My Thoughts on TB-5(Sh5-) Seymour Duncan Custom Trembucker

[Danzo]

This is continued from this thread:

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96119

I made a new thread since its kinda out of topic from that other guys thread, not my own!

Anyways, I was deciding between pickups and finally decided on a Seymour Duncan. Then It took me a while to decide which SD. I liked the crunchiness of the "6" Distortion but the "4" was good for lead work. Hmm.. then I wanted something to compensate any loss using a locking tremolo and get some compromise from the tones of both.

So I took a risk and ordered the Tb-5 without trying it out, since umm they dont make guitars with these pickups installed by default! The only guitarist I knew who used them was Marty Friedman (one of my favorite alltime guitarists) So how bad could it be?

I was right. The pickup was definitely a marriage of a 4 and a 6. I tight bass to another level and brings out a very sharp palm mute sound. Very tight. Before with my stock jackson pickup, I had a very round palm mute sound, which is the nightmare of any metal fan. Its like if you were to slap some fat ass and its still jigging after a while..too loose.

It sounds mean when voicing a power chord. It has no trouble bringing out any harmonic or screaming on a bend and remaining clear with a 5 string chord. My luthier and I whipped out some Van Halen on this Vox amp and damn it was all she wrote. It loves AC/DC sounds just as much as Van Halen and Megadeth. It lived up to its claims. Being that its a loud PAF I'm able to get my favorite rock band playing as well as any metal (not sure about Children of Bodom stuff but I don't tune that low)

Unfortunately I'm not that great of a player to find much weakness with this, but I've tried all the extremes and so did my luthier, who measured my SD as higher than typical 15K as opposed to 14.1 on the box. He said it was one of the best pickups he played and the last favorite of his was the JB, this beat it.

I'm saving up to purchase a VOX tonelab ST, and I'll see to making some noobish playing samples for you when I get a chance. It brings a little life to the Marshall MG 15 CDR though.

Thanks to Martin in helping me decide on a pickup!

[DonP]

Marty used a JB (SH-4).

I have a Custom Custom that sounds nice.

I always thought a Custom would give you a Scorpions kind of tone.

[Danzo]

Marty used a JB (SH-4).

I have a Custom Custom that sounds nice.

I always thought a Custom would give you a Scorpions kind of tone.

Hmm Ic. I saw the Jackson catalog some of the Kelly's had Tb-5 during Marty's Megadeth time and the Mustaine model had TB-4?

Yeah actually its easy to get a Scorpions tone as well, or any tone that matter. Its very rock with some mids added or can clean up well when a little scooped.

What I forgot to mention it sounds very clean in clean mode but still very distorted in distortion mode. Not sure how that works. The EMGs were distorted and icy cold in cleans when I tried them out on the JH-600. Pretty much how some metal is.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I have an SH-5 in a Pro Mod and it sounds kick ass. I have a white TB-5 that's going in a Warmoth build and a black TB-5 going in a SL1, someday. I love the Custom!

[Hellbat]

I have a TB5 in my RR1T and I love it for distorted tones. It's a bit thin and bright for clean tones, but rolling off the volume helps there a little.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

When I want the kind of tone you can only get from a passive, I love the Custom (and the JB, in the right guitar.) For example, 80's metal, classic rock, that kind of stuff. I really prefer them for lead most of the time as well.

But if you're talking about super-heavy speed metal/thrash palm-muted rhythm I much prefer the EMG 85.

The EMG clean tone is not good.

So, to me the EMG is kind of a one-trick-pony. You can use it for stuff that doesn't sound like Godzilla destroying Tokyo, but, it's not optimal.

I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of people say that EMG clean tone is shit, they have a "sterile" sound, and the tone isn't good. And, they're right, for anything but really heavy stuff. But you don't use a tack hammer to knock a building down, and you don't use a jackhammer to fix a Swiss watch.

[Danzo]

Good words man. Although they do make "versatile" pickups they do always fall short one one path at least.
And although they do make sterile pickups, they always beat the living tar out from that one thing compared to other pickups. There's no way to get a 100% Slayer sound without EMG. Cause Slayer has very sterile, icy picky sounding clean parts and riffs! When I picked up JH-600 the first riff that came out was Raining blood and then Angel of Death! It sounded so dark that I couldn't get myself to play happier chords! Wicked guitar, played like a dream.

I don't think my pickup would be most suitable for the extreme metal , but It wouldn't fall too hard, and it doesn't do a single coil pickups job. I get that bro

Every guitar and setup has some compromise, thats why guitar players (especially here) have more than one guitar..hell some of you have 10 of just Dinky/Soloists. You know who you are :ROTF:

When I want the kind of tone you can only get from a passive, I love the Custom (and the JB, in the right guitar.) For example, 80's metal, classic rock, that kind of stuff. I really prefer them for lead most of the time as well.

But if you're talking about super-heavy speed metal/thrash palm-muted rhythm I much prefer the EMG 85.

The EMG clean tone is not good.

So, to me the EMG is kind of a one-trick-pony. You can use it for stuff that doesn't sound like Godzilla destroying Tokyo, but, it's not optimal.

I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of people say that EMG clean tone is shit, they have a "sterile" sound, and the tone isn't good. And, they're right, for anything but really heavy stuff. But you don't use a tack hammer to knock a building down, and you don't use a jackhammer to fix a Swiss watch.

[savage]

Fyi, marty used the SH-4 JB in all his kellys never used a CUSTOM...

[sully]

Duncan Custom = best pickup ever.

sully

[Danzo]

Duncan Custom = best pickup ever.

sully

I want to say that but I'm not sure. Damn I do love it though! After I heard the Dave Mustaine Livewires (Active version of JB and Jazz set) with similarities in strength to EMGs, I'm not sure.. Tb-5 is definitely a top pickup.

[Shawn Lutz]

JB, Custom, Distortion and Custom-Custom all kick ass.

I can't say any pickup is the best, it all depends on what guitar and body wood they go into

[savage]

I want to say that but I'm not sure. Damn I do love it though! After I heard the Dave Mustaine Livewires (Active version of JB and Jazz set) with similarities in strength to EMGs, I'm not sure.. Tb-5 is definitely a top pickup.

ever try a 85 or a 89(same pup except the 89 can be split) in the bridge? Both are like a activ
e custom. Classic PAF but on steroids!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

The EMG 85 or 89 sounds nothing like a Duncan Custom, and the Duncan Custom sounds nothing like an EMG 85 or 89.

[savage]

JB, Custom, Distortion and Custom-Custom all kick ass.

I can't say any pickup is the best, it all depends on what guitar and body wood they go into

I couldnt agree more with this statment!
I use a JB in a alder charvel for the warren demartini, jake e lee,marty friedman tones.
A distortion in maple for old george lynch
a CC in ash for the Old EVH stuff.

[savage]

The EMG 85 or 89 sounds nothing like a Duncan Custom, and the Duncan Custom sounds nothing like an EMG 85 or 89.

well it was quite a while back when me and my bud were doin pu comparisons and i thought the custom and the 85 had the same basic tone curve? PAF type EQ curve but much bigger? Maybe it was a custom-custom? I had a 89 in my axe and he had the duncan something?