Duncan Distortion vs Custom 5

F

fretburner

Well-known member
Bought a Les Paul Custom in Heritage Chery Sunburst.

For whatever reason, the pickups are flipped in that the 498T is at the neck position while the 490R is on the bridge. I will replace it anyway, so no big deal.

I will definitely put an APH2n at the neck position and leaning towards a Duncan Distortion at the bridge.

I have a Custom and 59 Custom hybrid in my other LPs, and a Custom Custom in a super strat... so you could say I'm a big Custom fan.

I play mostly old school heavy metal (Megadeth, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne) and hard rock (Guns n Roses)...

Should I get a Custom 5 instead?

I'm worried it being too scooped. Not worried about it's output since I love the 59 Custom hybrid.

I dunno if it matters but it has the 50s wiring. First guitar I had with it.

Also... I should keep the covers
right?
2cbdd514ebb3a472075584c57329d2df.jpg


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That's beautiful. Congratulations.

I tried the Distortion in my Les Paul Studio and found it way too high-output and upper-middy. Unfortunately, the Custom 5 is one of the only common varieties of the Custom I have not tried. I like the stock Custom better than the Custom Custom or Custom 8, and I never found the desire to try a Custom 5. I just didn't like the Distortion.
 
I really disliked the Custom 5. Swapped to a Ceramic magnet and now that pickup does what its supposed to. Went from an anemic, indistict pickup to something that rocks. Maybe it works in neck position of some guitars??

Low output, scooped pickups are generally not a thing for good reason. Its an odd duck. I think it was built by request of the forum, which tells me that there was a reason they never sold it before. Its not like they never tried that wind with an A5. More likely they tried it and decided not to sell it. (But the good will gained from building it probably outweighed the consequences if they said no.)

IMO its a pickup that doesnt need to exist.
 
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I pla ya lot of seymour pickups.
I don't know why so'much people say the sh14 is mid scooped.
Honestly , he's not.
Sure, if you compare it to a duncan custom it could be considered as scooped. The custom has so much direct mids in your face...a nice pickup but with really harsh highs. Sad.

The sh14 has a lot of balls. A wonderfull clarity. It matches so well in les paul types guitars and with el 34 tubes.


I have tried a custom hybrid pickup. A full shred/jb hybrid. First with alnico 8 (to aggressive) and then with alnico 5 (much more balanced).
Finally i've gone back to the sh14.
A wonderfull underrated pup.
 
Micha said:
I pla ya lot of seymour pickups.
I don't know why so'much people say the sh14 is mid scooped.
Honestly , he's not.
Sure, if you compare it to a duncan custom it could be considered as scooped. The custom has so much direct mids in your face...a nice pickup but with really harsh
Click to expand...
It has a really prominent/aggressive top end without the padding (mids) that humbuckers usually have. Its a very different kind of thing. Maybe it has found a home in downtuned and modern styles? Idk.
 
In my guitars (Les Paul and Jackson) the Custom 5 sounds like a loud Jazz bridge. Putting a row of hexes in it sounds kind of like a Demon or Full Shred.

But if you are already decided on putting an Alnico 2 Pro in the neck, I would have gone Custom Custom, or regular Custom, or 59/Custom in the bridge. A Les Paul kind of balances out any treble the regular Custom has. The Custom just sounds like a really loud 59 with some top end to work with in a Les Paul.
 
I had them all in a Les Paul over the years. C5 is instant AC/DC for me, the DD was a bit over the edge - it was far better in a strat. I didn't get any reasonable metal sound with a CC, it was more Santana or Allman Bros to me. Surprising well did the Distortion neck in the bridge position, def. a DD flavor but more transparent. The ceramic Custom did also cut well.
 
misterwhizzy said:
That's beautiful. Congratulations.

I tried the Distortion in my Les Paul Studio and found it way too high-output and upper-middy. Unfortunately, the Custom 5 is one of the only common varieties of the Custom I have not tried. I like the stock Custom better than the Custom Custom or Custom 8, and I never found the desire to try a Custom 5. I just didn't like the Distortion.
Click to expand...
Did you swap out the magnet yourself to turn the ceramic Custom into a Custom 8?

I like my Alt8 but it's a little bit picky on the guitars. In my LP Trad, it didn't sound right and was hard to balance with the neck pup on cleans. I had to choose if I balance on distorted sound or clean, but I couldn't balance on both. When I dropped it in my standard, both cleans and dirt were balanced!

I like bright, high output bridge pickups. But also cool with medium output like my 59/Custom hybrid, which is my 2nd fave bridge pup after the ceramic Custom.

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Micha said:
I pla ya lot of seymour pickups.
I don't know why so'much people say the sh14 is mid scooped.
Honestly , he's not.
Sure, if you compare it to a duncan custom it could be considered as scooped. The custom has so much direct mids in your face...a nice pickup but with really harsh highs. Sad.

