Help with magnet swap on Custom Custom

[White.Noise]

Hi, could use some suggestions about magnet swap. A year ago or so I traded an EMG set that came on my guitar for a neck 59 and a bridge Custom Custom, both with factory nickel covers, that came on the guy's Schecter.

The 59 I love and can definitively see why so many people use it in the neck, the CC, not so much. I can get a good 80s rock sound out of it and that's about it.

I've read that a magnet swap is a really common mod as the CC, C5 and Custom are exactly the same pickup but with different magnets. Have watched demos but can't decide yet if I should go for the Alnico V or Ceramic, or something else like Alnico VIII.

The main thing that I look for is to be able to play big complex chords with good note separation, but still be able to chug/djent and go heavier. I'm going to be playing anywhere from alt rock/metal to prog stuff, modern and older in the Standard to Drop C range, but It would be a plus to still be able to get good leads and more traditional rock/metal tones (which I reckon shouldn't be much of an issue considering how much the C5 and the Custom have been used for about everything).

Guitar is an Ibanez Arzir30, so modern LP, Mahogany body and neck, set in, with an ebony fretboard, 25" scale.

As a side topic, I'm not in the states so is hard to find pickup mags locally, are there any reputable chinese sellers with good quality mags? Aliexpress/Ebay. If I buy on ebay from the states, the shipping tends to be 3x the price of the magnet.

Greatly appreciate your help guys.

 

[misterwhizzy]

You want a ceramic, my friend. You’re describing the SH-5 Custom to a T.

 

[Hsb]

Yep go with the ceramic. Check Amazon also, I bought some from there.

Here is an Ebay listing for a someone stateside that is well known. It does appear they ship internationally but would probably benefit you to order more than just one set of magnets. The ceramic mags sold in a pair is $3.24 US, shipping to the UK, not knowing where you are is $19.25 US

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1119465851...UEtswJB0pyLbqp0cBpNwgxgA==|tkp:Bk9SR5z3ku37Yg

 

[Aceman]

Third vote for Ceramic.

 

[JOLLY]

Another vote to go ceramic for the Custom.

 

[marcello252]

a river of vote for ceramics

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Ceramic too.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Heavens NO!
NOT ceramic (unless you actually enjoy the shrill, brittle, piercing annoying, untamed treble)!!
Put an A8 in it...the C8 is what the pup was meant to be.

 

[AlexR]

Buy a range of magnets.
That way you can see what all the options are like and make the decision yourself having listened to yourself through your own rig.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I concur with AlexR - for a few dollars (still less than the shipping cost) you can get a bunch of different mags.

As for good note separation in complex chords, I'd say you may want a lighter wind.
The Custom 5 isn't super hot, yet the Perpetual Burn has noticeably better definition.

 

[marcello252]

Heavens NO!
NOT ceramic (unless you actually enjoy the shrill, brittle, piercing annoying, untamed treble)!!
Put an A8 in it...the C8 is what the pup was meant to be.

that thing that ceramics are brittle, imho is a bit of a myth, to my ears they're not piercing, they are even fuller than alnico BUT they don't have the compression Alnico has, so they responds along the frequencies in a different way, in a Duncan Custom type of pickup I find the A5 more brittle for example, but I think it's just the effect of the mid scooping.

 

[White.Noise]

I see a lot of votes for ceramic Im def gonna try it. Initially I was more inclined to Alnico V like the bkp Silos but they are too expensive so I'm going to work with what I have. Buying Ceramic Aln V and 8 to test. Also if someone could drop a demo of the Custom 8 as there is a lot of talk about it in the forum but I wasnt able to find any good videos.

If someone had a good experience buying magnets from Ali/Chinese seller on ebay please drop the store. Im a bit wary of buying on a random one and getting a crap magnet.

 

[GuitarDoc]

that thing that ceramics are brittle, imho is a bit of a myth.

It's not a "myth", that's just a word I came up with many years ago to describe the treble that's very prominent to the point of being piercing (even to my old half-deaf ears) with little body to it...almost a crackling kind of a sound. Like it's ready to break, or fall apart, hence the term "brittle".

to my ears they're not piercing, they are even fuller than alnico .

Ceramics have a lot of fullness to their overall sound, but it's just the highs that are piercing because they are so strong. But that IS one of the desirable qualities of the magnet (along with its crispness, strong clear bass, articulation, note separation, etc) for those who use lots of OD or distortion, as in various types of metal. Not my style of playing.

in a Duncan Custom type of pickup I find the A5 more brittle for example, but I think it's just the effect of the mid scooping.

