# Duncan Custom SH-5 vs Distortion SH-6



## Zado (Apr 28, 2014)

Hi there guys!

A wind of change has been blowing here lately,and now due to more 80's hard rock oriented preferences,I've decided to swap the EMGs in my Hellraiser for a couple of passives.Thing is: the guitar itself sounds rather dark/bassy with a certain compression and lack of clarity on higher registers even while unplugged.While the dark sound was somehow helpful with the 81 (which gained body)for modern metal,it really gave no satisfaction with more vintage oriented rock tones.

Now,I'm stuck with two pickups I've found possibly helpful for my purpose (Schenker,Aldrich,Vandenberg,some hair metal,Campbell,VH...) :

-Duncan Custom Sh-5

-Duncan Distortion


I was never really into JB,many friends of mine love it,but I've always found something I couldn't stand,though it's said to be possibly the best 80s pickup made by Duncan,along with Distortion.Yeah,Duncan Distortion....Never cared for it cause,you know,it's one of those pickups you usually see on youtube reviewed with absurd ear bleeding gain,something that can only let you think "this is wound with corpse veins and teeth insteat of magnets",not actually appearing as a rock piece of gear.Then you come to know it was Lynch most used pickup,and your perspective changes,and you start gathering interest and infos about it.The pronunced upper mids would come handy in my situation right?Not sure if it could be a lil "too much" though,I don't need an EMG 81 mkII or something like that,and I'm not interested in death metal or major heavy tones,I already have pickups that satisfy me that way.
On the other hand the Custom appears to be just as good with its upper mids,roaring,but more calm and controllable when needed,for classic rock and other lighter genres too.Problem is: I read here that the SH-5 can sound awful muddy in a warm sounding guitar.

I was considering the Screamin Demon too,which could be not gainy enough for the bridge,but fit the bill as a neck pickup (something with great definition is needed there).Also,I like the tightness of a ceramic magnet for the bridge position(another reason why I chose the two guys above).


Any suggestions/solutions?

Oh btw I've already seen this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryzie8mham8

and though it's a great video,incredibly played,it really doesn't deliver the tones I'm searching for,and I really don'twant to be mislead by looking at it..I mean,the dimebucker sounds rather good there,but when I played it I totally hated the way it sounded...


----------



## Konfyouzd (Apr 28, 2014)

I tried the JB and SH6 and hated both. I have an SH5 in the mail now actually so I'll let you know how it goes.


----------



## greendog86 (Apr 28, 2014)

its funny... i just got my sh-6 in the mail to replace a jb :]
i like the jb, one of my favorites, had it on so many guitars i can't even count.
but wanted something hotter for this particular guitar, also heavy mahogany body.
like you i couldn't decide between the sh5 and the sh6... went for the sh6
because its kind of a safe bet in mahogany.


----------



## Der JD (Apr 28, 2014)

I've tried the JB and Duncan Distortion in the same guitar and they really don't sound massively different. The DD might be a little tighter in the lows, smoother in the high mids, and more aggressive in the highs...but not a world of difference. I've always heard the DD is basically a JB with a ceramic magnet but I don't know this to be fact. 

I have no experience with the Custom.


----------



## stuglue (Apr 28, 2014)

I had the SH 5 in an old PRS style copy, loved it, opened the sound from the rather hot pickups that were installed by default.
Its got a good emphasis in the high mid range. I'd definitely recommend it


----------



## Chrisjd (Apr 28, 2014)

My experience for anything downtuned is that the Distortion sounded much better to me. I actually really don't like the JB but I adore the distortion for being mean, tight, thick and cutting.


----------



## asher (Apr 28, 2014)

I hated the JB I had in my old Dinky - it felt completely castrated.

I've got a Custom in my Agile AL-3200 (so, maple neckthru with mahogany wings), and it's great.


----------



## Konfyouzd (Apr 28, 2014)

Der JD said:


> I've tried the JB and Duncan Distortion in the same guitar and they really don't sound massively different. The DD might be a little tighter in the lows, smoother in the high mids, and more aggressive in the highs...but not a world of difference. I've always heard the DD is basically a JB with a ceramic magnet but I don't know this to be fact.
> 
> I have no experience with the Custom.



