Question about 59/custom hybrid

[dazco]

I've tried a lot of seymours over the years and never found one that was quite to my liking. The last one i bought was about maybe 5-7 years ago and it was the 59/custom hybrid and i ended up trying different magnets trying to make it usable to me. But i could not bond. FF to today and for whatever reason i put it in my modified H/S/S 62 RI style strat and I'm almost really liking it. Or i should say i AM, but theres one issue. The wound strings are sorta muddy and therefore i not only can't get quite the crispness i need from them and it keeps the wounds slightly out of balance with the plain strings. Height tweaks including screw poles helped but not fully. All this is slight but enough to bother me. Otherwise i like it.

But heres the thing.....last time i used it was back when i first got it and i couldn't remember if the mag was the stock one but i think not. I have a bunch of mags that are not all tagged with what they are and the one in it wasn't. So i looked thru them all and remembering that the duncan mag was polished i found 2 that looked like that, 3 including the one that was in it. I took one of the other 2 and put that in it and now it's as i described, almost right. The mag that was in it when i tried it at first was worse. I really don't wanna bother trying the last polished one that isn't tagged and it feels the same as strength goes using a screwdriver to test. My question is, is the description i gave of the wounds being slightly dark due a slight lack of crispness in the attack typical of that pickup? If not i might consider buying another polished A5. Maybe the one in it was demagnetized sitting in a bag with others, i dunno. I just wanted to ask this before i go to the trouble of ordering a magnet and yet again ripping the strat apart.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Before we go ripping apart pickups...how old are your strings?

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

it's not that. I had a super D in it b4 and the low strings were as crisper if not more, and those pickuops typically are not crisp in the lows obviously. I just want to know if this is typical for this pickup even a bit.

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Just hit me....is this likely due to 250k? I could put a 500k in it and use a 470k resistor to parallel the middle pickup to keep 250k for the bridge/middle tone and put one on the neck too. I never really use the neck/middle so no problem with the fact the pot would be like a 160k in pos. 4. But does anyone thing that will make a big difference in giving the wound strings the crispness they are missing? Only negative is i like the current taper and this is going to change that.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

If it's only the bass strings just drop the bass side even lower or cut the bottom of the screw polepieces level with the baseplate.

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

If it's only the bass strings just drop the bass side even lower or cut the bottom of the screw polepieces level with the baseplate.

I've adjusted it ad nausium, but i did actually think about cutting the screws. I did that years ago but can;t recall it making it brightr as they say it does. Have you experienced that? I might try just the wound ones since the plain stings sound fine.

 

[gregory]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Rotating the pickup so the Custom slug coil is closest to the bridge is something else with which one can experiment.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Well then - just not your thing!

Some guys have ears for Seymour, some Larry. Some both, some neither.

Sounds like you are just trying to hard. Duncan just isn't your sound.

 

[gregory]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

some Steve

FTFY.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Well, I am a Hybrid fan, but likely play different music than you do. The bass is tight enough for me and it has the power w/ a scoopy sound I like- in 2 different guitars now. Good thing there are lots of other choices out there! How about an Alternative 8?

 

[gregory]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Screamin' Demon?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

I bought was about maybe 5-7 years ago and it was the 59/custom hybrid

That long ago that p'up was not for sale. So what you got is something made by somebody. Maybe you got a hybrid made with a Custom screw coil and a '59 slug coil, that's why you didn't like it?

Think about it...

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

That long ago that p'up was not for sale. So what you got is something made by somebody. Maybe you got a hybrid made with a Custom screw coil and a '59 slug coil, that's why you didn't like it?

Think about it...

I assure you it IS a 59/C-H. But the reason i said 5-6 is i don't remember exactly. However, it;s gotta be at least 5 years and i check google and found reviews and forum posts that are 5 years old. And i have the slug coil active when split and it's definately around 7k.

Thats said, i'm beginning to hear other things i don't like about it so let me ask you all another question. Is there a dimarzio that has a very similar output and EQ curve? I know you can look at thier B/M/T graph but that doesn't tell you much since the amount of any of those ranges means little compared to the PARTICULAR range of mids that is most prominent or attenuated, same for bass and treble. So i'm just wondering who had used a dimarzio that closely mimics the 59/CH as far as EQ curve and output and similar all around but with crisper lows and smoother mids/highs when overdriven more. Thats my other issue with it. With most pickups the more drive you add the smoother they get. This one doesn't and the result is it becomes hard sounding. (never heard antoher P/U that does this) It would actually be a good thing if it did that 1/2 as much as it does but as is it's too much. So a dimarzio that doesn't do that and has crisper lows but otherwise is very similar. Has anyone found a dimarzio like that or any brand for that matter thats not expensive. I don't mind paying boutique prices for pickups if i'm 100% sure i'll love it, but thats not possible so i need to keep it in the dimarzio/duncan standard line price range.

 

[gregory]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Fred?

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Maybe it's your amps/speakers?

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Fred?

Hmmm....seems like it has the same design with differently wound coils, and they get a lot of very positive reviews. Anyone find the fread to be a good puo for what i'm looking for and for what i play, which is basically classic rock centered in 70's for the most part. I'm a singe channel amp with guitar volume as clean to OD kind of player. So i like a pretty balanced sound. The fred shows a mid bump but as long as it's not peaky it doesn't have to sound middy. Anyone use the fred and whats your take? Not into metal and really heavy stuff at all.

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Maybe it's your amps/speakers?

The answer is in your sig.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

The Hybrid comes with an A5 magnet which tends to give a more scooped sound. In other words, the highs and the lows are emphasized. If you find that the lows are "a bit muddy" you could try two things:

First, try cutting the screws under the wound strings. Very easy and quick to do. If it still sounds a bit muddy;
Try replacing the magnet with an A4. That should clear up any muddiness.

You should definitely be using a 500k vol pot to keep it as clean as possible.

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Tried the screw thing and no joy. I'll probably try the 500k next but it's such a pain with strats. Plus i'll have to add a 470k to parallel the single coils which may have me hating the taper not to mention the plain strings may then become a problem being they're great right now. But for now i'm going to leave it and see how i feel in a bit. It's not all that bad and the good is very good. So i think i'll do everything i can to keep it. I may be ok with it as is, i just need time to know and if not a 500k will go in it. (and maybe back out) tried a3 but not a4. Maybe i''ll experiment more tho.

I must say tho, in near 50 years of owning countless guitars and pickups, i think this is probably the most articulate pickup i have ever used, especially for single note lines. Certainly without a doubt as good as the best i've used at worse. I guess it's all about those unbalanced coils which makes me want to try a lot of them but i can't afford to toss $ away all day long.

The Hybrid comes with an A5 magnet which tends to give a more scooped sound. In other words, the highs and the lows are emphasized. If you find that the lows are "a bit muddy" you could try two things:

First, try cutting the screws under the wound strings. Very easy and quick to do. If it still sounds a bit muddy;
Try replacing the magnet with an A4. That should clear up any muddiness.

You should definitely be using a 500k vol pot to keep it as clean as possible.

 

[dazco]

Re: Question about 59/custom hybrid

Well, i happen t have a 500k and tried it just now.....ummmm, no. It sounds better with the 250k and the lows aren't any more or less crisp with either. I'll just keep on using it for now and see how i feel after some more time. I may well leave it in due to the incredible articulation.