Custombuckers

[rockabilly69]

The custombuckers in my 2014 R7 sound great for my fingerstyle of playing...

https://soundcloud.com/daniel-weldon-1%2Fangel

They are here also @ 2:41...

https://soundcloud.com/daniel-weldon-1%2Fim-looking-for-a-change

 

[1allspub]

Of all of those, the CBs were my least favorites. Not just because they don’t sound like PAFs to my ear but I just didn’t like the sound…especially the neck pickup. Way too boomy. Not enough high frequency to capture the detail which balances out the low end and gives you detail. Part of it is the A3 magnet which tend to be darker compared to a strong long A4 or A5.

That was pretty much my experience with CBs, as well. In fact, until very recently (w/in the last 16 months) I was a harsh and vocal critic of them… and I had yanked them out of every RI I ever bought. Then I bought my 2022 BB7 in August of 2022 and was genuinely impressed by the CBs that came in it (vintage sounding?… again, IDK, but I sure love whatever sound it is they make ). Flash forward to August of 2023 and I bought an R9 with another set of CBs that I genuinely loved (the neck in particular is especially good, go figure). So IDK what’s going on… is Gibson finally getting the CBs dialed in??? Did I just get lucky (both of these guitars I played in person before buying and was able to hand pick them, so maybe I was just able to weed out a couple of good ones???). At any rate, like you, I am NOT a fan of A3s (usually). Most of the boutique stuff I’ve found I’ve really liked over the years has been A4 driven. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting some ReWinds, just to try them… and if I ever do, it would definitely be the A4 version James winds.

 

[slammintone]

I gotta give props to Gibson really trying to nail the PAF covers so well on the 2020 and later Custombuckers. The plating looks real good and the shape and thinness is as good as I’ve seen going back to the 1960s. It’s a huge improvement over the flat rectangular covers Gibson has been using throughout the early 2000s IMO.

 

[Rockhard]

I have Custombuckers in 2013 R9 and both 2022 Korina Explorer and V . Sound great and brightness is not and issue . Apart from Gibsons previously had Sheptones , SD , OX4 , Rio Grande , BK ...

 

[Chronomariner]

I noticed the custombuckers pick up more noise from computers and such. I had to swap them out because I heard the noise even as I was playing. Maybe one day when I can move most of my digital equipment far away I can put them back into my LP.

The custombuckers sound great though. I really loved them for hard rock and heavy metal.

 

[These go to 11]

I'm quite disappointed in these pickups. I try to keep my custom shop guitars mostly stock, but I always end up swapping out the custombuckers. The latest is a Murphy Labs R9. This one has a neck pickup that reads 7.3k, and yet it's still dark and a bit weak too...so I'm pulling the custombuckers yet again...sigh. Can't wait to see Gibson replace these with a new PAF clone. Make them bright and punchy, or with sweet mids, but none of that anemic A3, please.

Gibson messed up using dyed Poly wire and making the screw coil the stronger coil on these.

 

[These go to 11]

1959 Humbucker Collector’s Edition Series 1, Exclusive​

Go to Gibsons site

 

[jb_abides]

1959 Humbucker Collector’s Edition Series 1, Exclusive​

Go to Gibsons site

Thread HERE

 

[LCW]

Gibson messed up using dyed Poly wire and making the screw coil the stronger coil on these.

What’s the tonal effect of which screw coil is stronger?

 

[Wizard1183]

What’s the tonal effect of which screw coil is stronger?

One has a more softer, rounder, warmer, wetter, more pushin for the cushion type sound while the other has a flatter response curve…..wait what are we talking about again?

 

[These go to 11]

One has a more softer, rounder, warmer, wetter, more pushin for the cushion type sound while the other has a flatter response curve…..wait what are we talking about again?

Dave stephen's the pickup maker said Gibson messed up making the screw coil stronger according to him it makes the pu darker sounding?
He said Gibson has a real fear of treble/brightness so they use and do things that cut highs?

 

[DrewB]

Dave stephen's the pickup maker said Gibson messed up making the screw coil stronger according to him it makes the pu darker sounding?
He said Gibson has a real fear of treble/brightness so they use and do things that cut highs?

Can you cite an article for this? I'd like to read it.

 

[These go to 11]

What’s the tonal effect of which screw coil is stronger?

Dave stephen's the pickup maker said Gibson messed up making the screw coil stronger according to him it makes the pu darker sounding?
He said Gibson has a real fear of treble/brightness so they use and do things that cut highs?

