Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

[Lewguitar]

I installed a Duncan Custom Trembucker in one of my single bridge humbucker Strats, along with an On/On/On mini switch to allow me to go from Series to Single to Parallel and compared the tones.

First: the Duncan Custom sounds spectacular in my Strat. I've been playing it through a pair of Fender 5E3 Deluxe amps each with a mid 60's Celestion Alnico 12" speaker with the signal split by a Boss Reverb Pedal in stereo.

The Custom might be my favorite bridge humbucker in a Strat so far. More treble and tighter bass than the Custom Custom but more mids than the 59B or Custom 5. I really, really like it and it sounds like a 59B tweaked for more mids and more output...the "59B on steroids description" fits but the tone of the Duncan Custom is alot prettier than that description.

Through my tweed Deluxes the Custom sounds like Clapton playing a Humbucker through a Marshall with Cream. That tone just leaps out of the speakers! The Duncan Custom is a great pickup for getting pinch harmonics too!

Here's my take on difference between the Series vs. Single vs Parallel tones:

1. Series: the standard humbucker tone. Humbucking. Fat, full , highest output.

2. Single stud coil: Not Humbucking. Good Strat like tone from a 7.2K coil. Brighter than Series and lower in output. Less compressed than Series or Parallel...louder and more bass and more output than Parallel.

3. Parallel: Humbucking. About as much treble but less bass and less output than Single. More "quack". When switching from Single to Parallel, it's almost like something shifts downward in the mids resulting in less bass and a lower resonance to the mids with more quack and a more compressed tone than Single.

All three tones are very usable and fun to play with...especially since this Strat has only a single bridge Duncan Custom with no tone control...just a 500K CTS volume pot and the on/on/on mini switch.

Lew

 

[Artie]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Thats interesting that the single produced more bass than the humbucker. The parallel part makes sense. You have two, slightly different coils, (due to studs and screws), generating slightly different signals. It stands to reason that there would be some phase cancellation.

Nice review Lew. Again.

Artie

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Thats interesting that the single produced more bass than the humbucker. The parallel part makes sense. You have two, slightly different coils, (due to studs and screws), generating slightly different signals. It stands to reason that there would be some phase cancellation.

Nice review Lew. Again.

Artie

Thanks! but the single setting didn't produce more bass than series, Artie...I reworded my review to make it a little clearer. Lew

 

[JeffB]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Alder or Ash body Lew?

Maple board? Rw?

I think it's often overlooked in a Strat (the Custom). I"ve never heard one split on it's own but didn't think it was bad at all in combo with a middle pos single (though I think the JB works a little better for that?)

 

[Artie]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Thanks! but the single setting didn't produce more bass than series, Artie...I reworded my review to make it a little clearer. Lew

Ah . . . now that makes sense. Thanks Lew.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

CC is still my fav. For some reason, I could never find a use for Parallel wiring of a humbucker. It just never worked for me. I tried it once with the CC and didn't like it. Absolutely could not stand it with a 59 4-conductor, and didn't like it with a DiMarzio X2N. The only one I liked split was the DiMarzio. After a while I finally decided that my humbuckers will remain in series.

 

[Artie]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

For some reason, I could never find a use for Parallel wiring of a humbucker. It just never worked for me.

I've had the same experience. 'Buckers and split for me.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Alder or Ash body Lew?

Maple board? Rw?

I think it's often overlooked in a Strat (the Custom). I"ve never heard one split on it's own but didn't think it was bad at all in combo with a middle pos single (though I think the JB works a little better for that?)

Alder body, rosewood fingerboard and jumbo frets. I kind of like the Custom a little better than the JB because even with 500K pots the Custom didn't exhibit that hardness to the upper mids that some complain about the JB having when used with 500K pots. Of course with 250K pots that hard quality some attribute to the JB disappears...but so does alot of treble. Thanks! Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

CC is still my fav. For some reason, I could never find a use for Parallel wiring of a humbucker. It just never worked for me. I tried it once with the CC and didn't like it. Absolutely could not stand it with a 59 4-conductor, and didn't like it with a DiMarzio X2N. The only one I liked split was the DiMarzio. After a while I finally decided that my humbuckers will remain in series.

One advantage of the parallel setting is that it's humbucking.

But the single setting is louder, has more bass, sounds more like a Strat or Tele pickup and sounds alot better, though.

lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Wow! I just can't get over how good this Duncan Custom sounds in my Strat.

I love the little bit of clearish sizzle on top...add some bite without sounding overly hard or harsh.

Don't know how I overlooked this pickup for so long, but I'm feeling like it's the best humbucker I've yet tried in a Strat.

It's got it all: the higher output and pronounced mids of the CC and the solid tight bass and extended highs of the 59B.

The Duncan Custom is killer, and through my little amps it takes me right straight to my favorite humbucking tones, both vintage and modern!

So guess what? I just put one in my two humbucker Strat with a PGn as the neck pickup.

I'm wiring it up right now and I'll post a review tommorrow.

I'm wiring each pickup with the on/on/on mini switch too to allow switching from series to single to parallel.

Lew

 

[JeffB]

Re: Duncan Custom in a Strat and Series, Single, Parallel mini switch!

Wow! I just can't get over how good this Duncan Custom sounds in my Strat.

I love the little bit of clearish sizzle on top...add some bite without sounding overly hard or harsh.

Don't know how I overlooked this pickup for so long, but I'm feeling like it's the best humbucker I've yet tried in a Strat.

It's got it all: the higher output and pronounced mids of the CC and the solid tight bass and extended highs of the 59B.

The Duncan Custom is killer, and through my little amps it takes me right straight to my favorite humbucking tones, both vintage and modern!

So guess what? I just put one in my two humbucker Strat with a PGn as the neck pickup.

I'm wiring it up right now and I'll post a review tommorrow.

I'm wiring each pickup with the on/on/on mini switch too to allow switching from series to single to parallel.

Lew

The PGn combo should be quite good, I'd think Lew.

Honestly the reason I tried my first ever Duncan pickup (a custom) was cos I read in a Guitar rag that Vivian Campbell used one in his Charvel (super)Strats. I'd not heard of Duncan before...this was the mid 80s I guess.