| I have tried them both. They do sound different. The Custom Shop pickups have a lot more "thud", sensetivity and mid presence. They sounded like they had more "character", if that helps any. The Original pickups sounded good, but not as loud and clear as the custom shop ones. They tended to lack the extra punch and mid presence that the custom shop ones had in spades. The Original ones are good pickups though, but given the choice i'd go w/ the custom shop. | 
