Seymour Duncan Little '59

Single coil sized humbucker.

I put it in a classic 60's strat. To get a nice tone in the bridge pickup.

I played it through my Matchless SC-30 (1992).

I don't like it. I feel that the description Seymour gives is a misrepresentation. I play rock, blues, jazz, and country.
Led Zeppelin and Hendrix are as heavy as I go playing wise.

If you have a natural sounding amp that doesn't color the tone of your favorite guitars (like a Matchless or Vox) you probabaly won't like this. If you go for that dimed Marshall sound, or have drastic tone controls on your amp or a heavily colored circuit ( Fender HR Deluxe, blues jr. etc.) maybe it'll work fine.

It's a weird beast. It has a similar feel and response to a real full sized PAF humbucker, but the over all resonant frequency is an annoying, ever present, underlying nasty high midrange.

I promise you, plug one in to something hi fi like your P.A., and listen to what your working with, it's nasal and awful. Believe me every little link in your tone should sound good, having to compensate down the line is NOT how your favorite artists recorded.

The ad says....
"designed to impart the warm, smooth tone of an old Patent Applied For humbucker" That's bull. It doesn't have the nice scooped mids of a strat pickup, or the brown sound resonant frequeny of a PAF...
It's not Ice picky, but it is FAR from sweet.
If a PAF had a nose and you put a closepin on it , and removed the protein from it's diet until it lost 70% of it's muscle. You'd be left with the little 59.

Been playing 25 years. Pro. Berklee Alum. From a family of recording engineers. I've owned tons of great vintage and boutique stuff. My favorite pickups are Lindy Fralin Paf, and Lollar single coils.
I paid just as much for this pickup from an "Online Ebay store" as I would have from the Guitar Center, and didn't realize there was a no return policy. Not too happy.

A good trick is to role back your volume knob until most of the mid hump is gone , Also raise ONE of the coils pole pieces into a staggered pattern, leaving the other coils screws FLAT. It will sound brighter, but way less Hi-mid rangey.

If you haven't bought one yet....
Do yourself a favor, Have a tech route out your strat and throw in a full sized Fralin. Have him put all 3 pickups on the neck PU's tone knob, and change the mid tone knob to your bridge pups volume control.

You'll sound like Robbie robertson instead of some weird fake "little 59" bullsh*t.

I'm taking off a couple more points for misrepresentation in ads.

Humbucker in SC-size.

I'm playing a "Tommys Special Guitars" - a custom strat from Viersen, Germany. Original: Neck=Duckbucker; Middle=Vintage Rails; Bridge=Jeff Beck Jr. Now it is: Neck=Little '59; Middle=Duckbucker; Bridge=Phat Cat.

The Little '59 is a very versatile and awesome PU. By splitting I reach an authentic strat-sound. The tone knob on 6 o'clock will result in a very fat jazz-sound, but I also use it for hi-gain lead sounds.

I'm very happy with my new PU. It has a similar output to the SD "Phat Cat", but is a lot more versatile. The "Phat Cat" will be changed with a SD "P-Rails".

Its a single sized humbucker pickup, passive.

Used on the bridge position of a California Fat Tele.
Replaced the tex-mex stock pickup with this one after it broke.
My other pickup is a SD Jazz Model on the neck. California Fat Tele's use a humbucker size pickup for the neck pickup.

I've been playing for 20 years. This pickup sounds amazing on my California Fat Telecaster on the bridge. I was looking to buy a Hot Rod but there were no more left on the store at that moment, so I got this almost by accident but I don't regret it. Great thick and powerful sound without a doubt, not very hot so no use for metal which I don't mind. Great for rock, country and blues. As single coil position it will give a clearer and trebly tone and at full use it will boost the bass. I use it only for distorted sounds, as I only use my neck pickup (Seymour Duncan Jazz Model) for clean sounds.

I have never tried it on the neck as some people suggest.. My Tele's neck pickup requires a full humbucker sized pickup. No need though, 'cause the Jazz Model gives me the clean tone I love and the California Fat Tele offers a 5 position switch therefore I enjoy a nice variety of sounds by splitting both pickups.

I would buy it again or maybe get something else, who knows...
I've played this pickup mostly with Mesa Boogie Recto Recording Preamp and Mesa Boogie F-30 combo.
Very satisfied with this pickup.

This is a 4 wire humbuck made to fit a single coil faceplate.
I measured the impedence, if I remember right it measured out around 12k.

I put it in a bastard strat. I used a Mexican body, a Korean neck, and have replaced most of the electronics.
I originally had 3 EMG selects in this instrument.
I replaced the neck EMG with the 59, and the bridge pickup with a Lace Sensor. That being the situation, I can easily make comparisons between the three.

I like EMG pickups for recording, they have a nice tone quality and are deathly quiet. But they are just not spectacular live. They are good live, but I wanted to put a guitar together that does everything I need. I do a lot of rock era music, a lot of blues, and a fair amount of chicken pickin country, so I need versitility.
I also wanted a much hotter gainy sound.

The output level is really quite high for a passive pickup. It is probably a good 40% more than the EMG ( the EMGs are not very hot, they tend to be rather low output) and at least 25% hotter than the Lace Sensor.

I used this at a gig saturday night through an 80 watt Crate tube hybrid combo, 1x12.

The tone to this pickup is really kind of hard to define.
Years ago I had a Seymour Duncan invader which is the very worst pickup I have ever heard short of old Teisco pickups. The thing was all midrange, all output and no tone.
The Little 59 seems to sound a lot like the invader, but with much better tone. Rather than sounding all midrange, it has a very wide frequency range. It does sacrifice some tone to get the output level, but it has plenty of low end.
I can best describe it by saying that the low end is there, but the mids and highs have a great deal more presence. The lows almost no presence.
It is not really the ideal pickup for blues because it does not have the warmth. The highs need to be rolled back a great deal to get a blues kind of warmth.
On the other hand, its very high output makes for a huge sustainy type of sound. I played this at home while setting the guitar up through a solid state amp on the clean channel, and it sustained and grunted as if I was playing through a tube screamer.
This pickup can be made to be great for blues. I will have to rewire the dead tone control on my strat to it. I normally disable the tone contro to the neck pickup on strats, I will need it back now.
As it is, I can get something akin to a very early ZZ TOP kind of squack from it.

This guitar no longer sounds like a strat. It sounds like no guitar I have ever heard when I use pickup combinations.
I have my strat wired so I can have the neck and bridge on together, and the little 59 and the Lace Sensor compliment each other quite well. I can also have all 3 pickups on, and I get a very strange almost out of phase swamp tone that way.

This pickup would be great for getting rock era sounds like Humble Pie and the Stones and like that from, because it has that very in your face high gain presence.
I also think it would be good in the bridge pickup for country leads, because it has such a present high and midrange sound.
I split the coil with a toggle switch, and as a single coil it sounds pretty much identical to with both coils, just a little thinner and about a 25% drop in output. The drop in output was not as drastic as in most bucks that you can split the coils.

The highs are not overwhelming or biting in spite of their very obvious spike in presence.

Pretty good pinch harmonics. You gotta find them, but they are there.

I also noticed that in the neck position, it sounds more like a for a rough comparison, what a Les Paul sounds like with the switch in the center position, that kind of almost bright but almost bluesy sound at the same time. Which is why it would not be ideal for a blues purist.

I also couldn't get it to feedback with the amp cranked while standing right in front of it... which to me is a detriment. I like to use feedback to sustain notes.
This really suprised me, the pickup sounds on the verge of being microphonic ( which is what I love about it, that is a hard sound to find). It should go into unctonrollable feedback when close to the amp, and it does not. Which is good, but I wish it would be just microphonic enough to get some squeel.
For what it does, it is easily an 8.

I don't know if I would replace it or not. I got it very cheap in a swap. I don't see the point in putting a gazillion bucks in pickups, I have had a good reputation as a local musician for years using stock pickups. I have an active EMG loaded strat and this one had passive EMGs and now this, but I still sound pretty much the same no matter what I use.
I have been playing for I think going on 44 years now, and have a ton of gear.
I like the pickup as it is, I did expect it to have fatter tone, and wish it had a broader and darker sound. But the sacrifice in tone is worth what I have gained in overall beef and reaction. It is a very reactive pickup.
I don't think there is a "that sound" in a pickup.
That sound comes from my mind and fingers, pickups can only embellish it a little. This one does not do so any better or worse than anything else I have, from stock korean pickups to my 300 bucks worth of david gilmour active EMGs ( I got a deal of the entire setup on ebay, I wouldn't have payed 300 bucks for it).

I wouldn't pay 90 bucks for any pickup. I wouldn't have this one if not for a trade I made. I like the guitar as it is and will keep it as it is, but I have tons of guitars and wouldn't go out of my way to replicate this one.

This is a passive humbucking pickup in a single coil format, no cover needed necessarily. Model name is SL59-1. Like PAF in single coil format. Ment to be a replacement for stock pickups or for a guitar builder as a (single) part. Impedance DC is 9.86k for the neck model and 11.78k for the bridge. Resonant peak is neck 5.8 KHz and bridge 4.6 KHz. Can be used in parallel and as a single coil because there are 4 connectors. According to specs the EQ is quite moderate 7/5/6 (Treb/Mid/Bass) so no any particular con??s or pro??s but can be little trebly in the bridge.

I have a Squier Deluxe series satin trans strat and I have this pickup in both neck and bridge. The first one was already in the bridge when I got the guitar. It sounded so great that I decided to take another along although the Everything Axe set was in mind. I replaced the stock pickups that were quite ok but I wanted something more edge and punch to my sound as a 2nd guitarist in our band. The middle pickup is Duckbucker. I also have an another Fender Lite Ash Strat with quite similar setup Everything Axe so this is ideal for the bridge for brighter sound or to neck as a solo sound. Fits perfectly with the Duckbucker. Don??t use only Duckbuckers necessarily! I have no opinion about those all in every positions, but I quess Little ??59 is better in neck/bridge.

