Seymour Duncan Custom 5 Review (SH-14, TB-14)
One of my favorite series from Seymour Duncan is the "Custom" series. I've tried all of them except one, and I've never been disappointed. In fact, as Guitarpickupdatabase also points out, it would be more accurate to call the "Custom" family a “platform”. This is because the models differ primarily based on a fundamental characteristic. The Custom stands out with its ceramic magnet, the Custom Custom with Alnico 2, the Custom 5 with Alnico 5, and the Full Shred differentiates itself with its pole pieces and Alnico 5 magnet. Depending on which guitar it’s installed on and the tone you’re aiming to achieve, I think the Custom Custom is probably my favorite. However, the Custom 5 comes very close, just by a narrow margin.
The Test Guitar
Custom 5 i have still sits on my RG2550Z that has a basswood body, Wizard HP maple neck, Edge Zero tremolo, 25.5” scale, Jumbo nickel silver frets, Alpha 500K volume and tone pots, and 009-046 Elixir optiweb strings in E-standard tuning. The guitar has Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Bridge as neck and DiMarzio IBZ RG-S middle pickups. Its primary (unplugged) tone ranges from balanced to warm.
Evaluation
Let’s read the desciption first, as always;
“If the 59 Model bridge humbucker was twice as loud, it would be a Custom 5 (SH-14, TB-14)– scooped mids, even bass & treble, and high output.
Originally called the Custom Custom Custom, the Custom 5 high output humbucker pickup began life in our Custom Shop as a response to players requesting a brighter, alnico 5 version of the popular Custom Custom humbucker. It has a nice, full tone, a scooped midrange, and strikes a nice balance of bass & treble. This even response makes it extremely versatile and great for all types of music and playing styles. Match the Custom 5 with the 59 or Jazz neck model humbuckers for a perfectly balanced setup.”
Custom Custom Custom? Seriously guys? LoL :)
Now, let’s read my measurements here, but first you must consider the readings here are got through a patch cable on guitar. So direct measurements might be slightly different but the inductance. The inductance is strongly affected by wired in the circuit or not.
Seymour Duncan Custom 5 SH-14
Magnet – Alnico 5
Advertised DCR: 14.1 K Ohm (Series) (14.4K on old catalogs)
Measured DCR: 13.61 K Ohm (Series)
Inductance @100Hz: 7.05 H (Series) (actual value is estimated 8.10H)
Advertised Resonance Frequency: 5.4KHz
Output: High
EQ (B/M/T) – 6/3/8 (old catalog data)
Gauss: 320G screw, 400G slug (measured at top center of D&G pole pieces)
When you look at the pickup from the outside, it appears to be a typical humbucker. Since it’s currently installed in the guitar, I can’t take a recent measurement, but I recall measuring it years ago when I first got it and noticing that the slug coil was slightly overwound then the screw coil. Interestingly, I found the same situation with my Custom Custom; in that case, the screw bobbin measured 6.98K, while the slug coil measured 7.1K. It’s a very slight difference, but whether it’s a coincidence or not, I’m not sure. However, based on my experiences with the Custom family, there’s a good chance it’s not entirely accidental.
Another aspect that caught my attention is the magnetic flux density. Normally, for Alnico 5 humbuckers, I tend to get readings of around 350G at the pole piece tops. Of course, this value drops significantly in "degaussed" or "air-ed" magnets. However, I don’t recall another Alnico 5 humbucker with a reading as high as 400G. At one point, to improve clarity on the wound strings, I replaced the regular screws with allen head pole pieces (like the ones on the Full Shred), and the readings on those were more in the range of Alnico 2—around 270/280G. If I ever remove the pickup, I’ll be able to take more detailed measurements, but I don’t think I’ll be doing that anytime soon—unless, of course, Seymour Duncan sends me a New Year’s gift! :)
The Custom 5 has been with me for a very long time—about 12 years, maybe even a bit more. Ever since I got my RG2550, it’s been installed in that guitar’s bridge position. It was such a perfect choice for the tone I was aiming for with that guitar that I never even considered replacing it. Lately, I’ve had a bit of a “what if?” curiosity creeping in, but even if I were to change it, it would never be out of dissatisfaction. It would purely be out of curiosity or the desire to try something new. In this regard, the Custom 5 is definitely a “keeper.”
