Seymour Duncan Custom appreciation thread

[ezboarderz]

I have the sh-5 on my 6 string and I love it. Way better than the black winters that were in it before. It’s tight yet super crunchy and not too trebley. It’s high end is crisp.

I actually ordered a custom set (jazz for the neck and sh-5 for bridge) for my 7 string with triangle baseplates to replace the black heavens that I have as I want to see how the 7 string version sounds. Need to wait like 3 months though since it’s a floor shop custom.

 

[Nightside]

All this talk it crispiness and crunchiness is making me hungry.

As someone who really loves the DD already, what makes the custom better?

 

[ntotoro]

All this talk it crispiness and crunchiness is making me hungry.

As someone who really loves the DD already, what makes the custom better?

I don't know if "better" is the appropriate word, but they're different. The DD is obviously a bit hotter, a bit more grainy, to my ears... plus a hair more crunchy.

 

[BabUShka]

All this talk it crispiness and crunchiness is making me hungry.

As someone who really loves the DD already, what makes the custom better?

I dont know, but when I swapped from the DD to SH5 in my Eclipse, I felt like the guitar went from Black Metal mode to more semi-modern in-your-face sound. It just feels tighter on the low end and more focused. I like to dig in on the strings when I play - with the DD it felt like it distorted the overall sound a lot, while the SH5 sounded more "clean".

And even though Seymour Duncan shows the EQ responce, where the DD is supposed to be much more mid-heavy than the SH5 -> I sometimes had issues with the DD where it drowns in the sound when jamming with others, I dont have this issue witht he SH5.

 

[lost_horizon]

I dont know, but when I swapped from the DD to SH5 in my Eclipse, I felt like the guitar went from Black Metal mode to more semi-modern in-your-face sound. It just feels tighter on the low end and more focused. I like to dig in on the strings when I play - with the DD it felt like it distorted the overall sound a lot, while the SH5 sounded more "clean".

And even though Seymour Duncan shows the EQ responce, where the DD is supposed to be much more mid-heavy than the SH5 -> I sometimes had issues with the DD where it drowns in the sound when jamming with others, I dont have this issue witht he SH5.

View attachment 146226

The DD sounds like video game music guitar, completely fills out the mix. Just wind the volume back 1/3rd cleans up nicely.

The SH-5 is not that vintage in the wind so it has the power and the string separation, some are around 13.7 kohm.

But it sounds like a PAF in the bridge, super crunchy.

Ultimate seymour duncan HH and I have tried about 20,
is SH-5 bridge and Seth Lover SH-55 neck....How can you beat a neck pickup for retail prices made on THE ORIGINAL MACHINES the original seth lovers were?

 

[groverj3]

Good pup

 

[zjb7777]

The Duncan Custom is by far my favorite pickup for metal. It handles low tunings extremely well IMO and I've used the 6 string version as low as drop F# on a standard scale with really good results. Criminally underrated pickup.

 

[Grindspine]

There are threads for everything else so why not? I feel like the Custom gets overlooked for the Distortion, Black Winter, etc.

Any other Custom fans? This goes for all the Custom variants as well.

I use a Seymour Duncan TB-6 Distortion, SH-13 Dimebucker, TB-4 JB (Alnico VIII swapped), Nazgul, Sentient, Alpha, Omega, and Alnico II Pro neck pickups and <3 them all.

You missed the Seymour Duncan appreciation forum though. https://forum.seymourduncan.com/

 

[STRHelvete]

I use a Seymour Duncan TB-6 Distortion, SH-13 Dimebucker, TB-4 JB (Alnico VIII swapped), Nazgul, Sentient, Alpha, Omega, and Alnico II Pro neck pickups and <3 them all.

You missed the Seymour Duncan appreciation forum though. https://forum.seymourduncan.com/

I didn't miss it, this is specifically for the Custom.

 

[Grindspine]

I didn't miss it, this is specifically for the Custom.

Eh, fine. I have a TB-11 Custom Custom, which is already an awesome pickup. I mag-swapped it for an Alnico VIII, which made the output apparently a bit higher, with tighter lows and a bit more bloom in the midrange. SD had a limited run of Custom VIII pickups on Reverb a few weeks ago.

 

[Emperoff]

Custom 59 hybrid is the superior variant, but I do like the custom 5 and regular custom a lot too.

They were apparently available as a 7-string for a while, and could be ordered as soapbar models. But never saw one in the wild. I keep an eye open on Reverb if they ever pop up.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Iirc the SH-5 was the pickup Seymour made for EVH yeeeaaaars ago when Van Halen was first getting big. I can definitely hear that VH2 brightness and fatness even if he didn't use it in the long run. also iirc EVH eventually used the A2 variant in a couple of Kramer's alongside the JB.

 

[jaxadam]

Custom, Custom 5, and Custom Custom are fantastic. I have a JB/Custom 5 hybrid and it's one of my favorite pickups period.

 

[STRHelvete]

Soon..the Black Winter/Custom!

Actually I heard that's what the new SD Customs in the new ESP guitars are. Anyone got info on that?

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

I have a JB/Custom hybrid laying around that I ripped out of an ESP CS. I need to put it back into something

If you find it please sell to me. My fav SD next to the Black Winter and custom shop stuff.

Soon..the Black Winter/Custom!

Actually I heard that's what the new SD Customs in the new ESP guitars are. Anyone got info on that?

That is possible/probable. I’d love to try one of those newby ESPs to get the vibe of it.

Good forum topic. I enjoy the OG Custom; it’s a stalwart. It’s a basis for a lot of the custom shop tweaks I’ve requested and by itself it’s a damn fine pickup for metal. Isn’t the Solar pickups based off a Custom or Custom 5? There might be more variations of this pickup than any other in the SD lineup.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Soon..the Black Winter/Custom!

Actually I heard that's what the new SD Customs in the new ESP guitars are. Anyone got info on that?

Custom wind with the Black Winter/Invader magnet layout. I know it's 3 ceramics but I don't remember if it's 3 stacked magnets or a single magnet + 2 small ceramics used as spacers like the Gibson 500T. I think @KnightBrolaire knows since he's disassembled a BW.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Custom wind with the Black Winter/Invader magnet layout. I know it's 3 ceramics but I don't remember if it's 3 stacked magnets or a single magnet + 2 small ceramics used as spacers like the Gibson 500T. I think @KnightBrolaire knows since he's disassembled a BW.

The BW is a large main magnet, then wooden spacers, then two smaller bar magnets.

Custom is one single main magnet.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Okay then yeah that's how those new ESP-exclusive Seymour Duncans (the Custom 14s?) are done. Standard SH5/11/14 wind and the 3 magnets spaced out under the pickup.

mini-rant: Custom 14 is such a fucking dumb name. The Custom 5 is already called the SH-14 so it's only gonna make shit confusing. Call it the Custom XL or something.

 

[STRHelvete]

Custom wind with the Black Winter/Invader magnet layout.

Holy shit I just came....hand me that towel over there....thanks for that. Your money is on the dresser..you can go, now.

 

[Edika]

Holy shit I just came....hand me that towel over there....thanks for that. Your money is on the dresser..you can go, now.

He has the jazz hands after all!

On topic, I have a Custom 8, a Custom with an Alnico 8 magnet, and love it. It's tight, cuts through and quite hot but not as much as some other SD's I have. I'm curious to get the OG Custom to compare at some point.