HOW TO: Make a 59/Custom Hybrid

[LonePhantom]

Thanks for posting my review Evan.

[Ed Hunter]

Thanks for posting my review Evan.

great review phantom and thanks again for the help with the TZ
I finally can use one

[jhale667]

Thanks for posting my review Evan.

Digging your review as well, and Jon from @guitarnoize's sound clip demo is also very helpful. I SO want one of these for my next build!


http://soundcloud.com/guitarnoize/se...ncan-59-custom

[LonePhantom]

Thanks. I tried to record some demos last night to upload, but with the combination of my carpal tunnel flaring up, and my mediocre recording gear, I'm not sure it'll be up to snuff. I'm hopefully going to check it out again tonight, see if anything sounds any good.

I really wish I wasn't such a broke ass, so I could get myself something half decent to record audio and video together.

[Ed Hunter]

Thanks. I tried to record some demos last night to upload, but with the combination of my carpal tunnel flaring up, and my mediocre recording gear, I'm not sure it'll be up to snuff. I'm hopefully going to check it out again tonight, see if anything sounds any good.

I really wish I wasn't such a broke ass, so I could get myself something half decent to record audio and video together.

wow that sucks bro! cause just that little demo you did of the tone zone with different caps was a huge help to me.

[LonePhantom]

I'm glad it was Ed.

If the audio with the video is no good I might just record some audio by itself tonight and see if it's good enough. Then maybe edit it in with some still images or something.

If anyone's got an old audio interface they want to donate, that works ok interacting with a Logitech webcam, providing reasonable sound (not so many artifacts) let me know!

[BachToRock]

Nice review... thanks for the time and effort!

[LonePhantom]

Thanks BachToRock, and thank you for creating this pickup!

[Evan Skopp]

Here's another cool video demo:



You can read the whole story here.

[darthphineas]

made a trio of trem-spaced hybrids today:

59/Custom

59/JB

JB/Custom

alll with A5s. am tempted to play around with the JB/C by trying an A8 or an A2. found the process to be a snap, particularly since everything had 4-con wiring. will probably install them by the end of the week. are there any particular woods that people find to go well with the JB/C?

also... have a Jazz on the way to make a '59/Jn hybrid. for an 80s high gain style/tone, is there a better option for a neck position hybrid?



05/03 UPDATE

having installed all of those options, I have discovered that the 59/JB is indeed 'bleh'. it's almost as if the coils are working against each other. it's all there when I hook it up to a multimeter and it's wired the same as the other two, so I'm confident everything is built right... but 'bleh'. this one is going to be taken apart.

the JB/59 with the A8 is much better to my ears than with the A5. I think this sounds too close to the C8 and the JB8 in my rig (both of which I already have), so it's redundant and I think I'm going to not go with it. also going to be taken apart.

the 59/C is better than I expected. honestly, the video clips have left me wondering if I was making the right choice. sure those guys can play, but the videos are not a good barometer for someone that plays 80s high-gain rock. I put it in mahogany with a rosewood board up against Hot Rails in the neck and middle and it held up just fine. I'm not certain if that guitar will be the final spot for it, as I still want to throw it up against an alder body to see if might stick there any better.


that means I'm going to put all the pieces back together for another hybrid, a C/59 (C screws, 59 slugs). all black. trem-spaced. with logo. I'm going to be having a big pickup clearance in the next week or so, but if someone wants this spare hybrid sooner, please drop me a PM.

[freddarl82]

I dipped my toe in the Hybrid pool for the first time this week. I'd looked at this thread a number of times, and after Duncan came out with a production hybrid, I thought, I've got to try this. As Darth said, it really was not that difficult.

For the bridge, I did a 59/Custom with a UOA5. For the neck, I wanted to use what I had on hand, so I did a slight twist that I haven't seen on here before. All of the 59N's I have on hand are older MJ-wound 2-conductors. I didn't really want to go breaking those up. So I combined a newer 59B with an Alnico II Pro neck with a roughcast A2. Makes the neck slightly hotter than a typical 59N/A2 Pro and pairs nicely, IMO, with the 59/Custom bridge. It absolutely sings with overdrive!

Oddly enough, I put the "Primary" set in my travel guitar, an ESP EC-300 (only about a $200 guitar, but really some nice build quality. It's sort of like a LP Special -- all mahogany with a flat top, but 24 frets, so it moves the neck pup a little closer to the bridge). In the bridge, I used the Custom coil in the slug so I would get a little hotter single coil sound when split. Likewise, In the neck, I used the one with the 59B slug.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the "other" set. My "main" LP's have boutique pups and need no improvements. I will not be using coil-split with this pair. The "candidates" I'm thinking of would be either an Orville LP (PGB with UOA5, MJ-wound 59N with RC A2) or a Faded SG (Burstbucker 1/2). Any thoughts on this? Would they be better off in the all mahogany SG or the maple-capped LP? Damn! This tone experimenting gets addicting!

[MesaTone]

SD says they'll swap magnets, but they won't do hybrids with personal pickups, only Custom Shop orders. Oh, well. I'm no good with a soldering iron. I guess I'll have to find some bad pups and practice.

I'd like to try a PATB-2/JB hybrid. More beef, more crunch. But I'm not taking those apart just yet!

[Marco78]

Have the SH 16 al V magnet or ceramic magnet?

[BachToRock]

A5

[dvanburen]

man, just read through MOST of this thread. very cool.

I opened up a new world of tonal possibility when I started swapping mags but it looks like I will be yanking pickups apart now to make hybrids.

Question Gentleman: I play metal and aggressive rock. How many have experimented with like A8 and thick ceramics in these hybrids like the 59/custom or the jb/custom? I love the DD and the custom8. those are my favorite pups in the bridge. I wish I could put both of them into one pickup. Anybody care to share experience with me?

I love cleans cleans cleans in the neck. Jazz sounds really good and clean but doesnt have the character that the 59 has. I'm going to try the 59/jazzn hybrid for sure. that sounds like the one. If anyone has one they want to sell, PM me please.

Bach,
Good job man! I sent you a pm

[dvanburen]

this may be a stupid question but I dont know. when you take the coils apart, the tape that holds the lead wires together...what is that tape called and where do you get it? does stewmac have it? Or are you guys just carefully taking the tape off and reusing it?

[King IzzO)))]

I use heat shrink, but electrical tape or even scotch tape will work.

[dvanburen]

I use heat shrink, but electrical tape or even scotch tape will work.

cool. thanks. thats kind of what I figured

[jhale667]

OK, finally tried one of the production versions....LOVE IT.

[Marco78]

I have read ALL the 3d in the last 2 days... In the future I'll get a clone of Dave Kilminster Tele/strato Suhr. I think that I'll use a TB-16 in the bridge. My only fear is that the pickups have too treble, that I hate in bridge position..