JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

[smegolas]

OK Im at a loss, cant decide what to do. Basswood Ibanez, H-S-S, looking for warm rich sustaining heavy blues sound. Which of these pups do I go with?

And what would be a well matched mid and neck choice to go with whatever you suggest for the bridge (i want hum cancelling).

Lets have it guys - put me out of my misery!

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Custom Custom in the bridge with probably a pair of the new Stack Plus pickups in the neck and mid.

If you don't mind going active, a pair of EMG SA's in the neck and mid with an 85 in the bridge coupled with a master volume/ SPC control set up would work great for heavy blues, rock, and metal.

 

[smegolas]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

thanks, anyone else?

 

[Dave_Mcpherson]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Well..i've not tried the Custom, or the custom 5....But out of the Jb and the '59, i'd have to say the JB! It's very cutting, full of power and lots of midrange...and very versatile! Not much of a description, but i hope it helps :-D.

Alex

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

If you're going to use 250K pots then I wouldn't go with the Custom Custom because I think it starts to sound to smooth and lacks bite with 250K pots. It's one of my favorite pickups with 500K pots though.

If you're going with 250K pots throughout I'd say go for the JB...and two Stack Plus pickups.

The JB/StackPlus combo sounded phenomenal in the Tom Anderson SuperStrat I installed them in.

I still love my 59TB though...for Clapton/Cream tone it can't be beat though it's lower in output than the JB or Custom.

The Custom is not quite as bright as the 59B but has more output and a nice edge to it, and plenty of bass and mids.

Those would be good choices too.

To me, the Custom 5 needs more mids...


Lew

 

[alanfc]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

If you're going to use 250K pots then I wouldn't go with the Custom Custom because I think it starts to sound to smooth and lacks bite with 250K pots. It's one of my favorite pickups with 500K pots though.

If you're going with 250K pots throughout I'd say go for the JB...and two Stack Plus pickups.

The JB/StackPlus combo sounded phenomenal in the Tom Anderson SuperStrat I installed them in.

I still love my 59TB though...for Clapton/Cream tone it can't be beat though it's lower in output than the JB or Custom.

The Custom is not quite as bright as the 59B but has more output and a nice edge to it, and plenty of bass and mids.

Those would be good choices too.

To me, the Custom 5 needs more mids...


Lew

Could we call a Custom a gutsier version of a '59, ?
That is, EQ -wise I see the dip in the mids.
I'm a little worried abou the "9" rating of the Custom in the high end.
But with 250k pots, this may be good yes?

 

[Uk Ant]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

I don't find the custom a great blues pickup, from what I've heard the JB or the C-5 are probably better.
As for matching singles how about a quarter pounder or a hot for strat (if you need the gain).

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

I highly recommend you check out the Bill Lawrence single coils at www.billlawrence.com. Here's what I have in my HSS Strat:

SD JB
Lawrence L-280
Lawrence L-298

The L-298 will get you that fat Texas blues tone in the neck: powerful mids with nice single coil snap. The L-280 is the "vintage output" single, but it doesn't quite sound vintage to me - the EQ curve is flatter. Both match well with the JB which excels at chunky rhythm and screaming leads.

A Custom 5 would be very nice in the bridge as well. It sounds a bit more PAFish than the JB, but definitely cranks out more power than the 59.

 

[Martian]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Frankly, in a basswood Ibanez, I'd be looking more towards DiMarzios.

 

[Frankly]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Frankly, in a basswood Ibanez, I'd be looking more towards DiMarzios.

I haven't owned an Ibanez since my Roadstar II (which replaced my Kent and was replaced by my classic Gibson Sonex 180), but thanks for thinking of me.

Thank you.

 

[fenderiarhs]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

looking for warm rich sustaining heavy blues sound.

I think for that description the best choice would be the Custom Custom........The JB is not what i would call a bluesy sound......The Custom has some treble frequencies with a certain "ceramic" character which you might not like and the C5 certainly lacks mids.......

My vote goes for the CC

 

[Ascension]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

For that combo I would go JB SSL-2's for a brighter tone with the 250K pot or Custom Custom Alnico II flats with the 500K.

 

[sosomething]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

I have only this to add:

While the JB may not be suitable for all guitars, it absolutely LOVES basswood.

 

[theodie]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Could we call a Custom a gutsier version of a '59, ?
That is, EQ -wise I see the dip in the mids.
I'm a little worried abou the "9" rating of the Custom in the high end.
But with 250k pots, this may be good yes?

Yeah, a Custom is like a PAF with more balls!

I will be honest, I have no clue which one will work best in basswood though. Dimarzio works best in Basswood IMO.

 

[blueman335]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

I'm a 100% blues guy & a Custom 5 is the best of the bunch, or swap the magnet in it for an A4 or A3. I like a hot bridge for solos, and the Custom 5 works great on my Sheraton.

To my ears, the JB & Custom are just too bright & harsh for blues, I don't see either as a viable option unless you replace the magnets.

If you're leaning towards DiMarzio, I have a Bluesbucker in the neck and a Fred at the bridge & the sound is great in my Epi LPS. Very rich & bluesy.

 

[alanfc]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

Yeah, a Custom is like a PAF with more balls!

.

OK thanks
My Strat is Alder/rosewood board/graphtech saddles.
Yes I believe my Graphtechs make this guitar almost "dark" you might say.

But with the S Demon fullsize, even with the screws change to all fillisters,,, it eventually became grating and dry to me. (and thats an A5 mag!)
Thats why I'm wondering about the double whammy of the Custom's ceramic Mag and the "9" rating on the high end.
I see that the low and mid are higher than the SDemon however.
And the sound samples are quite different from one another.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

I'm a 100% blues guy & a Custom 5 is the best of the bunch, or swap the magnet in it for an A4 or A3. I like a hot bridge for solos, and the Custom 5 works great on my Sheraton.

To my ears, the JB & Custom are just too bright & harsh for blues, I don't see either as a viable option unless you replace the magnets.

If you're leaning towards DiMarzio, I have a Bluesbucker in the neck and a Fred at the bridge & the sound is great in my Epi LPS. Very rich & bluesy.

I think of the C5 as being the brightest of the bunch! It's a lot like a louder version of the 59B but the C5 sounds and feels harder and like it has less mids than the 59B which sounds bright but a little warmer, woodier (in a resonant guitar) and more organic (bluesy?) than the C5. The Custom seems to have more mids than the 59B or C5 and it has a nice texture to the highs, IMO. I'm a blues player too, but I like using the Custom for blues.

As for the JB, of the three it's the only one I've tried with both 250K pots and with 500K pots and that I've tried with the new Classic Stack Plus Strat pickups. I thought that set was the best Super Strat I've ever tried and I did use the stock 250K pots. With 500K pots I tire of the JB's percussive penetrating tone which most describe as being to bright...but with 250K pots it's a different pickup and sounds killer with the Classic Stack Plus pickups. So I've got to recommend that set.

Lew

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: JB vs Custom vs Custom 5 vs 59 - lets settle it!

The title to this thread is a bit misleading.

I have a basswood showmaster, and the Pearly Gates Plus does what you describe.