misterwhizzy
Well-known member
This is actually a thread about the Crazy 8. I just needed a good hook to get everyone in here. I wonder if all Custom Shop pickups are this good. In fact, now that I'm writing that, I don't even know if it's higher quality than other pickups. It's just a different flavor than anything else I've tried.
First of all, I think the pickup is more cooperative than others I'm familiar with. I tried it through both my amps, and it was surprising how much different each sounded than each other. With the Rio Grande that was in there before and with my Les Paul, I didn't notice nearly as much difference between the two. The Crazy 8 really let the amps maintain a lot more of their own character than the other pickups.
In full humbucking mode, the pickup always sounds thick. Roll back the volume, and it cleans up but doesn't thin out. Interesting too is the way it responds to pick attack. When you really dig in, it's almost as if the treble of the pickup gives way to a push in the middle (much like Sandra Fluke, get it?). It really compresses and lets the real focus of the instrument shine through. But when you pick lightly, it really shimmers on the top end. I don't know what to say about the bass. It's not really remarkable, but it maintains the fullness of the tone at all times.
One of the cool things is how defined and clear single-string riffing sounds. Again, the push of the mids keeps it thick, without too much top end to detract from the body of the note. I don't know if this makes sense, so if you find a better way to say it, go for it, because let's face it, there's not going to be a lot of feedback on a review of a Custom Shop pickup.
If I had to describe the pickup in one word, it would be modern, though. I really don't hear any vintage tones at all, but that may also have something to do with the fact that I have mainly been playing it in a PRS SE Custom 22 through a Blackstar set to the Mesa side of the ISF. So it may just be that the rest of the gear is putting off that vibe. But even playing cleanly, where the same settings sound fairly Fender-like, it still gives off a very modern vibe.
When split, it sounds Stratty, as it should. But I don't think that's why you buy this pickup. And again, the dynamics are incredible. I'd be really interested to figure out what it is about this pickup that makes it that way. Could be the parallel axis, could be the medium-high output, who knows? But it is unlike any other I've played. The bad thing is it's making me think about replacing pickups in other guitars with Parallel Axis ones. This could be a much more expensive pickup than I realized.
