software

I recently bought a Duncan Distortion for my Guild bluesbird, which if some you have never seen one is basically a (very sweet) Les Paul with a chambered body. It came stock with a 59 set which was sweet but not a metal pick up. Thats ok because i have an ibanez hollow body that would do great with a 59 in the bridge position, and soon a Jazz in the neck. Any way iI really liked the DD but heard a tone on a skillet album that really had a quot;growlquot; to it and decided to try an sh-5 custom as a seymour rep said it had more of a lower mid sound while the DD had more of an upper midrange sound. I was torn between the two, DD and DC. So i sent back the DD to and exchanged it for the custom. I had very high hopes for this pick up as so many of you seem to like it. Well, i put it in and to my ears it was muddy. I tend to think this is becuase my guitar being semi- hollow/ Mahogany has so much lower mids any way. Then theres my amp which is a recto and when you raise the gain on the modern channel it seems to accentuate the lower mids too, so I think it was over-kill. I Think in tha right axe it would be a killer pick up. I am going to send back the Custom and try a JB. I was wondering has any one else ever found the custom to be a bit muddy in their axe? Do you think the JB will sound better. I am kind of going for kind of a quot;Linkin Parkquot; rythym Tone. I am Keeping my 59 in the neck for now as i like the tone for solos, and i usually use the neck pick up to shred at least on this guitar. Any input i would be appreciated.

After going through my search for a good high output clean sounding pickup, I ended up at the Custom 5. It's like a cross between a 59 and Custom. I like it because it sounds good whether I'm on clean, midgain, or highgain. It's easy to trade those models, since everyone always wants something a little different.

You could also try lowering the Custom, to see if it cleans up a little better.

I've never found the Custom to be muddy, but then again I have it installed in a maple-bodied guitar. You may want to try adjusting the pickup height and see if that helps clear things up.

The JB is the same pickup as the DD except with an Alcino V magnet instead of a ceramic. If anything, the JB will be less agressive sounding than both the DD and Custom, but I definitely wouldn't consider it a muddy pickup. It may work well in your guitar being that it's a semi-hollow with a mahogany body.

The guy from Linkin Park uses the Dimarzio Drop Sonic...it's got a good does of lower mids and is extremely tight....tighter than the Custom, JB, or Distortion IMO.

I agree with gearjoneseer!! You will most likely not think the Custom 5 is muddy!!!

I have a Custom 5 in the rear of my Les Paul Standard and I dont find it muddy at all. But if you do then the SH-4 might just do the trick for you. It didnt have enough lows for my taste when I had it in there. I found it to be real tight and punchy but just lacked the low end I desired. A great pickup.... Just not in MY Paul. I bet you will love the SH-4 !!!


Originally Posted by theodieI agree with gearjoneseer!! You will most likely not think the Custom 5 is muddy!!!

I truly appreciate your input. Thanks a bunch and thats to all of you I do want a bit more midrange than what the sh-14 custom 5 has. Also i don't have the pick up adjusted really high. It may help to note, when i used drop d tunning it was not so badly muddy if i kept the midrange turned all the way down. When i took it down a half step it did sound muddy to me, whole step down was the same. As for the JB i just want to give it a try to compare with the other two. It will likley be either the JB or the DD. I like some lower mids but i also like a decent dose of upper mids too. I want the bluesbird to have a quot;massivequot; and quot;menacingquot; crunch. I also realy like the sound on the Evanessance album.

I think you should try the Screaming Demon, with the rig you have the bass will not be muddy but will make your speakers jump like hell , and it has wonderfull clarity , fast response to pick attack , bite , harmonics and is loud without distorting ; it lets the amp do the work .
With mesa boogie it is probably the best choice i beleive .


Originally Posted by ranalliThe guy from Linkin Park uses the Dimarzio Drop Sonic...it's got a good does of lower mids and is extremely tight....tighter than the Custom, JB, or Distortion IMO.

I know that the guy from linkin park at one time used ibanez which many times have dimarzios, but he uses PRS now. Are you sure he uses the drop sonic, because i don't think PRS uses dimarzios in any of their guitars. Not trying to call you stupid that just sounds a bit odd. Was just on a linkin park site from a link on the dimarzio site and most of the info was old but nothing about his rig at all. To the guy who suggested the screaming demon. I may just try it especially if i don't like the JB. It may help to note that my Recto is a road king combo, with two celestion black shadow 90 watt 12s'. like having a vintage fender, a vintage marshall and the recto all in one, i love this amp!!! I suppose i will keep trying stuff until i am sure but i may end up going with the DDlt; will just have to see.

from : localhost/says he uses it in this interview. I don't see why he wouldn't swap pickups on some of his PRS's as well.

The D-Sonic was originally a custom pickup made for Brad Delson.


Originally Posted by ranalli from : localhost/says he uses it in this interview. I don't see why he wouldn't swap pickups on some of his PRS's as well.

Thanks for the link Ranalli, I stand corrected. with Brad endorsing PRS I figured that was what he used on Meteora. With the Rectos i have heard awesome sounds on albums, and i have heard some that were mush. With the sh-5 my sound did get a little mushy, more so on the half-step and whole-step drop tunnings i use sometimes. If i were to try the drop sonic I wonder how it would sound in my bluesbird as i I suspect that Brads Ibanezs are 25quot;and 1/2 scale length and the bluesbird is 24quot; and 3/4. It sounds like i have some options. I am very loyal to seymour duncan as i have heard many duncan sounds i like, and i have not had a dimarzio equipped guitar in a while. When i got a guitar with duncans i found i liked them better but we are also talking about a different body wood (basswood) i have found i realy don't like very much. I wonder what duncan sounds closest to the drop sonic. I may be a loyal duncan user but if I can only find my sound with a dimarzio I would use one. So What duncan sounds closest to the drop sonic. Anyone, anyone. Frey, Frey, Frey. Thanks Guys!!!

Well PRS are 24 3/4quot; scale aren't they??I do know that the D-Sonic is tighter on the bottom end than ANY pickup I've played so far the Custom included. It's got a good amount of low mids but it's bottom end is nice and tight....not boomy like some other pickups with a lot of bottom end.

PRS's are 25 inch scale, nice and warm with a bit of twang to em, kinda like a les paul with some Bill Lawrences in it.


Originally Posted by ranalliWell PRS are 24 3/4quot; scale aren't they??I do know that the D-Sonic is tighter on the bottom end than ANY pickup I've played so far the Custom included. It's got a good amount of low mids but it's bottom end is nice and tight....not boomy like some other pickups with a lot of bottom end.
Yes with a couple of exeptions the PRS are 25quot; scale. I am actually looking into the D-sonic In the meantime I am going to try the JB. If any one else has any ideas I'm all ears. May try the screamin demon as one of you suggested. Thank you fellow guitar players.

I just put a 7-string Custom in my mahogany Schecter 007 Elite and couldn't be happier! It's well balanced and has much clarity on all strings with heavy distortion, and the low B doesn't get muddy at all. I play through a Mesa F-30.