Duncan Pickups: Custom, Custom Custom, Distortion?

Philo Beddoe":3ugx5jkg said:
Not sure if true but remember reading the only difference between the Distortion and JB and Custom is the magnet..the winds are the same.
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Nope.

The Custom, Custom Custom, and Custom 5 are the same wind with different magnets. Confirmed by Duncan.

The JB and the Distortion are suspected to be the same wind, but it has not been confirmed. Either way, to my ears, they do share many similarities. If they're not the exact same wind, then they're at least in the same family for sure.

The Custom family and the JB/Distortion/Invader family are two separate things altogether.
 
Get an '80's JB if you can. A bit different than the current JB. I like mine better, but different is different.
 
I still say Custom. It's not finicky about any guitar I've used it in.

It's funny, I'm not usually a big fan of the JB, but in my ESP Skolnick, it sounds huge. I have a Jackson Soloist with a Distortion, and it sounds congested and bloated. I believe a Custom will go in that one.

My PRS has a Custom, and it absolutely screams. Tone for days.
 
Dave Mustaine Signature Thrash Factor is a JB.

I believe the Antiquity JB is made to cover the older JB sound. I have not tried one.

But both of these are based on older JB.
 
HYBRID CUSTOM/59

…..similar to the '78 (variation of the Custom Custom) but with more vitamins/steroids and definition yest not as powerful or tight as the ceramic Custom. I like all three ...just deepends on your amp and tonal quest and versatility.

For the OP I'd consider the Custom or Custom/59 Hybrid and not the AII Custom Custom.
 
I've tried damn near every moderate to high gain Duncan pickup out there. Not many that I gel with but here's my take on some mentioned above:

Distortion: Probably my favorite of the classic bunch. Tight, Lots of upper mid cut, sizzly highs, very hot. Good alll around rock and metal pickup

JB: I love the voicing of the JB, even the mids that most seem to dislike, but the low end mush and lack of clarity turn me off every time. Great pickup on a plexi circuit though

Custom Custom: Too dark, compressed and mushy for my tastes. I'm just not generally a fan of alnico II mags though

Custom 5: Somewhat reminds me of a Gibson 498t, but without the grainy, angry character. Been a while since I've owned this pickup though

Custom: Similar to the custom 5, but tighter and brighter. Just kind of bland to my ears

Custom/Hybrid: same as above, but even more bland. I only had this in one guitar that I wasn't in love with, so take this with a grain of salt. People love this one


Other Duncan pickups I've tried:

Alternative 8: This is a LOUD pickup, good lord. On a clean channel, I remember this thing for some reason being way louder than the JB it replaced. Very unique sounding pickup, but I remember it had too much of a cocked wah mid sound going on and just didn't sit right with me over time.

Full Shred: A great all around pickup. I dig this one for lower tunings, especially in bright guitar. Clear, stiff, and bright. Unforgiving if you suck (which I do) but definitely makes you play harder and focus on what you're doing. One of my favorite Duncans

59 Bridge: I actually loved this one. Tight and percussive, more clarity and snarl than the customs. I would own this one again, no questions

Black Winter: Like the Distortion but a little hotter, brighter, and a little bit more grain. I really like this pickup, and currently have it in my LP Classic

Omega: Definitely a more modern sounding pickup, but tightness and clarity for days. Mids are nice as well. I have this in an LP studio and it's a tone monster for all things metal.
 
Based on all of this feedback, it seems like I need to grab a Duncan Distortion and Custom to try out. I'll add them both to the list.

A Black Winter is a little hotter and brighter than the Distortion? Damn. I'll have to check into it. A Distortion may be the sweet spot if it's closer to the 500T.

Not mentioned above, but I also just grabbed a couple of '80s Gibson Dirty Fingers to try for good measure.
 
I hate the Custom Custom. Too mushy. It's not ceramic, if that's what you're after.

Have you thought about the Duncan El Diablo? Or an Invader?
 
Bad.Seed":32l10bs8 said:
I've tried damn near every moderate to high gain Duncan pickup out there. Not many that I gel with but here's my take on some mentioned above:

Distortion: Probably my favorite of the classic bunch. Tight, Lots of upper mid cut, sizzly highs, very hot. Good alll around rock and metal pickup

JB: I love the voicing of the JB, even the mids that most seem to dislike, but the low end mush and lack of clarity turn me off every time. Great pickup on a plexi circuit though

Custom Custom: Too dark, compressed and mushy for my tastes. I'm just not generally a fan of alnico II mags though

Custom 5: Somewhat reminds me of a Gibson 498t, but without the grainy, angry character. Been a while since I've owned this pickup though

Custom: Similar to the custom 5, but tighter and brighter. Just kind of bland to my ears

Custom/Hybrid: same as above, but even more bland. I only had this in one guitar that I wasn't in love with, so take this with a grain of salt. People love this one


Other Duncan pickups I've tried:

Alternative 8: This is a LOUD pickup, good lord. On a clean channel, I remember this thing for some reason being way louder than the JB it replaced. Very unique sounding pickup, but I remember it had too much of a cocked wah mid sound going on and just didn't sit right with me over time.

