Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90

Single coil black dog-eared Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90 pickup. Alnico II magnet as per Gibson's pre-'68 P-90 specs. 8.64 kOhms impedence, metal braided wire. The dog-eared cover is slightly rounder & slimmer than more modern-style dogears. Apparently the really old ones looked more like this?

Installed in an Edwards E-JR-95LT/RE, which is ESP Japan's replica of a '58 Les Paul Junior TV, relic-ed to look old & worn. Incongruously, the guitar came stock with a shiny new Seymour Duncan Vintage P-90, a great pickup which unfortunately sounded suppressed with the stock 250K pots & then just a little too bright after I upgraded to 500K CTS pots & an Orange Drop cap. It found a better home in my Tokai TJ-60 Jnr, where it sounds awesome. For the Edwards, I wanted something closer to vintage specs, that also jived visually with the guitar's relic look. Enter the Antiquity.

Output is slightly lower than the Duncan Vintage P-90, with a softer attack, which I'd attribute to the Alnico II magnet. The mids are less strident and warmer than before, while the low end is more plentiful but not as tight as with the Vintage P-90. It was a little muddy at the same settings I'd used before, so I had to adjust accordingly.
It lacks the definition and "crispness"(God I hate that word, but it fits) of the Alnico 5 Vintage P-90, which makes it less sharp and immediate for rhythm playing, all things being relative. However where the Antiquity P-90 truly excels is in warm, grindy, overdriven lead tones. There is a natural compressive smoothness that occurs that's just really.....inspiring! Strong vintage vibe, great sustain, cleans up beautifully with the volume knob.
Like another reviewer, I once had Antiquity humbuckers in another guitar, but unlike him I actually like the P-90 better. And I've played a friend's '60s ES-330 and didn't think it had any advantage over this, other than as an investment and for the cool factor. Go figure!

I've been playing 18 years. LP Jnrs are my vice. I love the warm, milkshake-thick lead tone & cranking overdriven Chuck Berry leads. I don't hate anything about this pickup, but as said, an Alnico 5 P-90 will be a better choice if you're going for a more tight/sharp/aggressive punk vibe, which a lot of P-90 users do. This one's for the old school.
If some geeky pickup burglar stole this pickup, I'd replace it with a Fralin I have stashed away. If that didn't do it for me I'd get another Antiquity P-90, though I've heard they can be a crapshoot.

Single coil black dog-eared Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90 pickup. Alnico II magnet as per Gibson's pre-'68 P-90 specs. 8.64 kOhms impedence, metal braided wire. The dog-eared cover is slightly rounder & slimmer than more modern-style dogears. Apparently the really old ones looked more like this?

Installed in an Edwards E-JR-95LT/RE, which is ESP Japan's replica of a '58 Les Paul Junior TV, relic-ed to look old & worn. Incongruously, the guitar came stock with a shiny new Seymour Duncan Vintage P-90, a great pickup which unfortunately sounded suppressed with the stock 250K pots & then just a little too bright after I upgraded to 500K CTS pots & an Orange Drop cap. It found a better home in my Tokai TJ-60 Jnr, where it sounds awesome. For the Edwards, I wanted something closer to vintage specs, that also jived visually with the guitar's relic look. Enter the Antiquity.

Output is slightly lower than the Duncan Vintage P-90, with a softer attack, which I'd attribute to the Alnico II magnet. The mids are less strident and warmer than before, while the low end is more plentiful but not as tight as with the Vintage P-90. It was a little muddy at the same settings I'd used before, so I had to adjust accordingly.
It lacks the definition and "crispness"(God I hate that word, but it fits) of the Alnico 5 Vintage P-90, which makes it less sharp and immediate for rhythm playing, all things being relative. However where the Antiquity P-90 truly excels is in warm, grindy, overdriven lead tones. There is a natural compressive smoothness that occurs that's just really.....inspiring! Strong vintage vibe, great sustain, cleans up beautifully with the volume knob.
Like another reviewer, I once had Antiquity humbuckers in another guitar, but unlike him I actually like the P-90 better. And I've played a friend's '60s ES-330 and didn't think it had any advantage over this, other than as an investment and for the cool factor. Go figure!

I've been playing 18 years. LP Jnrs are my vice. I love the warm, milkshake-thick lead tone & cranking overdriven Chuck Berry leads. I don't hate anything about this pickup, but as said, an Alnico 5 P-90 will be a better choice if you're going for a more tight/sharp/aggressive punk vibe, which a lot of P-90 users do. This one's for the old school.
If some geeky pickup burglar stole this pickup, I'd replace it with a Fralin I have stashed away. If that didn't do it for me I'd get another Antiquity P-90, though I've heard they can be a crapshoot.

