Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

[mremic01]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

I don't get it either. Comparing to the C5 and the UO C5, the C8 has a lot more output. It is, by the way, the thing that I don't like so much about it.

This is something that confuses me. I sounds like it's pushing the amp, but the volume is lower. So my neck '59 will be more open and less pushed, but much louder than my C8. But when I switch to the C8, there's a noticeable volume drop, though it still sounds like it's hitting the front end pretty hard. Even when I wire it straight to the output jack it sounds the same. I had figured that I had a weak magnet or did something wrong, which is why I got a Custom Shop made for me, to make sure it was done correctly. Now I don't think it's a bad pickup, but where you guys say it has high output, I get very little. Where you guys say it's more open than a Custom, I find it much stiffer and more sterile. That's great for tight heavy riffing, but I don't find it terribly versatile and the cleans are disappointing. On the other hand, if I didn't already know that the Custom had ceramic inside of it and I found out today, I would never believe it. It just excels with any amount of distortion or none. I even tested a stock Custom mag with a multimeter and sure enough, it wasn't conductive, while my A8s were. Anyway, I kind of feel like everyone is pointing to an orange and saying it's orange, and I'm seeing a green apple and thinking I must be crazy. Or maybe it's all an elaborate conspiracy set up by addictionfx to get me to keep buying their magnets. Oh well. I don't want to worry about it any more. I'm kind of sick of taking off string and pickguards and running wires through tiny routes. On the plus side, I've learned a lot by opening up pickups and seeing what's inside.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

It's awesome for that Fugazi/TPR/Sleater-Kinney kind of vibe.

Ian used a Super Distortion in his SG's in Fugazi.

I've been through a ton of pickups in my SG, fave's are the SuperD, big ceramic Custom, big ceramic Brobucker, and the Alnico Warpig. The Pig and the Breed neck are what's stayed the longest. That guitar is used for post-metal sludge doom, so I won't make assumptions about how they'd work for you. SuperD and the big bro are probably the best all rounder types of what I've tried.

 

[DonP]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

I prefer the stock 490R/498T.

 

[IndySG]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

I have Custom 8 in my Epi SG - I tried it after reading about it on the forum. So far I like the Custom 8, it's big and bold has a good burning treble with the gain turned up - I don't use any distortion pedals.
In the neck I have an UOA5 PGn - no plans to change the combination at this time.
I also have the Blueman special in 2 other guitars - the UOA5 is a sweet sounding magnet!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

I prefer the stock 490R/498T.

A lot of guys don't. They're such totally different EQ's, black and white.

I put an A8 or UOA5 in my 498T's for more mids and less treble, and an A5 in the 490R for more treble, and they match up much better.

 

[DonP]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

They're such totally different EQ's, black and white.

I put an A8 or UOA5 in my 498T's for more mids and less treble, and an A5 in the 490R for more treble, and they match up much better.

No, I like them the way they are.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

Sometimes I think you should be required to post a clip of your playing just to show that you can actually play and know what you're talking about before you're allowed to recommend anything on the forum.

But just sometimes.

It'll never happen anyway.

We've gone through this discussion before. Essentially, you don't have to be a Van Halen to have knowledge about pups, magnets, pots, guitars, tone, etc. An art historian may understand every nuance of every brushstroke of every painter without being an artist himself.

 

[symptom]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

We've gone through this discussion before. Essentially, you don't have to be a Van Halen to have knowledge about pups, magnets, pots, guitars, tone, etc. An art historian may understand every nuance of every brushstroke of every painter without being an artist himself.

