custom 5 in a tele??

[skyydogg01]

I'm thinking about putting a custom 5 in a tele shaped body. Wood would be either ash, alder or mahogany. Could you guys give me a rundown on how you think it would sound? It would be paired with a jazz. Pot values, I'm not sure about yet.

thanks

[TimmyPage]

I had a C5 in a tele for a while. Pretty cool. Good versatility. It sounds like a hot 59 to me. Here are a couple of clips I did with a Marshall JCM800.
Tele, C5 bridge, 59n
Tele, Hot Stack neck, C5 bridge

Those clips are amazing.

I love my C5. It should be fine in the tele.

[skyydogg01]

can someone give me a sonic evaluation of it? not just "it sounds good" ... Break it down for me brothers

thanks

[ErikH]

Think of the C5 as an overwound and hotter '59. That's the way it sounds to me and the best I can explain it. It matches up with the Jazz really well.

[1ManGarageBand]

Hi SkyyDogg01--

My '77 fender tele is very heavy and very bright. The C5 was nice and tight but much too trebly/bright for me. It didn't have that vintage fatness that I hear in sound-clips. Sound clips of humbuckers in Les Pauls don't predict how they will sound in my guitar. I liked the tone of the CC better but it's not tight enough in the bass for me. I made a B2R '59/Custom/A5 hybrid which is a good compromise, but I'm still looking for a more vintage (more LP-like) PAF tone; I'll probably try the PGb, but I'm afraid it won't be versatile enough for me. I've got 500k pots that I need for the PGn, which will never leave.

Hope this helps.

[ArtieToo]

C5 has become my favorite Tele bridge pup. (With an Antiquity II and JD close behind.) In all guitars, I'm not crazy about extreme twang. The Custom 5 does a great job of taming that "edge" that I find irritating. As I said in another thread somewhere, the C5 is like the "country gentlemen" of Tele tone. Smooth, but still country.

[skyydogg01]

what value pots are you guys using?

[ErikH]

what value pots are you guys using?

500k in my Les Paul.

[Stevo]

Think of the C5 as an overwound and hotter '59.

That's the way I hear it. Lots of people consider the 59b to be 'transparent'; it's a good pickup for bringing out the natural sound of your guitar - without a lot of tone-coloring. The C5 has added bass and smoother highs.
500k pots in my tele.

[Gearjoneser]

The C-5 is one of those pickups that sounds good in almost any guitar you put it in, as long as the guitar has it's own natural mids. It's not a scooped pickup like some say, but it does have deep tight bass and naturally open highs. I think the C-5/Jazz is a more natural combination than the JB/Jazz.

If you're choosing wood for a humbucking guitar, I'd stay with alder, mahogany or basswood/maple veneer.

[ErikH]

I think the C-5/Jazz is a more natural combination than the JB/Jazz.

As one who has played both combinations, I have to agree. I much prefer how the C5 matches up with the Jazz than the JB. It just feels right.