Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

[BlueFrankie]

Hello Folks, I would love your input on choosing a new bridge humbucker. Currently I have a Custom Custom with an unoriented A2 magnet. I love the tones, but I find that there's too much compression when trying to get a good clean bridge tone. I have a jazz in the neck and I'm hoping to pair the new pickup with it, but I'm open to an all new set. I want something that is more open and sweet when I play totally clean. I like A2 magnets, but open to A5. I play worship music, pop, blues, and rock. The guitar is a washburn Idol pro which is a mahogany slab with thin maple cap and rosewood neck. In the past I found the JB too nasaly in this guitar and the Custom 5 was too bright (and also way too compressed).

What are your suggestions? Let me know if you need more info.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Hello Folks, I would love your input on choosing a new bridge humbucker. Currently I have a Custom Custom with an unoriented A2 magnet. I love the tones, but I find that there's too much compression when trying to get a good clean bridge tone. I have a jazz in the neck and I'm hoping to pair the new pickup with it, but I'm open to an all new set. I want something that is more open and sweet when I play totally clean. I like A2 magnets, but open to A5. I play worship music, pop, blues, and rock. The guitar is a washburn Idol pro which is a mahogany slab with thin maple cap and rosewood neck. In the past I found the JB too nasaly in this guitar and the Custom 5 was too bright (and also way too compressed).

What are your suggestions? Let me know if you need more info.

The 59/Custom hybrid is pretty sweet, I heard a lot of good things about it. I've been eye balling one myself. I heard they are good on cleans too.

Most of my pickup experiences are Dimarzio but the Duncan pickups I have used in the past was the JB with 250k pots in an Ash Strat, that was a cool tone.

The Invader and the Screamin Demon. I like the Screamin Demon out of all of them but I feel I like it in the neck more with a Screamin' Demon Alnico 8 in the bridge.

The Dimarzio Norton would be a recommendation that would pair well with the Jazz, Both are similar output wise and the Norton has alot of Mids but feels like a more moderate PAF with some attitude and some edge. sounds good on cleans too. I like it better in the bass frequencies than the JB personally.

Also, possibly the Dimarzio AT-1 as a mention, Lower mids but still clear enough for a hard tail mahogany. Is you guitar a 24 3/4" scale or a 25 1/2"?

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Thanks, I'll look into the norton. It's a short scale guitar.

 

[Guitarmusic]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

The Norton is perfect for a Les Paul scale. I think it will deliver on the stuff you play, very versatile and perfect amount of class with attitude.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Jazz bridge, or A2P bridge, or a 59N as a bridge pickup - if cleans are most important. These will still rock as bridges but you need gain on the amp to get there and may need to roll the tone a bit.

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I'll definitely look into that, but hoping to stay within the duncan line.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Hmmm... I’d try the 59/Custom Hybrid as the next pickup.

If you still have the JB, it could be worth switching the magnet in there. The stock JB on my Parker Nitefly Mojo was very nasal (I didn’t like it at all) - forumites here persuaded me to try this, and it now has an A2 magnet in it and sounds fantastic clean and distorted,

All that said, have you tried lowering the Bridge pickup away from the strings. It’s amazing how much “air” can come back into even a hot-wound pickup - I recently spent a lot of time with my Les Paul on pickup height, and it’s come back to life tonally.


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[GrilledChickenSalad]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Hello Folks, I would love your input on choosing a new bridge humbucker. Currently I have a Custom Custom with an unoriented A2 magnet. I love the tones, but I find that there's too much compression when trying to get a good clean bridge tone. I have a jazz in the neck and I'm hoping to pair the new pickup with it, but I'm open to an all new set. I want something that is more open and sweet when I play totally clean. I like A2 magnets, but open to A5. I play worship music, pop, blues, and rock. The guitar is a washburn Idol pro which is a mahogany slab with thin maple cap and rosewood neck. In the past I found the JB too nasaly in this guitar and the Custom 5 was too bright (and also way too compressed).

What are your suggestions? Let me know if you need more info.

The compression is all about the Custom Custom. Use the Jazz for cleans. Or split the CC, or both pickups, for cleans.

