Who's using sh-1 59's

[bluesboy53]

I have a 59 in my bridge on my Heritage 157 ( Les Paul Custom) and I have a Heritage pickup in the neck. The Heritage is way to dark and I am thinking of putting a 59 in the neck. Here's the question, when I go from one pickup to another it doesn't bite your head off, or sound like your have switched guitars. What do you think? Do these pickups work well together? Thanks for your help

 

[gilles27]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

i have a 59 bridge in my mahogany bodied ibanez sz. i use a jazz neck with it and it seems to be a good match. most people seem to prefer the 59 in the neck to the bridge. if you are a blues player, this seems like a good plan to me

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Yes I am a blues player, I know the 59 for the bridge is not what most people use but I was talked into it and now I hate to change both pickups. I like people like Robben Ford, Duane Allman, and Warren Haynes.

 

[scottish]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

I think the 59b is one of the best, if not the best pup that SD make, personally. Im a huge fan of the neck too. The set works well together and should get you into the territory you are looking for. Haynes used a PG set for a long time.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Thanks for that.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Can't go wrong with the '59 in either position, but if you find the '59 neck too muddy, go with a Jazz.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

I keep hearing that does anyone else use the jazz neck pickup?

 

[scottish]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

personally i didnt like the jazz too much. a lot of people rave about it but i tried the neck in a semi-hollow and wasnt too happy with it.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Do you think the 59 neck is muddy at all? I am trying to get away from that.

 

[cheezemaster]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

I think the 59b is one of the best, if not the best pup that SD make, personally.

+1

I think it's overlooked by a lot of players who think it doesn't have enough output - or is too "scooped" (which is what it looks like on the tone chart). I find neither of these to be true. It's a nice ballanced pickup with just enough bite and punch to get great classic rocknroll tones and even classic metal tones. It's plenty thick for me. Once I put 59s in my Les Paul, my search for THE rock tone was over.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

59 sets are great for blues, and really any other type of music too. In my opinion, it's the most versatile set that Duncan makes. And there are plenty of mods for the pickups, if you decide you need a little more of this or that.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

So what kind of mods are you talking about and where could I find them?

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

So what kind of mods are you talking about and where could I find them?

Just using the search function. Artie has a de-mud mod for the '59n, when it has too much bass in a guitar. And there are others, such as swapping in different magnets, which can totally change the sound of a pickup. And there's magnet degaussing as well, which will flatten the pickup's EQ and bring out more harmonics.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Thanks for that

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

I found it thanks

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Love mine...unless I dig up a 78 I am going to let mine stay in my Kramer for good.
It is an old zebra one....got a matching neck as well.....................like the big bottom though, very juicy and warm pickups.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

JAnd there are others, such as swapping in different magnets, which can totally change the sound of a pickup.

Right. Before replacing a HB, always try a different magnet or two. You may have bright or dark wood, and the next PU (or series of PU's) you buy may have a similar sound in your guitar. If you want a PU to sound a certain way, you often have to tweak it with magnets & pots to get it where you want with your guitar. You can't just drop in the same PU in 10 guitars & think they'll all sound the same. Wood has too many natural variations to let us get off that easy. And we're all playing thru different amps & effects.

If your neck HB is too dark, maybe it has an A2 magnet, and an A5 may open it right up. Or maybe you have a 250K/300K pot on it. Check it out with a multi-meter to see how hot it is. The first step should be some investigative work on the existing electronics, and seeing what you're dealing with. How do you know where to go if you don't know what you have now? Making a new PU selection based on recommendations, before you know what is currently giving you a sound you don't like, is flying blind and usually ends up being an expensive & frustrating experience.

That being said, '59's seem to be less finicky about the wood they're in (and rarely, if ever, sound bad), whereas JB's can be difficult. But don't get a '59N or JazzN until you you ID & tweak the "offending" PU.

 

[Artie]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

Just using the search function. Artie has a de-mud mod for the '59n, when it has too much bass in a guitar.

The de-mud mod is good if you already have a neck 59 and want to change it inexpensively, but since I just recently "discovered" the Jazz . . . well, it does better what the de-mud mod was trying to do.

De-mud is good . . . Jazz is better.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

I like 59N, mostly because of it's fatness, but it sounds better for soloing than chords.

It wasn't till I hung out here that I discovered the Jazz B & N, as well as PGn. Now, any of those 3 are my favorites. Even still, the 59n sounds great for solos......just too tubby sounding for chords when on 10, in my opinion.

I think the 59B/Jazz N would work perfectly for you.
Hotter would be the Custom 5/JazzB. I really like the Jazz Bridge as a neck, when using high output bridges like Custom/C5/JB/Dist.

 

[bluesboy53]

Re: Who's using sh-1 59's

bluesman 335 how do figure out the pickup. What it is?