Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele Bridge

Single coil pickup for bridge position.

Guitar: 52' Reissue Japanese Tele. Ash body w/Callaham bridge.
Position: Bridge
Replacing: Stock Fender "American Vintage" bridge
Other installed: SD Antiquity Tele Neck
Reason for change: To experiment with the tone of the Fender.

Output: Slightly less than stock

Amps: SF Super Reverb and Mesa Nomad 100 through 2x12 V30s.

Tone:
I think the key to this pickup is to play it as it would have been played in the mid-late 50s, ie, through relatively low-powered tube amps that get a little hot and bothered when the volume is pushed up. Low volume applications paint the pickups as rather bland and lacking any dimension. My initial thought after dropping in the set of Antiquities was that I'd have to swap back to the American Vintage pups that were replaced. But after a day or two and the opportunity to push the volume up a bit I came to appreciate their tonal complexity and very balanced articulate character in territory where lesser pickups come unstuck. A/B testing with an identical Tele with a split SD STK-TN1 and Vintage '54 showed the cheaper pups to perform with a more "sparkly" top end but they tended to lack the composure of the Antiquities in that holy-grail "breaking up" phase where the amp is pushing the speakers just right. These pickups, I believe, are very good here and their ability to hold together a very "smooth" (not "muddy" smooth but "musical" smooth) balance is superior to the harsher alternatives I have played through. All in all I would say that compared to the American Vintage and SD 54 bridge pickups the Antiquities lack a little high end zing but this is made up for by their very confidently established fundamental "tone" which becomes more apparent as you push the amp nicely.

A real class act pickup. For those who don't know (and I didn't) they come dusty and dirty wrapped in paper in their own little box, framed in a draw-string calico pouch bearing the signature of a Mr Seymour W. Duncan. Each Antiquity even has its own serial number ad the base of the pups are again signed by Seymour. Great presentation and vintage aged appearance. But all that matters little when tone is involved. I would say that these are very well made and well thought through pickups. The magnets are aged a touch which may be why that high end sizzle is missing, but that is justified by their exquisite gentlemanly composure under duress. Highly recommended for the serious player.

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tele copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: SD vintage stack
Other pickups on guitar: SD antiquity neck
Artists using this pickup: ???????
You musical style(s): rock and blues
Reason for pickup change: SD stack was too shrill and lsacked that real tele tone

Perceived output level: a little hotter than usual, but not too ,uch
Tone: very balanced tone, nice and thick but keeps the twang
Sonic evaluation: I play through a '64 Fender Vibroverb usually with a Klon, TS-9, Fender Blender or something of that nature in front. The tone that comes from this combo with the pickup is very nice. If I pick lightly then I can get the shimmering twangy tele tone, but if I dig in then I can get a nice overdriven sound. The amazing thing is that the pu never gets too shrill for my ears like so many other tele pu's do.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Rock and Blues and it is a great match for the style of music that I play. The pu sounds great by itself and in combo with the neck pu.

Comments: I would replace the pu if it were stolen but may try a Fralin or something just to see. I've been playing about 10 years and have a couple of strats, an old Silvertone, a Gibson lap, and some other misc. guitars. I didn't compare the pu to anything but the SD Vintage stack which to me sounded pretty thin for a humbucker. Yeah, it didn't hum or anything but it had no tone. Also the antiquity doesn't hum all that bad anyway. I'm fully satisfied with this pu.

Pickup features: Single coil passive
Impedence or other specs: DC rating 7.07k

Model of guitar or bass: 1993 American Standard Fender Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender and S/Duncan `54
Other pickups on guitar: S/Duncan Alnico Pro in middle, S/Duncan stacked vintage neck
Artists using this pickup: Pete Anderson and others
You musical style(s): Everything except metal
Reason for pickup change: I was after a pickup that provided a sweeter sound but still maintained some bite. The other pickups seemed to have a harder sound.

Perceived output level: Slightly less than the SD 54`s, but still with plenty of gain.
Tone: Warm, woody sound, with a nice transparent quality, still with plenty of bite. Fairly even across strings.
Sonic evaluation: My amp setup consists of a Mesa Boogie Mk111. The pickup through this system sounds great. There is plenty of gain which is assisted by a Tube Screamer resulting in a fairly smooth sound when overdriven with plenty of bite, which is easily controlled by picking action. Clean sounds are nice and `sparkly` with a nice `woody` tone. The overall string balance is`nt to bad, with the `B` and `E` strings not being to overbearing! The pickup is slightly microphonic which needs adjusting to, however this appears to add to the sound of the pickup

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup could be used for most styles except Metal I guess.

Comments: This pickup is exceptional, I am more than satisfied and would buy again. The only thing that you need to adjust to is the `microphonic` quality of the pickup. However I think that this may add to some of the harmonic qualities of the pickup! In addition the pickup is a little pricey, however I guess you are paying for a handmade pickup. that does sound good.