It is DEFINITELY more aggressive in the highs, but I find them both to be rather aggressive in that department.


----------



## Zado (Apr 28, 2014)

Konfyouzd said:


> I tried the JB and SH6 and hated both. I have an SH5 in the mail now actually so I'll let you know how it goes.



Oh that's great man! What did you find so horrific about both the JB and the DD?And what genres do you play?



> its funny... i just got my sh-6 in the mail to replace a jb :]
> i like the jb, one of my favorites, had it on so many guitars i can't even count.
> but wanted something hotter for this particular guitar, also heavy mahogany body.
> like you i couldn't decide between the sh5 and the sh6... went for the sh6
> because its kind of a safe bet in mahogany


I'm sure the distortion brightness can be tamed by warm sounding bodies,but the SH6 it's said to be a love/hate pickup no matter what,and I'm not 100% sure I'd love it,so I need to collect as many opinions as possible


> I've tried the JB and Duncan Distortion in the same guitar and they really don't sound massively different. The DD might be a little tighter in the lows, smoother in the high mids, and more aggressive in the highs...but not a world of difference. I've always heard the DD is basically a JB with a ceramic magnet but I don't know this to be fact.


That's a plausible reason why I could hate the DD then


> I had the SH 5 in an old PRS style copy, loved it, opened the sound from the rather hot pickups that were installed by default.
> Its got a good emphasis in the high mid range. I'd definitely recommend it


The "opened sound" would definitelybe a huge plus



> My experience for anything downtuned is that the Distortion sounded much better to me. I actually really don't like the JB but I adore the distortion for being mean, tight, thick and cutting.



Yep,I read this in some reviews,but I play standard!



> I hated the JB I had in my old Dinky - it felt completely castrated.
> 
> I've got a Custom in my Agile AL-3200 (so, maple neckthru with mahogany wings), and it's great.


Another point for the SH5

I have not totally discarted the DD yet cause of the damn great sound lynch sends thru my speakers Well that's a strat anyway,with effects, in a band and with great hands


----------



## Konfyouzd (Apr 28, 2014)

Both the JB and the Distortion--when I used them--were incredibly trebly and they ended up sounding quite harsh when I recorded them as a result. I did a lot of things like try to bring down the presence, gain and treble, but they still just had this harshness in the highs that I was never really able to dial out without losing some body. If I managed to dial out the harshness then it wuld end up sounding similar to the difference between how people sound in real life vs over the phone if you can imagine that.

I play melodic metal/post rock-ish type stuff mainly.

If you need a comparison with a pickup I actually DO like, I rather enjoy the following pickups:

-DiMarzio Evolution 7
-DiMarzio Blaze Custom
-DiMarzio Super Distortion
-DiMarzio DActivator 8
-Lace XBar
-Seymour Duncan Blackouts (there was a special SS.org run; these may differ a lot or a little from normal retail versions--not sure)
-Seymour Duncan Pegasus


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 28, 2014)

Ever thought about the PAF Pro? It's one of DiMarzio's more '80s pickups.


----------



## Konfyouzd (Apr 28, 2014)

I have a set of those at home waiting to go into a 570 I'm building. I'll be able to talk about those in a few days if that will help.

I also like the X2N. It's a misleading pup just looking at the output.


----------



## bouVIP (Apr 28, 2014)

I have a Distortion in my Telecaster (tuned low to Drop A#) and it sounds good through my heavy distortion patches on my pod, but through things like my marshall (clean or gain) it sounds harsh as Konfyouzd puts it.

I have a Custom in my PRS and it sounds great though! It handles anything from clean to my marshall cruch to my 6505+ tone.


----------



## Zado (Apr 28, 2014)

I honestly have no experience with DiMarzio pickups,I hear 'em in friend guitar and never really gave me a good vibe,but I don't really know which models those were.That said,I liked very much those I played in a MM silhouette 20th anniversary,but those are supposed to be custom made,I guess




> but through things like my marshall (clean or gain) it sounds harsh as Konfyouzd puts it.


well,I actually play an hot rodded marshall,so this is quite significant I've just seen this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo3GKHb11UM

And while I can see how good it can cut thru a band mix,yeah,it's rather harsh alone,though played with a strat.Possibly a one trick pony pickup too,isn't it?A lil bit 81 reminding too,for certain aspects


----------



## Konfyouzd (Apr 28, 2014)

Similar to an 81 but I had an easier time taming the 81.


