Versatile Humbuckers: The SH-5 Custom & ’59 Model
Last Updated on October 5th, 2022
The Seymour Duncan ’59 Model and SH-5 Custom humbucker pairing is a favorite around Seymour Duncan. And we know a thing or two about pairing versatile pickups. From our prepared sets to our loaded pickguards, we’ve been combining great pickup tones for years. In fact, you can read about another ’59-combo in Part 1 of this series, The JB and 59 – A Classic Combination. But this time around, we’re going to focus on adding the SH-5 Custom’s punchier attitude to the ‘59’s PAF-style tone.
SH-1 ’59 Model
The ’59 Model humbucker is one of our most popular pickup designs. It’s also one of the longest-lasting models in our company’s history. And though times and styles have changed, the Seymour Duncan ’59 has not. It’s still one of the best replacement humbuckers for PAF tone and modern construction.
Place it in the neck position of your guitar, and the ’59 Model delivers a clear, warm, and slightly scooped tone. It sounds highly detailed, even with plenty of distortion. And it never gets too muddy. This makes it one of the most versatile humbuckers we offer, as comfortable with jazz as it is metal.
There are plenty of other vintage-voiced humbuckers on the market. But the ’59 Model has stood the test of time, offering those old-school tones with modern construction reliability. It’s even spawned a ton of other models, like the one we’re going to talk about next.
SH-5 Custom
Many guitarists consider the ’59 Model’s vintage, passive humbucker tone to be like a “Tele on steroids.” If that’s the case, then the Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom is like a ’59 Model on steroids. It has all of its predecessor’s clarity and old-school character, but with more output and attitude.
That increased output is perfect for players wanting vintage tone with more flexibility. It’s great for driving your amps and pedals a bit harder. It helps the pickup balance with a lower-output neck humbucker (like the ’59). And because the Custom’s voice adds more to the uppermids, it cuts through overdrive while always sounding full.
If you like your HH guitar pickups more in the ’50s and ’60s-sounding era but also need the benefits of more power, then the SH-5 Custom is sure to be a favorite.
The Custom and ’59 – A Rocking Combination
When selecting HH guitar pickups, some players live and die by “matched sets” of PAF clones. But utilizing two similar-output pickups can cause some problems in the balance department.
Problems with balance
Because your guitar string has a wider vibration over your neck pickup, that pickup will seem louder than a similarly voiced bridge humbucker. The neck pickup’s location also captures much more low-end. That means, if you dial your rig for a sweet-sounding neck tone, you may find it too thin and weak when switching to the bridge position. The inverse is true as well.
So how do you solve this?
You install the ’59 Model and Custom Model humbuckers.
From the day we designed the SH-5 Custom humbucker, the goal was to offer a ’59, but with a hotter output. Not only does that output drive your amps, but it minimizes the dropout when switching back and forth between pickups. It also retains a fuller sound, all but eliminating drastic loss of tone when switching pickups.
High-gain Tones
This pickup duo isn’t just for the classic rock guys. It’s a popular setup for hard rock and metal players as well. Due to the Custom’s punch and upper-midrange cut and the ’59’s clarity and full sound, the pair loves high-gain tones. Keep it on the Custom for your aggressive riffs and tight rhythms. Then switch to the neck for articulate leads and beautiful clean passages.
Work those controls
Are you a player who likes working your guitar’s controls for your various tones? These pickups are for you, too!
Both the Custom and the ’59 have an open tone without loads of compression. They both clean up beautifully when you roll back your guitar’s volume knob. And if you play a Gibson-style guitar with dual volume and dual tone controls,dialin a great drive tone on your amp, pedal, or modeler, then roll back the ’59’s volume knob. With your Custom full-up, you can now switch from crystal cleans to screaming overdrive with the flick of your pickup selector.
Let’s talk tone!
If you have any other questions aboutcombiningthe 59 Model neck andCustombridgeas a set or finding themost versatilehumbuckers for your guitar, don’t hesitate to reach out. And don’t forget to dig into the Seymour Duncan blog. There’s a ton of in-depth information on all of our different designs, how-tos, tone demonstrations, and a lot more.
Remember to sign up for Seymour Duncan’s free Pickup Installation 101 online course for more in-depth information, tips, and tricks.
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