Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 Review
- Barış Şahin
- 15 hours ago
- 6 min read
Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 Review
Perhaps my favorite humbucker family from Seymour Duncan is the “Custom” line. It’s a medium/high output, highly versatile series—essentially a pickup platform that gains its character based on which magnet it houses (and I believe “platform” is the perfect term to describe this group—kudos to the Guitar Pickup Database for coining it). Each of these pickups is great in its own right. You may already know the Custom 5 and the Custom Custom from my previous reviews. Although the Custom is actually the original model in this lineup, it ironically ended up being the last one I got to try. But hey, better late than never, right? So, let’s see what I think about this one...
The Test Guitar
‘Duncan Custom’ (DC shortly) still standing on my “Pink Tiger” for a while. That pink tiger is a superstrat has a Jackson Dinky body made of alder, one piece maple neck in modern C profile, German made Jackson Floyd Rose tremolo with Japanese stainless steel saddles, 25,5” scale, nickel silver frets, Alpha 500K pots and elixir strings in E-std tuning. Guitar has Bare Knuckle True Grit in the neck and No-name blade style middle pickup (~9K thou). Its primary (unplugged) tone is neutral to fairly bright.
Evaluation
Let’s read the official desciption first, as always;
“The Duncan Custom is a medium output humbucker pickup that features a small ceramic magnet and custom-wound coils to dish out a ‘P.A.F.-on-steroids’ tone. It has tight lows, a bump in the upper midrange that gives you more character and crunch, and an airy high end that cuts through heavy distortion but is also great for achieving crystal-clear clean tones. It’s especially suited for warmer-sounding guitars with a prominent midrange. Therefore, many players like to use it in Les Pauls and Paul Reed Smiths. It pairs well with the Jazz or ’59 neck models, and forms one half of our ’59/Custom Hybrid humbucker”
And from old catalogs;
“application
"P.A.F. on steroids" tone. Used for classic rock, heavy rock, funk, punk, R&B;, metal and drop-tunings.
description
Beefed up Patent Applied For tone for a hard-driving, kickin' sound with the right balance of power, sustain, and distortion. This pickup cuts through with a distinctive high end and midrange attack. The ceramic magnet and custom coil design give it compressed dynamics, an enhanced harmonic structure, and a punchy bass. Perfect for dropped tunings without "mushing" out. Comes with four-conductor hookup cable.
complete setup
Recommended for bridge position. Often a Duncan Custom is paired with an SH-1 '59 in the neck for bigger P.A.F. tones in the bridge and vintage-correct P.A.F. tones in the neck.
guitars
For balanced and warm instruments. Works especially well with rosewood fingerboards.
players
Mike Chlasciak / Halford (bridge), Whitey Kirst / Iggy Pop (bridge), Rick Jackett / finger eleven (bridge), Will Adler & Mark Morton / Lamb of God (bridge)”
…And, my measuremens are here;
Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5
Magnet – Ceramic (thin)
Advertised DCR: 14.10 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 13.93 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 6.96 K Ohm (Screw Coil)
Measured DCR: 6.99 K Ohm (Slug Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 7.60 H (Series)
Inductance @100Hz: 3.27 H (Screw Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 3.47 H (Slug Coil)
Advertised Resonance Frequency: 6KHz
Measured C: -20.8nF (Series)/ -38.3nF (Screw Coil) / -39.2nF (Slug Coil)
Output: Moderate/High
EQ (B/M/T) – 7/6/9 (old catalog data)
Gauss: 340G screw, 380G slug (measured at top center of D&G pole pieces)
Ambient Measurement Temperature: 20C
Visually examining the pickup, we can say that it looks like a typical humbucker—your standard, traditional Visually, the pickup has all the familiar traits. If you’ve ever seen a Jazz or a JB before, this looks exactly the same—nothing out of the ordinary. However, I should point out something surprising regarding the magnetic flux density over the pole pieces. Typically, humbuckers with ceramic magnets tend to show very high Gauss readings, often due to the large ceramic blocks inside—values like 400–500 Gauss or more aren’t unusual. But the Custom reads more like a typical Alnico 5-equipped humbucker: around 340 to 380 Gauss. That’s because the magnet inside the SH-5 is actually the same size as a standard Alnico 5 bar.