----------



## Triple-J (Apr 28, 2014)

The Duncan Distortion has been my "go to" pickup in my 6's & 7's for about ten years now I've used it in alder and mahogany bodies and it can be trebley (more so in alder bodies) but it is tameable with eq, I can easily get thrash/traditional metal style tones out of it but recently I've been playing a mix of blues, rockabilly and 80's hard rock with lower gain and it sounds nice tight and punchy.

I've used the neck version of the Duncan Distortion too and in my opinion it's a real hidden gem in the Duncan catalog as it's very smooth and warm with incredible sustain but it always retains it's clarity plus it sounds great clean and I actually think it's a much better pickup than it's bridge counterpart.


----------



## greendog86 (Apr 28, 2014)

so i just installed my new sh6 (instead of a sh4 as i said before), it sound quiet the same as the sh4 with this strong mid bite, but its hotter, clearer and tighter.. just perfect!
cleans up pretty well... better then i remembered, though the sh4 has better cleans imo and is also split nicer.
anyway, i would say the jb is the perfect all around pickup, it can do
cleans, rock, blues, metal - and the dd is like the jb's evil twin, more aggressive,
and suits better for heavy rock and metal.


----------



## edsped (Apr 28, 2014)

I got an LTD Elite ST-1 that came with a Custom. I didn't really jive with it, seemed hollow and stiff with a sort of shrill top end. Decided to try out a Distortion, it sounds much fuller and is actually less shrill, which really surprised me since everyone always complains about the Distortion's top end. I threw the Custom in a darker guitar and it sounds pretty good in there.


----------



## 9Lives (Apr 28, 2014)

I love the 59/custom hybrid. Not sure of anyone said it but sounds really good and they make a 7 version.


----------



## 7stg (Apr 28, 2014)

The SD black winters or the DiMarzio evolution maybe

black winters vs distortion 0:51 to 1:13 gives a good comparison.


----------



## Purelojik (Apr 28, 2014)

SH-5 is my all time fav Seymour Duncan, For the walnut guitar i made i opted for a Custom 5 because the guitar itself was already mid heavy. both are killer pickups. let me know if you wanna hear a demo of the custom 5

if you order the SH5 then ask them to include an alnico 5 magnet so you can swap and BAM new pickup


----------



## Zado (Apr 29, 2014)

Konfyouzd said:


> Similar to an 81 but I had an easier time taming the 81.



damm there are quite some eq problems with that then




> The Duncan Distortion has been my "go to" pickup in my 6's & 7's for about ten years now I've used it in alder and mahogany bodies and it can be trebley (more so in alder bodies) but it is tameable with eq, I can easily get thrash/traditional metal style tones out of it but recently I've been playing a mix of blues, rockabilly and 80's hard rock with lower gain and it sounds nice tight and punchy.
> 
> I've used the neck version of the Duncan Distortion too and in my opinion it's a real hidden gem in the Duncan catalog as it's very smooth and warm with incredible sustain but it always retains it's clarity plus it sounds great clean and I actually think it's a much better pickup than it's bridge counterpart.


mmm just like an 81,it always retains its tightness no matter what right?this might be both interesting and unpleasant depending on the situation,I'm not always into particularly aggressive sounds

Had no idea about the Distortion neck,I read it's said to be the Seymourizer or Sh-7,is it some sort of Distortion similar,just put in neck position or rather a totally different pickup which sounds fine coupled with the sh6?



> so i just installed my new sh6 (instead of a sh4 as i said before), it sound quiet the same as the sh4 with this strong mid bite, but its hotter, clearer and tighter.. just perfect!
> cleans up pretty well... better then i remembered, though the sh4 has better cleans imo and is also split nicer.
> anyway, i would say the jb is the perfect all around pickup, it can do
> cleans, rock, blues, metal - and the dd is like the jb's evil twin, more aggressive,
> and suits better for heavy rock and metal.


