All user reviews for the Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom

I purchased Seymour Duncan’s SH-5 bridge pickup because I received a wonderful Fender Strat as a gift but it had only single coil pickups and I needed something beefier and heavier for the music I play. I had the body of the Strat modified to be able to fit in a humbucker pickup and after a good deal of consideration I decided to go with the SH-5. My decision was certainly a good one and I do not regret making it because this SD pickup brought life to my guitar and it improved everything about it when it comes to sound, tone and sustain as well, not to mention the fact that my guitar is now less of a background hummer with the humbucker instead of a single coil pickup which tends to bring out some unwanted background noises.

Features and Sound

The SH-5 bridge pickup is a high output pickup using a ceramic magnet and as with all Seymour Duncan pups that I have some experience with, it comes with 4 conductors giving the more advanced players and modders the option of coil splitting which simply means that the player will have the ability to use the humbucker exactly as a single coil pickup with the simple flick of a switch. The SH-5 is similar to the famous JB pickup from Seymour Duncan. It has a beefy low end, a rich but moderate midrange and a decent amount of treble and while it is a high output pickup, the sound it produces will remain tight and focused at all times by having just the right amount of compression. It still is an open coil pickup but it still has a certain amount of compression to it which keeps the sound just tight enough.

The SH-5 is extremely versatile when it comes to sound and tone and you can literally play pretty much anything with it, depending on the rest of the gear you have available of course. Played clean, the sound it produces seems to be nothing really special but it does sound great to my ears during the few times I actually get to play clean. To me the pickup shines when overdriven or distorted. The sound is heavy with good sustain, natural and pinched harmonics sound very much alive while the rhythmic dead note chugs sound thick and powerful. More or less I made my Stratocaster sound pretty close to my Les Paul and it became much more versatile in sound. Before the modification, the single coil was too weak and lacked a powerful bottom end, especially for metal, but now I can play whatever I want.

Durability and Reliability

I own two Seymour Duncan pickups, the SH-5 and JB (SH-4) and so far I had absolutely no problems with either of them. They are easy to install, they feel extremely solid in your hands, it doesn’t feel like holding a cheap pickup made out of plastic. All Seymour Duncan pickups come with highly detailed installing instructions, including coil splitting and other options you may have other than the standard installation. You can fit your guitar with new pickup yourself, you just need a soldering iron and to pay attention to make the connections properly and solid enough to ensure proper functionality. The older SD pickup I have is a little over 2 years old and not once have I had a problem of any kind with it. I haven’t tried another pickup brand yet, but if I will change my guitar’s neck pickups as well, I will certainly rely on Seymour Duncan pups.

Overall Impression

If you are into hard rock and metal especially, you should really look into this pickup because it may be exactly what you are looking for. I love it mostly because it turned my Strat into something I actually enjoy playing and it made its sound and output much more appropriate for heavier genres of music.
To give you a better idea on how this pickup performs I will attach two covers I recorded using my Fender Strat with the SH-5. One of the covers is one of my favorite songs by Tool and there you can hear how the clean tone sounds, how the harmonics perform, dead note chugs, muted strings and of course a healthy dose of distortion. If you want to skip straight to the distortion part on Tool’s song just go straight to 5:15.

Tool cover - https://en.audiofanzine.com/guitar-pickup/seymour-duncan/Custom-Bridge/medias/audio/a.play,m.474895.html

Two steps from hell, Heart of Courage arrangement with guitar - https://en.audiofanzine.com/guitar-pickup/seymour-duncan/Custom-Bridge/medias/audio/a.play,m.474894.html

How long have you use it?
I use this mic for 6 months, I mount a Epiphone Goth G400 and bridge pickups (bridge) for a powerful and pplus prcis sound with a Seymour Duncan Sh1 ('59) in the neck (neck ) .dropoff window

What is the particular feature you like best and least?
I like good distos that sends even if I happen to find a little weakling ...
I do not like the old screaming that his super dmonte ears sometimes ...

Have you tried many other models before acqurir?
Well no H <img class="smiley" src="https://fr.audiofanzine.com/images/audiofanzine/interface/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt="wink" />

How do you report qualitprix?
The microphone is about 80 I think, and as it is a high-end microphones and everything and it's really cool to play, I think it's not bad.