I think this is very widely used replacement pickup at the moment. players Bill Frisell, Audley Freed / Cry of Love & Black Crowes, Courtney Love, Jake Kelly / Gary Allan, Jon Hudson / Faith No More, Brad Fordham / Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Kelly Willis, Ron Laster / James Brown, Glen Campbell and me!!!

The output is reasonable, not too bright in bridge, very good in neck and in every tone settings that I use in my modeling amp Line6 Flextone III XL. I have bunch of effects and works fine with them. Perfect tone balance for both bridge and neck. I play mostly dance music, pop/rock/blues. I think you could set your guitar with these in every slot but especially N/B setting is good. Maybe I wouldn??t place this in middle, maybe too much output.

If this was destroyed I would put another in the bridge or maybe Jeff Beck junior model SJBJ-1.
I have been playing for 20 years actively and I own also acoustic and quite similar electric with Everything Axe set that I am going to review later after having played for few gigs. But in all this is more better pickup than the reviews here or somewhere else tell you. The price is reasonable and there aren??t too many manufacturers in this kind of models. If you like good sound but like no hum this could be your choice in mind.

Single sized humbucker.

Used in each position of a American Standard Stratocaster. Replaced the stock pickups. I bought two of these, and left one stock pickup in at at time, first in the middle, and then switched to the neck.

Love the feel of Strats, but sound a little thin compared to my humbucking guitars.

I was hoping to be able to play jazzy stuff on the neck pickup, and some crunchy old R&R on the bridge.

Output--balanced with the stock PU well.

Used with Fender Hot Rod Deluxe & Mesa F30 & Music Man RD112 Fifty.

Tone--A little muddy at the neck, not nearly as defined as a larger humbucker. I have an Epiphone G400, not a 59 Les Paul, but the difference was still clear. These basically sound as big as single coils. It's not a bad sound, just not what I felt was advertised.

They DO buck hum, but they don't have the tone. I found they had more tone in the mid position, and the Bridge was a pretty good fit for higher gain stuff.

When combined, I found they had quack. Again, not bad, but are 2 humbuckers supposed to quack? I don't think so.

I'm taking these out. I may put the Bridge back in (I'm not wild about the stock fender bridge PU), it performed okay but I'm not thrilled overall with these. They don't have a very rich tone.

If Hum is your main concern, these will work fine. If you want a Fender that sounds like a Gibson, it's just not going to happen with the Lil 59. In SD's defense, I recently played a double fat Strat with full sized humbuckers, and that sounded like a Strat, too, not a Gibson. So maybe it's not the pickup's fault, but the wood, scale, hardware, etc.

Again, these don't sound bad, but they are muddier than single coils and weaker than full sized humbuckers. Better to go with the Strat's strength & get a good set of single coils (I'm looking into Fralin Vintage Hot or Blues Specials) if you want to upgrade, and get a Gibson if you want a Gibson sound.

I've been using these for about 9 months now. All in all, they didn't really perform as advertized. Even if it's not the pickups fault entirely, I was disappointed in the end. Particularly in the neck & mid position.

single coil with coil tap on tone pot

yahmah pacifica 612v fitted in neck position.replaces stock single coil.Bridge pickup is j.b. full size humbucker and middle has a hot strat stack fitted.Changing the pickup for a fatter higher output.

average output.Playing through a line 6 spider11 150watt combo with express floor pedal.The tone of this pickup has clear highs subdued midds and strong bass.I play in a covers band so nead to get a good cross section of tones.I would recomend this pickup for neck psition only.Not suitable for heavy metal tones.

I would experiment with another pickup if the guitar was stolen.
I have been playing now for aprox 35 years and have tried lots of pickup selections on various guitars.I own a gibson les paul,Two yahmaha pacificas, Yamaha RGX 820Z, fender strat and an old washburn active electric. My inital reaction to this pickup was one of disapointment as i am very familiar with the sound these pickups claim to emulate. However, is does not. It does'nt have the sustain or the fatness of its full size brother and it sounds more like a P90 by nature than a humbucker.This pickup grew on me the more i played it and find its glassy P90 tone perfect for blues as it cuts through nicely without the mushyness from some neck humbuckers.Disapointing and weak when coil tapped but sounds suppisingly good mixed with the middle position. I think this pickup should be called a Mini P90 for strat for a more accurate discription. Of course you need to take into account the guitars tonal contribution also.If you are looking for a distincive P90 sound from your strat this might be the pickup for you.

Humbucker with coil split. I think the impedance was around 8K.

I had these on one of my earlier strats in the neck and middle positions. They replaced the stock strat pickups when I was experimenting with humbuckers. There was a JB Jr in the bridge.

This is definitely not a humbucker tone. Out of all the SD humbuckers I have tried, this sounds more like a sweet old single coil pickup than anything else. Yeah it's fatter sounding than true single coils but it's no way close to a HB sound. There's quite nice definition of the bass and treble notes, not mushy or boomy like other humbuckers. It's ok with mild overdrive, but doesnt like heavy fuzz type distortion.

I used to play it thru a Blues Jr with an OD and a delay in the chain. Sweet sounding pickups.

Nice pups, but I wanted something with more true single coil sound, so I ultimately ditched these. BUT... these pickups sound sweet and nice in their own way, and they are great to fatten up the sound of a very bright strat.

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Single Coil-Sized Humbucker

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SA160QM
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock AS-1 Neck Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: SD Full Shred in the bridge and a stock AS-2 in the middle
Artists using this pickup: Can't think of any from the top of my head
You musical style(s): Progressive Metal, Rock, Blues, Jazz, anything.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a better pickup in the neck with some character in it. Wanted to eliminate annoying hum.

Perceived output level: Hot, but nowhere near as hot as a Hot Rails
Tone: Bassy, fat, warm, but has the perfect mids and treble to give crisp lows and warm highs. NOT a Humbucker Sound!!
Sonic evaluation: As of right now, I am running this guitar into an Ernie Ball 6166 Volume Pedal into the FX Loop of a Spyder 2 212. The tone I am getting from this neck pickup is pure bliss to my ears.
Although SD claims the Lil' 59 to have a humbucker sound, it really doesn't. The thing I love about this pickup is that it has that great single coil attack, bite, and warmth, but can also get some great dynamics of a humbucker. Here's a short description of the type of tone I'm getting using a Hi-gain setting:
Strings 4-6 (D,A,E): Has that "Hot Rails feel" to it. Very crisp, bassy, but warm, fat, and clear. All the notes cut through perfectly and the harmonics sound great!
Strings 1-3 (e,B,G): Very warm, can get a woman-like tone if you roll the tone knob back a bit. Once again, crisp, clear, fat notes. Sounds a bit like a DiMarzio Air Norton on the higher strings, but with that single coil bite and feel to it. Very sensitive to dynamics and cuts through the mix well.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Progressive Metal, Rock, Blues, Jazz. This pickup can do anything. It may be too bassy for people searching for a twangy tone, but for anything else this pickup can do it with ease.

Comments: If this pickup was destroyed or stolen, I'd hunt that thief down and destroy him. This pickup is incredible, and completed my quest for my "Dream Tone." Currently, I have the perfect clean, rhythm, and lead tones and I am extremely satisfied with my decision to purchase this pickup. I have been playing for almost 4 years and I have done my research, this pickup can do anything you want it to do. As far as something I hate about it, there really isn't anything considering I have my dream tones, but I wish it sounded a little more full when split.
My recommendation, if you are looking for a Hot Rails sound, but don't want to sacrifice your other pickup's output, get a Lil' 59.

Pickup features: Passive single coil hummy based on '59 PAF
Impedence or other specs: n/a

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender noiseless
Other pickups on guitar: fender noiseless
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): Rock, Shred, Blues, some Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Fender single coil a bit weak in for rock, though it is an EXCELLANT pickup but not for my style. If I want bluesy sounds I can use the Neck and Bridge.

Perceived output level: Hotter than single coil not as hot as the full size PAF. I don't know if this is hotter than the Fender noiseless HOT pickup
Tone: Tone on this PU is a lot of things. It reacts to its adjustment height, any change changes the character of the sound
Sonic evaluation: When using SD PU height suggestion, I HATED the sound of this PU. Way too mush shrill on high E. Too grainy not enough delineation of tones from each string as I would expect from a PAF and a Strat. BUT once it's adjusted it sounds very near a PAF, I tried it! MY LP has a PAF in the Bridge, the Strat sounds similiar with some differences.
The first difference the little PAF does not distort as easily as its big brother. Because this PU is on a Strat , it's not a biggie. When in distortion the sound is well articulated, more so than on my LP. I'm thinking this is because of the guitar being a Strat, and maybe the PU. Clean the PU has a bell like quality like a single coil. I couldn't be happier with the sound of this PU.
As I stated earlier, when the PU was first played it was a sonic horror - too much noise, too shrill, not enough clarity.
To take care of the noise, I wrapped all the hookup wires behind the pickguard with alunimum foil and then insulated with electrical tape. I even lined the routing where the input jack attaches with foil.
The height of the coil was adjusted -- Treble side is 3/32" from the pickguard, Bass Side is 3/16" from low E string. The individual pole screws are set staggered as Fender coils.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, Rock, Shred and some Jazz,, Great for most music styles except metal

Comments: Yes I would repace this PU if anything happened
Been playing for 5 years
Compared to Fender noisless , no contest
My LP with PAF, the other LP with P90 and this Strat with the little '59 nails the sound I'm looking for.To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this PU, but IT sings to me.

