Tom919 Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) Are the MHS pickups at all similar or related to the Custom Shop Custombuckers? Edited May 10, 2018 by Tom919 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trapland Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Are the MHS pickups at all similar or related to the Custom Shop Custombuckers? Sorry nobody answered. In my opinion, no. I’ve watched a video by Memphis staff where the guy said they were made in-house in Memphis. The first 4 guitars I’ve bought that came with them sound absolutely nothing like Custombuckers. In fact I love Custombuckers but have absolutely hated all 4 sets of MHS. They were very muddy, wooly yet has a crazy amount of string noise while having little highs. Played clean, with the bass knob off, not too bad, I kept them in my ES-175 and switched to flatwounds. Now surprisingly, I just picked up a figured 335 with MHS and they sound great.....so I can’t say they all sound bad to me. The new guitar still has excessive string noise, call it air, but is much clearer overall with more usable high midrange tones. Do they sound like Custombuckers? No way. In my opinion Custombuckers are the best sounding pickup, period. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Funny, I have the MHS pups on a LP-ES and they're excellent, but on an ES-275 semi which I sent back the bridge was 1/2 the volume of the neck pup. Invariably most who review them like the MHS quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djhblues Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I have the MHS pickups in my 2015 ES-Les Paul, and I think they sound fantastic. That being said, other than my PRS Custom 24, and a '72 Les Paul Deluxe, I have nothing else to compare them to. Ive been playing a G&L Asat classic and a Fender EJ Strat for years, and had forgotten how much fun a Les Paul can be again.Of course, its all subjective, but most players have been pleased with the pickups and I do get compliments on the tone of my guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Funny, I have the MHS pups on a LP-ES and they're excellent, but on an ES-275 semi which I sent back the bridge was 1/2 the volume of the neck pup. Invariably most who review them like the MHS quite a bit. It could've been as simple as adjusting the Pickup height... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wmachine Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Most of the MHS comps I've seen and personally observed have been to Burstbuckers, which have been the pups alternatively used in recent years non-reissue ES-335 models. Muddy, lack of clarity being the form of criticism of the MHS relative to the BBs. But I think a couple factors come into play along with pup height already mentioned. 1. I think BBs are brighter pups. 2. Titanium saddles accentuate the brightness, especially as opposed to nylon saddles which can greatly contribute to the relative muteness of the MHS pups. BUT From those (not me) that have a lot of experience with vintage ES-335s, the reissues ('58, '59, '64 and probably others) that have MHS pups and nylon saddles virtually nail the vintage sound. That tells me that Gibson knew what they were doing with the reissues. The "problem" is that some much better like the brighter sound. I can't blame them, but that doesn't mean that it is "better" and doesn't make it historically accurate. But once again, I think Gibson recognizes that also, and that probably why the non-reissues have what they have and sound like they sound. Some have found the sound they want with the reissues with nylon saddles by simply replacing the nylon saddles with titanium ones. Me? I love the MHS pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 It could've been as simple as adjusting the Pickup height... Nope, even with the bridge nearly touching the strings the bridge pup was worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry W Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 Well....... I have MHS in my 2018 ES-335. I have CustomBuckers in my 2016 R9. I have Burstbuckers in my 2009 R9. I find that the CustomBuckers are the brightest, almost thin, sounding of the three. The Burstbuckers are smooth....with fairly even response across the spectrum. The MHS have the rawest, most organic, sound. I have to say that, in my own little opinion, the MHS are the best of the three. They really do deliver a "vintage" tone very much like the recordings of guitar from the 60s - 70s. Memphis Historic Spec. I think they nailed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdrummerzero Posted April 28, 2019 Share Posted April 28, 2019 I have them on my 2016 Memphis ES Les Paul and love em' sound great to me, but I am a Drummer... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobalu Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 The reason I bought my 2016 ES Les Paul was for the MHS pups. I think they sound fabulous. Sorry I can't comment on Custom Buckers, and BB's are too bright for my liking (I'm seeing a pattern in this thread - if you like BB's, you won't care for the MHS... :)) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 I have them on my 2015 ES Les Paul. I think they sound great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontar Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 New to the forum... I have a 2018 Es Traditional in Antique Sunset Burst. The MHS pickups sound incredible in my opinion . I'm an old guy who grew up with 50's Gibsons ( My first electric was a 59 dot neck bought in 1966 ) I have owned several newer 335's over the past 20 years and this is the first guitar that really nails the vintage sound and feel. I an extremely happy with them. Not so sure about the titanium saddles, and may switch to nylon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebloggs Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 On 2/16/2020 at 6:54 PM, Dontar said: New to the forum... I have a 2018 Es Traditional in Antique Sunset Burst. The MHS pickups sound incredible in my opinion . I'm an old guy who grew up with 50's Gibsons ( My first electric was a 59 dot neck bought in 1966 ) I have owned several newer 335's over the past 20 years and this is the first guitar that really nails the vintage sound and feel. I an extremely happy with them. Not so sure about the titanium saddles, and may switch to nylon. I am new to the forum as well, and I have the exact same model as yours, except in Antique Faded Cherry. Also, like you, I wasn't enamoured with the titanium saddles. I swapped out the bridge for a TonePro AVR2G bridge, as I prefer that vintage sound. I was a significant improvement to say the least. Now it really nails that vintage tone. Great for jazz/blues stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revelation Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) I found the titanium saddles to help the guitar sound great. They are also better for rock where you want more treble response. When I want a warmer jazz tone I just reduce the treble on my amp down from 5 or 6 down to 4 and it's great. You can also turn the tone knob down to 8 if you want a darker sound. Edited April 11, 2021 by Revelation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 I bought a new ES-175 in the early 2000’s. Great looking Guitar! They didn’t have MHS then.. I’m not sure which HB’s? Regardless, as much as I wanted to like that Guitar it just didn’t have a great sound for me... I had LP’s, Casino’s & an ES335 already. I ended up going a completely different direction and got a Rickenbacker 360 12 String.. Which I really like! I do have a recent Gibson ES Les Paul Black Top with MHS Pickups that sound excellent... Worth the wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcJB Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) 2018 - es335 - MHS, 2019 es335 - Burstbuckers , 2020 es345 - T Types so I’ve been trying to find pickups that suit a jazz/mellow tone on a es guitar. in my opinion the brightest are the BBs, second are the T Types and third the MHS. The latter nailing the vintage woody sound. I would agree that with nylon saddles the highs would be tamed a little, which I will attempt at some point. overall I prefer the T-Types with the tone rolled to 5/6 .. and then MHS’s with an boss eq with the mids scooped out by -3db, both have good clarity of tone and a nice mellow sound. side note: a placed electrical tape over the neck BB, to tame the output and made a kind of P90 sound which seemed to work well.. Edited March 6, 2023 by MarcJB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 14 hours ago, MarcJB said: e note: a placed electrical tape over the neck BB, to tame the output and made a kind of P90 sound which seemed to work well.. DIY coil split. Like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 My 2018 Memphis 335 has them and I truly love them. I wanted to find a set for my Les Paul until I did the Peter Green mod to the neck BB1. But in the 335 the MHS are the nuts. They were specifically designed for these guitars and I think Gibson nailed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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