I love the Custom, but...

[misterwhizzy]

...whoever said in another thread recently that it's lacking dynamics is absolutely correct. And that sucks, because I like basically everything else about it.

Any suggestions or fixes?

 

[hamerfan]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Part of the problem is the number of windings, its slightly overwound. A lower wound one like like 12k or lower would help.
Something like a Distortion neck in the bridge, A Black Winter neck or even a JB with a small ceramic mag could be your way.

 

[Demanic]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Part of the problem is the number of windings, its slightly overwound. A lower wound one like like 12k or lower would help.
Something like a Distortion neck in the bridge, A Black Winter neck or even a JB with a small ceramic mag could be your way.

But a JB is even more overwound than the Custom. BTW, why is it that pickups that are wound with significantly more turns than vintage are called "overwound"? Just a thought: Maybe the vintage ones were really just underwound to begin with and the "overwound" ones are just normal.

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[Nagisa]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Well it's just a chronological thing. Vintage pups came first, so they are the originals. Anything that comes after that will be seen as a variation. Pretty much every product is like that.

But yea, in terms of optimal number of winds, the turn "overwound" has the negative nuance of "over" as in "too many." The real problem is that nuance. If they just said "hot-wound" there'd be no problems, right?

 

[Demanic]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

That's the whole problem for me in trying to describe the auditory qualities of amps and pickups etc. It's all completely subjective.

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[blueman335]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

I think the best Customs aren't in production (yet): with an A8 and an UOA5.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

a pickup's winds are like turning up your volume on a your amplifier. At some point, there will be no more head room (space for clean signal and full dynamics). Once that point is hit, the further you TURN up, the more the signal will compress and fatten (mud). Like amplifiers, pickups are all designed differently. So that point where there is no more clean head room will be different from pickup to pickup. With an amp you can always turn down. Not so with a pick up, not without changing design elements.

I like to start with full dynamics at my pickups and introduce compression at the amplifier (tubes).

Once the signal is compressed (pickup), you can't get it back.

Duncan's, that I have tried, that feel compressed to me are:

Duncan Custom
Full Shred Bridge
Distortion (but not as bad)

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Higher headroom amp, less gain, less bass on the amp, lighter strings, lighter pick, greater pickup distance to strings.

High output pickups need an amp with headroom, or else they sound very compressed. They also like a light touch.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

But a JB is even more overwound than the Custom.

Actually no, weight wise a custom has more wire on it than a JB, Its because the custom is 43 AWG and the JB is 44 AWG. So the JB has more turns of wire but its thinner so overall it has less wire. Granted the difference it fairly small but it is true pound for pound the custom actually has more wire hanging on it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

All Customs and JBs sound & feel compressed to me. I think you have to get under 8.5k to stop feeling that compression kick in. So, styles that depend on touch-sensitivity are best served with vintage-output pickups. The higher output ones do what they do really well, but dynamics isn't one of them.

 

[Diego]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

I've tried to dial that out of mine. It just doesn't happen, even if set far from the strings.
It is what it is, and I love it.

If you like that tight, dry tone and want more dynamics, try a Screamin' Demon. It is kind of similar.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Based on wire gauge, the Screamin' Demon is essentially an underwound Custom (i.e. Custom 5, since it has an A5 mag). It has incredible dynamics and doesn't feel "compressed" until you push it with gain and dig in and, even then, it's nothing like a Custom, Distortion, etc.

I'm seeing a lot of reliance on resistance specs here. A Custom and a JB can not be compared by DCR alone...a Custom wound to 16K+ would be as far from a JB tonally as a PAF. Similarly, an RTM at 17K-18K remains very dynamic and is not as "hot" as a regular JB, despite its high DCR, simply because of the different size magnet wire and magnet used.

 

[Drak]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

All Customs and JBs sound & feel compressed to me.
I think you have to get under 8.5k to stop feeling that compression kick in.
So, styles that depend on touch-sensitivity are best served with vintage-output pickups.
The higher output ones do what they do really well, but dynamics isn't one of them.

I think the Fred falls 'right there' on the line.
Just ever so slightly compresses, but not very much, just a twitch, to me anyway.
And I imagine the unbalanced coils helps to keep it from sounding overly compressed.
I could be completely wrong, but that's what I hear.

 

[Demanic]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Actually no, weight wise a custom has more wire on it than a JB, Its because the custom is 43 AWG and the JB is 44 AWG. So the JB has more turns of wire but its thinner so overall it has less wire. Granted the difference it fairly small but it is true pound for pound the custom actually has more wire hanging on it.

Ok, misspoke, I meant winds.

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[Demanic]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

This stuff can be hard to keep track of.

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[blueman335]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

I think the Fred falls 'right there' on the line.
Just ever so slightly compresses, but not very much, just a twitch, to me anyway.
And I imagine the unbalanced coils helps to keep it from sounding overly compressed.
I could be completely wrong, but that's what I hear.

The coils in Fred's are very mismatched and that let's some single coil clarity & dynamics come thru. When coils are more or less equal on a HB, the more windings means higher output & mids, and reduced treble, & clarity.

 

[LLL]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

I love the Custom.

No "buts".

 

[audiocheck]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

All Customs and JBs sound & feel compressed to me. I think you have to get under 8.5k to stop feeling that compression kick in. So, styles that depend on touch-sensitivity are best served with vintage-output pickups. The higher output ones do what they do really well, but dynamics isn't one of them.

Except the Screaming' Demon. That still seems to have dynamics. Not sure if it is the EQ curve that makes it feel that way or the actual dynamic.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

I've tried to dial that out of mine. It just doesn't happen, even if set far from the strings.
It is what it is, and I love it.

If you like that tight, dry tone and want more dynamics, try a Screamin' Demon. It is kind of similar.

Nowhere close tone wise.

 

[Diego]

Re: I love the Custom, but...

Nowhere close tone wise.

I own both. It's the closest I can think of. Both have a hi-fi ish highend, mids aren't that notorious and the bass is tight. Any other alternatives I'll be happy to read about.