Duncan Custom question...

[Jack71]

I just put a new Duncan Custom trembucker in the bridge of my Wayne. It seems very bassy to me. I tried eq'ing the bass down but it still seemed too muddy.

Maybe need to back the pickup off a little bit? How close to the strings do you other guys have your Customs? I swapped out a JB because it seemed to bright and shrill. Now it seems like I've got the opposite problem...

[Bert]

Weird. I just installed a Duncan Custom Custom in one of my Jacksons and so far I really dig it. It's actually rather light on the bass. You sure it's installed correctly? Could the tone pot be to blame?

[jackson1]

Are you guys talking the same pickup?

Jack71 mentions the TB-5 and Bert chime in with the SH-11.

Orange & Apples?

[dg]

I've got Customs in 2 guitars. Both are set just a hair lower than the Duncan-recommended 3/32". They are a little scooped, but definitely not too bassy, and the last word I'd ever use to describe them is muddy. Double-check your pot value(s). Sometimes people will use a 250k pot instead of 500k with a JB to try to tame the shrillness, and that would not be a good match for the Custom. Just a possibility. Other than that, look for a wiring issue.

[Adam]

I don't particularly like the Custom. I had one in an alder-bodied warmoth strat and found it way too scooped-sounding. Mids are my friend, and there ain't near enough for me in that pickup.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i swapped out the ceramic magnet in the the custom (tb-5) to an alnico 2 magnet to make it a custom custom (tb-11) and really like it alot.

i felt the tb-5 was a little too bassy for me aswell. the tb-11 really makes the lead notes hit hard and in your face while still sounding sweet to the ears.

[toejam]

I've got the 7-string version of the TB-5 Custom in my Schecter, seems pretty balanced, just a tad bit trebly, love it. I had the TB-14 Custom 5 in my Charvel Star, it sounded okay, but it was too scooped in the mids, I also thought it didn't have enough bass, so now it's got a DiMarzio Tone Zone which I love!

[Jack71]

I've got Customs in 2 guitars. Both are set just a hair lower than the Duncan-recommended 3/32". They are a little scooped, but definitely not too bassy, and the last word I'd ever use to describe them is muddy. Double-check your pot value(s). Sometimes people will use a 250k pot instead of 500k with a JB to try to tame the shrillness, and that would not be a good match for the Custom. Just a possibility. Other than that, look for a wiring issue.

Is there a way for me to identify whether I've got a 250k or 500k pot if I remove the back cover?

[savage]

Is there a way for me to identify whether I've got a 250k or 500k pot if I remove the back cover?

yeah the pot should have a engraved value on it
normally most strat type guitars came with all 500K pots but yours may not?
listen another thing you can try is to disconnect the top pot, the tone pot even set on 10 will bleed off some highs and output and can make the bass a bit too murky so if you disconnect it the bass will be clearer
this always increases the highs and makes the low end less muddy at the same time
i use all my guitars with the tone pot disconnected
the custom is a very high clarity pup but dont set it too high it has a strong magnetic pull(ceramic)
it sounds best set about 2-3 16th's away

[Jack71]

yeah the pot should have a engraved value on it
normally most strat type guitars came with all 500K pots but yours may not?
listen another thing you can try is to disconnect the top pot, the tone pot even set on 10 will bleed off some highs and output and can make the bass a bit too murky so if you disconnect it the bass will be clearer
this always increases the highs and makes the low end less muddy at the same time
i use all my guitars with the tone pot disconnected
the custom is a very high clarity pup but dont set it too high it has a strong magnetic pull(ceramic)
it sounds best set about 2-3 16th's away

Savage, these are great suggestions. I have a question, though. When you say disconnect the top pot, what do you mean? Also, I do not have any tone knobs on my guitar, -only a single volume knob. Does that mean I have no tone pot, only a volume pot?

And do you mean 2-3 16th's away or 2-3 32th's away? Apparantly, according to a post above, Duncan suggests 3 32th's away.

[savage]

Savage, these are great suggestions. I have a question, though. When you say disconnect the top pot, what do you mean? Also, I do not have any tone knobs on my guitar, -only a single volume knob. Does that mean I have no tone pot, only a volume pot?

And do you mean 2-3 16th's away or 2-3 32th's away? Apparantly, according to a post above, Duncan suggests 3 32th's away.

yeah it sounds like yo only have the volume put on your ax and no tones
you can try a 1 meg pot? this will be about the same effect as disoconecting a tone pot if you had any.
the distance of the pup is a matter of your own taste?
i like the custom about 4/32" away but many use it at 2-3/32"
remember the further away the more punch and treble you lose
but many like EVH use a bridge pup set very far away from the strings
check out a wolfgang or a EBMM axis guitar and see how far the pups are away from the strings

[straycat]

There is no set distance for the pickup to be.It is different on each guitar.Set the pickup at its lowest position strum the guitar and adj the height up until it sound best.When the pickup sounds clear you are there.Then adj the pole pieces one at a time pluck the string and let it decay on its own if it decays rapidly turn the pole adj screw and raise it up until you hear the note "bloom" or hang. Oh you will know when it does! Do this for each string and you will suprised how much difference it makes. do this on your amps clean channel.
Putting the pickup too close to the strings you will loose sustain and tone and cause the strings to be pulled out of tune by the pickups magnet.
A humbucker needs a 500k pot.A JB hum needs a 300k or 250k pot, a 3 single set up needs 250 k pots

[Jack71]

More great suggestions. Thanks everyone! One last question, should I also lower all the individual pole pieces to their lowest spot before adjusting the pickup (and then the pole pieces themselves)?

Wait, one more question: when measuring the distance between the pickup and strings, are you measureing from the plastic cover or from the pole pieces?

[Chad]

I'd lower the poles down to where the beginning of the rounded top of the pole is flush with the plastic.

Measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string.

[straycat]

Don't worry about measuring anything just lower the pole pieces flush with the bobbin and work your way up.All these dudes that obsess with measurments about pickup heights make me laugh.L.P.players are the worst by far.
I was in a very large chain music store last year (GC) (Ohio)and a customer was complaining to the tech about his L.P sounding too woofie as he said he could not adj the pickups to sound any better but he could sell him a set of Duncans and it would sound better.What a tech huh?