The Custom Custom is great, but ...

S

Suchapinch

New member
The Custom Custom would be perfect for me except for two things:

1. Clean up better

2. Tighter bass

What pickup would come the closest to a Custom Custom but with the above attributes?

Thanks
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

The PU's fine, you just need to try a different magnet or two. Put an UOA5 in your CC. It's a blend of A2 and A5 characteristics, and will keep the A2's dynamics and full mids, but add a little treble and cut, along with firming up the low end. If you want to go a step further, try an A8 or A4 magnet.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

How does the UOA5 compare to the A4? ;)
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

WGTP said:
How does the UOA5 compare to the A4? ;)
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UOA5 has more dynamics and is warmer than an A4, more vintage-sounding. A4's have a flat EQ, which is good for some things. If you take an A4 and bump up the mids and output, you have an A8.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

blueman335 said:
The PU's fine, you just need to try a different magnet or two. Put an UOA5 in your CC. It's a blend of A2 and A5 characteristics, and will keep the A2's dynamics and full mids, but add a little treble and cut, along with firming up the low end. If you want to go a step further, try an A8 or A4 magnet.
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I don't have a CC in this guitar right now. I have an Ahp-2 Slash in it, that's just not quite getting what I want. So, I would be starting from scratch, Custom wise. Would you start with a CC and magnet swap or start with something else?
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Suchapinch said:
I don't have a CC in this guitar right now. I have an Ahp-2 Slash in it, that's just not quite getting what I want. So, I would be starting from scratch, Custom wise. Would you start with a CC and magnet swap or start with something else?
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Start with the cheaper options first and then, if that fails, get another PU. I'd try an A8 in first. It'll boost the output, get you closer to a CC, but have a better high end. You can get magnets at Addiction FX; best selection and cheapest prices. There a video on mag swapping on project guitar.com It's easy and only takes a few minutes.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Suchapinch said:
The Custom Custom would be perfect for me except for two things:

1. Clean up better

2. Tighter bass

What pickup would come the closest to a Custom Custom but with the above attributes?

Thanks
Click to expand...

to keep the CC's orignal tone but make it cleaner and tighter you need to "air" gap the magnet or get a aged alnico II for it.:14:
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

It looks like the options would be

CC with an A8 magnet (C8?) Changes the tone somewhat?

CC with an aged A2 magnet (where would I get this?) Same tone, less output?

Hybrid 59/CC (no one brought this up, but it's something that I'm looking into)

Anyone have first hand experience with the hybrid compared to the other options?

p.s. I just spent another hour adjusting the Slash set that's in this guitar to try to get it to sound like something I can live with but it's a struggle. I'm surprised at how bright the bridge sounds and how dull the neck sounds in this guitar.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Mmmmm, if this is the case then I think the Slashers sound like the wrong set for this particular axe. I'm not sure what the guitar is (woods/construction etc), but a PG neck will have more sizzle to it and the Custom line will be higher output so will be a bit darker toned (in general) than a PAF strength bridge pickup.

Without more info on your guitar/rig/music style its hard to make any concrete suggestions.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

The easy fix for tightening the bass is to use hex screws such as the ones in a Full Shred or chop the ones in there in half. shorter screw = tighter bass.

As for the "clean up" some of that may be A2 artifact, and some is just the monster mid hump. I don't have any problems playing it clean, then again, I rarely do. I like a little grit on everything I'd play with that.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Definitely a roughcast UOA5 will give you what you want. See my recent thread about it. Blueman gave me the advice a while back and he was right on the money. It sounds incredible. If that still doesn't do it for you then you definitely need to try out a Pearly Gates +. Think of a Pearly Gates meets Custom Custom UOA5.

One thing I learned just yesterday is that the Custom Custom UOA5 makes a great neck pickup for a hot bridge humbucker. The roughcast UOA5 reduces the output some so if you pair it with a JB or Custom Custom, you will get a pretty great neck pickup. It's probably going to replace my Pearly Gates neck pickup because the Pearly Gates neck is too dark for my taste.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

AlexR said:
Mmmmm, if this is the case then I think the Slashers sound like the wrong set for this particular axe. I'm not sure what the guitar is (woods/construction etc), but a PG neck will have more sizzle to it and the Custom line will be higher output so will be a bit darker toned (in general) than a PAF strength bridge pickup.

