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New R8 On it's way: Custombuckers or OX4 + Voodoo '59 or ReWind PAF-1?

Dilver

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Feb 17, 2016
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114
I've got a 2017 Custom Shop Les Paul Standard '58 on it's way and I'm already contemplating what mods I may need to make to it. I'm a player more than a collector, so as long as the mods are reversible, I'm okay with making it play/sound/look the way I want it.

I'm trying to decide if I want to keep the stock Custombuckers or replace them with some combination of the following, which I currently own.

NECK: OX4 neck pickup (A4, low wind, 7.3K)
BRIDGE: Peter Florance Voodoo '59 bridge pickup (A5, 8.1K), OR, a ReWind Electric PAF-1 (A4, med wind, 8.4K)

I have the OX4 neck pickup, and ReWind Electric PAF-1 bridge in another les paul right now and like them a lot, but I haven't tried the Florance Voodoo '59 bridge yet and wondering how it will compare to the ReWind.

I'll live with the Custombuckers for a bit to see if I like them, but wanted to hear from others that have tried them; kept them in or swapped them out.

I'm going for a bluesy, classic rock tone e.g. ZZ Top Brown Sugar; not a modern PAF-style tone, if that makes any sense.

Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:

geddy402

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
216
Suggest you give the custombuckers a chance and see if you bond with them. If you still feel like changing them I would recommend the Rewinds. I have a set in my R9 and 335, and they sound great. If you call James at Rewind he will wind one specifically for the sound you're going for. Really nice guy and a pleasure to deal with. Good luck in your tone hunt!
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Ok, I have a 2014 R9 with the custombuckers and I love them so much .Try them out for a bit ,I really think you will like them a lot .If I had to switch pickups I might be inclined to try Throbak's as I have heard and read nothing but the best compliments about them .
 

slammintone

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Joined
Jul 19, 2001
Messages
2,003
I have a 2017 R9 and so far I'm quite happy with the custombuckers. There's times I wish the bridge pickup had a bit more output to push the front end of my amp harder but there's also times they both just seem perfect. As far as recommend a pickup you will be happy with I couldn't tell you because I don't know your rig nor what you're after exactly. For me when I've decided to stray from stock pickups in my Historics it was always a crapshoot. I tried several well known to this forum makers of PAF clone types with varying degrees of success but in most cases the Burstbuckers were just as good or better.
 

Dilver

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Feb 17, 2016
Messages
114
I guess that's really what I'm asking: How do the Custombuckers compare to multitude of PAF clones? I didn't care for Gibson 57 Classics or Burstbuckers. And it seems like for the past few years, many of the clones have surpassed what Gibson was capable of producing (and still make their profit margins). Having never played Custombuckers, I'm curious about what they sound like, what words people use to describe them, recognizing that everyone's ears, rig, guitar, tastes, etc. are different. I've heard people describe certain brands of PAF clones as bright, darker, woody, airy, jangly, sparkly, having a a mid-hump eq, high-end hump eq, flat eq, etc. I know it's all relative.
 

slammintone

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Jul 19, 2001
Messages
2,003
Hard to say how Custombuckers compare with each other let alone with other pups. My 2014 R8 had them and it was dark and syrupy sounding. My current R9 with Custombuckers sounds good enough in every way I would have hoped for I'm not even thinking of changing them. If I had my R8 back with its Custombuckers I would try a couple of magnet swaps before I'd have them yanked all together. I believe the wind and materials to be quite good and Gibson hasn't started selling them aftermarket yet.
 

captainvideo

New member
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
87
I couldn't imagine changing pickups on a guitar I haven't actually heard yet.
I have a 2013 and 2016 R8. The Custombuckers should get the job done for you.
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Hope this helps as I have several guitars with the 57 classic in the neck and the 57 classic + in the bridge (which I do like this combination and it certainly does work for me ) The Custombuckers in my R9 are just at the next level of excellence up as they are that much more defined and so much more dynamic in every way imaginable .To me it's like the next step up from the 57 classics which I do like a lot but the Custombuckers are magnificent .Hope this helps ,as such they should be heard to be appreciated .
 

treatmanc

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Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
268
Dilver I had a 96 59 historic and a Goldtop Classic. The 59 got Florence 59s and the Goldtop got Florence 60s.. I always got complimented on the sound of the Goldtop over the 59, it would surprise me all the time. After a few months those 60s sounded better and better, the 59s kind of bland. Check out the 60s, they sound phenomenal.
 

