SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

[CountFeedback]

Hello Everybody,
My struggle with the Hammer USA (all mahogany with rosewood fretboard) Standard/Explorer continues.
I'd like to get a little more shimmer in the clean/mid-OD department but still get some vibrant sustaining lead tones.
This guitar seems to have very full sort of hollow body like sound that leans toward mud.

I love the JB in other guitars but it sounded super congested in this guitar, I may look for a vintage JBJ to see if it fares any better.
SH-14 = sounded flat
Scream'nDemon = some good stuff, solved mud issues, but a little bit "un-organic" sounding
59b = not bad, nice throaty woody mojo, a little harsh on some things, left me wanting more in the lead department
WLHb = sounds great! until I turn on any modulation effects then it's totally buried

I tried the SH-5 Custom and I wasn't in love with ceramic clean sounds but now I'm considering it again as it did solve the Thud/Mud problems, and the lead tone is pretty good.
I like the initial SD descriptions for the Pegasus and Sentient but not hearing a lot about these from anybody and the few online demos are mostly digi-amp chugga-wugga.

Tones I Chase: Classic Rock, 80sAlternative, 90sShoegaze, James Honeyman-Scott, John McGeoch, Reeves Gabrels, Steve Stevens, Andy Summers.

Thanks Everybody :bigthumb:

 

[Demanic]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

I'd throw the Custom back in and just use the tone knob to roll off the highs when you play clean.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

Also check out the 59/Custom Hybrid, which is a good blend of those 2 sounds, and splits really well too. The Perpetual Burn is another choice, sort of a 'nicer' JB to my ears.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

Also check out the 59/Custom Hybrid, which is a good blend of those 2 sounds, and splits really well too. The Perpetual Burn is another choice, sort of a 'nicer' JB to my ears.

I second this.

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

In all but maybe one of the demos I've heard the Custom/Hybrid sounds supper fizzy to me, so I'm kind of put off by that one.

I have some interest in the Perpetual Burn. I'm curious about the differences between the Pegasus, Custom5, and Perpetual burn. They're all sort of mid gain level Alnico 5 humbuckers. I tried the Custom5 and found it good for 90s-rock-big-distortion-chords but leads and cleans were harmonically dull. There doesn't seem to be much info about the Perpetual Burn or the Pegasus6. Are any of those 3 models happening in a all mahogany set neck guitar?

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

I'd throw the Custom back in and just use the tone knob to roll off the highs when you play clean.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

that's kind of how I was feeling, and coil split it and the neck pup paired together for clean tones.

 

[Demanic]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

That should sound interesting. If you want to get really daring you could mount it in a Triple Shot ring.

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[Thundermtn]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

TTT

Curious what the OP ended up going with.

I have a Gibson mahogany FV with an ebony fretboard. Came with crappy sounding set of 496r/500t. Recently it's developed a finish issue and since it'll probably never be worth a lot anyway it's time for a switch. I'm between the SH-5 Custom and the Pegasus right now. Probably going '59 for the neck, outside chance of a Jazz.

Rig is a gain pedal->reverb->gate-> split into a MB triple rec and a Marshall valvestate, cabs with V30's. Most of the time tuned to C#.

To my ear the Pegasus sounds like it lives in the same neighborhood as the Custom but with the mids pushed up a little, a hair tighter bass response and a hair less treble/chimeyness. I tend to prefer a little more highs than most people in the metal world so I'm leaning Custom but wanted to see if anymore people have tried out the Pegasus that could say one way or another what they though about the difference. The end goal is a tone in the realm of The Sword's "Wrap Riders" album and Mastodon's "The Hunter" album with a few grindy songs in the mix.

 

[Mincer]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

I think the Pegasus is better for articulate, fast, percussive riffs and fast, picked solos. The Custom is great for big open chords, a little more legato...EQd like a PAF but a lot bigger.

 

[philthis]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

I second this.

I second his second

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

TTT

Curious what the OP ended up going with.

I just saw that this thread got some attention

Currently I am pretty happy with 59n/59b

Strange things that happened on this journey:
1) I got 59n 4-con to do a spin=split to remove some boomyness and I found that the new 59n 4-con right out of the box didn't have the mud of the 1990s regular 59n that was stock in the guitar. This lack of bass mud in the neck pick-up drastically changed the EQ ballance of whatever is in the bridge.

2) The guitar came with a stock JB that accented everything that people say is wrong with the JB.
I found deal on an old JBJ, that pick-up sounded great, much more balanced than the kazoo stock JB.
I am happy with the JBJ I may put it back in but for now I feel like I hear more of the wood of the guitar with a 59b.

Oh and I tried a SH-5 Custom again for a few days. SH-5 does sound good in the guitar. It struck me maybe a little bit more favorably than the first time I tried an SH-5 but I still don't love the feel from ceramic.
I Still haven't tried a Pegasus.

 

[ColeJustesen]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

Ever consider a Jazz bridge? I liked the results I got in my guitar.

Cole

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

Ever consider a Jazz bridge? I liked the results I got in my guitar.

Cole

I have considered the Jazz bridge, but have yet to try one.

 

[blueman335]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

I love the JB in other guitars but it sounded super congested in this guitar,

SH-14 = sounded flat
Scream'nDemon = some good stuff, solved mud issues, but a little bit "un-organic" sounding
59b = not bad, nice throaty woody mojo, a little harsh on some things, left me wanting more in the lead department
WLHb = sounds great! until I turn on any modulation effects then it's totally buried

I've run into similar issues: PU's not quite sounding like I wanted them to, and that's when I started swapping magnets. Instead of buying new PU's and hoping for the best (and still being disappointed some of the time), I can try a mag or to and get what I want. A lot cheaper and faster way change your tone.

 

[BleedingFingertips]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

To my ear the Pegasus sounds like it lives in the same neighborhood as the Custom but with the mids pushed up a little, a hair tighter bass response and a hair less treble/chimeyness. I tend to prefer a little more highs than most people in the metal world so I'm leaning Custom but wanted to see if anymore people have tried out the Pegasus that could say one way or another what they though about the difference. The end goal is a tone in the realm of The Sword's "Wrap Riders" album and Mastodon's "The Hunter" album with a few grindy songs in the mix.

I tried Pegasus in my Fender MIM Standard Strat. I actually found that it even sounded chunky enough on power chords and palm-mutes. One thing I disliked was an extra "snappiness" from the maple neck. Don't know how it would sound in mahogany though.

 

[BleedingFingertips]

Re: SH-5 Custom VS Pegasus in mahogany explorer

Oh and I tried a SH-5 Custom again for a few days. SH-5 does sound good in the guitar. It struck me maybe a little bit more favorably than the first time I tried an SH-5 but I still don't love the feel from ceramic.

Gracias for sharing this. Since I love ceramics I'm pretty much looking forward to trying SH-5 in mahogany soon!