Without more info on your guitar/rig/music style its hard to make any concrete suggestions.
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Yes, I believe you're right, not the right set for this guitar, my taste or both.

Playing style: blues, rock, hard rock, but not into metal territory. 15-30 watt tube amps.

Guitar info: Asian solid body, Les Paul style, specced to be mahogany (8.75 lbs) with a resin composite finger board (bright). The guitar doesn't have much low end unplugged, but good sustain. I have a semi-hollow by the same company which sounds just like you would expect the semi hollow version of this solid body to sound. I have a CC, PGn in the semi and it sounds great, really great. Effortless.
I want this guitar to clean up better and have more low end punch. The Slash pup does clean up better, but I was surprised at how bright it is in this guitar. For the Slash to really sing in this guitar, I have to have it very close to the strings, which causes the low E to flub out. I haven't found any way around this other than lower the pickup as well as the screw and lose some of the
aph-2's best qualities.

In a nut shell, what pups will get me close to the CC PGn combo of my other guitar yet better clean and punch?
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

UberMetalDood said:
Definitely a roughcast UOA5 will give you what you want. See my recent thread about it. Blueman gave me the advice a while back and he was right on the money. It sounds incredible. If that still doesn't do it for you then you definitely need to try out a Pearly Gates +. Think of a Pearly Gates meets Custom Custom UOA5.

One thing I learned just yesterday is that the Custom Custom UOA5 makes a great neck pickup for a hot bridge humbucker. The roughcast UOA5 reduces the output some so if you pair it with a JB or Custom Custom, you will get a pretty great neck pickup. It's probably going to replace my Pearly Gates neck pickup because the Pearly Gates neck is too dark for my taste.
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Would a roughcast UOA5 be a Custom 5 with an UOA5 magnet?
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Suchapinch said:
Would a roughcast UOA5 be a Custom 5 with an UOA5 magnet?
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Well I don't know if UOA5 comes in both polished and unpolished (roughcast). I bought a few unpolished UOA5 mags and a friend gave me a UOA5 which appears to be polished. The difference between the polished and unpolished, if that is what I have, would be that the unpolished UOA5 is more like an A2 except tighter bass and not so much high mids. The mag that is supposed to be a polished UOA5 is a little weaker than an regular A5 and sounds in between the unpolished and regular A5 as far as the mids go. It's also tighter, but in my Custom Custom, it sounds too much like a regular Custom 5. I definitely prefer the Custom 5 with the UOA5 magnet.

Like I said, it's a cheap way to modify your magnet. If that doesn't work then I strongly suggest a Pearly Gates Plus. I love the Pearly Gates Plus because it sounds a lot like the Pearly Gates except tighter with more output and a little more in the low mids, so a little fatter.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Its magnet swapping any 'custom' pickup with UOA5 magnet. The custom, custom custom, and custom 5 are the same pickup with Ceramic, A2, and A5 magnets respectively.

You can order a UOA5 from addictionFX on the bay. There are two types - roughcast and polished. Polished is slightly closer to an A5, roughcast closer to an A2.

If you order magnets you should order a few (UOA5, UOA5 polished, A8, A4). Magnet swapping is fairly straightforward and is documented in many threads here.

My favorites are orginal custom (for metal), custom8 (hard rock to metal) and polished CUOA5 (blues/rock).
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

I really like the CC/ Alnico II set I have in my Washburn WM24 right now. Mahogany neck and body with a resin composite finger board. The cleans are killer in this one and in particular I like the neck middle together. If the CC is too much heat and not clean enough then the A-8 will be worse. The A-5 will be fuller and rounder but I have had issues with the solo tones not cutting through. I had a Full Shread / Alnico II set in my old Ibanez Artist at one time I really liked. That combo worked well however I later went with a CC in the bridge to get more of a hot PAF vibe.
 
Re: The Custom Custom is great, but ...

Ascension said:
I really like the CC/ Alnico II set I have in my Washburn WM24 right now.
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Or as I call it, FAT CITY.

I love the clean combo's on my PG/CC pair. All sorts of awesome shades of clean!
 
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