+1

Does anyone know if Seymour Duncan himself is a great guitar player? A lot of tech professionals don't play very well too. One thing is to know about tone and tech stuff, other is playing. There's a lot of guys who can play incredibly well and have crappy tones.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

This is something that confuses me. I sounds like it's pushing the amp, but the volume is lower. So my neck '59 will be more open and less pushed, but much louder than my C8. But when I switch to the C8, there's a noticeable volume drop, though it still sounds like it's hitting the front end pretty hard. Even when I wire it straight to the output jack it sounds the same. I had figured that I had a weak magnet or did something wrong, which is why I got a Custom Shop made for me, to make sure it was done correctly. Now I don't think it's a bad pickup, but where you guys say it has high output, I get very little. Where you guys say it's more open than a Custom, I find it much stiffer and more sterile. That's great for tight heavy riffing, but I don't find it terribly versatile and the cleans are disappointing. On the other hand, if I didn't already know that the Custom had ceramic inside of it and I found out today, I would never believe it. It just excels with any amount of distortion or none. I even tested a stock Custom mag with a multimeter and sure enough, it wasn't conductive, while my A8s were. Anyway, I kind of feel like everyone is pointing to an orange and saying it's orange, and I'm seeing a green apple and thinking I must be crazy. Or maybe it's all an elaborate conspiracy set up by addictionfx to get me to keep buying their magnets. Oh well. I don't want to worry about it any more. I'm kind of sick of taking off string and pickguards and running wires through tiny routes. On the plus side, I've learned a lot by opening up pickups and seeing what's inside.

Sounds like your wiring is somehow faulty, somewhere. A half-burned pot or one or more solder cold joints somewhere in the bridge circuit.

Otherwise, what you're experiencing just can't be rationally explained. (unless you've a got a mislabeled A3 mag as an A8, both from Duncan AND Addiction-FX, which is highly improbable))

If I was you, I'd redo the whole harness brand new. Maybe with premium components this time.

HTH,

 

[blueman335]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

We've gone through this discussion before. Essentially, you don't have to be a Van Halen to have knowledge about pups, magnets, pots, guitars, tone, etc. An art historian may understand every nuance of every brushstroke of every painter without being an artist himself.

+1. Being a good player and knowing all the individual components that go to make up tones are two different things. You can be good at one and not the other, or you can be good at both, or good at neither; no direct correlation. Probably the ultimate examples are Ted McCarty and Leo Fender, neither played guitar, and look at the instruments they produced. These two non-musicians totally changed music. But according to the Lew Plan, they'd have no credibility? Another reason why it's a boneheaded idea to have members 'prove' themselves with sound clips: who's going to verify that it's actually that guy playing, and not a bandmate or friend of his? You can put up all kinds of clips, doesn't mean you were playing on them. Sometimes Lew just needs to chill out. People can disagree with him and that doesn't automatically make them 'wrong.'

 

[mremic01]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

Ian used a Super Distortion in his SG's in Fugazi.

That's really cool. I had assumed it was stock, but looking at pics, you can see it's uncovered with creme bobbins and hex screws.

Sounds like your wiring is somehow faulty, somewhere. A half-burned pot or one or more solder cold joints somewhere in the bridge circuit.

Otherwise, what you're experiencing just can't be rationally explained. (unless you've a got a mislabeled A3 mag as an A8, both from Duncan AND Addiction-FX, which is highly improbable))

If I was you, I'd redo the whole harness brand new. Maybe with premium components this time.

HTH,

I did redo the entire harness, put 500k CTS's in there, and even tried wiring the C8 straight to the jack. It was the same with the stock Gibson harness, minus some high end, and I never had any problems when I switched the mag back to ceramic. The Wymore A8, if I remember correctly, was black with shiny ends where it was cut, but it was conductive, if that sounds right. The addictionfx A8 was shiny all over and also conductive. I haven't opened the Custom Shop C8 to check the magnet though. I think I'm going to leave it alone and save it for another guitar.

 

[symptom]

Re: Favorite Custom variation for the SG bridge

C8, absolutely. 10 times better than any of the other choices.

Have you tried the UO C5? What are your impressions about it? What kind of music do you play?

To me, it seems I like the C8 tone better too, despite the higher output and the overall stiffness when compared to other magnets...