Can you cite an article for this? I'd like to read it.

It was not a article it was in his vid, where he took a Custombucker (Pre Jared Brandon) apart and analyzed it

 

[These go to 11]

Can you cite an article for this? I'd like to read it.

Keep in mind in the video i posted above Dave stephens took apart a old Custombucker. Since then Gibson has Jared Brandon working as their Head pickup engineer. Jared used to be Brandonwound pickup until he sold the company to Zack oswald.

 

[DrewB]

Dave stephen's the pickup maker said Gibson messed up making the screw coil stronger according to him it makes the pu darker sounding?
He said Gibson has a real fear of treble/brightness so they use and do things that cut highs?

It was not a article it was in his vid, where he took a Custombucker (Pre Jared Brandon) apart and analyzed it

Thankin ya

 

[DrewB]

Dave stephen's the pickup maker said Gibson messed up making the screw coil stronger according to him it makes the pu darker sounding?
He said Gibson has a real fear of treble/brightness so they use and do things that cut highs?

It was not a article it was in his vid, where he took a Custombucker (Pre Jared Brandon) apart and analyzed it

This is like watching paint dry; if you're gonna do a 10-minute video, prepare for it so it doesn't take 30+ minutes. His comment at 8:00, "by making the warmest coil the hottest coil," makes no sense to me. He's talking about the bridge pickup and, specifically, the screw coil. That's the one that is closest to the bridge, so how is that the "warmest coil?" Also, he talks about where the screw coil is grounded to the baseplate and says he believes Gibson did this to limit treble. Admittedly, I have never wound a pickup, and I don't have an understanding of induction blah blah blah, but ground is ground, and his blah blah blah about where the ground is located on a baseplate that is less than 2" x 3" affecting the frequency mix of the pickup sounds like utter BS to me. The attitude of his dissertation on PAFs in Burst Believers II was haughty with a liberal dose of "me me me." Maybe it's just because he presents himself so poorly, but my perception of him is "fake news."

I hear that his pickups are stellar, nonetheless.

 

[These go to 11]

Thankin ya

Jared Brandon

This is like watching paint dry; if you're gonna do a 10-minute video, prepare for it so it doesn't take 30+ minutes. His comment at 8:00, "by making the warmest coil the hottest coil," makes no sense to me. He's talking about the bridge pickup and, specifically, the screw coil. That's the one that is closest to the bridge, so how is that the "warmest coil?" Also, he talks about where the screw coil is grounded to the baseplate and says he believes Gibson did this to limit treble. Admittedly, I have never wound a pickup, and I don't have an understanding of induction blah blah blah, but ground is ground, and his blah blah blah about where the ground is located on a baseplate that is less than 2" x 3" affecting the frequency mix of the pickup sounds like utter BS to me. The attitude of his dissertation on PAFs in Burst Believers II was haughty with a liberal dose of "me me me." Maybe it's just because he presents himself so poorly, but my perception of him is "fake news."

I hear that his pickups are stellar, nonetheless.

You make a lot of good points! I gotta say i also found it really difficult to believe that just because Gibson wired the ground of the one coil to the other side of the baseplate of where a original P.A.F would normally go would affect the tone in any way? When he said that in the video i was like WTF??? Where is the science for this? From what i gathered from those that know him
he is extremely eccentric. and yes his pickups are Stellar despite his personality traits. That is one thing no one has on him.

 

[These go to 11]

The attitude of his dissertation on PAFs in Burst Believers II was haughty with a liberal dose of "me me me." Maybe it's just because he presents himself so poorly, but my perception of him is "fake news."

I unfortunately do not have any of BB series book i only have BOTB which is a great source for info IMHO. Is BB II just pics with some info or is there mostly pic's with very little info?

 

[DrewB]

I unfortunately do not have any of BB series book i only have BOTB which is a great source for info IMHO. Is BB II just pics with some info or is there mostly pic's with very little info?

Most of them are mostly pics, but there are some articles sprinkled in amongst them in most volumes. John Gundry's article is excellent, and excellent by comparison. The attitude was completely different, as well.

For the record, the closest thing I have to boutique pickups are a set of Wolfetone Dr. Vintage humbuckers and a set of Rose pickups in a Strat, so it's not a "pick your favorite winder and poop on the rest."

 

[Chronomariner]

I put my custombuckers back into my R9 because I started to miss them. And now I just think they sound amazing .
I guess I’ll just keep these Slash pickups for a future guitar.