Pickup features: mini humbuck for Strat
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender MIM Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender noiseless
Other pickups on guitar: Fender noiseless
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Shred
Reason for pickup change: Wanted an edgier sound

Perceived output level: louder than stock, edger than the noiseless
Tone: bas and treble are accuanted, mids are a little subdued
Sonic evaluation: I have an LP with the larger version. Sonic differences to be sure. I wasn't sure what I wanted from this PU, though the Fender noiseless in the bridge wasn't what I wanted. This PU is not as articulate as the one in my LP, but close enough, thats is not a bad thing. It does sound like a hummy and is a bit out of character for a strat. My problem with it it is NOISEY. Very un expected. noisier than the Fender noiseless. Not a HUM but a BUZZ. I think the issues the the thin cheap cables, not in the same league as its bigger brother's braided cable. I like the sound by itself. The switch on position 4-5 yielded something quite unexpected, a belll like single coil sound that is very smooth. It may be due to the interaction between the noiseless and '59 but the sound is very appealing.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: bluse, shred, rock

Comments: The problem when buying pu's once they are installed, you can't exchange them, at least when buying from GC. That's too bad. if you don't like the sound of the guitar you take home, it can be exchanged or money refunded. with PUs its buyer beware.
I like this one, the sound is what I'm looking for, but it's more noisier than expected, my main beef with the product and the real thin wiring for that I give it an 8

Pickup features: single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs: unsure

Model of guitar or bass: fender usa 1959 re-issue
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock usa 1959 re-issue bridge
Other pickups on guitar: stock usa 1959 re-issue pickups
Artists using this pickup: n/a
You musical style(s): blues / rock
Reason for pickup change: looking for more versitility and hunbucker sounds from guitar / better crunch and distortion

Perceived output level: Slightly hotter than a stock strat pickup
Tone: Thin / Reedy / Dead Sounding when used clean. Sounds Quacky.
Sonic evaluation: Was using a standard 1959 usa re-issue fender strat into a 60 Watt Marshall TSL Valve Amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and Blues - Unsuitable as an upgrade due to poor sound

Comments: I bought this a few years ago as an upgrade for my strat bridge pickup which as you may know is glassy and brittle sounding on the early usa re-issues. I wanted something to allow for Zepplin style lead and chops and to add a new sound to the strat.
I was very dissapointed with this pickup. It has a very thin, cheap sound which is brittle sounding when clean and lacks the touch sensitivity that a good pickup will give. Has neither the depth of clean tone given by a weaker pickup winding, or the full on drive of a hotter wound pickup. When compared to the Mc Carty bridge on My PRS swamp ash, it sounds weak and has a fraction of the depth and definition. I suppose it's a drawback of the size of the pickup mainly and perhaps I was expecting too much due to the Seymore Duncan reputation and promotional info on the website. Go for a nice hot single coil of have your old one re-wound and save yourself ?50! Or Bite the Bullet, Get the guitar router out and buy a new scratch plate and go for a real humbucker.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: telecaster (japan '86)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock's
Other pickups on guitar: lace sensor gold on neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock-jazz/fusion (Stern,Ford,...)
Reason for pickup change: low quality stock pickup

Perceived output level: high level output
Tone: middy/trebly but nasal
Sonic evaluation: Laney tf200, Marshall jcm 900, Brave amps; Boss OD2, Boss CE-5 chorus, Ibanez delay, wha-wha

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock-jazz/fusion - almost good match

Comments: I was looking for a good and versatile pickup with more power than the stock pu without loosing the brigth neck position tele sound. I splitted the humbucker so i reach a good compromise but the clean humbucker is ORRIBLE. A little bit better as single coil.For dist is quite good but i will try another one as soon as possible (no Seymour) still humbucker! FORGET the real Tele sound if not splitted. P.S. the sound is brigther (thin) than the sample in Seymour's site

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mexican Standard Stratocaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stanard Mexican Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Standard Mex Pups
Artists using this pickup: Me for the moment...
You musical style(s): bit of blues through to heavy(ish) rock and all that lies inbetween
Reason for pickup change: Standard coil was too weak. Wanted something to make the guitar rock a bit harder.

Perceived output level: Subtle, but noticably louder than standard pups.
Tone: Fairly balanced.
Sonic evaluation: Been playing for three years (so lack some experience). Play through Line 6 Flextone 2 through the mesa model. Compared to the old pup, It is a bit thicker sounding, quite creamy really. When playing distorted lead (solos and stuff) It sounds harder and cuts through the mix better. When on clean, It distorts ever so slightly where the old pup wouldn't. I was a bit dissapointed with this as I liked the old pup on the clean as it was bright and sparkly. This is a bit more dull and lacks a little bite when playing ska and other sparkly clean stuff. But it does sound nice when you roll the volume back a bit, on the clean, quite warm for a bridge pick up on a strat.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A strat and a Little '59 will cover just about any style (not sure about metal) and sounds good while doing it.

Comments: Been playing three years (maybe not long enough to give the most accurrate of reviews) but nevertheless i do like this pick up. Its not quite as bright which is often a good thing, and it does make a genuine improvement to the guitars sound. But it hasn't solved my tone search, but thats really because its the wrong guitar for me, a les paul or humbucker loaded tele would suit better. It does make an improvement, I wouldn't get another one if it was stolen simply because i'd prefer a new guitar, but i would congratulate the thief for having such good taste, then i'd beat him/her to a pulp then take it back.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: check out seymourduncan.com

Model of guitar or bass: Squier Telecaster Standard Fat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock bridge pickup
Other pickups on guitar: SH-2 Jazz in the neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups that Squier has in their guitars are awful. The single coil that was in the bridge of my Tele was so tinny that it had no twang or bite--it was just a horrendous trebly sound that I hated.

Perceived output level: This thing is hot for its size. Its got the kick and bite of a humbucker but still the hard-edged twang you want in a Tele.
Tone: Great mids and strong treble without being overbearing. The bass output is mediocre.
Sonic evaluation: I play my Tele> Jekyll and Hyde Overdrive> Boss chorus> Arion SAD3 delay> custom built 50 watt amp loaded with a Celestion Vintage speaker. I LOVE THIS PICKUP! It seems like its made for my setup. I put a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck, so this rocks as a lead pickup. Tone to die for. Some hum, but its very slight and I could care less because this pickup oozes vintage blues tone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My Visual Sound's Jekyll and Hyde overdrive pedal is an amazing stompbox. Especially for the blues/rock style I mostly play. But I don't wanna lay down the $500 plus that it would take to buy a guitar that does it justice. These pickups (Jazz in the neck, Little '59 in the bridge) are what me and my pedal have been searching for. The tonal combination of these pickups and my rig are amazing. They've made me into a new man!

Comments: Everybody needs a guitar with a Little '59 in their bridge. The difference in quality tone I'm getting is unbelievable. Squier's stock pickups are crap. Plain and simple: they suck. But I love my little Tele. So rather than having to wait til I could afford a five or six or seven or (you get my point) hundred dollar guitar, I spent $175 and had these two SD pickups put in it by a local Fender dealer. More than worth it. Don't hesitate to get one for yourself!

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Black Horse Guitars
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio VirtuAl 2
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio VirtuAl 2, DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jazz, Funk, Fusion
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a humbucking sound with coil tap to single coil sound.

Perceived output level: Beefy single coil sound.
Tone: Definately not a humbucker sound. Noisy, Noisy, Noisy!
Sonic evaluation: My guitar is a chambered mahogany body with a maple top. The neck is sandwiched between the top and body(glued-in). I'm using a Mesa Mk IV widebody woody amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: This is where I have a problem with this pickup. I was hoping to get A nice humbucker sound in series and single coil in parallel. Instead, it sounds like a beefy single coil. It's not a bad sounding pickup. In fact, I really like the sound. It just doesn't do what it's advertised to do. It's not even close to sounding like a humbucker. And I've played a '59 'burst.
With some eq I can get some thicker sounds but the attack is wrong. With the phase reversed the sound is so tiny that it's unusable. I checked the wiring several times thinking that was the problem.
I could live with this pickup and use it very effectively if it weren't so noisy. When I switch to the DiMarzios there is dead silence. Eerie silence, until you play something. Then you know the problem is the Duncan. I've had other Duncans and loved them but a DiMarzio is going back in. Perhaps a Solo for the neck.
SD ought to rename this pickup 'cause it doen't sound like a '59 Humbucker. Maybe they mean a '59 P-90.

Pickup features: Humbucker (Single Coil size), Passive
Impedence or other specs: 11.78k in bridge, 9.86k in neck. Nothing huge... ;)

Model of guitar or bass: Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender Lace Gold
Other pickups on guitar: SD Little '59 in neck and American Fender Strat in Middle
Artists using this pickup: No one I know of
You musical style(s): Various, so I needed versatility. Hard rock to blues.
Reason for pickup change: Not everyone can afford to use a different guitar for each song they do, so I needed as much versatility in one guitar as I could get.

Perceived output level: On par with the American Series Fender Strat single coil I have in the middle position
Tone: Well balanced. Smoother and more even than the Standard strat pickup. I was very surprised to find out that the Little '59 sounded sooooooo similar to the Fender Lace Golds. That's not a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting it.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a 30 watt Valve amp, and sometimes use a Boss GX-700 for extra effects.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, Classic rock, progressive rock, new school punk. Suitable for the softer options, not progressive.