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,951
I've not changed a single set of Custombuckers yet. Everything else I have.
 

Dilver

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Feb 17, 2016
Messages
114
So I tried to love the Custombuckers, I really did, trying different amps, amp settings, height adjustments, strings and... still just wasn't doing it for me. Either I must be in the minority, or they just don't suit this particular guitar, - or I suppose it's possible that I just got an ok set. The neck pickup was too wooly and didn't have the clarity of the Rolphs I have in a different guitar. The bridge pickup was very strident - more of a modern Les Paul tone. It rocked hard, but a little too mid- heavy and Hot for the blues-based rock that I do.

I should have clarified in my original post - I already own the three pickups I mentioned. I had the OX4 in another Les Paul and really liked it (but you really need to take the time to dial them in just right), and that same guitar also had the ReWind in it. I also really like the ReWind PAF-1- solid performing A4 bridge pickup, for sure. I picked up the Peter Florance Voodoo '59 bridge pickup used and had never tried any Florance pickup before and wasn't sure what to expect with the A5 mag.

In this guitar (2017 '58 Historic) the OX4 neck pickup sounds great - just like it did in the other guitar, once I got the height adjustment just right. The Florance '59 bridge pickup seems to have what I thought was lacking in the Custombucker bridge - clear, "natural", tight and chewy when overdriven (I know, hard to describe) with slightly scooped mids and a nice compression. Bright for sure, but not harsh. A lot like the JM Rolph, but a little more searing. I dig it. The tonal differences are actually much more evident when I play through my Swart STR Tweed vs my Fender DRRI. I'll hold on to the Custombuckers for now, but glad I made the switch.

I wasn't sure whether the two pickups would match up, but the middle position tone is great and the output seems to be fine with each pickup right around 1/16" from the strings.

I dont really hear hear too much about pickup sets mixing magnets - is it odd that I'm digging an A4 neck/A5 bridge set? As long as it sounds good, I don't really care, but just curious if others are experimenting with mismatched magnet types.
 

thejaf

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Oct 27, 2006
Messages
527
I've had a set of PF Voodoo 59s in my #1 for 10 years now, love them. You described the bridge pickup to a T.
 

JEDHRMC

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May 6, 2016
Messages
9
I have a set of Rewind creme brules on one of my TH9s and stock custom buckers in the other TH9. The Rewinds are much more agressive than the buckers and i have to back the vol down tp 2 before they clean up (w after market caps and pots). Thr custom buckers are much more classic PAF sounding and clean up around 7-8 on the vol. Love em both: different tools for difft jobs!
 

mustachio

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Nov 18, 2015
Messages
178
Man, what a great dilemma to have. I mean, it depends. Every guitar sounds different no matter the pickups. I'm not a fan of heating up my pots over and over again. I've had a bunch of Throbaks. I love Custombuckers. Never tried the OX4, which I would love to. Nor the Voodoo. I took a shot on Wizz PAFs. I have no complaints. They're a little cheaper than Throbaks as well. About 4-6 week lead time. You have to order in the first of every month as he only takes orders that he can fill. I think they have a beefy Telecaster sound. Very clear. Throbaks do the same but don't have that hollow, woody, knocking tone, to my ears. But, I've only had Throbak SL101s. So, grain of salt. Good luck with your "problem".
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
I've not changed a single set of Custombuckers yet. Everything else I have.

Samething here in Big Al land. The only stock pickups on my non vintage guitars are Custom Buckers. Suit me and my needs perfectly.
 

bluesky636

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Jan 10, 2014
Messages
656
I swapped the Custombuckers in my 2014 R8 for SD Joe Bonamassa Skinnerburst pickups. Much happier with the sound now.
 

alnico59

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Nov 4, 2014
Messages
150
For me I thought the CB's in my R9 and R8 sounded great for clean tones through a Fender style amp. Think Mike Bloomfield. But dirty through something like a Marshall I struggled. During my pickup journey I found I prefer slightly under wound A5's for their clarity.
 

Dilver

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Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
114
For me I thought the CB's in my R9 and R8 sounded great for clean tones through a Fender style amp. Think Mike Bloomfield. But dirty through something like a Marshall I struggled. During my pickup journey I found I prefer slightly under wound A5's for their clarity.

This is exactly what I'm finding. A5 bridge pickup provides the clarity I wanted.
 
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