Full Shred: A great all around pickup. I dig this one for lower tunings, especially in bright guitar. Clear, stiff, and bright. Unforgiving if you suck (which I do) but definitely makes you play harder and focus on what you're doing. One of my favorite Duncans

59 Bridge: I actually loved this one. Tight and percussive, more clarity and snarl than the customs. I would own this one again, no questions

Black Winter: Like the Distortion but a little hotter, brighter, and a little bit more grain. I really like this pickup, and currently have it in my LP Classic

Omega: Definitely a more modern sounding pickup, but tightness and clarity for days. Mids are nice as well. I have this in an LP studio and it's a tone monster for all things metal.
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Pretty spot on.
 
jsp":1etood64 said:
Bad.Seed":1etood64 said:
I've tried damn near every moderate to high gain Duncan pickup out there. Not many that I gel with but here's my take on some mentioned above:

Distortion: Probably my favorite of the classic bunch. Tight, Lots of upper mid cut, sizzly highs, very hot. Good alll around rock and metal pickup

JB: I love the voicing of the JB, even the mids that most seem to dislike, but the low end mush and lack of clarity turn me off every time. Great pickup on a plexi circuit though

Custom Custom: Too dark, compressed and mushy for my tastes. I'm just not generally a fan of alnico II mags though

Custom 5: Somewhat reminds me of a Gibson 498t, but without the grainy, angry character. Been a while since I've owned this pickup though

Custom: Similar to the custom 5, but tighter and brighter. Just kind of bland to my ears

Custom/Hybrid: same as above, but even more bland. I only had this in one guitar that I wasn't in love with, so take this with a grain of salt. People love this one


Other Duncan pickups I've tried:

Alternative 8: This is a LOUD pickup, good lord. On a clean channel, I remember this thing for some reason being way louder than the JB it replaced. Very unique sounding pickup, but I remember it had too much of a cocked wah mid sound going on and just didn't sit right with me over time.

Full Shred: A great all around pickup. I dig this one for lower tunings, especially in bright guitar. Clear, stiff, and bright. Unforgiving if you suck (which I do) but definitely makes you play harder and focus on what you're doing. One of my favorite Duncans

59 Bridge: I actually loved this one. Tight and percussive, more clarity and snarl than the customs. I would own this one again, no questions

Black Winter: Like the Distortion but a little hotter, brighter, and a little bit more grain. I really like this pickup, and currently have it in my LP Classic

Omega: Definitely a more modern sounding pickup, but tightness and clarity for days. Mids are nice as well. I have this in an LP studio and it's a tone monster for all things metal.
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Pretty spot on.
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I was thinking the same.
 
Bad.Seed - those are some solid descriptions.

The only one I felt differently about was the custom/hybrid but I have it in my Horizon but even you acknowledged that you weren't in love with the fiddle. I find it has a nice texture and tight AF. But yeah, cheers for the effort you put in.
 
would any of the pickups listed in the OP Be considered Warm? I'm looking for a Warm, Chunky Pickup to replace the EMG's i have in one of my LP's
 
I wouldn't say the Black Winter is brighter than the Distortion, personally. They each just have a different kind of treble voicing. The Black Winter may have more high-mid bite, but the Distortion has more sizzle higher up. Not that the Distortion is loose, but the Black Winter is tighter. The Black Winter is also hotter. Both are among my favorite passives.

I really like the standard off-the-shelf current-day JB, personally. I'd say that is my favorite passive. I don't think it's mushy or loose, personally, but its low-end is voiced kinda warm and stuffy compared to the bolder bass of the Black Winter or Distortion. It's got this kind of cool old-school grind to it. I'd say Arch Enemy is the perfect example of the JB doing metal.
 
Black Winter has a pretty annoying high end to it imo, I tried SH and TB version and while the TB is better they both kind of suck imo.

Distortion is one of my favourite pickups, the custom is alright but a bit mid scooped for me.

Another neat pickup is the PA-TB2 which is pretty hot but also really clear at the same time.
 
NewWorldMan":xbwccxpu said:
Thanks for all of the feedback! Leaning toward a Distortion and/or Custom right now.

I keep seeing JB mentioned. It's admittedly not been on my radar, as I'm usually not an Alnico V fan in bridge pickups. Is it something I should consider again? Are current production ones good, or should I look into one from the '80s?
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If you get the Distortion, you can convert it into a JB with a magnet swap. Both pickups have the same wind. It costs about $5 to buy an Alnico 5 magnet. Just turn the 2 plastic spacers inside the pickup on their side to accommodate the smaller alnico magnet and it will fit perfectly. Instant JB!

Personally, I prefer the Distortion for metal. If you like tight punchy bass and high mids then go for the distortion. If you like rounder, looser bass response and more low mids then the JB is for you.

Early megadeth albums represent the JB sound quite well.
 
For those that think the Custom Custom SH-11 is too soft or mushy...





I have the TB-11 (TremBucker/F-spaced) in a 'dark' guitar and I don't have the same opinion. Then again, I consider the JB and Distortion too bright so it may be just a preference thing. :dunno: Good news is it should be pretty easy to exchange if you don't like what you land on. I think it would be cool if we had a pickup swapping thread like they do over at GGF
 
Anyone try the Black Winter or Nazgul?

If so, how do they compare to JB, Custom 5, Distortion, etc... ?
 
LCW":2hkjg9s1 said:
Anyone try the Black Winter or Nazgul?

If so, how do they compare to JB, Custom 5, Distortion, etc... ?
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The Black Winter sits firmly in the same family that the JB and Distortion are in. It's even more focused and tighter than the Distortion. It's also hotter than both. It has a similar sort of upper-mid focus than the JB, but it's bolder and more aggressive like the Distortion.
 
Never tried the Nazgul but I did use a Black Winter set for awhile. Really cool pick up. I agree with Rex that it is in the same family as the JB and Distortion but different. Tighter than a JB, maybe not as mid focused or fizzy as a Distortion, but hotter than both. As hot as it is, I got really decent cleans out of it too. Cool pick up for sure.
 
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