HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

[Roddy]

BTR, how do u think a custom/jazz would sound? I would use the sh-2b jazz coil in the rear spot and the sh-11 slug coil at front with the CC alnico II mag. I need a coil from a T-top and the jazz is the closest to a T-top.

The Hybrids I made were from a 59 neck and a Custom Custom...They sound great...Is the Jazz a bridge model???

[Ed Hunter]

The Hybrids I made were from a 59 neck and a Custom Custom...They sound great...Is the Jazz a bridge model???

yeah duncan offers a neck and bridge version of the jazz. The jazz bridge is the closest to a gibson T-top. Ur idea of the one coil from the 59n sounds cool to.

[Roddy]

yeah duncan offers a neck and bridge version of the jazz. The jazz bridge is the closest to a gibson T-top. Ur idea of the one coil from the 59n sounds cool to.

I only did this because I had 2 Duncan Neck 59's and no bridge models....

[IanBallard]

I'm getting ready to finish the connection of the Custom slug coil with the '59 screw coil. Just waiting with bated breath for the A8 mag from Addiction FX!



EDIT: I got them hooked up, soldered and the pickup put together with an A2. So far, so good! Just a little hum, but both coils respond and, as expected the 59 screw coil is mellower than the Custom slug coil. Can't wait to get the rest of the parts to get it together for a test drive!

[IanBallard]

I'm really conflicted here. I have the A8 coming, but for basic testing purposes I stuck my A2 mag from the CC in it. I really wanna string it up when I get the pickguard and rock it with the A2 in it. My wife is losing her patience with my tinkering... "JUST PLAY THE THING!!!!"

She's right.

[IanBallard]

Oh my. I went ahead and strung and set her up. WOW! I'm absolutely blown away by the tone of this pickup. Chimey yet full; Thick yet defined. It's like the Tao Te Ching of pickups! The clean tone with an A2 is almost as chimey as the '59 by itself with the wide-open response and overtones but with a hint of mid-rangy compression from the Custom coil. However, when the gain is cranked up, it just ROARS and the harmonics are insane. Way more harmonics than the CC produced by itself. Even with the gain at the breaking point, I could still hear the individual notes of chords and a hint of the chime from the clean tone sample. Truly amazing. I'm running mine hard-mounted and direct into a 500k Bournes low-friction pot.

I recommend everybody make one of these. They live up to the hype!

[dvadneau]

What kind of guitar are you using it in?

Is it just in the bridge? If not, what do you think of the neck?

I know the CC lacks a little low end because of the A2. Do you find this with your pickup?

Do you have an UOA5 to try? Just wondering if that really keeps the sound of the A2 with some added lows and highs, or if it robs any of the A2 goodness you're hearing.

I took the lazy route and had the custom shop do mine. I know I should have done this myself, but I was already sending a couple of pickups for repair and thought why not.

They were a TB59 and TB14.

I've got them in an Agathis-bodied, Maple-necked Tele. C5 coils on the outsides. I was very impressed with the neck. I really liked the C5 in the neck of that guitar. Best shred neck pickup and good tone for everything else.

I normally play with the bridge for everything in our band and only switch to the neck for solos. I don't like the neck pickup for playing rhythm most of the time. I like more definition in my rhythm playing (I play lead). However, I like a warm neck pickup for bluesy stuff, and for solos, so I also don't like the neck pickup to be another bridge pickup.

With the C5/59 in the neck I can actually use it for rhythm and it stays clear with overdrive, and it still sounds awesome for my typical neck playing.

I was not so impressed with the C5/59 in the bridge. I may tinker with height and pole pieces for a bit. The C5 and the 59, individually, were really good in that guitar. The CC was also very good, so I may go the A2, or UOA5 route.

That's why I was asking about your opinion on the A2, and UOA5.

It'd be interesting to see how the A8 sounds as well.

[korovamilkdud]

My God...490 posts...this may actually be the thread that goes to a thousand.

