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Originally posted by Mac-P:
If you like warm, the Rio Grandes are unequalled. And that is coming from someone who has spent more money than I care to admit on pickups.

For what it is worth (and you can judge what my taste is by this), I HATED the Duncan Custom Custom. I thought it was shrill and lacking in low end. It also broke up too easily. Not good for clean playing at all.

On the other hand I love a good 80's Duncan JB (the alnico V magnets age and warm the sound up a bit). That is my 2nd favorite next to the BBQ bucker which has a similar strong midrange, but with less highs and more bass. Perfect to warm up a Gibson style guitar whose bridge pickup is located so close to the bridge (like an SG).

In a very bass heavy guitar the Rios may be too "thick" in the mids. I absolutely love them though. In a class by themselves as far as I'm concerned.

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Hey Mac,
That is an interesting assessment of the Custom Custom. I HATED(!!!!!! ) the CC the first time I heard it--YUCK! My best friend put one in his PRS and it sounded like a dying cow--all midrange, nothing else. This one in my Les Paul Std actually sounds excellent--very balenced with good low end, so I'm quite dumbfounded at this moment... I actually purchased a Wagner bridge pickup because I was ANTICIPATING the CC to suck, now I don't think I'll swap it...

The Rios are HUGE bang for the buck. I got a BBQ bucker in my Glaser strat and *so far* it is THE pickup for slide guitar--it really has the tone. THe only bad thing I can say about it is that it totally overpowers the poor Van Zant single coils. I bought some Barden singles from ToneQuest and will be putting them in this weekend to see how they fair.

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Originally posted by Williebudda:

quote:

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Originally posted by Mac-P:
If you like warm, the Rio Grandes are unequalled. And that is coming from someone who has spent more money than I care to admit on pickups.

For what it is worth (and you can judge what my taste is by this), I HATED the Duncan Custom Custom. I thought it was shrill and lacking in low end. It also broke up too easily. Not good for clean playing at all.

On the other hand I love a good 80's Duncan JB (the alnico V magnets age and warm the sound up a bit). That is my 2nd favorite next to the BBQ bucker which has a similar strong midrange, but with less highs and more bass. Perfect to warm up a Gibson style guitar whose bridge pickup is located so close to the bridge (like an SG).

In a very bass heavy guitar the Rios may be too "thick" in the mids. I absolutely love them though. In a class by themselves as far as I'm concerned.

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Hey Mac,
That is an interesting assessment of the Custom Custom. I HATED(!!!!!! ) the CC the first time I heard it--YUCK! My best friend put one in his PRS and it sounded like a dying cow--all midrange, nothing else. This one in my Les Paul Std actually sounds excellent--very balenced with good low end, so I'm quite dumbfounded at this moment... I actually purchased a Wagner bridge pickup because I was ANTICIPATING the CC to suck, now I don't think I'll swap it...

The Rios are HUGE bang for the buck. I got a BBQ bucker in my Glaser strat and *so far* it is THE pickup for slide guitar--it really has the tone. THe only bad thing I can say about it is that it totally overpowers the poor Van Zant single coils. I bought some Barden singles from ToneQuest and will be putting them in this weekend to see how they fair.

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Yea, it all DOES come down to the right pickup in the right guitar, through the right amp.

I'm sure the Duncan CC may sound good in some guitars, but by the website description, and I am a LONG time member of the Duncan board, I expected it to be warm. Funny.

I am always changing pickups. Sort of a hobby of mine. The bridge slot of that particlar SG saw (in order) the stock Gibson, Duncan C5, Duncan Custom, a DiMarzio Air Zone, my old JB, Duncan Custom Custom, the old JB again, and finally the Rio BBQ, which barring an act of god, is in there forever.

I like mids, so anything scooped to my ears makes a guitar sound really thin in the mix of a band. I also play clean at least 50% of the time, so there has to be clarity. I was looking for a full bodied bridge sound that doesn't sound all thin when you switch from the neck pickup.

The old JB made a couple of rounds in there. Awesome pickup, very vocal. I wanted a BIT less highs and more bass. Exactly what the BBQ is all about. The Rio guys deserve medals.

The two worst to my ears were the Duncan C5 (NO mids, small and wimpy sounding, tinny top end) and the Custom Custom which reminded me of a DiMarzio Tone Zone it distorted so easy. I had to pull it WAAAAY back from the strings to get it to behave. And all the while it had this shrill edge that was ANYTHING but warm. Yes both pups were wired correctly.

When the Rios went in there I was at peace for the 1st time in too long. The pickup that is under the radar.....

And yes, you NEED the right neck pickup to match the BBQ.

The same amp settings that made the Duncan '59 neck sound great made most bridge pickups sound too bright & thin (with the exception of the JB). When I put the BBQ in there, I realized my whole equation had to change. The Duncan '59 and Pearly Gates are "vintage voiced" pickups with much lower output than stock Gibsons. They sounded like single coils compared to the BBQ, so I just figured, try the "matching" neck pickup. I got a Genuine Texas neck. It certainly matches in terms of output. I mean, they go together.

Just my 2 cents!