Comments: I bought the pickups to add versatility to the guitar, and I didn't get a whole lot extra! I do have to say that I really like the sound. The mids are punchy (the joy of EL84 valves) but the bottom end could have been a bit tighter. With the right finger movements you can still get the bell-like sounds I loved in the Laces.
In my search for tone I have been through the following pickups:
Fender Standard strat: we all know what they sound like... ;)
Fender lace gold: VERY nice, but limited.
EMG SA: During my Dave Gilmour phase. Also nice, but limited. I like the neck pickups, but the bridge was skinny, and I couldn't mix active and passive to get a better bridge.
Dimarzio DSD-1: Good bridge pickup, but stolen by my brother. I prefer the little '59 anyway...
Of all the above, the little '59 is the most versatile, and that's what I was asking for. My final option I might try would be to put the bridge Little '59 into the middle and put a hot rails in the bridge for the progressive rock side of things.
I like this pickup. It doesn't cover enough string space to get the sound of a full humbucker, but it does enough of a good job to keep me happy. I can now get any sound I want, except for that "smokey" type of cruncky sound that you need a bright pickup for.
I would get them again. I highly recommend it.

Pickup features: passive hunbucker to replace strat single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Stratocaster (MIM)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Fender pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Fender neck and middle pickups
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Classic rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a more versatile guitar. Needed a humbucker sound for a fatter tone.

Perceived output level: Hotter than stock but still agood match with stock pickups
Tone: definitely less trebly than the stock Fender pickup. This pickup does a great job of putting the classic humbucker sound into your Strat without having to resort to a router. I?ve never played a real ?59 PAF humbucker, so I can?t confirm or deny the accuracy of its tone verses the original, however when you consider the small size that this pickup has to fit into they?ve done a hell of a good job getting THAT SOUND..
Sonic evaluation: I play this Strat through a Traynor Custom valve 40 watt and a Marshall MG 15 watt. This pickup does a great job of giving your Strat that classic humbucker sound. It won?t turn your Strat into a Les Paul since the Strat?s wood is different and the narrow width of the pickup can?t cover a much string area as a full size humbucker, but it gets amazingly close.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: All styles of rock except metal

Comments: This is a great pickup. It added that fat humbucker sound to my Strat. Blends exceptionally well with the other pickups. Would buy another one in a heart beat .

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: seymourduncan.com says: D.C. Resistance is 17.0k, Resonant peak is 3.4khz. Ceramic magnet, moderate output.

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Standard Telecaster (MIM)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender bridge single coil pickup.
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Fender neck pickup.
Artists using this pickup: ? Don't know? Don't really care :)
You musical style(s): Classics (Country, Blues, Rock and Roll) to Hard Rock (AC/DC, Ozzy, theCult etc)
Reason for pickup change: Weak stock p'up. I have another MIM Tele Standard and it has an awesome stock p'up, an unusual quality control slip-up I guess gave me a crappy one this time. I felt it would be cool to give a Tele a humbucker this time :)

Perceived output level: Output was hotter than the stock p'up, but not hotter than most vintage PAF style hums. Moderate output (like a classic 50's humbucker, NOT like a SuperDistortion).
Tone: Alot more bass and mid than the stock p'up. Read bout the custom switch below, for more tonal description.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Peavey Classic 50 4x10" and a Fender Blues Junior. I replaced the tele 3-way switch with a custom 5-way switch (regular Strat switches WON'T WORK for this mod, you will need a SuperSwitch) from guitarelectronics.com. They also have printable pickup wiring diagrams on their site (including this one). This allows me to coil split the Little '59 without adding mini switches, push/pull pots, etc.
While the Lil'59 uses a ceramic magnet it still captures the Alnico5 classic humbucker sound very well. It doesn't exactly match them in dynamics, but it has it's own dynamic (not the usual for a ceramic, but not EXACTLY like an Alnico either). It has a good classic dynamic in that it allows you to get "your sound" out of it... it likes tube amps. It has it's own distinct sound, but can be shaped and molded pretty easily just by adjusting your amp's EQ. Distorts nicely, not exactly like a classic, but still classic (whaa? hehe). It's clean is fat and "honky" with pronounced mids and a good deal of bass. The brochures will say "reminiscent of an old '59 Patent Applied For humbucker mixed together with a healthy dose of beefed up Tele? twang". This doesn't seem true to me! It saps it's twang and replaces it with a classic Gibson sound to my ears. Not bad, but I already have a couple of Gibsons. To get my Tele twang back I installed the custom switch :)
With the switch I can get any combo of pickups with the Lil'59 as a single coil or as a humbucker. This I think is it's best quality, the ability to coil split with the 4conductor wires. In single coil mode it sounds convincing as a nice stock tele bridge p'up (kinda like a Texas Tele), in humbucker mode it sounds similar to my '57 ReissueLesPaul except with a little more punch and bass. I can have it single coil with the neck or humbucker and neck, single coil by itself, etc. This makes the guitar a classic tone machine! A classic late 50's Gibson and FenderTele all in one!
Now that the switch gave me back my TWANG, I'm very happy with this guitar. The only drawback (and reason it won't get a perfect 10) is that the stock neck p'up and the humbucking mode both have more volume, weight and output than the Lil'59 in single coil mode. This results in a noticeable volume drop (not too drastic though) with switching from hum-to-single. This also results in the neck being a little more prominent in the blending of the two when the Lil'59 is in single coil mode. There's no way around this... even with other guitars/pickups. This is a common scenario across the board, so it's not really a negative for this pickup :)
The Blues Jr. was a little bit more responsive to the different pickup changes, it sounded very good in both of my amps though! I NEVER use any effects. I do use a wah pedal occasionally though. I'm one of those bastard classic purists ("distortion doesn't come in a box, it comes from your amp being spanked hard"). This pickup likes to be shaped into "your tone". It can be AngusYoung-ish or close to Keef Richards.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play country, blues, RnR, and Hard Rock. This pickup can get them all without changing guitars all the time. I still prefer using my '57Gibson for recording those and a Tele for recording those, but on stage this will run the gamut and in studio it will be distinct enough to use in it's own right.

Comments: If the pickup was lost, I'd replace it with another Lil'59, BUT only in this particular Tele. I love Teles (especially stock classics - got a stock modern and am looking for a 50's Reissue) but this one is my "HotRod". I've been playing for over 10 years, I own 12 guitars all customized (soon to add another Tele), I own 3 amps (had alot more... miss my Marshall JCM800s! and my Vox). I usually dislike SeymourDuncans. To me they all distort nicely, but sound like everyone else (and kind of bland dynamics, not like this Lil'59 though!). I love DiMarzio SuperDistortions! This is the 3rd SeymourDuncan I've owned (I only own 2 now). It is a very nicely designed pickup. Sounds very good and made me reconsider certain SD models.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker in a single coil size package
Impedence or other specs: This is the Strat Bridge Model, color: white

Model of guitar or bass: '57 Reissue Strat: Alder body, Maple neck & fretboard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Vintage Strat single coil
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Alnico Vintage single coils
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Jazz
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to get a hotter bridge sound without any hum

Perceived output level: In humbucking mode it's about 50% hotter than Vintage single coils. In tapped mode this pickup isn't quite as loud as a stock single coil.
Tone: Quite middy sounding, with a lack of character. Very uninspiring
Sonic evaluation: I've tried this bridge pickup in the above mentioned guitar with two different amp setups: a real Fender Tweed Deluxe, and a Rocktron Voodu Valve into a Marshall 20/20 through a 2x12 Mesa Cab with Celestion V30's. In both cases I found that there were a lot of mids, a lack of bass, and no high end sparkle. I'm surprised because most pickups sound great through the deluxe. Needless to say, the stock pickup is going back in.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup seriously lacks character. I'm not sure what style it would be suitable for. Maybe Grunge?

Comments: I've been gigging for almost 15 years. I've tried many guitars with many different pickups. However, Seymour Duncan is striking out with me. I've tried & dislike this Little '59 & the Screamin Demon. So far my favorite humbuckers are Dimarzio's Tone Zone & PAF Pro, and my favorite single coils are Fender Vintage reissues & texas specials.

Pickup features: HB in S/C Size. Nice when you dont want to alter your 52 Tele too much
Impedence or other specs: See Semour Duncan Website

Model of guitar or bass: 52 Tele & Strat Neck positions
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Joe Barden "Gatton" Neck
Other pickups on guitar: TB4 full HB Middle (with dpdt), Joe Barden Gatton Bridge
Artists using this pickup: Moi
You musical style(s): These axes used for: Classic Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock, 70-80s Metal
Reason for pickup change: Needed fatter and creamier woman tone on the neck of my 52teles (L59 Neck, TB4 middle, Gatton Barden Bridge) passive 3-way switching, and Custom Strats (EC bodies with SRV Pau Ferro necks, Van Zandt Blues s/c Middle & Bridge)Passive 5 way

Perceived output level: As loud as the TB4 center. Lowered it to below base of neck just above the pickguard
Tone: FFCWT: Fat fucking creamy woman tone, articulate, and very hendrixy
Sonic evaluation: Rig with 5 loops: loop 1: JMP-1, Loop 2: VTwin Sat Tube, Loop 3: Carvin X100B Modded Class A 30 watts Plexi 50 Handwired Circuit, Loop 4: Fender Tonemaster, Loop 5: 5150. Routings, racks, poweramps, etc too complex to list here other than (4ea Palmer PGA-04s, 2x GSP 2101A, 1x MPXG2, 1x PCM80, 4x BBE 462s, 2ea MOSVALVE 500 MV-942, 2EA MOSAVALVE 160 MV-962) 2x GBZ George Lynch 2x12s, 2 4x10s Celestion Blue 10s Tops, P10Qs bottom; and 2 1x15 custom cabs (with Peavey BW Keyboard speakers)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Blues Rock, Blues, Classic Rock, 70-80s Metal, Hard Rock, New CUNTry, Popular

Comments: It wont get stolen, lost, or becaase I have security road crew who pay for what gets stolen or damaged. Its in their fucking contract. Totally satisfied. These also work very well as 59Neck/TB4 Bridge with dpdt on both on a 3-way p/u switch as I have on two custom shop G&L dual HBs. This combination covers all the essential territory extremely well. 59 Neck, full or Little are fantastic for the neck. I have 59 Bridges (full size) in both my 3p/u Les Pauls with TB4 Middle (dpdt) and 59 Full size neck. Semour nailed the vintage PAF in the bridge 59, and all modern tones in the TB4! This combination rocks for moi beeba! Remeber, its not the size of your dick that counts, ITS THE SIZE AND YOUR ENDURANCE LOL!