With experience, you do again this choice? ...dropoff Window
Or or else I will look downright Dimarzio or put an active EMG kit for the potato because it is mounted on my guitar nag ...

I possde TB5 (sh5 floyd space) for a while but had not convinced me after editing, I'd mount with a Dimarzio Paf pro handle and mix sounded "small" and "narrow".
I recently ssay new microphones, I put the couple ct Paf pro / ToneZone, I handed a Air Norton in the neck I appreciates but not with ToneZone ( this is bold), I put with a Evo2 Air Norton (good but blah), a Steve's special (not bad but blah), a TB4 (sh4, good but a little soft) and finally a TB5 and it's really not bad with the Air Norton, good balance, there has teeth (with the + TB4), the Air Norton brings warmth and body and TB5 handles the attack and precision.

I find the couple norton Air / SH5 more adapt "my game" that the couple norton Air / ToneZone (thicker but less incisive).
Makes me want to try a TB6 the shot.

Micro originally fitted on my Vigier Excalibur original. It is a kind of modern ceramic version of PAF duncan with an output level too high.

I have not kept long because I found it too sweet and kind and is the most versatile microwave ceramics virtually all brands confused that I heard from his lack of nervousness (this just be an advantage but me is a barrier that blocks the dynamics of game especially palm mute)

In terms of qualities, this microphone was still a nice sustain, a beautiful grain, a defintion and some nice heat, and is also very good in split and parallel.

I think it is interesting for micro metal, progressive, hard rock, heavy blues and shred. The clear sound is also more fun than other microphones typed metal.

A microphone that has very good qualities in short, but to be chosen in case. Prior notice of the placed between the TB4 and TB6 and he's right. There is no fat TB4 and TB6 not the edge of but something between the two, which prevent to specialize. The price of versatility in short.

Seymour Duncan is one of the big 2 pickup makers in the guitar industry. It pretty much is them and Dimarzio ruling and making most of the pickups most people use. They kind of fill in different segments of the guitar industry with Dimarzio having a more modern and contemporary heavier area and Seymour Duncan filling in the more classic and vintage area. There are always exceptions to this rule though. The Duncan Custom is one of their more unique creations. While most of their pickups come with Alnico magnets the Custom has a ceramic magnet that gives it a bit more of a modern edge to it. The pickup has a slug on one coil and the screws on the other end. Seymour Duncan classifies this pickup as a medium output pickup but the output is more than adequate for just about every type of music you could want to play with a passive pickup. The pickup like most every modern pickup comes with 4 conductor wiring. If you are getting a new one you can do yourself a favor and get the liberator Seymour Duncan wiring system and help yourself to easier pickup swaps with their solderless system. This pickup reminds me of a hot rodded JB which itself is a hot rodded PAF. The tone is super tight in the low end for a Seymour Duncan. The low end frequences are also a bit more refined than on the JB. It is fat and the high end is nice but not harsh. The pickup has good high end clarity. This pickup goes great with a 59 or Jazz in the neck position. If you are looking for a Seymour Duncan for your bright position that is nice and tight and not a JB this is a good alternative to what everyone else is using.

I had been looking for a new pickup for my Edwards LP, since I'm not a fan of the Duncan JB that it came with. I tried a couple different pickups but as soon as I put the Duncan Custom in it I knew it was the right one. I just nailed everything I was looking for in this guitar.

For cleans it is pretty cool. Since it is not a super high output pickup it cleans up really nice. It’s a pretty warm pickup, which I really like for clean. It’s warm but still retains that bridge humbucker bite, makes for a really unique clean tone. Personally, I usually use the neck pickup for cleans so it is not a big deal to me either way, but it is nice to know that I can use it to get cool clean tones in a pinch.

For crunch stuff this pickup is all kinds of amazing. It is so crunchy with a lot of punch, I love it. My other guitar has a really high output pickup in it so I had been looking something that really shined for mid gain stuff, and this does it in spades. It is also not overly compressed so the single notes really pop, especially on the low strings. It has great clarity. It really captures that classic Les Paul tone without being muddy at all. I love it.

This pickup sound awesome for high gain too. Everything about I said about the mid gain stuff holds true, it is more open than a typical high gain pickup and really crunchy and punchy. One thing that surprised me was how nice and tight it is. It’s tight without being overly compressed. It really is a great sounding pickup, and quickly became one of my favorites.

