Duncan Custom - My initial review

[Rex_Rocker]

Dropped it in yesterday. Jammed for a couple of hours on it. Kiler, killer pickup. This is my take.

So what do I like about it? First, and most of all, it's nice and aggressive in the highs/high-mids. It has a ton more detail than the JB it replaced, and I don't feel it has any trouble cutting through. It feels more attacky and more immediate. It doesn't have the soft pick attack that the JB had in this guitar. It has kind of a dry feeling, and I feel it "rewards" you more than the JB does when you pick hard and aggressive. I suppose that's what people refer to as "being dynamic"?

It is a different kind of pickup than what I'm used to in some ways. It's scoopy for sure, but I feel it's scoopy where it needs to be. Stuffy lower mids and honky core mids are dialed back, thus leading to a nice clarity and aggression in the upper mids and highs. The low-end is chunky for sure. I wouldn't say it's the tightest pickup I've tried, but give me some time to tweak, and I'm sure I'll be able to tame it.

That's where the pickup is kind of unfamiliar. I wouldn't say I don't like that about it yet since I've still got to experiment more with it, but the low end is fatter than what I'm used to. No biggie, though. I'll just tweak some more, drop a different kind of boost, tweak the boost, or I'll see what I can do about it. I'm sure I can work with it, though. And also, like I said, it actually "feels" lower output than what it really is. It's sort of a dry-feeling pickup, but it does sound nice when you pick hard to squeeze the most ouf ot it, so I like that about it.

All in all, I'm happy. I like it. I do think it takes my guitar more in the direction I wanted it to when I replaced the JB. But do I like it more than my current favorite, the 500T? Not sure. My initial impression is no, but I'd need to spend more time with it. I've spent a lot more time with the 500T, and my sound is really dialed in for that one right now. But the Custom does seem very promising.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Here it is installed in my LTD.

 

[Mincer]

Ive described as 'dry' in the past, too. It is big and bold, and is like a huge swath of frequencies coming out of the amp. To me, it isn't as compressed as a JB or Distortion, either.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Ive described as 'dry' in the past, too. It is big and bold, and is like a huge swath of frequencies coming out of the amp. To me, it isn't as compressed as a JB or Distortion, either.

Speaking of the Distortion, I think I could have also gotten a Distortion and be happy. But it's always nice to try new ways of getting a tone that I like. It's a nice pickup for sure. Better than Distortion? No. But not any worse either. I'm happy with this one too!

 

[Artie]

Nice review. I've done a CC and a C5. (Both of which I liked.) I don't think I've tried the ceramic version.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Nice review. I've done a CC and a C5. (Both of which I liked.) I don't think I've tried the ceramic version.

Thank you!

I've tried the 5 briefly, but that was some time ago. Much like I didn't like the Custom then, I didn't like the 5 either. I'd be willing to give it a try again. I bet it sounds better than I remember it.

 

[jeremy]

double thick ceramic in a custom sounds awesomeif you find you need a little more. a buddy of mine has one in a superstrat and it was pretty damn impressive

 

[Rex_Rocker]

double thick ceramic in a custom sounds awesomeif you find you need a little more. a buddy of mine has one in a superstrat and it was pretty damn impressive

I just watched a video where they mention some new LTD's which come with an exclusive version of the Custom which is the Custom with a triple ceramic magnet ala Black Winter.

WANT.

That being said, I like the Custom the way it is right now... but I do have the double thick magnet... maybe next string change, LOL.

What do you think it sounds like compared to the regular Custom? I wouldn't mind a bit more midrange, but I certainly don't want more low-end.

 

[skelt101]

If you can't get the low end where you want with adjustments, you could also try shorter polepieces. That might tighten it up a bit. :bigthumb:

 

[Rex_Rocker]

If you can't get the low end where you want with adjustments, you could also try shorter polepieces. That might tighten it up a bit. :bigthumb:

A double thick mag and some hexes might be interesting!