This opens up a world of possibilities. My hybrid is a Custom/Pearly Gates, and it's gravy. My favorite magnets are A4 for a more vintage and warm tone, and ceramic for a brighter, hotter tone.

[IanBallard]

I have an alder Squier with a rosewood slab neck, brass nut and Wilkinson modern-vintage tremolo.

As soon as I get the A8 in the mail, I'll try it out. But this pickup with the A2 is pure cream, man! I'm temped to try the A5 I have from the '59 too. I may buy a UOA5 just for kicks.

[marcello252]

I made it with an A2 first, but the UOA5 I mounted lately in absolutely won hands down. Mine is a ash strat with rosewood fingerboard.

[IanBallard]

If I find the A8 too punchy, I'll order one for sure. I kinda miss the qualities of the A5 in the '59. It also seems that A2 breaks up easier under hard picking. That might be a good thing for some, but it seems A5 has more headroom before you get hairy cleans.

[Elfunkenstein]

Hey I have a crunchy pat from guitarfetish. I don't have the money to buy duncans (college kid) so what guitarfetish pup would you suggest to make a similar hybrid with?

[IanBallard]

Pair it with a "Vintage 59" or the vintage A2 model. Magnets are cheap too. You could order a few different ones and try them all and spend under $10.

[marcello252]

Elfunkenstein,

the Classic alnico 2 is a good choice, I think the vintage 59 and the classic II are the same pickup with different magnet, it depends on what kind of magnet you want in the end but I believe the hybrid works better with an A2, at least in my guitars (unless you put a UOA5, the best one).

Anyway, with the crunchy you could have some problem with the height of the magnet, since the ceramic in the crunchy is taller: you can turn the plastic spacer a quarter 90° one side, the magnet will fit fine that way, on the other side the wires will keep the coil at the right distance.
Tight the screw but don't' exceed.
ciao

[marcello252]

It also seems that A2 breaks up easier under hard picking. That might be a good thing for some

Me. !

[IanBallard]

Well, I stuck the A8 in there and it's even better! Surprisingly not much louder, just more even across the EQ; more, tighter bass, mids are about the same and the treble is more detailed and stronger. Since my guitar (currently) is a single pickup rocker, this is all I need. It sounds really good on the clean channel too! Again, more even but the overall tone is stronger. Soft picking makes a pretty "brang", whereas the A2 was missing some treble which makes some clean stuff dull.

[marcello252]

After a couple of weeks of test I can talk about an experiment I was doing: an hybrid made with one coil from a GFS classic II, one coil from a GFS VEH pickup.

First of all they are cheap, so if you want to experiment with hybrids you don't have to open your money box.
The Classic II is an astoundly good A2 Paf like pickup for the money, the impedance is around 8 K, I think it's the GFS Vintage 59 with a different magnet.
The VEH is clearly built to reproduce VH sound, it's a 43 awg pickup, 11K for the bridge, A5. In every guitar I put it, the sound was at most bad, very thin, very trebly, no meat.
So I wanted to try the hybrid card, to beef up a little the classic II.

The result is an interesting 9.37K pickup.

I tried a UOA5 in first place figuring out I were making the holy grail of pickup, but on my poplar/maple neck tele it was ear piercing, a very hard sound a bit unpleasant, so I swap it for the original A2 magnet. I think that's the ticket.

The result is a bright pickup, lot of dynamic similar to a beefed up single coil, very little hum (the coil are mismatched but not so much), a singing humbucker character however.
I think it's best suited for darker guitar (basswood? Rosewood fingerboard?) and amps that tends to dime the higher register, in my rig works better through the effect chain than straight to the amp, although in my poplar/maple sounds good anyway.
I haven't tried it in band situation yet but it's very promising.

Hope it helps.

if anyone here in Milan would like to try the 'other' pickup with a A5 magnet let me know (it is dismantled now but in 10 minutes I can reassemble it).

Ciao

[Got_tone?]

Anyone try an A3 hybrid? I'm not comfortable putting an A2 and a Custom coil together in mahogany.

[skynyrd]

500 posts ,,wow !

[Roddy]

501!!!!!!!!