Tell me about the SH-5

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romanianreaper

romanianreaper

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I ended up putting a JB in my Chubtone but probably should have got an SH-5 bases on what I've heard. Any good comparisons with the JB and anyone owned both?
 
Ask Curt of Chubtone guitars...he's a fan of the Custom...
 
Big, chunky, tight, massive for power chords! Great for tight palm mutes too. A seriously great rhythm pick up. That being said, I don't love it for leads, although it is okay. I always felt it didn't have the top end sparkle and mid spike for a great, singing lead tone.

Conversely, I love the JB for leads, but not so much for rhythm. It it a bit too loose for me with not enough aggressiveness or thump in the low end.

I tend to look for pick ups that embody characteristics of both, such as the Motor City Afwayu. I think the BKP Juggernaut does too. Neither pick up sounds like a JB or Custom, but some characteristics are there.
 
Some folks flat swear by the JB - others swear at it. I’ve played with the JB in a few guitars and found it was super finicky: it sounded noticeably better in one guitar than another. I’ve never noticed that ‘finicky’ quality in the SH/TB-5 ‘Custom.’ It sounds from ‘very good’ to ‘great’ in any/every guitar I’ve tried it in. Less output and less compression than the JB. More open and articulate - even with the ceramic mag. Just enough of everything - not too much of anything.
 
They are similar output, the custom might have the edge with the ceramic mag, but the Custom using 43awg wire vs the JB using 44awg. They have a similar wind count. As a result the Custom has a little less high end loss and not quite as congested in the mids
 
The way I see it is the sh5 is a hotter wound PAF with a ceramic magnet. I’ve used them for better part of 2 decades.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies and really informative responses!
 
romanianreaper said:
I ended up putting a JB in my Chubtone but probably should have got an SH-5 bases on what I've heard. Any good comparisons with the JB and anyone owned both?
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I haven't played the SH-5 Custom in years but Duncan uses that wind for three different pickups , the ceramic SH5 , the A5 SH14 and A2 SH11 . Might already know that but I just thought I'd throw it out there . I replaced my JBs with Dimarzio AT1s and Nortons with good results
 
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PDC said:
Some folks flat swear by the JB - others swear at it. I’ve played with the JB in a few guitars and found it was super finicky: it sounded noticeably better in one guitar than another. I’ve never noticed that ‘finicky’ quality in the SH/TB-5 ‘Custom.’ It sounds from ‘very good’ to ‘great’ in any/every guitar I’ve tried it in. Less output and less compression than the JB. More open and articulate - even with the ceramic mag. Just enough of everything - not too much of anything.
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I tend to think all pickups are subjective to the guitar you put them in but the JB is an extreme example of that. I had one Les Paul that it just loved it in, and another Les Paul that I couldn't get it out of there quick enough. And it sounds GREAT in my strat.
 
Billelzebub said:
I tend to think all pickups are subjective to the guitar you put them in but the JB is an extreme example of that. I had one Les Paul that it just loved it in, and another Les Paul that I couldn't get it out of there quick enough. And it sounds GREAT in my strat.
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No doubt - Michael Audette / RT amps has a JB in his main Ibanez RG that he uses to demo all his amps and God knows that guy has incredible tone. I would have never guessed that the JB would play so nice with such a light guitar as the RG, but man it works!
 
The SH-5 is a killer pickup. Think PAF on steroids. The bottom end is bag and tight. The highs are present in the right frequencies, and the mids have a nice growl to them. It is one of my favorite Duncan pickups. Before I jumped off into the land of Bare Knuckle Pickup love, the SH-5 was my go to pickup.
 
SFW said:
The SH-5 is a killer pickup. Think PAF on steroids. The bottom end is bag and tight. The highs are present in the right frequencies, and the mids have a nice growl to them. It is one of my favorite Duncan pickups. Before I jumped off into the land of Bare Knuckle Pickup love, the SH-5 was my go to pickup.
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Which BKP would you say resembles the Custom the most from your experience?
 
hammered said:
I haven't played the SH-5 Custom in years but Duncan uses that wind for three different pickups , the ceramic SH5 , the A5 SH14 and A2 SH11 . Might already know that but I just thought I'd throw it out there . I replaced my JBs with Dimarzio AT1s and Nortons with good results
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My experience to a T; haven't tried the SH-5 either, but I have had the JB in multiple guitars, and for a few, it was exactly what the doctor ordered (a Hamer Californian that I owned and my Kramer SM-1 come to mind), but in others it was too loose and screechy/strident.

For me, especially in a Les Paul, a Dimarzio Norton is the pickup that the JB aspires to be; it still has that electrifying mid-range where harmonics just fly off easily, but the highs are ever so sweeter, without losing power or aggression and the low-end especially is tighter.
The Custom 5 SH-14 is nice as well and it replaced the stock JB in my ESP Horizon NT-II.

The reason I never tried the SH-5, is that I worry about the ceramic mag; I always preferred the feel of Alnico's and the character they impose.
I do have two guitars with a Super Distortion, but that's not as stiff as a Duncan Distortion, while still ceramic.
 
Apex1Rg7X said:
Which BKP would you say resembles the Custom the most from your experience?
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BKP VHII. They are very close.

I own both pups and they are installed in two different hot rod partscasters. Both in alder bodies with floyds. They scream man. You can't go wrong with either. I would say the VHII might have a tad more bite, but its nothing you would miss to prevent you from getting the SH-5, at least for me.

I'm glad I bought the VHII to experience and kill the curiosity but if I had to do it all over, I'd save the extra $$$ and go with the SH-5.
 
Racerxrated said:
This...I would just add, the highs are not abrasive like the JB can be...sweeter so to speak. If you've ever played an Afwayu, the Custom is a slightly 'lesser' version of it. My fav SD pickup.
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This is a good comparison and probably why I like the Afwayu. It has the tightness, aggressiveness and thump of the Custom on the low end, but retains some of the high mid and sparkle of the JB for leads. It is an amazing pick up.

I'll also say that I've tried almost every version of the Custom. Stock SH-5, with a big ceramic magnet, with an A5 (SH-14), and A2 (SH-11) and even combined a coil from the custom with a coil from a JB. My favorite and the most balanced sounding is the stock SH-5.
 
I've had and have both and prefer the Custom to the JB in almost all cases. The JB can have raspy unpleasant high end in some guitars. The Custom is much closer to a hot PAF in my opinion. Smoother and better balanced.
 
I have a JB in my Charvel Pro Mod and a RATM in my DeMartini USA, which is essentially a JB, so I come from that camp but sometimes the JB is too much. For whatever reason the JB doesn't sound amazing with my EVH 5150-III. It is ok but my Les Pauls (one with 2nd Degree Blackbelts and one with stock Burstbuckers) sound great with that amp.
 
Apex1Rg7X said:
Which BKP would you say resembles the Custom the most from your experience?
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That's a great question. Maybe the Nailbomb. If you have ever played the Gibson 500T, it is really like a more refined version of that pickup.
 
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