Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

B

BrentPearcy

New member
I’ve been searching quite a lot for a good pickup set for my collectors choice #24 Nicky. I started with the factory BB3 set with A2 that both measure around 8.48k. They are rich in the mids, low on bass and can be a bit thin. The neck is tubby and congested. Put a set of antiquities and wow....great pickups but a tad weak for my liking but to be honest it’s probably more true to this 59 LP that it’s copying. I have some Throbaks that I can’t remember the model but the neck is super good A2 neck somewhere in 7.6k range and the bridge is nice and aggressive with an A4 wound around. 9.1k. Problem is the bridge needs new leads as it’s short and the ground wire hums bad. So I planned on sending it to Seymour to get new leads changed out to single conductor instead of the 4.

Moving on I went ahead and tried a set of Duncan 59 models. 7.65k neck, 8.3k bridge with A5 mag. Love the neck, great tone and clarity. I have one in my Charvel Pro mod also and it’s amazing. The bridge is nice and aggressive but good lord I have to reach for my presence knob on my amps (Friedman). It’s quite the bright pickup but I do like it’s growl and narl just wished it was a little dialed back some on the high frequencies. And I do like the benefit of the wax potting as I play high gain 50% of the time but it’s not a deal breaker if I didn’t have it.

So if I kept the 59 in the neck what could I pair it with that would balance out with the 59, have strong but yet vintage to vintage plus output and tone without the brightness and is single conductor to keep the vintage vibe of the guitar?

I have a 59/custom hybrid in my strat and holy crap that is a great bucker! If it was single conductor I’d be all over it. What about a Custom 5? Is it warmer than the 59? I would think it would being that it’s overwound to 14k. Whole lotta humbucker maybe? Saturday night special? Slash set? You guys tell me.

Thanks!!
 
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Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

What you're asking for is an Alnico 2 magnet in that 59. Worst case has you out five bucks and thirty minutes if you've never swapped magnets before.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

misterwhizzy said:
What you're asking for is an Alnico 2 magnet in that 59. Worst case has you out five bucks and thirty minutes if you've never swapped magnets before.
Click to expand...

No worries, I have swapped out a A2 in one of my BB3s for A4. So that’s something I can do. Should the neck be swapped also?
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

Well, most higher output pickups (out of the 'vintage output' range) have 4 conductors, so I'd recommend a 59/Custom Hybrid, which you can order 2 conductor. I have to admit that I don't get caring about a vintage vibe if no one will see it, and also tossing away one of the great sounds of the Hybrid, which is its split sound.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

Mincer said:
Well, most higher output pickups (out of the 'vintage output' range) have 4 conductors, so I'd recommend a 59/Custom Hybrid, which you can order 2 conductor. I have to admit that I don't get caring about a vintage vibe if no one will see it, and also tossing away one of the great sounds of the Hybrid, which is its split sound.
Click to expand...

I know....I tell myself the same thing, no ones going to see it. OCD maybe? I dont know. It’s definitely been in the back of my mind to say fuq it and grab another C/59.......but I didnt realize I could get them in 2 conductor....without it being tagged as a custom shop ($160)?
 
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Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

You'd have to order from a dealer, and I believe it would be called a Floor Shop Custom. There may be a small upcharge, but it is nothing close to the price of the full Custom Shop.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

BrentPearcy said:
No worries, I have swapped out a A2 in one of my BB3s for A4. So that’s something I can do. Should the neck be swapped also?
Click to expand...

If you're happy with the neck, don't change a thing. If it ain't broke, as they say... I've never noticed a significant output change going from A5 to A2 or back. In my experience making this kind of change in my Les Paul, it solves the brightness issue without significantly changing output or overall character. Maybe the bass is slightly less boomy, but the changes aren't massive. I'd say it's the path of least resistance, cheap, and easily reversible.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

misterwhizzy said:
If you're happy with the neck, don't change a thing. If it ain't broke, as they say... I've never noticed a significant output change going from A5 to A2 or back. In my experience making this kind of change in my Les Paul, it solves the brightness issue without significantly changing output or overall character. Maybe the bass is slightly less boomy, but the changes aren't massive. I'd say it's the path of least resistance, cheap, and easily reversible.
Click to expand...

