JB vs ’59 vs Custom Which One Do You Keep Going Back To

Aldis1ne

New member
Hey everyone,
New member I’m aldis
I’m curious what Duncan pickups you always come back to. I’ve been comparing the JB, ’59, and Custom, and each has its own magic depending on the guitar and amp.
What’s your go-to Seymour Duncan pickup, and what style or guitar are you using it in? Any wiring or height tips that made a big difference?
 
For me, the '59 in the bridge of a Les Paul. If I wanted more output, I'd opt for a Custom 5 or a 59/Custom hybrid.
 
i have my favorites for sure. pearly gates, seth lovers, antiquity humbuckers, antiquity ii firebird and mini humbuckers, ssl2, jd tele bridge, 5/2 strat, texas hots & surfers, antiquity ii jaguar, classic stack+, vintage hot stack plus
 
APH-1 in the neck, for sure. For the bridge, either a Custom Custom or a Hybrid. For sets, it is either the Seth set or an Antiquity set.
 
I have my go tos.

JB - If I really had to pick just one.
Gibson 500T or Black Winter - Both tied as my second choice

And I guess my honorable mentions are the Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic, the Fluence Classic, and the Suhr SSH+.

I'd say all of those are relatively forgiving with any kind of guitar I put them in. If I can't get them any of them to sound right in a certain guitar, it's probably not a guitar I want to hold on to, kinda like with my old Strat.
 
Last edited:
Hey everyone,
New member I’m aldis
I’m curious what Duncan pickups you always come back to. I’ve been comparing the JB, ’59, and Custom, and each has its own magic depending on the guitar and amp.
What’s your go-to Seymour Duncan pickup, and what style or guitar are you using it in? Any wiring or height tips that made a big difference?
The 59 has always been my go to. The irony of which is I don't have a 59 equipped guitar currently.
 
I have never had issues using a Custom and Jazz neck. In both LP and Strat types. I do use the JB and '59 but not in a maximum tonal variety guitar. It is also worth sharing that I am not a user of many pedals.

Answer to the question: Custom
 
Probably the Super Distortion bridge or the Antiquity Surfer middle. I don't really have any other pickups that I always know will work
 
I've kind of settled on Custom Custom for bridge. It's proven the most versatile for me. It's a loud PAF with that mid-bump needed for chime when clean. Split to slug, it's very Fendery, almost quacks on it's own. Split to screw it's like a P-90. Coils in parallel it's like a Telecaster bridge. If you scoop the EQ in full humbucker mode, it handles some Distortion-type duties given it's output (good enough to jam 1-2 metal-ish songs but not a whole metal set), though not nearly as tight because of the Alnico mag.

If tighter is my priority, a Black Winter would be the choice. It fits the same description as the Custom Custom except in full humbucker it's more modern / active sounding; doesn't do chime or PAF-ish stuff quite as well (kinda, but not great - enough to jam 1-2 vintage songs but won't satisfy for a whole vintage rock and roll set per se. Depends on amp.)

For neck humbuckers, Jazz or Seth I found myself using most often for many years, though my current favorite I've been using for 5+ years is a 59/A4 neck. A stock Pearly Gates is a close second - really probably the best off-the-shelf PAF neck. They are very close neighbors. They both make "that" Gibson Les Paul neck sound. (I need to try an A4 in a Pearly and see what happens.)

I start humbuckers at the stock Gibson heights, then will move them slightly up or down to find a better sweet spot if needed. I get each pickup to sound it's best on it's own, then use the volumes to mix them for middle positions. I tend to set the filisters straight across on the neck, and use the 45-degree offset from the patent drawings on the bridge. They do sound different to me, clearer that way - the point is to get the magnetic field to intersect with the string vibration as fully as possible and 'isolate' each string to the degree possible.
 
Pearly Gates neck in les paul
Custom my all time favorite HB
59 set in SG
All the others come and go
 
Thank you for all for the opinions
I do have a Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Set – Aged Nickel Covers, Neck & Bridge (PAF-Style, Long Leads) I want to part with anyone interested
 
I have these 3, a 59 in a LP like guitar, a Custom in a super strat like guitar with 24.75 scale and a JB in a HSH 25.5 scale.

Love each of them equally, they all have their use.
 
'59's though lately I am digging the DA-59 that they made for D'Angelico, just slightly hotter than a stock '59

If I need something with a lot of HP I will go with the C5
 
There's something about a 59. Especially the set. If I ever end up keeping only one guitar, it will be the one with the 59's.
 
'59's though lately I am digging the DA-59 that they made for D'Angelico, just slightly hotter than a stock '59

If I need something with a lot of HP I will go with the C5
id really like to get my hands on one of the da59 bridge pups
 
JB is the one I keep going back to. So many other pickup winders attempt to make a "better JB" and none have stood in my axe very long - the JB is a classic for a reason. I have one in the bridge of my 1989 Les Paul Custom and also in my PRS Custom 22. Other pickups would sound "different" but never "better."
 
JB is the one I keep going back to. So many other pickup winders attempt to make a "better JB" and none have stood in my axe very long - the JB is a classic for a reason. I have one in the bridge of my 1989 Les Paul Custom and also in my PRS Custom 22. Other pickups would sound "different" but never "better."
I agree that other pickups sound different, but not better, but I also dig many of those "better JB" inspired pickups. To be honest, just tell me "it's JB-inspired", and my brain automatically switches into "surely, I will love it" mode, LOL.

But yeah, I want to say that I like the Suhr SSH+ and the Fishman Fluence Classic in Voice 2 almost as much as the JB. Probably as much. Dunno.

I will also say that out of the Duncan-branded JB's I've had, the CS one definitely had something special going on.
 
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