Seymour Duncan Antiquity single coil P90 pickup;
unsure of impedence;
black cover dogear pickup;
bridge position

installed in Epiphone 57 Reissue Les Paul Junior 'custom shop geetar,
in bridge position
replacing no name ceramic p90 that replaced a crappy epiphone p100 that it came with.
this is the only pickup in this geetar
simon chardiet uses this with simon and the bar sinisters, in his vintage and vintage re-issue les paul juniors and specials.
i changed it for a good, classic 50s rock n roll tone a la roy orbison, johnny kidd and the pirates, eddie fontane, mickey baker, al allen, chan romero, vince taylor, and other rock n roll greats who liked the old les paul specials and juniors

output is normal for a good alnico p90, probably the highest output for a single coil pickup that still keeps it musical. im using this through a fender deluxe reverb (90's blackface reissue) and a vox ac15 english re-issue (10 yrs old amp) tone is purr-fectly balanced-- i got both tone controls (treble and bass) on both amps up half way, and the volume is up to about 7 on both, and both are going at the same time, and the sound is perfectly balanced- enough lows to sit well in the mix, but not too much that the sound is woofy, enough mids that the notes come through, but not so much that it obscures the rest of the instruments, and enough highs that the sound has some cut to it, but not too much that it sounds thin (that is why i got a p90, anyway.... i hate sounding thin) i think the sound is very balanced! i play in 2 main bands now, the arkhams (80's style psychobilly, garage, instrumental, and beat) and the black market band (bluegrass/punk) and the geetar fits both of them to a tee! a p90 is suitable in all positions for various styles of music. it seems to be the one pickup that gets 'the tone, the whole tone, and nothing but the tone' every other pick up falls short, at least a little bit. i used this pickup on everything from jazz to punk, and it never disappointed once!

i would get the same thing if it were destroyed or stolen. i have been playing geetar for the better part of 2 decades, and own TONS of gear. i got a gretsch 5129 electromatic (same exact thing as a 50's 6120 w/dearmond pickups and a bigsby) a rickenbacker 330 with a 3rd high gain pickup added and a bigsby (essentially a 345), a tokai breezysound telecaster (maple fingerboard, and out of phase middle position), a martin DM acoustic geetar, an epiphone casino, too many effects to list (although i dont use any of them now) a fender deluxe reverb re-issue, and a vox ac15 reissue amp, amongst other things. the only thing i wish about it was that it could be hoisted closer to the strings without having to cut out my mouse pad for shimms for it, which i did, and it works. it is better than anything else on the market today in terms of a p90 pickup. i think i got the sound for what i like to play. my next thing to do with this geetar is to put a bigsby on it finally!

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Casino (1996 Korean)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock Epiphone P90s
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: No idea
You musical style(s): Blues, Jazz
Reason for pickup change: I had Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers fitted to a new Epiphone Sheraton - and they were absolutely amazing!

Perceived output level: I was expecting the output level to be slightly less than your normal P90 and that?s exactly how it is. So these aren?t going to be of any use to loud players or shredders.
Tone: These pickups are really sweet ? that?s what I expected and hoped for. They are so well balanced too ? you can here every string warm and clear until you start to ?dig in? with your playing ? that?s when a P90 bites back at you and that?s what makes a P90 ? well a P90 I guess and so perfect for blues. The real test was do these ?antiquities? really sound like and as good as an old P90 of say the late 50s or early 60s. Judging from the experience I had in fitting antiquity humbuckers to one of my Sheratons I really believed they would. However, since fitting these to my Casino, I acquired a 1964 Gibson ES330. And guess what ? there?s no comparison! These P90s are very good pickups but they just don?t cut the mustard and so I don?t think they do what they?re supposed to.
Sonic evaluation: After owning and playing through a plethora of different amps I always now use Fender valves. I tend to play my Strats and Tele through my 1970 Pro Reverb but prefer to play my archtops and semis through my Blues Deluxe (1x12 40w). I have a Twin also for larger venues. No effects ? I?m a bit ?old school? like that.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mainly blues but also jazz and any other style I?m required to play.

Comments: Q: If it were destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else?
A: Pickups don?t get destroyed or stolen but - as good as these are I would not buy them again.
Q: How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
A: Been playing for about 30 years. I?ve acquired many guitars over the years ? Fenders, Gibbos, Epis (I love Epis!) Martin, Taylor, Burns, Overwater, Dobro. Amps: Fenders ? Pro Reverb, Blues Deluxe, Twin.
Q: What do you love about it? What do you hate?
A: I like these pickups as they are good quality P90s but I don?t like the fact that they cost so much and don?t sound like what they are supposed to.
Q: Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
A: No I didn?t. I bought these (actually had them made) because the antiquity humbuckers were so perfect ? I thought these would be too. Maybe Seymor hasn?t cracked it yet for the P90s.
Q: Anything you wish it had?
A: Yes ? that early 60?s P90 sound!
Q: Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for that sound?
A: Not satisfied with the pickup but I?m not searching for that sound any more because I found it in the ?64 ES330.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
A: Yup! ? After all said and done I put these P90 Antiquities on a 1996 Korean, Epiphone Casino Of course the wood isn?t aged like the '64 ES330 and that must make a difference. But then on the other hand ? I put SD Antiquity humbuckers on a 2004 Epiphone Sheraton and it now sounds better than most old 335s I?ve ever heard and played (and I?ve played a few) ? I?ve also had so many good comments about the sound of the Sheraton that I?ve lost count. So ? Antiquity humbuckers were a success ? but the Antiquity P90s weren?t.