Pickup features: single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Mutt 60's Strat
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Noisy Fender single coil.
Other pickups on guitar: Seymore Duncan HS-3's
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Industrial/Metal/Blues
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a punchier middle pickup without any hum

Perceived output level: Higher output than my HS-3's
Tone: A little bassy, but the poles are adjustable so you might be able to dial that out
Sonic evaluation: Fender Strat (60's body with a mystery neck) played through a '61 Fender Tweed Deluxe.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: This pickup does what I want it to do. The volume difference between this and my HS-3's may be problematic. If so, maybe i'll just buy a couple more of these.

Pickup features: Single coiled humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Home made Stratocaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Van Zandt Rock Model
Other pickups on guitar: Van Zandt blues on neck- Van Zandt Vintage in middle
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): From Jazz standards to 70's Rock
Reason for pickup change: Needed a humbucker lead tone but I didn't want to drill into my guitar's body

Perceived output level: it's a little more powerful than the Van Zandt single coils but not too much
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Home made strat with rosewood fingerboard, Fender super Champ, Classic 30, GX700 effects Processor

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for Classic rock Tones and hard blues leads, don't work for metal stuff

Comments: Originally I wanted a Little JB, but the guy at the music store who knew me well, told me that the JB was going to be too hot for me and adviced me to buy a Little 59 and to come back later to get a Little JB if I was not happy with the 59. I put the 59 on my axe, I tried it and I decided to keep it...
It's a good pickup to mix with hot single coils on a strat, you don't have a big volume difference when you're switching from neck pickup to bridge pickup for instance.But don't expect a full hot humbucker tone with it. If so, get a JB !!!

Pickup features: Single coil sized passive humbucker.
Impedence or other specs: unknown.

Model of guitar or bass: Squier Stagemaster (Fat Strat with a Floyd Rose)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Squier (rubbish)
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge, Hot Rails in the neck
Artists using this pickup: Jim from Carter USM!
You musical style(s): Classic rock, metal, driven blues
Reason for pickup change: The stock ones didn't do the guitar any justice...

Perceived output level: Medium- higher than the Squier, but significantly lower than the Custom or a normal '59
Tone: Balanced, if a little middy. It's paf-modelled, you know the deal.
Sonic evaluation: This lived in my hot-rodded Squier Stagemaster for about 2 months. I use this guitar with a Marshall MG100 and AVT4x12 half stack, Boss OD2 and DS2, CS3, Zoom Hyperfuzz and Danelectro Danowah.
Basically, I had a proper '59 in my Warlock, and loved the tone- growly without being too muddy, and huge variation available on the tone control, so when I finally got round to replacing the mid position pikcup, I thought I'd go for the Lil 59. Big mistake. There was no comparison at all with the full size 59, the only usable tone I could get was a passable dirty blues tone, and when used in conjunction with the other pickups it was drowned out. It's also very muddy when compared to the real thing. After I removed the pickup, I moved the neck Hot Rails down into the mid and fitted the full size 59 into the neck position (so it's now HSH not HSS) and it's not the guitar- the '59 is as good as it had been in the Warlock.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a range of rock and blues styles, but mainly dirty. It was a reasonable match for these... But far too specific and unvaried

Comments: Not only would I not replace this, I was happy to pull it out and sell it at a loss. It's not neccesarily a bad pickup, but it doesn't live up to the description by a mile. This is after a direct A/B comparison with the real thing, where the full size one shone. I love Seymour Duncan gear, but this was not for me. Still better than the Squier single coil though ;)
I've been playing for just over a year, and as well as the amp and FX gear described above, I own 3 guitars- a stock '00 Gibson SG Special (lovely), a stock '91 Fender Japan '60s Hot Rod Reissue- superb piece of work- and my hot rodded Squier.

Pickup features: Passive Single coil (humbucking sound)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Stratocaster Tradicional
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender Standard
Other pickups on guitar: Fender Standard
Artists using this pickup: don?t know
You musical style(s): Britpop
Reason for pickup change: Needed a humbuckin sound for base

Perceived output level: Hot...really hot
Tone: Bassy Trebly...not to much middy
Sonic evaluation: Fender twin reverb

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments:

Pickup features: Passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: go to Seymour's website

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Standard Strat w/rosewood board
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan APS-1 alnico 2's
Other pickups on guitar: Little '59 neck and bridge, APS-1 in middle
Artists using this pickup: i dunno
You musical style(s): rock/blues/r&b/pop
Reason for pickup change: I love my Strat, but I am a sucker for a good humbucker. I love the extra fatness for chords and leads

Perceived output level: Similiar to a vintage style humbucker, not quite as hot as full sized humbucker
Tone: What you would expect from a humbucker-fat, singing mids, right amount of highs
Sonic evaluation: I play a variety of styles (no metal) through a Mesa Rectoverb 50 (yes, I said no metal!). My Strat was sounding great thru the Mesa, but then I heard a Les Paul thru-aye caramba! I knew then that I wanted to add humbuckers to my Strat w/o modification, so I thought I would try these. I love them-fat, crunchy, but not overly hot, like a good humbucker should sound. No, it doesn't make my Strat sound like a Les Paul-there are too many other factors at work (bolt on neck, scale length, wood, weight, etc) for that to be possible. But I wasn't expecting or wanting it to sound exactly like a Les Paul-I wanted to keep the feel (25 1/2" scale) of a Strat with a fatter, punchier sound, and this pickup delivers that very well. I originally wired it up to have split coil in the 2 & 4 positions, which sounded good, but the volume loss was a big problem in live situations. I now have it wired up in standard series mode for both the neck and bridge, and this actually blends very well with the alnico 2 in the middle. It's not as hollow or quacky, but punchier and fuller, which works out better onstage. My Strat absolutely screams thru my Mesa now-I am very pleased (for now!)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: see above for styles-this pickup suits them all very well

Comments: I love these pickups-I would replace them with the same models if I had to. I have been playing for 28 years (gasp!), and have always been tone obsessed, and I am very pleased with my tone now (as are others). I haven't tried the other single coil sized humbuckers out there, but these capture the tone I want-a bigger, fatter, punchier Strat (with no noise!)

Pickup features: single-coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: tele-ish
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: strat mongrel
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: I needed more power than a stock strat pickup

Perceived output level: nowhere near as powerful as a full sized Gibson humbucker
Tone: eh--bland mush
Sonic evaluation: I use a lot of different gear, but lets say Fender, Boogie, and Marshall

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play whatever I want

Comments: This pu does not deliver humbucking power in a small size. It does deliver a mushy tone that in some ways resembles a full size Seymour Duncan mediocrity, but is not as strong or clear as your average Gibson humbucker (of which I have many different types).

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan Hot Stack
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Neck (never use it)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: In Search Of: Smoothness

Perceived output level: Pretty Hot
Tone: MIIIIIDDDDDYYYY
Sonic evaluation: This pickup sucks the big one. It only lasted a month in there before I had to get rid of it. No matter how I eq'd it was so nasally and full of mids I had to get rid of it. Some other poster had the same problem but said he rewired it etc... Screw that. I'm not going through it. Why doesn't duncan make a JB for a TELE???

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: If you like mids...this is the pickup for you. It sounded absolutely nothing like a Les Paul which is obviously how duncan markets this pickup. I'm not going to bother describing my rig....i've played guitar for 15 years, and this thing is the Mid Machine.

Pickup features: humbucker (single coil size)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: tokai lawsuit strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: lil 59er (neck), duckbucker (middle), lil 59er ( bridge)
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): jam band, fusion/jazz, Phish, Grateful Dead, Steve Kimock, John Maclaughlin (Miles Davis: Tribute to Jack Johnson--buy this album), Llama (www.houseofllama.com)
Reason for pickup change: Old stock pickups weren't hot enough. Also, not wrapped/dipped sufficently. Did a beeswax dip, and it helped alittle with the noise. But these are quite as hell.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot, PAF sound, and classic strat phase (duckbucker), fatter
Tone: great midrange, great torque, very hot--much more than stock, no noise, balanced
Sonic evaluation: So I took the old Axe in for a gutting. I threw in 59er-Duckbucker-59er. Also, after jamming with my friend (and consequently the lead guitarist for Llama) Ben Brown. By the way, Llama jammed Bonnaroo in Manchester TN in June 2002(www.bonnaroo.com). Anyway, he has a custom Strat (all warmoth I believe)and he had discarded the limited 5-way selector switch for three on/off mini switches. I thought this was a great idea. It sounds like alot of switches, but you never get confused,like with those new 7 position switches. I also had the two tone knobs rewired to be two master tones, which is really fun. So, my setup is as follows. I'm running my recently gutted and revived axe through an Ernie Ball volume pedal--dunlop crybaby (standard, but I want a Teese or a modded Vox)--Ibanez Ts7 (short word about the Ts7. This pedal comes standard with a JRC4558D, and all yall gear junkies know what this is. Don't pay some dude 80 bucks to mod out your TS9, this pedal is the best deal on the market,If you don't believe me, crack one open and see.) so gear right... Volume--wah--TS7--Boss DS-1 (great pedal, great price, you can pick it up for 25 bucks)--Ross Compressor Clone (expensive but worth it at Analogman.com)--digitech whammy--Boss EQ (7 band)--Peavey Delta Blues(15 inch speaker and 30 watts, and EL84s). So thats the setup. I use the TS7 for Phish/Trey sounds (the Ross really makes the sound). I use the DS-1 for Hendrix type stuff, if you've heard the Hendrix Blues album, the DS-1 is very similar to "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Catfish Blues." Back to the Guitar. With the three switches, the bridge and neck on sounds kinda like a growling Les Paul (which is what its supposed to sound like, but not quite as midrangy, which is fine by me). When the middle is added, you get a beefy phased sound which is great for jam band stuff. The lead is probably the most improved, and the master tone(s) make is very useable (I rarely used it before).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for what I play. Edge when you want it, glass when you want it, butter when you want it. I am want for nothing. (except maybe a boomerang sampler, but I don't plan on selling a kidney any time soon)

Comments: Its great. Would replace if lost, stolen, or burned. So if you're a hippy that started playing guitar before pot became your life, and your a decent player that knows what sounds good and what sounds like shit, then you should try these. Feel free to drop me a line about gear ( I assure you I only have limited knowledge), and I'll try to help as much as possible.