When we analyze the EQ spectrum audibly, I can say that the lows are very tight and powerful, mid mids are scooped but hi mids on the other hand are not; they are rich with some treble, yet it manages to avoid sounding too bright which sometimes original ‘custom’ is defied by some . Everywhere you read about Custom 5, you will read the term “Mid Scooped”. Is it so? Yes, mid mids are lower than most of the pickus in the 12-16K DCR range. But they are not all disappeared. I especially like the spike in the hi-mids/highs region.
I think the Custom 5 is one of the best among Duncan’s classic medium/high-output pickups. It’s perhaps the strongest alternative to the JB. While the JB is undeniably a humbucker classic, it’s not for everyone, nor for every guitar, nor every mood. There are plenty of people who aren’t fans of its honky character. That’s where the Custom 5 comes in as perhaps the most ideal Duncan alternative to win over that crowd. In terms of power or output, I’d say it’s comparable to the JB. However, the JB, with its more pronounced mids, sounds fatter and meatier overall. The biggest edge the Custom 5 has over the JB is in clarity. The JB is definitely not a clear pickup—nor is it designed to be. But the Custom 5 easily surpasses the JB in this aspect. Additionally, because it’s not a mid-heavy bomb, it performs much better in guitars with naturally prominent mids. For instance, if you have a mid-rich Les Paul or PRS and you pair it with a JB in the bridge, especially when running into a classic Marshall amp, the result can be, in my opinion, a muddy mid-heavy mess that’s hard to avoid. In such a scenario, the Custom 5 feels like a remedy. On the other hand, the JB’s biggest advantage over the Custom 5 lies in its distinct character, especially in solo/lead passages. It’s fuller, more present, and more noticeable in terms of tonal impact during those parts.
I’d say the best fit for the Custom 5 is riffs and rhythm passages. It’s a very tight humbucker. Chords sound full and rich, and in terms of note separation, I’d describe it as highly musical. Its presence in a mix feels saturated in tone but not over-saturated, which makes it an excellent rhythm tool for rock and metal music. Of course, this doesn’t mean it sucks at lead passages—it’s still quite good. In fact, it sounds fantastic on its own. However, within a mix, the ear tends to seek a bit more midrange presence to stand out better.
As many of you probably know by now, I don’t usually prefer humbuckers for clean tones. That’s what in-between positions and split tones are for. And thanks to their ~7K coils, the Custom series delivers excellent results in split mode. The in-between positions also perform far better than the standard “satisfactory” level you’d expect. In fact, if you set to position 2 (middle single+custom slug coil – parallel wired) and roll the tone knob all the way down, you can even get some quite PAF-like tones with overdriven sounds. Heil Mark Knopfler! :) However, I must say that the Custom 5, even for clean tones, holds its own quite well—especially when compared to its peers. It’s got a surprisingly pleasant clean character.
So, what pickups pair well with the Custom 5? Personally, I matched it with a Pearly Gates (bridge model) in the neck position and was very pleased with the results. My goal with this combo was to achieve those mid-90s raw John Petrucci tones. I chose a neck pickup with a bit more pronounced mids (or at least upper mids) to balance out the mid-scooped character of the bridge pickup. Beyond that, I can see it pairing well with other Seymour Duncan pickups like the '59, Jazz, or Full Shred Neck. On the DiMarzio side, the first neck pickup that comes to mind is the PAF Pro. Perhaps it could also work nicely with the Humbucker From Hell. However, other neck pickup options that come to mind might lean more toward the mellow/warm or middy side, which could create a mismatch or stark contrast when switching between pickups. Some guitarists might specifically go for that—Steve Morse, for example. But if you’re not someone who incorporates frequent pickup changes mid-song like Morse, you might find it less appealing. That’s just my two cents! :)
I haven’t used it on lower tunings yet. Keep an eye on that review for updates ;)
Conclusion
Even though the SH-14 Custom 5 has proudly held its place in the Seymour Duncan catalog for years, I don’t think it gets the recognition it truly deserves. If you’re into rock, power rock, hard rock, or progressive rock/metal and don’t have an overly bright guitar, and you’re looking for a clear yet powerful bridge pickup with tight lows and no honky character—and if the "Custom" feels a bit too bright for you—there isn’t a reason not to enjoy the Custom 5.
Additionally, fans of more modern metal styles will also find plenty to love about this pickup. I especially adore its response on the wound strings, which makes it a standout choice in my book.
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