A more aggressive JB...it migh be very nice for certain circumstances,but I fear it may become somehow annoing when playing some classic stuff



> I got an LTD Elite ST-1 that came with a Custom. I didn't really jive with it, seemed hollow and stiff with a sort of shrill top end. Decided to try out a Distortion, it sounds much fuller and is actually less shrill, which really surprised me since everyone always complains about the Distortion's top end. I threw the Custom in a darker guitar and it sounds pretty good in there.



Maybe it's the same old story: DD works great in strats and superstrats,the custom is the LP/dark instrument go to pickup!I have a strat project in mind too,though I expected to put the 81 (which usually sounds great in strats)...but well who knows



> I love the 59/custom hybrid. Not sure of anyone said it but sounds really good and they make a 7 version.


Since I'm buying used stuff,I tend not to consider that model,there aren't any used ones around here  could have been interesting since both 59 and custom are somehow 80's oriented pickups....maybe another time 



> The SD black winters or the DiMarzio evolution maybe
> 
> black winters vs distortion 0:51 to 1:13 gives a good comparison.



Black winters are way toooo heavy for my purpose...evolution? now givin a look,thanks!



> SH-5 is my all time fav Seymour Duncan, For the walnut guitar i made i opted for a Custom 5 because the guitar itself was already mid heavy. both are killer pickups. let me know if you wanna hear a demo of the custom 5
> 
> if you order the SH5 then ask them to include an alnico 5 magnet so you can swap and BAM new pickup



I remember playing a custom 5 with the kiko signature,and while I didn't particularly like it under heavy gain,it had sort of a vintage vibe with crunchy tones I liked a lot! I may decide to buy some alnico 5 magnets as well,if I decide to go with the custom


----------



## 7stg (Apr 29, 2014)

dimarzio d activator neck pickup in the bridge position could work. Brighter, medium output, good clarity.


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Apr 29, 2014)

I think the SH-5 would be a good fit. I had a Custom Custom in a pretty "80's" guitar and it was close enough to that sort of sound that just the difference in magnets would likely get the pickup the rest of the way there, you know?


----------



## Choop (Apr 29, 2014)

Sh-5 all the way! The duncan site describes it as a PAF on steroids, and that's pretty accurate. It's also a very tight and clear pickup, which allows it to be good for metal and the like, as well as classic stuff.


----------



## Colossal Incantation (Apr 29, 2014)

The SH-5 Duncan Custom was originally designed to be a certain someone's signature pickup.
So it's a great choice for 80's hard rock and metal. Sounds huge in a Les Paul and Eclipse as well.


----------



## Zado (Apr 30, 2014)

Mmmm ok,SH-5 then! Hoping to find one for cheap around here,not easy since it's not a very popular hum at all,but with some patience....Thank you all guys!



> The SH-5 Duncan Custom was originally designed to be a certain someone's signature pickup.
> So it's a great choice for 80's hard rock and metal. Sounds huge in a Les Paul and Eclipse as well.


I remember reading somewhere it was indeed designed for EVH,but found no evidence on the web 'bout this it's also very different from both the frankie and the '78 afaik,so no idea really


----------



## chassless (Apr 30, 2014)

I've heard a couple of times from people that they can nail EVH tones with the Custom Custom, which is a regular Custom with an A2 magnet. 
(i love the redundancy of "regular Custom" ha ha.)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 30, 2014)

Off-topic real quick, but apparently the SH-5 isn't related to Eddie at all. Duncan supposedly released an EVH pickup, but Eddie got pissed and Seymour stopped selling it, eventually doing so again in the mid-2000's. I think the SH-5 was just DiMarzio's answer to the Super Distortion, but I've also heard it was designed for Elliot Easton of The Cars. 

The Custom Custom will get you later Van Halen tones, most likely post-OU812. The Custom Custom is supposed to be very, very similar to his signature EVH pickup.

Or I can be wrong, since Colossal Incantation is a SD rep.


----------



## Zado (Apr 30, 2014)

I remember some really hot discussions in both SDforum and DiMarzio's about that,but as usual nothing really definitive came out there was a certain accordance about the SH5 being the reproduction of the mighty mite pup EVH played back in the day (Seymour Duncan had to rewound it,apparently),and about the Frankie being a custom shop SH-11 with decaussed AII magnets,but who knows,when talkin about EVH you can't even say for sure he played guitar


----------