This option is definitely one I’m considering but I’m concerned about the volume balance between the two after the change. A decrease in highs and lows should have a difference in perceived volume. I find the 59 set a little difficult to balance with the neck over powering the bridge.

Is the C5 any warmer or just more of the same with more output/gain?
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

To my ears, the C5 is even colder and more strident in the highs than the 59', which is warm by comparison IMO. I found the C5 to be boomy in the lows and piercing in the high end, in a LP, with more output than I cared for. To me, one of the best off the shelf pickups SD makes for the vintage rock sound, especially in a CC, is the Seth Lover set. The bridge has enough brightness to remind you of the 59', but without the urge to reach for the presence control. Nice and crunchy under gain and it can handle hard 80's rock no problem. The neck can be nice and warm when you roll back the tone a bit, but it also has a nice chimey tone and great clarity. Every guitar I've put them in sounds better. I can't recommend them enough.

If you want to go custom shop, I can whole heartedly recommend The Greenie set. Yes, it's designed to get the middle position out of phase sound, but IMO they are just one of the best sounding PAF pickups I have ever heard..... period. At least so far. They are everything you expect a PAF to be and then some. I honestly rarely use the OOP middle tones and I honestly might consider just turning the magnet around in it so it's in normal phase. If I knew then what I know now, I would order it in regular phase and un-potted (which mine is un-potted). Unless you want to use the OOP sounds of course. They are an outstanding set of pickups for $300.

If you want to keep the 59'n pickup, then I would suggest the A2P bridge or maybe even the Slash bridge, which will get that CC closer to the AFD tone. You could also pair the Seth(b) with the 59'n and balance them just fine as well.

Good luck.
 
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Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

Slash bridge is a good choice to pair with the 59N. It has a warm sort of presence and rich mids. Nice lead voice. Good growl, highs that aren't harsh. A2 magnet. And comes with a braided lead. Might be perfect in a guitar with a fairly bright character, which it seems yours has.

One thing I've found with the 59N is that it does well set fairly low from the strings; it balances better that way even with the 59B. If you like the tone of the 59N (I do too) I wouldn't swap mags, just lower it- it can sound really good even if it's nearly flush with the pickup ring.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

I would try full strength A2s in the Antiquities or even an UOA5 in the bridge if they're too weak. I also agree that with a CC R9, I would go a little more high end and true to "vintage". Maybe look into some Tyson Tone or Wizz pickups as an alternative.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

id try an uoa5 in the 59 first, itll keep most of the things you like but soften the highs
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

jeremy said:
id try an uoa5 in the 59 first, itll keep most of the things you like but soften the highs
Click to expand...

I actually do have a A5, long, unoriented, rough cast bar (IN made) I bought from throbak. Really didn’t know what I was buying at the time but went back and looked at my invoice and sure enough it’s a UOA5. Not sure what effect rough vs smooth cast has.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

jeremy said:
id try an uoa5 in the 59 first, itll keep most of the things you like but soften the highs
Click to expand...

I'm going to do that with my new one tomorrow. The A2 has a little to much flab in the low end, and it took away a bit of the high-end presence that was pleasant.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

BrentPearcy said:
I actually do have a A5, long, unoriented, rough cast bar (IN made) I bought from throbak. Really didn’t know what I was buying at the time but went back and looked at my invoice and sure enough it’s a UOA5. Not sure what effect rough vs smooth cast has.
Click to expand...

Roughcast often seems slightly sweeter in the high treble; in a bridge pickup this is seemed to me like less harshness rather than less sparkle. IME the difference can be pretty subtle though. Far less drastic than the change from regular A5 to unoriented - they really do have different characters.
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

Ok so now I’m not exactly sure which magnet to go with....A2 or UOA5? First pic is how I’m having to set my settings on my BE100 to get to my liking with the 59b and yet it’s still a bit much in the highs. The R9 isn’t a bright guitar, it’s extremely resonant and open. The 59b to me is fine in the bass, tad more mids would be great but not too much where it’s honky, still want to keep the PAF tone, highs need to be sweetened some.

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Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

Another option would be to replace my Ant A2 for the UOA5.

1) 59b + UOA5
2) 59b + A2
3) Antiquity + UOA5
 
Re: Help me pick out a bridge pickup for my CC#24 R9

beautiful guitar! personally, id go 59b uoa5 and see how that is before doing anything else
 
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