Tell me about the Duncan Custom

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Rex Rocker

Rex Rocker

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I love trying different pickups out. I just do. Even if I like the pickups on my guitars, I like to swap them out from time to time to keep me inspired.

So... I have tried the Custom in the past, but it must have been like 5-10 years ago. I remember not disliking it, but not loving it. I remember it being kinda scoopy, but that was ages ago.

I kinda want to give it a try again. I'm looking for something that will do more easy-going Rock sounds, but my priority is Melodic Death Metal. That's kinda why I want to try it out. Will it do that?

Also, how is the voicing of the attack? Is it more laid-back and round like the JB or is it more snappy and aggressive like the Black Winter? Is the low-end tight? I remember it being kinda fat in the lows. But are they easier to control than, say, the JB's?

Are there any examples of it recorded where I can hear it doing Metal? How about downtuned heavier Metal?

Or am I better off sticking to the Duncan Distortion?

Thanks!
 
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I am a big fan of the tried and true Duncan Custom - SH5/TB5.

To my ear, it’s got just enough of everything and not too much of anything. The Ceramic magnet gives the top end some sizzle without being harsh or strident and also helps tighten up the low end. It still cleans up nicely with the volume knob - depending of course on how much gain you like going on back at the amp.

I have yet to find any of my partscasters in which the Duncan Custom did NOT sound ‘good.’ That being said, it does tend to really shine in slightly heavier, denser body wood guitars. I dropped a trem spaced ceramic mag ‘Custom’ in a northern ash strat body / maple neck guitar with a 6-screw trem, and it did everything really, really well.
 
Thanks! What I fear is that it will be a jack of all trades kinda deal. My main focus is downtuned Death Metal. So if it won't do that, it's out of the question. But if if can do that, and also tamer rock styles, then that's exactly what I want.
 
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I'll do the counterpoint to PDC, because I am not a fan.

To me, the whole point of a ceramic magnet pickup is to sear and snarl and push an amp, and though the sh-6 does that quite well, the custom (sh-5) is like a Duncan that doesn't know what it wants to be. I agree with PDC that it doesn't have "too much of anything" because to me it sounds bland as hell.

And that's not just comparing it to world beater expensive ceramics like a Wagner ironman or Tonenerd Psykes; it honestly sounds boring to me compared to an sh-6, invader, or even an emg 81.

Yes yes, I know Schenker used it and got great tones - but at least for ceramic pickups for heavy shit, the sh-5 sounds like a ceramic pickup that's trying to sound like an alnico pickup and doesn't do either sound well.

If your main priority is melodic death metal, I would get an sh-6 or splurge and get an iron man. I would only do an sh-5 if you want something that can kind of do classic rock and then kind of do metal at the same time.
 
Good metal example I can think of is White Zombie on Astrocreep. Chunk and Crunch.

It's the perfect pickup to put through a Tubescreamer boost. 😀
 
I like the Duncan Custom, but for what you're describing I'd also say Distortion would be a better fit. The attack to me for the Custom is more up-front, but not as much as the Distortion. It's a tighter-ish pickup, lows are more controlled than the JB, but I find myself wanting it to be a bit tighter at times for faster styles. It's not as crispy, more like some crisp and "chunk" together. It does the rock thing better though. I assume you already have BWs in another guitar, otherwise I'd probably recommend that. ESP also has a triple-ceramic Custom in a few of their new LTD models for this year, not available retail but could go custom shop route if you wanna open your wallet up 😁.

I've always liked the comparisons this guy has done:

 
Through the right guitar and a marshall its great. Its a little polite in the mids IMO.
I love the nazgul for everything you mentioned. It feels like a more metal version of a jb to me, but can get a good kerrang in a rock setting without the sizzle of a BW or distortion.
 
I love the ceramic Custom in the bridge. I typically pair it with a Pearly Gates neck and that works really well. I had one on my Charvel Strat and also in my PRS Custom 22. Because we love to tinker and swap things out, they are no longer there, but that had nothing to do with sound. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a slightly higher output pickup, without the "over the topness" of the higher output Distortion model. I would even go as far to say that the Custom was Seymour's answer to Dimarzio's Super Distortion "conceptually" (they don't really sound similar.) Check out Pete Thorn's Van Halen pickup shootout to hear it do the early VH thing.
 
mchn13 said:
Through the right guitar and a marshall its great. Its a little polite in the mids IMO.
I love the nazgul for everything you mentioned. It feels like a more metal version of a jb to me, but can get a good kerrang in a rock setting without the sizzle of a BW or distortion.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I always say the Nazgul / Sentient is like a modern version of the classic JB / Jazz.

The Nazgul and Custom are 2 of my favorite Duncans.
 
I like the Custom a lot. One of my all time favorites, though I do also love the Distortion, Black Winter, and Nazgul. Like everyone has kind of said, it is a med-high output pickup with a slightly scooped midrange, tight low end, and balanced high end. For me, it's done well in a lot of guitars, and I am mostly playing drop tuned death metal. I just recorded this clip when I saw this thread with my Gutierrez Juggernaut with a Custom into my EVH 100S using my Driftwood Reactive Load and Celestion Speaker mix pro. Tuning is drop b.

https://app.box.com/s/eed0ckmq6k3btz3grasbfiwdyzdkp4k8
 
rbasaria said:
I like the Custom a lot. One of my all time favorites, though I do also love the Distortion, Black Winter, and Nazgul. Like everyone has kind of said, it is a med-high output pickup with a slightly scooped midrange, tight low end, and balanced high end. For me, it's done well in a lot of guitars, and I am mostly playing drop tuned death metal. I just recorded this clip when I saw this thread with my Gutierrez Juggernaut with a Custom into my EVH 100S using my Driftwood Reactive Load and Celestion Speaker mix pro. Tuning is drop b.

https://app.box.com/s/eed0ckmq6k3btz3grasbfiwdyzdkp4k8
Click to expand...
ooooo that sounded good!
 
rbasaria said:
I like the Custom a lot. One of my all time favorites, though I do also love the Distortion, Black Winter, and Nazgul. Like everyone has kind of said, it is a med-high output pickup with a slightly scooped midrange, tight low end, and balanced high end. For me, it's done well in a lot of guitars, and I am mostly playing drop tuned death metal. I just recorded this clip when I saw this thread with my Gutierrez Juggernaut with a Custom into my EVH 100S using my Driftwood Reactive Load and Celestion Speaker mix pro. Tuning is drop b.

https://app.box.com/s/eed0ckmq6k3btz3grasbfiwdyzdkp4k8
Click to expand...

That's impressive.
 
rbasaria said:
I like the Custom a lot. One of my all time favorites, though I do also love the Distortion, Black Winter, and Nazgul. Like everyone has kind of said, it is a med-high output pickup with a slightly scooped midrange, tight low end, and balanced high end. For me, it's done well in a lot of guitars, and I am mostly playing drop tuned death metal. I just recorded this clip when I saw this thread with my Gutierrez Juggernaut with a Custom into my EVH 100S using my Driftwood Reactive Load and Celestion Speaker mix pro. Tuning is drop b.

https://app.box.com/s/eed0ckmq6k3btz3grasbfiwdyzdkp4k8
Click to expand...
Sounds good! I love the chugs on a Custom.

I know you were big on the Omega. How would you say the Custom and Omega compare?
 
Shask said:
Do you find it too scooped? It looks very scooped on paper.
Click to expand...

I use it in 25.5 scale guitars to get a warmer les paul like HB tone. It's never been too scooped for me, but I gravitate towards mid heavy amps, as well.
 
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