OK, recommend me a pickup

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I don't have alot of experience with the Dimarzio in a Les Paul....but I am very very familiar with the Duncan's you listed.

The Custom: will have a bigger and tighter bottom, more balanced mids and brighter up top compared to the Jb. You won't get any top end roll off.

Distortion: similar bottom end, but tighter, similar midrange, with strong upper mids, and again...brighter up top.

My suggestion if you like the Jb, but want a sweeter top end would be to swap the A5 magnet for an A2. You could also look for a Custom Shop Warren DeMartini RTM pickup, which is a modified A2 based JB and is a killer pickup!
 
I'm going to suggest a different route. Do a magnet swap on the JB and use an A8, possibly an A9
 
braintheory said:
Neodymium imo just has bad tone lol
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I’ve tried guitar speakers, pickups, headphones and HiFi speakers with Neo magnets. Granted all are different things for different applications but all shared the same brittle, icy cold character (like an ugly metallic sheen) to the top end while lacking warmth/body in the low mids. It’s a very distinctive, ugly and fatiguing sound.
 
if you like a jb, and i do as well; an aldrich or a bkp holy diver. the custom has weak mids in CERTAIN guitars IMO. and fwiw; in some guitars; the sh5 is perfect, so.... i tried the sh5 recently in my jackson rhoades, and went immediately back to the nazgul, which i think is a way misunderstood pup...
 
Be aware that the Custom's high-end is more sizzly. It still has a nice upper-mid push, but not as emphatic as the JB. But I fear that if you're starting to feel the JB is too bright, then the Custom will be an icepick.

It is however much less stuffy in the low mids than the JB. So it will definitely come off as more open. Maybe even clearer.

Same as the Distortion, but the EQ on the Distortion less extreme on both ends than the Custom.

To me, the Distortion sounds like a JB that's been fine-tuned for heavier tones. So if you like the JB, just want something different but along those lines, the Distortion is it. The Custom is its own thing.
 
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It sounds like you're like me and you prefer alnico pickups to ceramic. The EMG 81 is ceramic and the JB is Alnico 5. Generally ceramic pickups have extended treble response which I don't like. The JB has an upper-mid / lower treble spike which gives it it's cut / attack and can make it seem brighter in a way.

If you like the JB but also kinda don't, like I did and kinda didn't, then I would recommend the SH-14 Custom 5, it's part of the 'Custom' family but with an Alnico 5 magnet. It's easily my favorite Duncan, and was my default pickup in all my guitars for a couple years. I think it's one of their most underrated pickups. It has great attack and output but is less peaky than the JB, and being Alnico 5, doesn't have the high-end harshness of a ceramic.
 
potency said:
It sounds like you're like me and you prefer alnico pickups to ceramic. The EMG 81 is ceramic and the JB is Alnico 5. Generally ceramic pickups have extended treble response which I don't like. The JB has an upper-mid / lower treble spike which gives it it's cut / attack and can make it seem brighter in a way.

If you like the JB but also kinda don't, like I did and kinda didn't, then I would recommend the SH-14 Custom 5, it's part of the 'Custom' family but with an Alnico 5 magnet. It's easily my favorite Duncan, and was my default pickup in all my guitars for a couple years. I think it's one of their most underrated pickups. It has great attack and output but is less peaky than the JB, and being Alnico 5, doesn't have the high-end harshness of a ceramic.
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That's kinda overgeneralizing.

A '59B with its A5 magnet is MUCH brighter, and can be much harsher than an Invader with its triple ceramic.

I do agree that there is an inherent difference between A5 and Ceramic. But the wind also factors in. Also, I wouldn't consider A5 all that "warm" to begin with, as it's one of the brightest Alnicos.

I'm not a big fan of the Custom 5 myself, but being objective and leaving preferences aside, it has like complete polar opposite EQ profile as the JB, at least when it comes to comparing moderately hot A5-powered humbuckers.

I do tend to prefer A5 pickups myself, same as you, but there's also some Ceramics that sound killer and not all that harsh. Plus the added benefit of Ceramic is the *usually* faster/tighter low-end (not always).
 
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Rex Rocker said:
That's kinda overgeneralizing.

A '59B with its A5 magnet is MUCH brighter, and can be much harsher than an Invader with its triple ceramic.

I do agree that there is an inherent difference between A5 and Ceramic. But the wind also factors in. Also, I wouldn't consider A5 all that "warm" to begin with, as it's one of the brightest Alnicos.