 

[EmiAba]

Over the years I have tried all custom incarnations. I have to say that it's the bridge pick up I prefer the most. I have a C8 in one of my Les Paul since 2012 and it will stay there forever. Reliable, with the right amount of power, not so compressed, splits beautifully and it's able to cover a lot of ground. I think everyone deserves at least one guitar loaded with a custom.
P. S. Rex your Ltd is really a beauty

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Over the years I have tried all custom incarnations. I have to say that it's the bridge pick up I prefer the most. I have a C8 in one of my Les Paul since 2012 and it will stay there forever. Reliable, with the right amount of power, not so compressed, splits beautifully and it's able to cover a lot of ground. I think everyone deserves at least one guitar loaded with a custom.
P. S. Rex your Ltd is really a beauty

Thank you! As soon as I saw the ad for it, I knew I had to have it.

What does A8 do to the low-end compared to Ceramic? More? Less? Different? Tighter? Looser?

 

[EmiAba]

In my experience the C8 sounds warmer and more organic than regular custom, that has a very bright, harsh high end and it is midscooped. The C8 has more mids, that's the reason why it seems more louder and a very strong low end but smoother and less punchy than the ceramic loaded custom. Anyway the C8 is tight enough to play extreme metal. Hope this help.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

In my experience the C8 sounds warmer and more organic than regular custom, that has a very bright, harsh high end and it is midscooped. The C8 has more mids, that's the reason why it seems more louder and a very strong low end but smoother and less punchy than the ceramic loaded custom. Anyway the C8 is tight enough to play extreme metal. Hope this help.

Thank you for the review. The Custom's high-end is what I like the most from it. It's not airy like a PAF and it's very distinctly ceramic, but I love that. It's more raspy, aggressive, and cutting than even the 500T, but I love pickups like that with lots of character. I'd rather have a pickup be too bright and tame it with different pot values, personally, than be too dark like the X2N.

But I am happy with it right now with a 500K volume and a 500K tone pot. I may eventually change it to 250K vol no tone for the bridge to keep the same load, and 500K for the neck with no tone to open it up a bit.

 

[misterwhizzy]

My experience with the Custom 8 is that something in the mids sounds wrong when miced up, and the mids are a tiny bit mushier to my ears. And after a few weeks, it doesn't sound right. I like the Custom Custom, but it misses the power and edge I like in the stock Custom. I think in the end, Seymour had it right from the start.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

My experience with the Custom 8 is that something in the mids sounds wrong when miced up, and the mids are a tiny bit mushier to my ears. And after a few weeks, it doesn't sound right. I like the Custom Custom, but it misses the power and edge I like in the stock Custom. I think in the end, Seymour had it right from the start.

I'm curious about the Custom 8, but not really about the Custom Custom. I'm not really into A2 for bridge pickups. Kinda smooth and polite compared to other magnets, which is kinda the opposite of what I look for in a bridge pickup.

I can see the appeal, though. I bet it kills for solos.

 

[AdrianSD]

Thank you for the review. The Custom's high-end is what I like the most from it. It's not airy like a PAF and it's very distinctly ceramic, but I love that. It's more raspy, aggressive, and cutting than even the 500T, but I love pickups like that with lots of character. I'd rather have a pickup be too bright and tame it with different pot values, personally, than be too dark like the X2N.

But I am happy with it right now with a 500K volume and a 500K tone pot. I may eventually change it to 250K vol no tone for the bridge to keep the same load, and 500K for the neck with no tone to open it up a bit.

Let us know how you find the double ceramic Custom at the next string change. You might like it more than the regular one.

 

[misterwhizzy]

I'm curious about the Custom 8, but not really about the Custom Custom. I'm not really into A2 for bridge pickups. Kinda smooth and polite compared to other magnets, which is kinda the opposite of what I look for in a bridge pickup.

I can see the appeal, though. I bet it kills for solos.

I would definitely say the Custom 8 is worth a try, especially since it'll cost you about $5 and twenty minutes, but I'd hang onto the ceramic until you realize you like it better that way.

For what it's worth, I usually don't even remove the strings to change a magnet. I loosen the strings enough to wedge a piece of 2x4 between them and the fretboard, and that leaves enough room to pull out and operate on the pickup.

 

[Mincer]

I'm curious about the Custom 8, but not really about the Custom Custom. I'm not really into A2 for bridge pickups. Kinda smooth and polite compared to other magnets, which is kinda the opposite of what I look for in a bridge pickup.

I can see the appeal, though. I bet it kills for solos.

Funny, the CC is my fav bridge pickup. I don't know if I'd call it polite, but it does occupy a lot of sonic space.

 

[El Dunco]

I really like the custom with allen head screws on one side of the bottom 3 strings.