So how can we simply describe the tone of the S. Duncan Custom? Well, the official “PAF-on-steroids” description isn’t too far off. It gives a good idea of the general tonal direction—but it might not paint a full picture in your head. To my ears, its tonal color actually resembles the Duncan '59 bridge quite a bit. Very roughly speaking, if you've ever tried the Duncan '59 in the bridge position, imagine adding a bit more output, a touch more mids, and a little more bite—that blend would get you pretty close to the SH-5.
If I were to describe the EQ curve of the Custom, I’d say the low end is tight and clear (though not as bold as the Custom 5), the low mids aren't overly pronounced, and the upper frequencies are more prominent in the high-mid range. It definitely has some bite in that area. So, is it mid-scooped like some of the official descriptions suggest? Relatively speaking, yes—but that doesn’t mean the mids are missing or inaudible. It’s just not as nasal as something like the JB, and that’s what makes the difference. With that in mind, I totally get why Eddie Van Halen liked and used this pickup. For early Van Halen tones, this could easily be one of the best alternatives—bright and powerful. But for the “1984” or “Fair Warning” era and beyond, it might not be the ideal match.
From a technical standpoint, the pickup I expected to be most similar to the Duncan Custom was the DiMarzio Super Distortion. On paper, their specs are quite close—series DCR, individual coil resistances, and so on. The main differences lie in the Super Distortion’s use of a big fat ceramic magnet, a metal spacer bar next to the magnet, and large Allen screw pole pieces. Yet, despite all that ferrous mass, the Custom somehow ends up with about 1 henry more inductance than the Super Distortion—and I’m not entirely sure why. My best guess is a difference in wire gauge. The Custom is likely wound with AWG43 wire, while the Super Distortion may be using AWG44. In terms of tonal response, I’d say the Custom sounds more focused, whereas the Super Distortion has a broader tonal footprint. I also find the Super Distortion to sound both fatter and more powerful overall.
For the output, i would put Custom in the moderate or moderate/high output category. Because it feels that it is louder than most of medium output pickups. But it doesnt have the output of hi-output humbuckers with large ceramic magnets within. Like Dimarzio Super Distortion, Steve Morse Bridge, Evolution or Duncan Invader etc.
I’d say the best fit for the Custom is, just like what i said for Custom 5, riffs and rhythm passages. It’s a 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.
When evaluating the Custom in terms of dynamic range, I must say has a natural compression when volume pot is full up, but as you lower the volume knob down, you can get distinct cleans. This level of sonic clarity and control is very nice. Not best but still fine. Moreover, even with the knobs fully open, if the amp’s compression or saturation isn’t too high.
So, what should you pair with the Custom in the neck position? The first pickup that comes to mind is the Duncan '59 neck. Beyond that, it works well with most Alnico 5 PAF-style neck pickups that aren’t too mellow. The Jazz is another solid option. From the DiMarzio catalog, I think it would pair nicely with something like the PAF Pro. I should also mention that the Bare Knuckle True Grit Neck complements the Custom exceptionally well.
Cleans? Much better than i can expect :)
Conclusion
The Seymour Duncan Custom is an iconic pickup that has been around since the late '70s. It’s had its share of fame ever since the company associated it with EVH-style tones. But what really keeps it relevant is its versatility—it still finds a comfortable place in many modern genres that involve electric guitars. That’s largely due to the fact that it’s not overly focused or narrow-sounding, it’s relatively clear, it pairs well with Les Pauls, and it delivers the kind of tones that rock and its subgenres often demand.
While I personally find pickups with a more pronounced low-end response to be a better fit for styles like djent—where palm muting is key—the Custom is still more than capable of handling that territory. It really shines in Les Paul-style guitars or instruments with inherently warm tonal characteristics. That said, if your guitar leans toward brighter or sharper tones, something like the Custom Custom might be a better match. And for those who favor low tunings, I have no doubt you’ll find something to love in the Custom as well.
So taking all these parameters into account—I’d say go ahead and give it a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose. Just don’t wait as long as I did :)
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