I'm not a big fan of the Custom 5 myself, but being objective and leaving preferences aside, it has like complete polar opposite EQ profile as the JB, at least when it comes to comparing moderately hot A5-powered humbuckers.

I do tend to prefer A5 pickups myself, same as you, but there's also some Ceramics that sound killer and not all that harsh. Plus the added benefit of Ceramic is the *usually* faster/tighter low-end (not always).
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I don't think it's overgeneralizing at all. I mean we can go on and on about winding techniques and whatever else, but the magnet type is central to the sound. When I went through my EMG phase, I had the same experience. Ended up liking the SA / EMG85 the best for all the same reasons. The OP's comments remind me of exactly of my journey through pickups.

Brightest of the Alnicos doesn't make it harsh like a ceramic, or an Alnico 8 for that matter, which was my point. My opinions aren't original and I didn't say anything that hasn't been said before by people far more authoritative on the subject than myself.
 
potency said:
I don't think it's overgeneralizing at all. I mean we can go on and on about winding techniques and whatever else, but the magnet type is central to the sound. When I went through my EMG phase, I had the same experience. Ended up liking the SA / EMG85 the best for all the same reasons. The OP's comments remind me of exactly of my journey through pickups.

Brightest of the Alnicos doesn't make it harsh like a ceramic, or an Alnico 8 for that matter, which was my point. My opinions aren't original and I didn't say anything that hasn't been said before by people far more authoritative on the subject than myself.
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The thing to remember is I'm pretty sure the 85 is not just an 81 with an alnico magnet. Is it's own thing. Else, they would've just called it 81A, the same they do to every other of their ceramic/alnico variations they do. I personally think the 57 is nicer if you want an A5 EMG, but that's JMO. It's not as stuffy in the low mids, and it's brighter. That's another example. The '57 is actually slightly brighter than the 81, yet it's Alnico.

And also, going back to my example, a '59B can be MUCH harsher than an Invader or an X2N or one of those extra dark overwound Ceramic pickups with lots of metal and an huge inductance value.

I do agree that if you compare the Custom and the Custom 5 which is as apples to apples as it gets, the Custom does come out harsher. But that doesn't mean the Custom 5 won't be harsher compared to something else specifically designed to take advantage of a ceramic magnet's high output and tight low-end, but not its high-end rasp.

I'm not entirely disagreeing with you either. As a general rule of thumb, yes, you're right, Alnico 5 isn't as "harsh" as Ceramic if you just swap the magnet in the same wind/construction/pot value, whatever. But I'm pretty sure the OP was stating he does like the 81, just that there's some stuff he'd change about it.

I'm like you. I'm digging the Fishman Modern Alnico in the bridge right now. I love the JB, the 498T, and hell, even the '59B (in the bridge, I hate the '59 in the neck). I tend to prefer A5's slight give in the lows compared to Ceramic, but that is not as spongy as A2. I prefer A5's biting high-end bite/twang rather than Ceramic's rasp (most of the time, not always, anyways), but you gotta consider people who like A2 often consider A5 as sounding harsh too. Yet I don't see you recommending the Custom Custom.

JMO.
 
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Custom if you want a Duncan...but I highly recommend one of Scott's pickups, the Tone Nerd Whiskey. It's similar to a Custom IMO but better in all the right ways...clarity being #1. Like a hot rodded Custom.
Custom is my fav Duncan, by far.
 
BenPerkins said:
Depends on what you’re playing. More metal = might want to go with ceramic. Rock, blues, etc - I’d go with something with an A5 in it.
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More metal. So you think the Duncan Custom would be a good pickup for what I'm looking for?
 
Racerxrated said:
Custom if you want a Duncan...but I highly recommend one of Scott's pickups, the Tone Nerd Whiskey. It's similar to a Custom IMO but better in all the right ways...clarity being #1. Like a hot rodded Custom.
Custom is my fav Duncan, by far.
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OK, i'll look into them.
 
madrigal77 said:
EMG 57/66 set.
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I had a guitar with these and I liked it but it had this high end haze to it, like there was too much presence frequencies, and it kinda got in the way of the clarity. When it comes down to it, i'm just a EMG-81 guy when it comes to actives. I don't think they've made a better active pickup.
 
I am maybe in the minority here, but I don't pick a pickup to be metal. I pick a pickup with a sweet rock sound. Same with amp. Then you boost the everliving shit out of it and hit the strings like an axe murderer to beat it into metal territory..
 
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