Pickup features: Humbucker in single coil sized package.
Impedence or other specs: feck if i know

Model of guitar or bass: MIM strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pup
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup: feck if i know
You musical style(s): heavy Blues, to punk and deathmetal.
Reason for pickup change: Stock pup where realllly thin and weak sounding.

Perceived output level: medium hot.
Tone: Balenced, fat low end tone with glassy bright high end.
Sonic evaluation: MIM strat into a Peavey Audition 110 with a RP100 inbetween.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: its good for what i play. Might not be good if your one of those high end supppppper output mesa boogie freaks.

Comments: if lost would for sure replace it.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking Neck/Middle
Impedence or other specs: dunno

Model of guitar or bass: 93 Strat Plus
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gold Lace Sensor
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Sensors
Artists using this pickup: Dunno
You musical style(s): Modern, alt, Prog rock
Reason for pickup change: Tired of 'Strat' sound

Perceived output level: Barely hotter than the Sensors
Tone: Well balanced, crispy upper midrange, but not glassy like strat
Sonic evaluation: My application is primarily studio, mostly through PODS and other rack/direct devices. The Little 59 is a good sounding pickup, but not the tonal difference from the Lace Sensor that I was looking for. Additionally, I found it a bit "messy" sounding, not very tight. Lots of harmonics. Note: I put the neck model in the bridge position to match my other p'ups output. I presume the bridge model will be a bit hotter. Duncan claims no tonal difference between bridge and neck models, just output.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A good pickup, but it didn't suit my needs. I would recommend it for low/mid-gain rock from classic to modern. The splatty nature at high gain might make it good for punk or garage styles, or Vernon Reid-style leads.

Comments: I exchanged it for the Duncan HotRails, which ended up doing it for me. The Little 59 just wasn't enough of a departure from my Stock Lace Sensor Golds. Good humbucking, though. Great adjustment potential with the dual pole pieces. Next time I'm gonna try the L-250xl from billlawrence.com - I just couldn't afford the 3-4 week wait this time 'round. Check 'em out.

Pickup features: Single-Coil sized Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 11.78k

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Series Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock delta tone
Other pickups on guitar: stock delta tones
Artists using this pickup: Iron Maiden, Tommy Bola, Shania Twain's guitarist
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a humbucking sound + the stock bridge pup wasnt very good.....thin and weak, not much attack.

Perceived output level: Vintage PAF output - hotter than stock
Tone: Dirty - Balanced, warm and very nice, but u must adjust the pole pieces and the pup height. Quite bright but my guitar has a maple neck. Clean it is ok
Sonic evaluation: Marshall JCM2000 DSL401 - You can hear a soundclip of the pickup via this link www.andrew.gray10.btinternet.co.uk/rockblues.mp3

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for rock and blues

Comments: Been playing about 3 years, i dont like the colour that much it is to bright - the white doesnt blend with the other 2 pups. I am satisfied with the sound and think it is rather good 4 what its size, i think the sound could be a bit fatter.

Pickup features: Humbucker in a Single Coil size for Strats
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender US Standard Stratocaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Delta Blues Single Coil
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Delta Blues Pickups
Artists using this pickup: Not Researched
You musical style(s): Hard Rock, Blues, Classical
Reason for pickup change: I wanted more output and humbucker tone from the bridge.

Perceived output level: Hotter thant he single coils but not enough to make you get pissed.
Tone: Very smooth with great balance
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Line6 POD with headphones, and a Mesa Dual Rectifer Half Stack with the band. I have tried the Hot Rails, Screamin Demon, JB, and EMG's in this guitar in the past. None of them have the harmonic laden sound this pickups does. FINALLY, I am done searching for a bridge pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Hard Rock, and Blues mostly. This pickup is great for Hard Rock, but I prefer single coils for blues. Not a problem since my guitar has 2 others!

Comments: Finally I can stop looking for a pickup solution for my strat. This pickup has a great balance with the existing stock pickups. I can get the sounds I want out of it, and I'm very satisfied.

Pickup features: Single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs: somebody has to know how to answer this...

Model of guitar or bass: 2001 Fender American Stratocaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock delta tone bridge single coil
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Delta Tone single coils
Artists using this pickup: Everyone on this page
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, some heavy rock, most anything guitar-wise...
Reason for pickup change: Single coil got all nasty with lots of distortion and didn't
do heavier distorted licks at all. Needed something bigger..
More bass/mid/boost...

Perceived output level: Believed it to be hotter, heavier, and have a nice humbucker-like tone...
Tone: Big fat bass/mid tones coming out of this thing. Didn't expect it to sound so good distorted. This pickup rocks. Coming from strat single coils, this pickup is amazingly fat. I can't say enough good about the distorted sound...
Sonic evaluation: U.S. Strat(with little '59 in bridge) or a Nashville Deluxe Power Telecaster(MIM) > Hendrix Wah > Danelectro PB&J Delay > Marshall Shredmaster > Music Man HD 130 2x12...
Bassy/Middy... Responds very well to the shredmaster. I thought it had a quiet dead clean sound until I realized I had my amp EQ set for a single coil... So once I turned the treble back up and the bass back down, it showed just how good it was. So much bigger and fatter than the single coil... I would reccomend this to anyone who wants to fatten up their strat. Somehow, this single coil sized pickup, sounds like a humbucker. Clean sound is big, full, and crisp. Distortion can be mean/heavy or bluesy/overdriven.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My band plays our own original version of rock. We have many different styles in our music... From classic to pop to heavy to some experimental rock. This pickup will easily cover those. I play a lot of different stuff. Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, some jazz, some emo, and even more blues.

Comments: I would buy this pickup again for sure. I have found my ideal strat in this pickup. I've been playing about 6 years and I've gone through many guitars. Epiphone flying V, Gibson SG, Danelectro U2 reissue... I listed my gear up top. This pickup shines on distortion or clean... I can get that sweet humbucker tone in my strat. I really am going to favor this pickup for distortion. The full sustaining sound blows away the single coils. I don't hate anything about this pickup. Full of tone and very versitile. I've been on single coils entirely too long. Don't get me wrong, they shine with their sound, but there's nothing like a good humbucking sound. I actually read a lot of reviews for this and other pickups. I believe I have found a sound I will stick with. My strat has more sound options than ever before. This gets a 10, without a doubt.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Don't know

Model of guitar or bass: Home made strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Texas special bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Texas specials
Artists using this pickup: Couldn't tell you, don't really care
You musical style(s): Used to be blues, now more aggressive stuff.
Reason for pickup change: I like a ballsy sound to a guitar, even a strat, and the Texas Special bridge sounded like a cat fight

Perceived output level: More than a single coil, probably near a real PAF humbucker
Tone: With the pickup angled like it is the pickup had some real biting highs but guess what kids most humbuckers have these neat little screws on them so you can (Drum roll please) ADJUST THE TONE! So I've got this sucker sounding really nice and even, lots of balls and not to peircing highs.
Sonic evaluation: Um well there's my strat into a '66 50w fender bassman, through 4X12s cutom cabnet. And the alternate rig is a 110w solid state marshall through the same cab.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, rock, heavy metal, loud agressive shit

Comments: I'm not one of those guys who just drools over strats, and actually the only reason I built one was because I wanted a guitar with a tremelo but I figured since I got it I might as well make it sound great and this pickup does it. I'm a huge fan of the les paul sound so this pickup was a great suprise. When I got it I thought that it would be an improvement over the single coil it was replacing, but I didn't think it was going to sound like a 59 humbucker. Well I own a 59 humbucker and I had it in the bridge of a les paul for a while and I have to say that Duncan got damned close to that sound. Running through my bass man without any effects, just the raw tube overdrive that strat can get a great Led Zeppelin, or peter greene or who ever, you name it. I put it through the marshall and kick in those more aggressive distortions and it screams and wails and crunches just fine, with a lot of clarity and attack. Its a great pickup. Oh yeah fuck you to the morons who bitch and cry about pickups without trying to adjust the pole pieces (The screws on it you jackass) to get a good sound. Christ this isn't brain surgery.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Lonestar Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Texas special
Other pickups on guitar: texas special in middle, SD pearly gates Plus in bridge
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Classic Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more sustain and a fatter tone in the neck position.

Perceived output level: Much hotter than Texas Special, not as hot as Pearly Gates.
Tone: balanced tone
Sonic evaluation: Fender strat into a Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for my style of play. It seems to retain the fender strat sound but makes it fatter and sustain better. Adds versatility to the guitar.

Comments: I like this pickup and bought it because I thought it would complement the pickups I already have in the guitar. I also had the guitar custom wired to allow me to split the coils for the out of phase positions and had a capacitor added to each tone pot to make the controls more usable. I am very happy with this set-up and it makes the guitar extremely versatile.