I wouldn't say an A5 has any brittleness to it at all!!! It has prominent/noticeable highs because of its scooped nature, as you say, but those highs have a large frequency range to them which makes them sound full and warm. Ceramic mags' highs are a smaller range which makes them sound thin, more piercing and "brittle".

I think for those who want to chug, thump, and grind through heavy distortion a ceramic mag pup is probably the way to go. But if that's the case, there are also probably better pups than the Custom more suited to that style of playing. My personal opinion is that the Custom wind is one of the best "Jack-of-All-Trades" pickups you can own and takes to any magnet you want to put into it, but it's not the "master" of the style that is best suited to ceramic mags.

I find that the C8 is just about the most perfect bridge pup for the most variety of music. Perfect for any specific style? I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But my playing style requires a versatile pup. That's the C8.

 

[marcello252]

mmh, would you say a dmz super distortion is brittle? full , fat, that's the adjectives which come to my mind, not brittle , and it as a double size ceramic magnet.
but I don't want to say I'm right, that's just my point of view , based to my ears feeling

 

[Rex_Rocker]

IMO, the piercing/brittle treble is kinda what makes the Custom desirable. At least to me. I don't love the Custom for myself, but IMO, its charm is that it is a hot-ish pickup that's not super mid-heavy like a JB, Distortion, or Black Winter.

Then again, not everybody has the same tastes that I do. But I do think the Ceramic is the most "chug/djent" a Custom's wind can get, which is what the OP is looking for. Again, JMO.

But yeah, it's not a myth. Ceramic has less iron, right? So it jacks up the inductance less, so in turn, the pickups are brighter with a Ceramic magnet than they are with any Alnico.

 

[White.Noise]

Also I have seen people talking about ceramic pickups with a double thicc magnet, what is it and should I go for one for the custom?

 

[GuitarDoc]

mmh, would you say a dmz super distortion is brittle? full , fat, that's the adjectives which come to my mind, not brittle , and it as a double size ceramic magnet.
but I don't want to say I'm right, that's just my point of view , based to my ears feeling

I don't necessarily want to say you're right either because the Custom doesn't have a double thick ceramic magnet in it. The double thick is a ceramic magnet but it is a different beast with very different qualities than a regularly sized ceramic magnet (which we've been talking about). That would be like saying since the A5 has a scooped sound, then an A2 should also have a scooped sound since they are both alnico magnets.

So, I don't know what your point is.

I don't have any personal experience with the DMZ Super Distortion, but if it has a double thick ceramic magnet then, again, we're not talking apples to apples. Also, if you didn't notice, the DMZ Super D. is not a SD Custom (different mfr, different pup, different wind, different wire, different magnet, different spacers, different etc.). The SD Custom with a ceramic magnet is what I have been referring to.

Before you get on your high horse, best to be on the same page at least.

 

[GuitarDoc]

IMO, the piercing/brittle treble is kinda what makes the Custom desirable. At least to me. I don't love the Custom for myself, but IMO, its charm is that it is a hot-ish pickup that's not super mid-heavy like a JB, Distortion, or Black Winter.

Then again, not everybody has the same tastes that I do. But I do think the Ceramic is the most "chug/djent" a Custom's wind can get, which is what the OP is looking for. Again, JMO.

But yeah, it's not a myth. Ceramic has less iron, right? So it jacks up the inductance less, so in turn, the pickups are brighter with a Ceramic magnet than they are with any Alnico.

I think that all of what you said is essentially what I said. You included a bit of important detail about the specific material and its affect on inductance and thus the tonal characteristics.

Thanks for that contribution.

 

[GuitarDoc]

mmh, would you say a dmz super distortion is brittle? full , fat, that's the adjectives which come to my mind, not brittle , and it as a double size ceramic magnet.
but I don't want to say I'm right, that's just my point of view , based to my ears feeling

Also, the dbl thick tends to smooth out the highs and add fullness, so even though I haven't tried a DMZ SD, I would expect it to sound fuller and smoother (less "brittle") than the Custom just because of the magnet.

 

[ToneFiddler]

the SD SH-6 is also double thick ceramic and it has some brittleness, no? So not a total different beast those double thick magnets. Super distortion will be less bright because of the thicker pole screws and brass baseplate, no?

i doubt the SH-5 will loose it's top end if you put a double thick magnet in it, but i am sure somebody did this mod already