Taming the Bass in a C5?

[Yzerman]

Hi Guys,

I just switched from a JB to a C5 in my PRS CE22 and i really like the change but i find the lows a little overpowering now.I'd love to keep the overall tone the same but lose a little bass. I have several magnets on hand (A2,A4,UOA5,A8)... where should i start? I also read about putting a .047 cap is series? Has anyone tried that?



Thanks

 

[orpheo]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I wouldn't swap mags per se but get rid of the big screw polepieces and install hex polepieces. in essence, making it a full shred (kinda pickup).

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I have several magnets on hand (A2,A4,UOA5,A8)... where should i start?

swapping a pickup takes just a few minutes. start with one, give it about a day for things to take hold, and see what you get. then repeat.

consider a RCA5 in that JB.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

a4 or uoa5 if you want to swap magnets. i put a rough cast a5 in a custom years ago to make a c5 and loved it. its a little less boomy and the top end is softer. the a4 or uoa5 will push you in a similar direction.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

My favorite Custom is with an UOA5. That's the version that's really like a 'PAF on steroids.' It has the rich texture of an A2, but with a little sharper high end.

 

[Cipher]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

My favorite Custom is with an UOA5. That's the version that's really like a 'PAF on steroids.' It has the rich texture of an A2, but with a little sharper high end.

Same result for me, at least in the particular guitar I had a Custom series pickup in. I went through ceramic, A5, A2, A8, and the UOA5 was the winner.

 

[Yzerman]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

For those of you that went from a C5 to the UOA5 version... Is it a drastic change or does it just sweeten the tone?

I also have a Shur Aldrich lying around that I might try.... Still searching.

Thanks

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

Unoriented roughcast Alnico 5 moves the Custom 5 in the direction of sweeter, less boomy, and more "vintagey."

It's not drastic, but as someone who used Custom 5's for a long time, I like it a lot.

Before switching mags though, mess with the pickup height, and maybe lowering the E and A poles down a little.
There's a lot you can do with simple height adjustments.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

+ another for GJ's last 2 sentences.
Certainly worth trying first...

 

[blueman335]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

For those of you that went from a C5 to the UOA5 version... Is it a drastic change or does it just sweeten the tone?

Definitely different tone. Lots more texture, high end isn't so harsh & piercing, mids are fuller, & low end no longer bassy. For me, better on all counts. After experiencing that, I'd never go back to the extremes of a C5 or CC.

 

[Yzerman]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

Thanks guys... Looks like I'm tweaking this weekend!

I'm definitely gonna play with the height and poles before rushing out out flipping mags... Great advice here as always.

Thanks

 

[Demanic]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

How about hex head screws and UOA5? Nice tight attack with decent mids.

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

 

[Cipher]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I agree with the above statements about the UOA5. It seemed to take the best from the A2 and the A5 and even everything out. (at least in my guitar, through my rig)

 

[Demanic]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

Though I have always wanted to try a Custom 4

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

 

[Mincer]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I use a roughcast A5 in my C5, and I like it a lot better. The lows don't hit me quite as hard. This allows some mids to come through too, but not nearly as much as the other magnet variations.

 

[marcello252]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

An A4 could be interesting to try, being more 'plain' the bass and mids should be more equilibrate

 

[Mincer]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I've never tried an A4 in anything. I would be interested in how it sounded in a Custom, though.

 

[slightly_rude]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

The C4 is my favorite Custom. I have them in my 57 reissue LP Custom, my Explorer and my Jackson DK1.
A4's have a very balanced EQ. No brittleness of a ceramic. No boomy low end and sometimes peaky highs of an A5 (polished). No loose, syrupy bottom and mid heaviness of an A2. For me, the C4 just works. I use A4's in other winds (Brobucker, '59 neck) with similar results. My experience with them has been the bottom stays tight and the highs are never grating. In the Explorer and DK1 there is a certain creaminess not present with the other mags. I have not tried a UOA5 yet but I wasn't impressed with a rough cast A5 either. Give it a try and see what happens.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

The C4 is my favorite Custom. I have them in my 57 reissue LP Custom, my Explorer and my Jackson DK1.
A4's have a very balanced EQ. No brittleness of a ceramic. No boomy low end and sometimes peaky highs of an A5 (polished). No loose, syrupy bottom and mid heaviness of an A2. For me, the C4 just works. I use A4's in other winds (Brobucker, '59 neck) with similar results. My experience with them has been the bottom stays tight and the highs are never grating. In the Explorer and DK1 there is a certain creaminess not present with the other mags.

I have not tried a UOA5 yet but I wasn't impressed with a rough cast A5 either. Give it a try and see what happens.

+1. A4's have more uses than most people realize. Being unoriented, they have some complexity in their sound. Having a relatively flat EQ is a virtue to some players, but certainly not all. If you're used to a big EQ push, an A4 can seem rather bland. But, that does let more of the PU and wood's natural sound come thru (which may or may not be a good thing). Lindy Fralin is a big proponent of A4's; I had a long conversion with him a few years ago, and he's sold on their virtues. Another of his strongly-held beliefs is that thick necks are an important part of tone quality.

A5's in the neck slot have a often-desirable sharp high end. But with that comes a low end that's sometimes overbearing. I've used A4's in place of A5's in bridge PU's to tame the high end, but want use them in the neck too, to cut out the occasional A5 bassiness (I went a different route and used spin-a-split and hybrid coils to thin out neck HB's).

RC A5's have a slightly different in tone, mainly taking off a little high end harshness, and sometimes that's all you need. I would have never believed that an UOA5 is at all related to an A5, had I not tried some right after Addition FX showed up here as the forum magnet supplier. First PU I put one in was a C5, and I was amazed at the warmth and rich texture. Everything I didn't like about the C5 disappeared, and without the drawbacks of an A2.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Taming the Bass in a C5?

I would start with the A4, then the UOA5, then the A2 (to give you a Custom Custom). I wouldn't touch the A8. I'll bet that wind would be the least bassy and most clear with an A3, but you don't have one.