How good are the custom shop melody maker pickups?

cliffenstein

cliffenstein

New member
I've got an order in for a customer shop melody maker humbucker voiced to sound like a JB Jr (I know and love that pickup in strats). The guitar it will be going in is a late 1964 single pickup model (when they initially changed the body shape to what is commonly known as the Joan Jett 1965 shape). It'll be a few months before I get the pickup due to long custom shop wait times.

Am I gonna be happy going this route or will I be better served routing the guitar for a P90 and putting a Dimarzio DP209 (Super Distortion in P90 housing) in it?
 
I think if you explain it to the Custom Shop exactly what you want, you will get exactly what you want. In other words, you and your customer would be very happy.
 
Yeah...ultimately this is the right move...this particular guitar is completely unmolested...totally stock, which is a rarity. So going with this pickup will keep it looking stock which is a cool thing. Of course, I'll keep the stock pickup stored.
 
If you do this, I'd love to see what the pickup and the finished guitar looks like.
 
yeah, this is the right move. if the guitar is clean, then i wouldnt mess it up. im sure itll sound great
 
The pickup looks fantastic in the guitar...anyone would think it's stock. However, I'm not getting anywhere near the sound I need from it. It doesn't have the JB Jr punch and saturation at all...not even close. Gonna have my tech re-look at it just in case the wiring is off, but I'm pretty sure he got it right...he's never wired up anything for me wrong. It's certainly an improvement over the stock pickup and looks absolutely right in the guitar, but it's still not good enough for me to want to actually use the guitar. I think I'm gonna have to put a P90 sized Super Distortion it. I was really hoping to keep it looking stock, but ultimately I simply must have the sound I need.
 
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the form factor is pretty limiting unfortunately. im assuming its jammed up against the strings? what are the specs?
 
jeremy said:
the form factor is pretty limiting unfortunately. im assuming it’s jammed up against the strings? what are the specs?
Click to expand...

Almost 15k and raised as high as it could go.

I’m extremely used to a JB Jr (original and modern version) in strats. It’s my absolute favorite strat bridge pickup.
 
If it was for me, I'd try a JB Jr directy screwed in the body with height setting springs between wood and pickup. I'd set the height properly. Then I'd put back the pickguard. The Duncan should pass without issue nor required mod through the hole for the original MM pickup if the dimensions mentioned in my archives are right.

It would allow to use a favorite pickup AND would avoid the routing needed for a P90 sized Super-Dist (not that I don't understand the idea: I have this exact pickup in a Strat... but routing the pickguard for the DM was a bit tedious, TBH... and I don't find the tonal result exciting enough to avoid to this instrument a rotation with other P90 sized HB's or even with full sized ones. Mileages may vary).

EDIT - I understand the Custom Shop order was a JB Jr sized like a MM pickup... But I'd still try a regular one, just to be sure. ;-)
 
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those specs are pretty close to what a strat jb br bridge would be, odd that it sounds so wimpy. if you have a jb jr around, i might try what freefrog said which will tell you if its the guitar or not
 
First: Is it possible to return a CS pickup, if it does not work out how it was expected?
Then: The MM has a different construction and shorter scale than a Fender (24.75 to 25.5). This has an impact on the sound. So a JBjr in a MM would never sound like JBJr. in a Fender Strat IMO..
 
hamerfan said:
Then: The MM has a different construction and shorter scale than a Fender (24.75 to 25.5). This has an impact on the sound. So a JBjr in a MM would never sound like JBJr. in a Fender Strat IMO..
Click to expand...

Fully agreed from the start. To me, that's precisely a good reason to try a regular JB Jr instead of the CS: it would allow to check if the difference is due to the guitar or not...
 
hamerfan said:
First: Is it possible to return a CS pickup, if it does not work out how it was expected?
Then: The MM has a different construction and shorter scale than a Fender (24.75 to 25.5). This has an impact on the sound. So a JBjr in a MM would never sound like JBJr. in a Fender Strat IMO..
Click to expand...

According to the website:

Returns Policy

With the exception of artist signature limited runs, everything in the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop is built to order. When your order begins to be built, it is considered final. If there is a need to cancel an order, the Custom Shop must be contacted directly. At that point it is entirely up to the discretion of the Custom Shop team whether a refund will be authorized. This is on a case by case basis and dependent upon whether the build has been started, and if so, how specialized the build in question is. For example, it is more likely that the Custom Shop will be able to authorize a return on an offering such as our Slug with standard options, rather than a build-your-own 8-string, slanted double screw side, hybrid humbucker.

In the case of an error or defect in the build, you may return the item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund or replacement.
​
 
ive never known a cs pup to be returnable unless its broken. im guessing the guitar is a contributing factor here
 
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