Pickup features: passive single-coil
Impedence or other specs: see other reviews

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul 56 Reissue Gold Top
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock epi p90s
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues, jazz, some rock
Reason for pickup change: stock epiphone pickups were worth little to nothing, tonally. the 'cream' covers didn't even match the rest of the cream-colored plastic parts on the guitar.

Perceived output level: less than the alnico V p90s. far from your 'shred metal' pickups, but i doubt they'd use p90s anyway.
Tone: balanced, with the usual p90 problem of slightly less attack on the high E string.
Sonic evaluation: It's impossible to find any other Alnico II P90s (all the others, even the non-antiquity duncans, are Vs)--and these certainly have all the tone that other P90s lack, but with alot of the bite, as well.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: blues, jazz, some rock

Comments: P90s are not the most widely-used pickup and thus have suffered somewhat in their development. Humbuckers and strat-size single-coils come in a full range of tonal/output combinations. As far as P90s go, these are the most tone-oriented i've found. It's a shame you have to pay for all the rather unnecessary 'aging' just to get a P90 with Alnico IIs. Nevertheless, I'm very satisfied. So until Tom Holmes starts winding soapbars...

By the way, to describe the appearance, since no one has pics anywhere: for my soapbars, plastic covers, not aged at all (plastic usually doesn't age much, anyway), also not very tall (on my bridge pickup some of the baseplate is visible beyond the cover); pole pieces are blackened (very cool look, i dig the contrast); mounting screws are slightly tarnished and rusted (only downfall is that if you're doing heavy screwdriving, they tend to strip easily). Cream color is authentic. You won't get any magenta hues (which made the epiphone pickups nauseating).
10 for tone, feel, and look. I'm docking a point for the price.

Pickup features: Single coil/passive
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Robin Savoy
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande p90/ Duncan vintage P90
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): rock/blues/fusion/alternative pop....
Reason for pickup change: I like to experiment a lot with pu's. The Robin Savoy guitar I bought used came with a Rio Grande Jazzbar in the neck and Rio Bluesbar in the Bridge. These were great pickups, but very warm and ballsy and I wanted something with less output for this guitar.

Perceived output level: Medium/low output ...I believe the pu is about 8.1k
Tone: warm, balanced, creamy smooth tone
Sonic evaluation: The tone of this neck Antiquity P90 is just beautiful. It's as smooth and creamy as I could imagine. It has a medium output level but just perfect for me. It's equally great played clean or with overdrive and distortion.......Here's the ironic part though. The pu as far as I know is NOT wax potted. It squealed totally uncontrollably when being used in any medium to hi-gain situation. My Rio P90's didn't nor did the SD Vintage P-90 I had. I liked the tone so much I wanted to salvage the pu, so I contacted Scott Peterson(Harmonic Design) re: potting it. I vaccuum-potted the PU and had it back to me within a very short time for a very reasonable price. It's now about perfect!! I have no clue why Duncan wouldn't pot this , as to me it had NO adverse affect on the tone..........Many thanks to Harmonic Design!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock/blues/fusion/space/alternative/pop...anything but country/bluegrass

Comments: This is FANTASTIC sounding neck p90....It needs to be potted if someone is going to play any kind of mid-hi gain music. If it was potted in the 1st place I'd give it a "13" on a scale of 1-10.. Because it wasn't I'd have to give it a 9.5....At this point, yea, I'd replace it if it was stolen as I haven't found a p90 better sounding

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Studio Gem
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson P-90
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: The standard pickup, whilst being much fatter than a standard single coil, nevertheless had a propensity to sound somewhat "nasal" in the bridge position.
As I was changing one pickup, I figured that I might as well change the neck one at the same time.

Perceived output level: Output level is more or less on a par with the standard Gibson model
Tone: Neck - bassy without muddiness. Neck - biting with a lot of depth
Sonic evaluation: The main amps used with this guitar are a Fender Hot Rod Blues Deluxe 4x10 combo, and a Marshall stack
The Fender is a naturally bright amp and accentuates the top end of the bridge pickups character.
Even in this setting, the bridge pickup is wonderfully rounded in it's tone.
Through the Marshall - it's AC/DC power chords to the fore - brilliant!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Although I have stated blues as the main style, these pickups could be used in any number of settings, apart from extreme metal - but only brain dead wackos play that crap!!

Comments: The Les Paul has been given a new lease of life with these beauties. Now, I wasn't exactly unhappy with the originals, it's just that I decided that I wanted that extra bit of "zing" from my guitar.
Having been playing for 18 years, I have had my fair share of playing experiences (clubs and bars, right up to stadium sized venues), and I have to say that I would use this guitar rather than my Les Paul Standard in most settings. These pickups give the guitar a lot of depth without falling into the "freight train out f control" feeling you can often experience with Les Pauls in loud situations.
I only have to wait now till the guitar looks as aged as the pickups themselves.
If you're considering a P-90 pickup replacement, definitely try this one out. I had the opportunity to perform back to back comparisons with a number of replacements thanks to a friendly luthier, and I can say without any hesitancy that these were the best of the bunch.