Pickup features: Single Coil Sized Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Dunno

Model of guitar or bass: 70's Strat Reissue
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock single coil
Other pickups on guitar: Stock single coils (soon to be Hot Rails)
Artists using this pickup: Who cares? EVH used an old-school PAF in his Frankenstrat. This pickup is supposed to replicate that.
You musical style(s): Hard Rock (Rage Against the Machine style). Old school Ritchie Valens and stuff. Dick Dale, the Ventures, Buddy Holly, etc. I also get into Sabbath every once in awhile.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more output and a deeper, fuller sound.

Perceived output level: Way more than the stock single coils. Not as much as full 'buckers, but pretty damn close to some.
Tone: Clean - bright...not icepick, just quite trebley, not muddy at all, some bass, not too much mids, but enough. Distortion - It sounds huge! Very balanced, and it seems that the bass really comes through. It sounds sooooo great with my pedals.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using my strat into a Princeton 112 plus (not great, but good enough for another few months). I use a BOSS MT-2, BOSS PW-3 or PW-2 (can't remember which), BOSS FZ-3, and Mr. Crybaby. It sounds really good. I love it. I'll probably move it into the middle position, so that in positions 2 and 4 it'll even out the bassy hot rails some. Would that work (I'm a newbie in the hot-rodding/pickup replacement game.) E-mail me if you know.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I get anywhere and everywhere with this pickup. Of course if you want the "Hammet sound" you're not gonna get it dead on if you just buy his pickups, so you'd better have the money lyin' around to buy a shit-load of Mesa stacks. Try to find a balance. Try to be original. This pickup is very well made and is something most people who pick up their guitar with a serious and honest ear should consider.

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen, I'd probably get another. I've been playing for around 4 or 5 years. Probably 5. I love the sound I get with this. It's really quite versatile. Don't let the '59 part of the name fool you into thinking it's just old-school. I mean, yeah, it excels there, but it's not an exclusive "dawn of rock 'n roll" pickup. I like it a lot.

Pickup features: Single coil sized passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: go to www.seymourduncan.com/website/tonechart.html

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Standard Strat w/ replacement 22 fret neck and custom wiring job
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock single coil
Other pickups on guitar: stock single coils
Artists using this pickup: me and anyone else reviewing it here
You musical style(s): rock, blues, gospel, just about anything I hear that I like
Reason for pickup change: Stock single coil bridge pickup was pretty thin and had way to much hum with any amount of gain.

Perceived output level: Definitely hotter than stock single coil, slightly less than full size humbucker output
Tone: Nice treble and upper mids, bass response is strong but subtle. Clean sounds still sound like a Strat but are fuller and deeper. Distortion is great, the mids and highs give plenty of bite and the bass rounds out the sound nicely. It still retains that Strat tone but with a smoother edge and no hum at all. It doesn't make the Strat sound like a Les Paul but it does add that humbucker fullness. String response can be punchy or subtle depending on how you adjust the pole pieces. With the gain cranked a little the sustain on the notes is improved and the natural upper harmonics seem to just peek out from behind the fundamental giving that shred-ready sound. Responds to different picking and fretting styles well.
Sonic evaluation: Modified Strat run straight in to a Crate GFX-15 for practice purposes. I have wired the guitar for an auto coil-tap in the bridge\middle postion and installed a toggle switch to add in the bridge or neck pickup in any postion, 500K pots all around, wired for single master volume, single master tone, and the third pot used for blend with the toggle switch. I can still get the in-between quack postions and the toggle allows me to couple neck and bridge for that tele sound. I get a lot of sonic versatility out of this rig. This pickup seems a little weak when split in parallel with the middle pickup but is wonderful when combined full humbucking with the stock singles. I doesn't overpower the singles but seems to tighten up the top and bottom. It sounds really good through a Peavey Ultra 212, very warm and breaks up just right. This pickup is a good match for a Strat. It dramatically improves the distorted sound of the Strat but it really shines when used with the single coils either clean or just slightly dirty. You can get heavy sounds out of it but it seems better suited to moderate gain to clean applications. Very open sounding, nice classic humbucker roundness.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for rock or blues, possibly for country with the right amp. Wouldn't try it for metal/industrial (more noise than tone) applications, it doesn't really drive hard enough for that. The Strat bridge would never be good for jazz no matter what you have in there. Think 70's to 80's rock sound. I can get a decent SRV sound with the neck and this pickup parallel.

Comments: First of all, if it were stolen I'd be pretty upset because I've put a lot of time and effort into building this Strat just the way I want it. If I had to replace it, I'd go the same route. This pickup is a great match for a Stratocaster, IMHO. I have a Les Paul that I play also. I've been playing for about 10 years and have used a lot of stuff. This is the best investment I've ever made in this Strat!

Pickup features: Hum
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Standard Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock, Hot Rails
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Middle of the road
Reason for pickup change: Suggestion of sales staff at store. Reviews on this board. Change is good.

Perceived output level: Middle; about 30% less than Hot Rails
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: -Using '64 Fender Bassman. Marshall 25th 2x12.
- This pickup is beautiful. I had no idea a pickup could sound so good. Instantly made my entire setup sound much better. Volume is balanced over entire frequency range. Very sweet mids. Does not crunch like a Hot Rails, not a lot of harmonics, but responds so well to distortion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock. Good Match. This pickup could probably do anything. Maybe not for really exaggerated tones; maybe not metal.

Comments: Would buy 10 of them if I had the money.
Couple years. Digital Metalizer, MeatBox, some rack stuff.
Love everything about it.
Compared to other similar Duncan Pickups on their trial CD.
It's THE sound.
I haven't tried the bridge version, but I'm glad I have a Hot Rails in the bridge if I need a bit more crunch, harmonics, bass & volume.
Thanks to all the people posting on this board. This is exactly the sound I was looking for

Pickup features: Passive single coil size humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Standart Stratocaster (alder body, maple neck)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender custom shop Texas Special
Other pickups on guitar: Texas Specials
Artists using this pickup: ?????, some might use full size one...
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, hard rock, surf...
Reason for pickup change: Texas Special sounded too thin, trebly...io. useless for bridge position, quite fine for neck and middle.

Perceived output level: Hotter than Texas Specials, not too much. It can be ussefull to have louder bridge pickup.
Tone: Tone is just perfect for me, smooth but still bright. Difinitely not too bright. I tried little JB, it was too bassy. 59 was the one for me.
Sonic evaluation: I use it with Peavey Classic 30 (I have changed preamp tubes for smoother sound) and Ibanez Analog Delay AD99 and Ibanez TS10 tube Screamer. Seems to be perfect match.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for blues, rock, 70's heavy metal?, hard rock. Not for any harder.

Comments: As I said, this is perfect bridge pickup for me. I don't need to look out for any better sounding one. Maybe I should to also one for neck...

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 11.7k

Model of guitar or bass: 91' fender am. std. strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): blues, latin rock, metal
Reason for pickup change: wanted a thicker tone

Perceived output level: hotter than stock pickups
Tone: nice balanced tone
Sonic evaluation: I play through a boss ME-30 and a 80' fender twin reverb. This pickup really rocks. It makes everything come alive. Great distorted sound, but kind of muddy when played clean. But I mainly used it for distortion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup would probably work for any style except country.

Comments: If it were stolen I would definetly buy another one.

Pickup features: Passive hzmbucking - 4 core
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat Plus
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gold Lace Sensor
Other pickups on guitar: 2x Gold Lace Sensors
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: I wanted more sounds - often I use just a trio so a thicker sound is handy.

Perceived output level: About 10-15% hotter than the Laces. I've got the neck model in the bridge - actually a buying error - but it's probably just as well because it matches the Laces very well - only a slight volume jump. The bridge model might have been too hot.
Tone: Clear but a bit characterless when clean - very smooth into a cranked tube amp - very defined- excellent dynamics - classic British blues tone
Sonic evaluation: Aforementioned Strat into a Fender Pro Junior modded into a Tweed Deluxe style circuit. Even though I've only got Sovtek 6V6s & teh original Fender speaker, when I turn it up to 4-6, it sounds incredible. I like a fairly compressed tone (tube rec, cathode bias, small amp) My tone always gets good comments.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I mostly play blues. Not great for country because its clean sound is a little dead.

Comments: I would buy it again. I've been playing a long time. I play mostly acoustic and have quite a few acoustics & electrics.
I just love the tone. With a small amp in power tube distortion the tone is thick, clear & warm all at once. When it's split for just the single, it's a bit thin, but blends well with the middle for strat quack.
I didn't realy compare it, but I've a bit of experience sith SD products so I reckoned I was alright.
I'm quite happy with my sound for the moment but you neber know...

Pickup features: single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ummm, riiiight

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Standard Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Standard
Other pickups on guitar: Original '57/'62 in neck standard in middle
Artists using this pickup: don't give a hoot, I guess me
You musical style(s): rock, hard rock, blues,blues rock, mild metal
Reason for pickup change: the stock pickup (which have a bad rap) was fine but I found myself wanting to sound be able to sound like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, I couldn't lose those incredibly cool, semi-twangy distinctive Strat sounds all together. Now I have both and love it.

Perceived output level: slightly hotter as a single coil, medium humbcker output, blends well with single coil pickups
Tone: ummm, well I am no expert on this stuff but it sounds pretty warm and with the adjustable pole pieces it can be trebly, bassy, whatever you like
Sonic evaluation: well, it really brought my guitar to life. Like most guitarists I loved the brice and whatnot of the Standard Strat but thought that it needed some mods to make it MY guitar suited for MY needs.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this would be good for any rock oriented song, except for open ringing R.E.M. type stuff

Comments: This is really a good idea, I found out about these single coil sized humbuckers by accident on E-Bay and immediately went to find out where to buy them. I was thinking about a humbucker but did not want to go tho the time trouble and expense of routing it out and all that. I thought about the Little 59 or the JB Jr, but it was $50 vs. $80 and being not-quite-15-yet with no job, guess which one won. I hooked it up to a 3rd pot that controls how much of a split it makes, I found that early Clapton and The Who are best on about half-split, later Clapton and other people using the regular single coils is best completely split and Led Zep sounds so incredibly awsome in full humbucker mode. I wanted to have one guitar do everything pretty well and I have it, Strat sounds, Paul sounds, whatever, its my Strat-O-Paul! It has made my cruddy amp sound better and it is fantastic distorted or clean, unfortunately that is more than I can say for my amp, It is the next to get replaced. The only complaint that is common here is that the wires are so flimsy, but not hard to deal with. All in All I really am glad I did it. The End

Pickup features: Single coil sized humbucker... passive
Impedence or other specs: ???

