Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 Pickup

nitro

New member
What are your thoughts on the Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 pickup,its a ceramic magnet pickup,wound to 14k.
 
Most people love it...........I don't. I prefer both the JB and Distortion over it. It is really bright and has a "Clanky" attack to it IMO.
 
To each their own, the SH-5 is my favorite pup for Rock/HardRock, with a Marshall & Les Paul fugget-a-bout-it.

Been using them about 15 years, good midrage attck, tight bottom not overly compressed.

The JB is spongy/fizzy to my ears, Duncan Distortion has no mids but good drive.
 
I was using the duncan custom custom and I notice that it doesnt have the cut or sizzle probably due to the alnico II magnet,would the duncan custom sh-5 solve the problem.Some are telling me that the duncan custom sh-5 is very bright.
 
nitro":ftpcsen7 said:
I was using the duncan custom custom and I notice that it doesnt have the cut or sizzle probably due to the alnico II magnet,would the duncan custom sh-5 solve the problem.Some are telling me that the duncan custom sh-5 is very bright.

Those 2 are about as far apart as possible. I love the Custom Custom in alder bodied strat-style guitars, but its really "soft" sounding in mahogany. The Custom will have tighter bass (not necessarily more, no matter what the Duncan website says), less mids, and a shit ton more high end. My ears equate that high end to "sizzle" so it may be what you are looking for. Personally, I don't like it. Its a really hard/harsh sounding presence that isn't very organic sounding to my ears. There is also the Custom 5 which is cool, but can be too hollow in the mids in the wrong guitar or with the wrong amp.
 
The guitar that I plain on putting the duncan custom sh-5 in is a Ibanez rg550,basswood body,maple neck,Ibanez edge trem(floyd rose type)
 
nitro":3iep6qud said:
The guitar that I plain on putting the duncan custom sh-5 in is a Ibanez rg550,basswood body,maple neck,Ibanez edge trem(floyd rose type)
A Dimarzio Evolution would prolly work well with that. :thumbsup:
 
i didnt like it. ended up swapping out the ceramic magnet for an alnico V (converting it to a Custom5) and found it much better.
i was surprised at how much of a noticable difference a magnet swap made and gone was the harsh/metalic top end, replaced with smooth sweet highs.
 
Random Hero":2westuky said:
I have one in my Strat. I really like it.

I like it in my strat as well. It's got a really 'brown' sort of sound to it. Sort of forward high mids and a bit of a darker extended high end. Hot but tight.
 
I love the tightness of this pickup and the harmonics absolutely destroy those of the JB in my opinion (which i run in my other strat). It can be a tight spanky in a bright guitar (i have an alder strat with koa top and maple fretboard) but it would probably be right at home in a Les PAul or mahogany bodied geet.
 
Kapo_Polenton":yh9wwaav said:
I love the tightness of this pickup and the harmonics absolutely destroy those of the JB in my opinion (which i run in my other strat). It can be a tight spanky in a bright guitar (i have an alder strat with koa top and maple fretboard) but it would probably be right at home in a Les PAul or mahogany bodied geet.
+1] THIS. :rock:
 
Kapo_Polenton":3vrbhcc4 said:
I love the tightness of this pickup and the harmonics absolutely destroy those of the JB in my opinion (which i run in my other strat). It can be a tight spanky in a bright guitar (i have an alder strat with koa top and maple fretboard) but it would probably be right at home in a Les PAul or mahogany bodied geet.

I agree. I love it in my LP Custom. Might be a tad too middy but that can be compensated for with the amp. I would like to try a Custom 5 to compare.
 
Mahogany, Poplar & Alder i've heard it in, but don't know about Basswood. :confused:

It wont be hard to tell, it will either sound killer, or like dogshit.
 
I just order Duncan sh-5 custom,the pickup I just removed was a duncan sh-11 custom custom 14k alnico II magnet.The reason why I took it out was because im looking for more cut and edge also openness.The custom custom seemed to have this softness and a blanket over my speakers.I have no idea were people get the idea to use a duncan custom custom sh-11 to achieve the Van halen 1 sound(first album),it doent have the edge or topend to achieve the first album sound.Plus it has a alnico II magnet,I dont hear alnico II on van halen 1 at all.Van halen 1 is to aggressive sounding for a alnico II magnet type pickup.
 
nitro":9kl4cqgx said:
I just order Duncan sh-5 custom,the pickup I just removed was a duncan sh-11 custom custom 14k alnico II magnet.The reason why I took it out was because im looking for more cut and edge also openness.The custom custom seemed to have this softness and a blanket over my speakers.I have no idea were people get the idea to use a duncan custom custom sh-11 to achieve the Van halen 1 sound(first album),it doent have the edge or topend to achieve the first album sound.Plus it has a alnico II magnet,I dont hear alnico II on van halen 1 at all.Van halen 1 is to aggressive sounding for a alnico II magnet type pickup.
The original EVH-1 pup was an old Gibson PAF outta an ES-335 that Seymour Duncan hand wound for Eddie back in the day, they make a sig pup for that tone.

http://www.8notes.com/gear/EVH0222136.asp
 
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