Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom Guitar Pickup Nickel

I fell in love with this pickup when I got my Fender Tom Delonge Starcaster! It sounds great going through my Boss ME-70 and into my Vox AC30. It sounds great in the studio. I bought one to put into a Baritone Starcaster build that I am working on.

Very toneful pickup. Some people see ceramic magnet and instantly assume the top end will be shrill or buzzy but not the case here at all. Magnets do not have a sound,their field,strength and footprint do.You can have a small ceramic mag (like this) and be fat or have a big alnico under wound and be shrill so you have to look past the magnet type. Probably the best pickup I have played for leads and I've owned more than 40 pickups I'm guessing. Sounds better than most bridge pickup humbuckers clean and that's not easy sound to do. I attribute that to my only gripe that the pickup has a small amount of P-90 type growly lower mids. But it's also that part of it that makes it sound great clean and very fat and toneful leads under gain. If you ever hear people play on their bridge pickup and wonder how they got it so fat and warm but still has punch and cut this pickup would get you there. The ceramic mag just helps tighten the 13.8K wind that could get muddy with a lesser mag. This pickup is really in it's own class. Works great with tons of gain or none. Not too hot so cleans don't have that thin dirtyness that other hot pickups give and you don't notice the P-90ish thing until you start adding distortion. At first I was disappointed in that but soon realized that was part of what made it different and fat but not dull or loose.Like the voice distortions that gives Rod Stewart,Don Henley,Bob Seger,Eddie Money or Brian Adams their tone, it adds something great and flavors.

I purchased an SH-1 and found it to be lacking that edge I was looking for to accompany my new Marshall dsl 40cr. The SH-6 I think would be too much (i had a duncan design Korean sh-6) so i went with this paf on steroids with a small ceramic magnet. Me personally i love it. But with that said it doesn't have a lot of low end. It's on the thin side, but there's no mud and that is what I've been fighting with my old duncan designed sh-6. But the sh-1 didn't have the aggressive metal edge. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Additionally i broke traditional rules and i flipped the sh-1 and put it in the neck slot. So far I like that.

I'd say it has about as much power as the JB but with a much different tone profile. The JB has an emphasis on the upper mids which gives it a searing sharp cutting sound. Sometimes too sharp and too icy. If you're looking for a PAF with more under the hood this pickup is for you. It's tighter and chunkier in the low end (no flub). A lot of metal players use this pickup because it's got enough power to handle lots of gain but remains clear and punchy. Sounds good over driven and clean. Smooth treble response with a scooped tone profile. Great all arounder. It'll handle what ever you throw at it and has become one of my favorites. I put it in my SG because the Gibson pickup lacked power and clarity but I still wanted that classic rock sound when I needed it. Now my SG can handle all styles with ease. Well worth it.

A guitar tech recommended to install a SH-5 in my old Japanese Fender Stratocaster 10 years ago and it was a pleasant surprise. I got round drive sounds (think EVH or Steve Lukather distortions), keeping a full clean with a bright beautiful tone and without extra mids. Also, I was able to kept some strat tones splitting that pickup. My only concern: as long as I had one SD Vintage Rails in the neck, it took me some time to adjust and get used to their different outputs, even lowering the pickup height. Despite that point, that's an awesome and versatile pickup. I don't like to use lots of gain and, trust me, SH-5 isn't only for metal guys.

Definitely a huge upgrade from the stock pick ups on my PRS S2. I paired these with the 59 neck and they are a perfect setup for me. From Tesla, to Journey, to Metallica they work well! No regrets. I'm so glad I only kept the stock S2 pickups in for a few weeks. It's like night and day much better sound and sustain.