You mention magnets a bit. Focus on what comes out of it more than what's in it.

 

[TVFV]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I will recommend the Jazz Bridge as well.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I'd go for the Hybrid here. It is more open and not compressed sounding (or feeling) at all. If you want something with a lower output, you might look at the Whole Lotta Humbucker, which is a different take on a 'hot PAF' EQ-wise.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Worship music you say? GOTTA GET THE DEMON

Lol, seriously, funnies aside that's what you were describing

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Get a unoriented A5 from ebay (look at seller addictionfx) and mod your Custom.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

i was thinking the same thing but if a c5 is also too compressed than i dont know if a magnet swap will do what he is looking for

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Hmmm... I’d try the 59/Custom Hybrid as the next pickup.

If you still have the JB, it could be worth switching the magnet in there. The stock JB on my Parker Nitefly Mojo was very nasal (I didn’t like it at all) - forumites here persuaded me to try this, and it now has an A2 magnet in it and sounds fantastic clean and distorted,

All that said, have you tried lowering the Bridge pickup away from the strings. It’s amazing how much “air” can come back into even a hot-wound pickup - I recently spent a lot of time with my Les Paul on pickup height, and it’s come back to life tonally.


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That's good advice. I've played with it before, but I end up having to drop my jazz neck down too far to stay balanced. My core tone is that jazz neck with light overdrive, I like it raised up pretty good to sound hot and compressed. Great sound. It's taken a long time to come to the decision to actually find a lower output bridge.

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

The compression is all about the Custom Custom. Use the Jazz for cleans. Or split the CC, or both pickups, for cleans.

You mention magnets a bit. Focus on what comes out of it more than what's in it.

Love the way you write man. Sound like Confucious. I'm still meditating on what you mean by "Focus on what comes out of it more than what's in it." Deep man, deep. haha

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I'd go for the Hybrid here. It is more open and not compressed sounding (or feeling) at all. If you want something with a lower output, you might look at the Whole Lotta Humbucker, which is a different take on a 'hot PAF' EQ-wise.

I hope I'm describing the problem correctly. What I'm experiencing is that with a clean amp the CC sounds really plucky, sort of a hard transient right as I pick. It's a no give kind of sound and feel. That's compression right?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I've never heard of an unoriented A2; is it possible you actually have an unoriented A5 in there? If so, A2 might give you a softer attack and bouncier/looser overall feel. A2 is the stock magnet for a CustomCustom. Less aggressive than A5 or C5.

But for great cleans you may indeed want a lower output pickup. The Custom family all use the same coils, a heavier-than-vintage wind.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I hope I'm describing the problem correctly. What I'm experiencing is that with a clean amp the CC sounds really plucky, sort of a hard transient right as I pick. It's a no give kind of sound and feel. That's compression right?

Generally, yes. Have you tried lowering it a bit?

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

I've never heard of an unoriented A2; is it possible you actually have an unoriented A5 in there? If so, A2 might give you a softer attack and bouncier/looser overall feel. A2 is the stock magnet for a CustomCustom. Less aggressive than A5 or C5.

But for great cleans you may indeed want a lower output pickup. The Custom family all use the same coils, a heavier-than-vintage wind.

What I should have said was a rough cast A2, sorry. It's been a while since I did the swap and was reading up on this stuff. It was a Custom 5 and I swapped the A5 for a rough cast A2.

@Mincer: Yes, I have lowered it, but it begins to sound too thin to me. Also it becomes difficult to balance with the Jazz at the height that I like that set.

I have been looking at the Pearly Gates and APH, leaning toward APH. Are these great clean pickups?

 

[BlueFrankie]

Re: Picking a New Bridge Humbucker

Okay, I've been doing my research. I've decided that I really want a vintage wind pickup. My main goal is to end up with something with a much softer attack and slightly less mids than the custom custom. I think that the mids are so pushed on the custom custom that their contributing to the compression problem I am having (too harsh of an attack/plucky when playing super clean). Something open feeling, soft attack, yet smooth and sweet. What do you guys think? 59? A2P? WLH? PG?

Thanks to everyone who's contributed so far.