a '91 Hamer Sunburst. The Alnico 2 Pro is smooth with a lot of bottom. The CC has a lot of lower mids, a little like the mid boost in Boston guitar tones. The high end is smooth.

The CC actually sounds nice clean. It doesn't have the icepick upper mid and highs that some bridge humbuckers have. It sounds crunchy and fat when you put it through an overdriven amp though.

You might find yourself not dialing in as much midrange at the amp if you want a more scooped or flat tone, but I think the extra mids going into the amp from the CC contribute to a nicer overdriven tone.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Differences between CC (SH-11) and C5 (SH-14)

I'm not crazy about the CC in a clean amp. Sounds a bit barky to me. But add some gain and the CC really opens up. IMO It has the sweetest singing sustain thats sounds better than any PuP in the Duncan line. The C5 however I find to be more versatile. More like a beefed up 59'