The sh14 has a lot of balls. A wonderfull clarity. It matches so well in les paul types guitars and with el 34 tubes.


I have tried a custom hybrid pickup. A full shred/jb hybrid. First with alnico 8 (to aggressive) and then with alnico 5 (much more balanced).
Finally i've gone back to the sh14.
A wonderfull underrated pup.
Click to expand...

Fortunately, all my high gain amps are EL34 save for the Dark Terror (which doesn't sound like EL84 anyway)... And I play mostly les pauls and H-H super strats

If I go C5, I definitely will have the entire range by then. My only experience with a DD would be its Korean version - Duncan Performers.

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beaubrummels said:
In my guitars (Les Paul and Jackson) the Custom 5 sounds like a loud Jazz bridge. Putting a row of hexes in it sounds kind of like a Demon or Full Shred.

But if you are already decided on putting an Alnico 2 Pro in the neck, I would have gone Custom Custom, or regular Custom, or 59/Custom in the bridge. A Les Paul kind of balances out any treble the regular Custom has. The Custom just sounds like a really loud 59 with some top end to work with in a Les Paul.
Click to expand...
The Custom is my fave bridge pup!

My Custom Custom has been in a few guitars and it sounded muddy in a mahogany super strat. I can only imagine how muddy it will get in a les paul!

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hamerfan said:
I had them all in a Les Paul over the years. C5 is instant AC/DC for me, the DD was a bit over the edge - it was far better in a strat. I didn't get any reasonable metal sound with a CC, it was more Santana or Allman Bros to me. Surprising well did the Distortion neck in the bridge position, def. a DD flavor but more transparent. The ceramic Custom did also cut well.
Click to expand...
ACDC through a C5 sounds really good. You didn't try to push it harder for some Metallica and Megadeth?

In Ola's words: "Did it chug?"

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Top-L said:
It has a really prominent/aggressive top end without the padding (mids) that humbuckers usually have. Its a very different kind of thing. Maybe it has found a home in downtuned and modern styles? Idk.
Click to expand...

Aggressive top end? I hope it's a joke.
Definitely not aggressive at all, but present, yes.
This pickup has the best singing highs i have tried on such humbucker.
A very good clarity without being harsh.
The regular custom for example has a very aggressive top end.
To be honest.... The custom has a really good sound but the top end is a no go.
One of the badest highs i hear on pickups.
 
I find the Custom 5 only mildly scooped, not extremely so as some seem to feel.
It's definitely hotter than vintage and would only seem low output compared to something pretty hot.
If the guitar is a bit mid heavy, Custom 5 might be a perfect fit. It's worked very well for me in mahogany.

The A2 CustomCustom is great in a Strat, or for classic rock, but IMO it's too loose for metal.

If you love the regular ceramic Custom in your other LP, I'd say try it in this one too.
It's likely to sound different enough that the two guitars will still be tonally distinct from each other.

You might also consider trying that 498T at the bridge.
I found it oddly grainy myself, but I have friends who love it for metal especially in Les Pauls.
One of them puts a 498T in every guitar he plays; he says it's a perfect match for his Fireball 100.
 
eclecticsynergy said:
I find the Custom 5 only mildly scooped, not extremely so as some seem to feel.
It's definitely hotter than vintage and would only seem low output compared to something pretty hot.
If the guitar is a bit mid heavy, Custom 5 might be a perfect fit. It's worked very well for me in mahogany.

The A2 CustomCustom is great in a Strat, or for classic rock, but IMO it's too loose for metal.

If you love the regular ceramic Custom in your other LP, I'd say try it in this one too.
It's likely to sound different enough that the two guitars will still be tonally distinct from each other.

You might also consider trying that 498T at the bridge.
I found it oddly grainy myself, but I have friends who love it for metal especially in Les Pauls.
One of them puts a 498T in every guitar he plays; he says it's a perfect match for his Fireball 100.
Click to expand...

The 498T+490R is another picky pup combination. It sucked in my SG but was "okay" in a super strat. It sounds good in this LPC, but I think it can be better, hence, I'm definitely going Duncans.

My LPs have the Custom, 59/Custom hybrid, Alt8 and L500XL in the bridge.

I want something different this time, and I've settled between the DD and C5.

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Aceman said:
If I have to pick ONE pickup for all that - I'll take a Custom

If it is between a C5 and a Distortion - Distortion, hands down.
Click to expand...
The DD should have more power right?

I'd be playing mostly metal with it, so I'd surely go for the pup which "chugs" better.

Is it also brighter? More presence?

The other major factor for me - apart from having good power/output and being bright - is the contrast with the APH2n and keep that "bite" for solos/single notes.

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