Pickups for ES-355

Neilybob · April 2

On the OX4 pickup website it says about magnet types -

The OX4 SH (Semi Hollow) is PAF with A5 magnet in the neck for the highs and A4 in the Bridge. Some 335 type guitars can sound quite thick on neck pup due to the construction, I used A4 in neck and I like it, however some pro 335 players tried A5 in neck and said it has more topend at gig level volume so I went with that!

ElectricXII · April 2

+1 for Stormy Mondays.

stickyfiddle · April 2

Neilybob said:

On the OX4 pickup website it says about magnet types -

The OX4 SH (Semi Hollow) is PAF with A5 magnet in the neck for the highs and A4 in the Bridge. Some 335 type guitars can sound quite thick on neck pup due to the construction, I used A4 in neck and I like it, however some pro 335 players tried A5 in neck and said it has more topend at gig level volume so I went with that!

Yeah I saw that but not sure I want to effectively double up on those in my CS336.

It’s also entirely possible I'll try more than one set of pickups…

Neilybob · April 2

stickyfiddle said:

Neilybob said:

On the OX4 pickup website it says about magnet types -

The OX4 SH (Semi Hollow) is PAF with A5 magnet in the neck for the highs and A4 in the Bridge. Some 335 type guitars can sound quite thick on neck pup due to the construction, I used A4 in neck and I like it, however some pro 335 players tried A5 in neck and said it has more topend at gig level volume so I went with that!

Yeah I saw that but not sure I want to effectively double up on those in my CS336.

It’s also entirely possible I'll try more than one set of pickups…

Sorry what I was getting at is if you do buy a set of PAFs then also grab some different magnets at the time and give them ago.

Quite easy to swap magents in a humbucker as long as you know which is north and south ends of each magnet.

stickyfiddle · April 2

@Neilybob ; Ah gotcha! I honestly hadn't thought of that..!

Teyeplayer · April 2

Had a set of Fletcher Elysiums a little while back, I got them low wind and unpotted. They were fabulous so I’m currently considering a set for my 345. Held up against OX4 low winds. And conveniently are not pricey either. https://www.fletcherpickups.co.uk/humbuckers-1

markj · April 2

When I updated my R6 I replaced the Gibson custom shop P90,s with a set of ThroBak P90 set.
It was quite a gamble at their prices but they sound absolutely fantastic.
So if you’re not on a budget look at this option for your 355.

stickyfiddle · April 2

markj said:

When I updated my R6 I replaced the Gibson custom shop P90,s with a set of ThroBak P90 set.
It was quite a gamble at their prices but they sound absolutely fantastic.

Ha! I was keen on investigating until I saw the prices...!

I'll try a couple of others first I think...

guitargeek62 · April 2

stickyfiddle said:
@guitargeek62 i believe all the CBs are A3. It’s not that these are bad by any stretch, they just don’t quite do what I want them to.

One thing I am set on though is BKP 550k pots and giving myself the ability to change pickups without taking the whole harness out…!!

Ah I’d not noticed that! Mine were listed as Custombucker IIIs on the spec-sheet, so I assumed there were other mag versions - maybe I’ve got the ‘normal’-wind ones then versus your low-winds?

WYNIR0 · April 2

PAF Clone at the Bridge and P90 in the next covers all the bases I want on my 335alike

Boromedic · April 2

Don't get Riff Raffs mate, they're way too treble heavy I think.

I'll be honest, get some Vineham 6070s if you want TTops (AC/DC) make sure you get them unpotted though. Or he does a patent number variant that might work. He'll make pretty much whatever you want for about 200-220CAD, I had a set of Page Post 72 pickups made by them but mine have been lightly potted (wished I hadn't potted em now but hey ho...... at least I can crank em!), and they sound as good as my Mojos and way better than the Riff Raffs.

I got a pair of them shipped to my PO Box in Abu Dhabi for about £105.

DoctorX · April 2

I’ve had OX4 low winds and Monty’s PAF’s in 335, both are excellent. Wasn’t impressed by the Throbak SLE-101 plus set that I tried in it.

StuartMac290 · April 2

I've had four different sets in my 335 since I got it 15 years ago - Classic 57s, Stormy Mondays, OX4s and now Monty's PAFs. In all honesty there really wasn't much between them at all until the Monty's, which for me we're the first notable upgrade.

Boromedic · April 3

I actually really like the 57 Classics, great pickups.

stickyfiddle · April 3

Boromedic said:

I actually really like the 57 Classics, great pickups.

I'm not a big fan of the regular ones - they're just a bit bland. But the A3 ones in my SG are genuinely incredibly good. That guitar just sings and I've never once thought of trying something else in there since I fitted them.

My gut says I should try a couple of things for this one. There's a well-priced set of SD MJ Magics (A3, 7.6-8.4k) on ebay at the moment that I can shop & ship to be here by the time I'm back from our Eid holiday next week. That might be plan A...

Neilybob · April 3

StuartMac290 said:

I've had four different sets in my 335 since I got it 15 years ago - Classic 57s, Stormy Mondays, OX4s and now Monty's PAFs. In all honesty there really wasn't much between them at all until the Monty's, which for me we're the first notable upgrade.

Out of interest did you change the capacitor for the neck pickup like Monty advises on his website? It's a 0.015uf cap instead of a 0.022uf cap as he says it cuts through the mix more. I've done this with Monty's PAFs in my LP and it sounds great.

StuartMac290 · April 3

Neilybob said:

StuartMac290 said:

I've had four different sets in my 335 since I got it 15 years ago - Classic 57s, Stormy Mondays, OX4s and now Monty's PAFs. In all honesty there really wasn't much between them at all until the Monty's, which for me we're the first notable upgrade.

Out of interest did you change the capacitor for the neck pickup like Monty advises on his website? It's a 0.015uf cap instead of a 0.022uf cap as he says it cuts through the mix more. I've done this with Monty's PAFs in my LP and it sounds great.

I put in a full new Monty's harness at the same time, yes. It sounds tremendous. The only thing I'll ever do to that guitar now is re-fret or new nut as necessary. It's my favourite guitar.

stickyfiddle · May 2

Just to close the loop on this...

Per my other thread I fitted a loom from Monty's (special requests for long leads to the pickup cavities to enable future pickup swaps, plus modern not 50's wiring because I hate the way the controls work in middle position on 50s).

Then I fitted a bargain set of Seymour Duncan MJ Magicbuckers which so far appear to be highly excellent. I'll keep my eyes open for anything else a silly prices but I have no urge to change these at all. Crucially the middle position is doing exactly that bouncy chimy thing I wanted it to, which is fabulous.

Interstingly the Custombuckers that came out are both marked "Rhy". I don't know if that's just that they never specify between neck & bridge pickup because that's how it was in the old days, or if this was just a mid-2020 "Covid special", but I thought it worthy of note. Google brings up a couple of posts on MyLesPaul which suggest these are an intentional low-wind version, which makes sense. I doubt that makes them worth more than normal ones, but if anyone wants a set these are going spare and I don't mind selling rather than keeping to maybe reinstall for a future sale!!

Image: https://tfb-user-images.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/15d63ba782f4d0276a053a6def7b687c05cdd88be9464c6d5c

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rlw · May 2

saltnpepper said:

I have a CS-356 and played a BB King Lucille for years. I have had Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays in both. They work great for me, sweet and clear but fat enough when I need them to be.

I put a pair of these in a highly modded Sheraton - only the wood was original - and they were superb.

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Pickups for ES-355

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