Hi All, I have used this microphone dja Seymour Duncan Custom 5 SH in acute position on a guitar Fender Stratocaster japan.

And I can say that the silent trs very powerful bass and brilliant highs, grain is raproche Gibson PAF sound with mellow cot.

This is a good microphone for the Hard Rock and Melodic Metal and Rock to Jazz, for the fans!

It's a micro trs Gras, with the brightness on medium frequencies.

Equalisation of the microphone:
CUSTOM 5 SH, magnet cramique, DC resistance = 14.1 K
Frquence of resonance: 6.0 kHz
Low = 7
Medium = 6
Treble = 9

This microphone is used by Michael Schenker on guitars Gibson Flying V.

The group's guitarist LABYRINTH, Andrea CANTARELLA uses this microphone position Bridge on his guitar Charvel 650 XL (LABYRINTH is a group of True Metal Italian, Olaf THORSEN jou with this group).

This microwave has it all! It perfect for rock in general, but knows how to be loved by players of all styles, so its design is efficace.l magnet ceramic allows greater accuracy in standard alnico pickups, and a increased punch (without becoming aggressive) are precise highs, mediums slammin (perfect in the low-end chunks) and low inflation in the rondeur.le just give a microphone that articulates very well the sound, equally at home in power chords, palm muting that, or the solo mode disto.petit flat, however, clear sound: the power gained from a micro alnico blurs a little sound, making it more medium and less crystalline (for this, choose a seymour jazz), but nothing of the best mechant.un seymour (sounds better on a set neck guitars)

I bought this microphone used in excellent condition, I have installed the on my Fender Start United States, where he replaced a Fender Lace Sensor Red single itself, which replaced an original microphone. J have had to change the plate ...
It is a ceramic humbucker, it is very punchy in the midrange, precise and low output level is enormous,
I l have tried it on my peavey ultra tube and an H & K triamp, it is excellent to boost a good crunch or to wake up a tube amp a little older like JCM 800 or 900 but to play on a very large distortion, it to limit the gain on the amp, otherwise it becomes very rough.
I replaced it with a TB-12 George Lynch is less powerful but more versatile (certainly with a smaller output level)
I recommend this mic and Hard Rockers to Rockers to play but not really death metal unless you have an amp that does not gain a disproportionate because the microphone while the rest will ...
I will redeem it probably if I look forward to the microwave rock but for the Metal (death or melodic) he has not won. It remains a very good price / quality ratio as all humbucker Seymour (well that's my opinion).

Good meditation

I will not repeat myself I quite agree with the previous opinions.

I have wired to my sauce (I like electronics)

I have a push / pull and a Switch that allows me to have it in series, parallel and split.
Split the sound is pretty close to the style and strato-between with the middle (of SSL4 DUNCAN, micro worth more experienced) I sound hendrixien limit of time (celon amp setting) and it is very scalable. The microphone goes from a serious patator humbucker saturated overdrive on a small split in nice with SSL4 or in parallel.

You can do many things it is very comprehensive.

I mounted the microphone on PRS Santana SE in the bridge position.
The goal was to add a depth that was missing in the lower to the microphone in front.
I was looking for the same sound I heard in the demos of this on the site of micro seymour duncan, ie a sound with equalization V style that gives a tonalite boosted in low over the microphone that had PRECEDING a presence mainly in the treble. The result is a sound I would describe as cavernous.
The result is breathtaking. Exactly the sound I was looking for.
Position splitee not, I use it only for distortion in the sound that I defined above.
Splitee position, I use a couple with jazz in the neck position to get his stratien but sharper.

A beautiful micro

I have installed the microphone in the neck position on a good yamaha, cheap but very good violin, with alder body good.
The result is very satisfactory. Very good for all distortions, both blues rock, metal etc. ... It is a micro caracatère with a good bump in the midrange, which may displease some who want a more micro linear, versatile. The bass are present but gently.
The only downside in my view are acute. It is a powerful powerful micro, hot, but the highs are a little weak people, they do not show up and suddenly we have the impression if you rule badly the amp that we are only mediums, a bit like blowing in a watering can. For example the funk I think it is not too good microphone.