Model of guitar or bass: G&L Legacy Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: G&L Stock single coil
Other pickups on guitar: G&L Stock single coils
Artists using this pickup: ???
You musical style(s): Alternative/Rock/Mellow Worship Music
Reason for pickup change: G&L Stock pickup in the bridge was too shrill... so, I never used it. Now that it's a Little '59, I use it all the time.

Perceived output level: About 1/4 louder than the stock pickups and quite a bit fatter, thicker, and brighter.
Tone: Excellent tone, especially with the G&L treble and bass tone pots. I usually leave the bass tone pot on 10 and the treble pot between 5-6. This setting gives the '59 a full, round, fat tone either clean or distorted.
Sonic evaluation: G&L Legacy Strat (sweet strat)
V
Visual Sound Route 66 (Compression and phat Overdrive)
V
Purple Bud Wah (Sweet round, wow - wow, with vintage vibe)
V
Boss DS-1 (Midrangy, fuzzy, crunch)
V
DOD FX 90 Analog Delay (Sweet, bouncy, slap-back)
V
Boss TU-2 Tuner
V
Peavey (I heard that cringe) Delta Blues with a 1x15 and Tremolo.
An amazing combination with enough versatility to suite each style I play. The Little '59 added a whole new dimension to my rig... so much so that I've thought of putting one in the neck position also, but can't spare the cash for now.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mostly contemporary worship with an edge. The pickup is perfect. Phat, warm, bassy when needed, and clear as a bell.

Comments: I really love it... In fact, I'd like two more to turn my Legacy into a Legacy Special + !! If you've got a G&L and you need to do something with that bridge pickup... what are you waiting for??

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 9.86K (neck), resonant peak = 5.8KHz

Model of guitar or bass: '99 Mexican Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Duckbucker (mid) and JB Jr. (bridge)
Artists using this pickup: Who cares...try surfing the web if you really need to know.
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups on a Standard Strat (Mexican made) get a bad rap.
They're really not that bad. But I loved the sound of the Blue
Lace Sensor in my '91 Strat Plus Deluxe and wanted to get the
same (or better) tone on my "beater".

Perceived output level: Seriously hotter my JB Jr, yet not as hot as a Blue Lace Sensor
Tone: Full, round, & sweet. Surprisingly bright. Very Gibson-like when wired stock (series)
Sonic evaluation: Unlike a Blue Lace Sensor which sounds compressed, this pickup is
dynamic -- your tone changes with your picking style. You can still get a Fender-ish tone out of it -- here's the secret:
Unlike stock pickups, the '59 comes with 4 conductor wire...take advantage of it. I used a push-pull pot to select between running this pickup's coils in series or parallel. Series will give you the big bottom-end of a Gibson-type pickup. Parallel tightens up the bottom-end and gives a bit more snap. It sounds like a cross between a stock Strat neck pickup and humbucker. And best of all, parallel mode means no hum and a less dramatic drop in volume than if you were to split the pickup.
Because this pickup is so bright, I ended up wiring my Strat with a separate capacitor for each tone pot. While I use a .022 cap for my middle & bridge pot, I use a .047 cap for the Little '59. This allows me a little more flexibility when in parallel mode.
While I was at it, I put in another push-pull pot which allows me to run my '59 (neck) and JB Jr (bridge) at the same time. Contrary to what others report, this does NOT yield a Tele sound. It gives a great Les Paul tone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Jazz, Blues, Pop...it can do it all (probably even country)

Comments: For me, this pickup makes the ideal neck pickup for a Strat. It can sound like a Gibson or a Fender. What else would you need?

Pickup features: passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: esp vintage strat copy
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: dimarzio sds-1
Other pickups on guitar: duncan '59 trembucker in bridge
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues / rock / metal
Reason for pickup change: dimarzio sds-1 wasn't humbucking, sounded to much like a single coil, and was to muddy for the neck

Perceived output level: a little more power than an average hum.
Tone: bright on the top end, not a lot of mids, some harmonics
Sonic evaluation: esp strat copy, through a peavey classic tube 50 watt 2x12 combo

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play classic rock, the '59 series is one of the best all around pickups for whatever you play.

Comments: I'd buy another if it called for it, I've played for about 7 years, I wish the '59 series had more mids, it's got that classic gibson sound, for non gibson guitars, I've got the perfect all around combo now, '59 trembucker in the bridge, and lil' '59 in the neck.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Standard Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Fendere single coils
Artists using this pickup: None that I know of.
You musical style(s): Metal, assorted other styles.
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups lacked really good tone for Metal. Also, stock pickups lacked good balance between treble and bass strings.

Perceived output level: Pretty Dang Hot
Tone: Really nice, way nicer than the stock single coils.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the Strat through a Korg Ax1G, into a Peavy Rage 158.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is great for metal and harder styles, but it would be great for just about anything.

Comments: This pickup delivers great tone, making it and my terrific strat a lethal combination for all types of music. The only problem I had with it was a problem with the store that installed it, they didn't wire it too the tone pot. Jerks. I imagine with that it would be even better.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: American Standard Stratocaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender "Delta Tone"
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Fender "Delta Tone"
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): hard rock / hard blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a bit more drive when using the bridge PU.

Perceived output level: Holy Mother Of God...Hot
Tone: Very FULL and WARM, incredibly round...nice.
Sonic evaluation: My rig is an A/B type set up:
'Crunch'-Marshall JCM 800 50 watt 2204 head and
4x12cab /and/ 'Clean'-'73 fender Twin Reverb. I split
the signal from the guitar with a Rapco A/B-100 splitter,
then into the appropriate pedals for each amp(modded TS-9 and 'Clone Clone' by Analogman), then each individual signal goes into an Ernie Ball stereo pan pedal. This allows me to pan between amps, or to combine the signals to both amps at once, without running all my
pedals through the same chain. Tone preservation.
Sounds more complicated than it is.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I can't get enough of a pristene clean tone from my Twin, but need to drive the Marshall when the occation arrises. This pickup is the perfect compliment to this guitar. I can get '4th position 'clean tones to die for, then switch to a warm overdrivin tone at the drop of a hat: The best of both worlds.

Comments: For my particular application, it is PERFECT. I can't beleive how good this thig sounds in a Strat. Incredible. I was going to drop a
'JB jr.' in my strat, but my guitar tech STRONGLY advised me not to(he has done work for Jerry Cantrell, Glen Cambell, Gin Blossoms...etc). I'm glad I took his advice and dropped in this "little '59" instead. I HIGHLY recommend this pickup!

Pickup features: (Single coil-sized humbucker)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Godin ST
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: ???
You musical style(s): Jazz, psychedelia
Reason for pickup change: N/A

Perceived output level: I have them tapped at all times...untapped they're a little hot for my tastes.
Tone: Mids are nice and warm, and there's a little much in the trebble department. Got those warm mids though...
Sonic evaluation: This is my only electric, and I run it through a pair of T.C. Electronic Sustain + EQ pedals (one low-gain, one high gain, both accentuating lower mids), an ADA Flanger and COlorsound wah into a Matchless tube reverb and Matchless SC30. If you know the amp, you know that its extremely sensitive to output level and dymanics, so you don't want pickups to be very hot. Tapped, they work great, and have some glassy strat sparkle. More than highs, I wanted mids, and they pull through nicely with the trebble set low.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups are a good match for jazz and mellow jazz/rock, as I wanted a warm (midrangy) tone, but unlike a normal strat in that I wanted not much presence. I rarely use the mid position, because it sounds weak, but who does?

Comments: I use this guitar (all maple, except for the fretboard) with the SDs, and I also have a Seagull acoustic. Cost was no object when I bought either guitar, I am really fond of the electric and its sound, but often think that I might get a more mellow sound if the guitar wasn't solid maple (alder or poplar would have been a better choice for warm tones). Better sound than the stock pickups on my old Fender strat, but can't master the edge-tones the way the humbuckers in my old Gibson ES335-S Deluxe chambered solidbody could. I don't use those kinds of tones much anymore, however. Effects sound good (I tend to use heavy flange for some psychedelic jazz, and a touch of phasing for a more rolling clean). If you want these pickups to get a rich thickness, use reverb and turn down your trebble. They're dead quiet. I'm thoroughly satisfied.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: unknown

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: standart Tokai single-coil
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Duckbuckers in middle and neck
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Blues - Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a punchier sound for some of the more rock-oriented material we do in my band.

Perceived output level: 30 - 40%
Tone: lots of smooth mids and highs... not glassy at all.
Sonic evaluation: Use a Line 6 Flextone Plus w/Celestion G12-80 speaker plus outboard cabinet along with Line 6 Floorboard. Also use a Boss GE-7 to add a bit of presence and boost when needed.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues-Rock... pickup best for bridge setup.

Comments: This is THE pickup... it is the best pickup combination that I have ever used. I LOVE THIS PICKUP!! I have been playing for 28 years and this is it for me... I would replace it with the exact same pickup if anything should ever happen to it. Some of my fellow professional players have turned on to this P.U. and love it as well. With my amp setup, I can get anything from early Clapton to Hendrix and everything in between.