Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59

Humbucker, designed to sound like a classic PAF (similarly to seth lover pickup) unsure of impedence.

Installed this in neck position on a Tele partscaster i built, paired with a Dimarzio Area Hot T in bridge. Mike from Incubus uses this pickup in some of his guitars. I transferred this from my Schecter 006 Blackjack, which i sold minus the '59. left the JB in the bridge of that guitar, I didn't like anything about the JB, way too dark, especially on a mahogany body.

The output is reasonably high, i have the pickup sitting quite low in the pickguard, to match the dimarzio in bridge. i play all sorts; rock, alternative, church, even beat it from michael jackson if i feel like it. this pickup is suitable for neck, but i haven't tried it in bridge. the tone is quite balanced, i would like a little more high end, it doesn't always cut through the mix when my amp is clean. i've got it hooked up to a parallel/series push/pull potentiometer, which makes for some surprisingly "stratish' sounds from a tele. this pickup coil-splits or runs parallel extremely well.

I would probably use this pickup again. i've been playing about 10 years, i don't own that much stuff. an old 25-watt alron amp, and G2D Custom Overdrive and Nova Delay as my effects. This pickup has a nice warm tone compared to the bridge pickup, but not too warm and mushy. i am 90% satisfied with its sound, i'm interested in trying lindy p-90's in my next build though.

Passive humbuckers. Not sure of impedance.

Heritage H535, both positions, Duncan '59 came as an option brand new.

Moderate output, balanced tone - not mid scooped or extremely mid humped. I use them mostly clean with delay into a fender twin or drri. Ocasionally use a fulldrive ii overdrive.

Suitable for rock, jazz, maybe country or anything else that doesn't require hot hot pickups.

The neck can get very warm, bordering on muddy with the tone knob turned down. Good for jazz or subdued chord work. With the tone knob up, the neck is clear and fat sounding without pronounced mids. Nothing distracting or lacking in the tone, very versatile and useful.

The bridge can get a little edgy and bright, which is fine. I like that it can get a good bright sound for country and still have some punch left over for grittier rock sounds.

They both react well to fender style amps and can both clean up while retaining the ability to push the amp a bit. They sound just right pushing a marshall too.

It's my favorite humbucker I've owned. My others are hot (sd distortion and sd jb) so the 59s fill in the gap nicely. Been playing 15years and use other guitars with singles and p90s. I love that these pups can give a vintage output type sound to round out my singles and p90s. I've got guitars with pickups that run the spectrum from weakish telecaster singles, lipsticks, p90s to hot humbuckers. These fill my need for moderate output buckers. This may also be my most versatile guitar now.

Humbucking pickup with Alnico V magnet. You can also tap the coil on this humbucker. I think it's something like 7.43K, so it's a vintage sounding pickup. Don't expect to get hard rock or metal out of it.

It came stock in a Washburn X-50 Pro Q. It's sitting in the neck position. The bridge pickup is a SH-11. I know people are using it, just not exactly who.

It's got a fairly low output. But I didn't really expect it be a high output monster or anything like that. I use it straight into Vox Pathfinder, sometimes with a Guv'nor Plus or a Dano Fab Chorus in the chain. This pickup doesn't have a lot of mids. That was pretty obvious to me when I first played it. It's got a good amount of bass and slightly less on the treble side. This thing has got a good sound to it. It's not harsh, it's pretty mellow sounding. Very smooth actually, even with gain. Doesn't get that razor quality when distorted. Nice full sound as well. Can sound a bit like it's lacking something though. That midrange being "relaxed" really does make a noticeable difference. Personally, I'd like to see this with more midrange. All I really have to do crank up the mids a bit when I switch to my neck pickup. It works better, but I think if I invested in one of those MXR EQ pedals, I can tweak the midrange more to my liking.

I play blues. Classic rock too, and some of the 80's metal (no hair metal though, just not my thing). It works well enough for me. I don't need a high gain pickup. This fits the bill for me.

Jury's still out on this one. I like it, but that lack of mids is bugging me. I'm gonna try to fix it with an EQ pedal. If I can't work it out, I'll probably go with either a Seth Lover, those have a bit more midrange. Been at guitar for a little bit, 10 years or so. Other than this guitar I've got a Peavey Predator EXP. I really dig the way the notes seem to have this richness surrounding them. And that lack of midrange is the only thing I don't like. But I'm gonna try and work on it rather than just go get another pickup. I think I can get it to work for me.

Brilliant new school take on a venerable old school legend from a premier USA pickup maker. The passive, humbucking SH-1 '59 neck and bridge pickups from Seymour Duncan are are nothing short of stunning.

I installed these in my Epiphone SG G-400 Cherry in both the bridge and neck positions(no covers) as the stock covered pickups were too dark and muffled for my tastes and lacking a lot of upper mid and high frequencies.

An impedance of 8k puts the SH-1's squarely in the vintage output bracket however that's not to say they perform in a vintage fashion. After installation I played these into my Crate BV-120 and the result was fantastic. All the definition and high end that was lacking in the stock pickups was suddenly flying off the strings, although the tone was bright it still remained balanced and focused in the bridge and neck postions whith the middle position reminiscient of the old 50's gretsches, it has to be heard to be believed. I play predominantly rock with shred over the top, a bit of clean jazz and these pickups did it just the way i liked it, sparkling.

When i get my next SG i'll definitely be putting a set of these in it. I've been playing and listening for 10 years and was floored by what these pickups delivered, can't put my SG down most days now, the tone from these is inspirational. I also have an SH-4 JB in another guitar but Iwanted the same sound in a lower output level and that's just what the '59's produced. I don't use a lot of effects in my playing however the ones I do have worked in harmony with these pickups, I've now found my tone with these. . .

Passive humbucker

Have a 30 yr old Schecter Tempest les Paul copy.I got the neck position pickup to replace crappy Japanease pickups on the guitar. I also have the SH4 Jeff Beck bridge pickup also to replace crappy bridge pickup on the guitar.

This pickup was bought after listening to the Seymour Duncan audio samples and loved it from the start.I wanted a really blues sounding pup as the SH4 which is in my bridge position is quite a rock sounding pup so wanted tonal veritility with my guitar and this one does the job perfectly.The sound is a really blues sound with a nice zingy tone which i like. This pup also has a very sharp sound that almost hurts your ears when played above the 15th fret which i also like but my dog hates!!! The 59 sound much better for clean mellow sound than the SH4 but the SH4 sound better with the distorted rock sound; this is where the 59 looses it a bit but still sounds good.

If this pup was stolen or destroyed i would be totally gutted as i really like the sharp blues sound that it has. I like it much better than the SH4 Jeff Beck which i also like a lot but doesnt quite cut the blues sound,better for rock like i said. If you are like me and want a blues sound then go for this pup as i totally love it cos it makes me sound good!!!!!!!!

Humbucker
Zebra bobbins

I put an SH-1 into my 1978 Gibson Les Paul standard when the original stock bridge pickup failed and went microphonic.

It is better than the stock pick up was (not that this was bad). It is quite bright, and is more sensitive to the volume control, which suits me very well. I use the volume and tone controls a lot. It has about as much or a little less output than the old stock pickup, which had less than a lot of the new humbuckers out there.

The mids may be a little less prominent, but that could just be placebo effect because I read it. It is definitely not ???scooped???. I like it a lot.

Signal path: ancient Dunlop Wah --> MI Audio Crunch Box --> TS-808 --> Boss Flanger --> Boss digital delay 2 --> early 1970s Fender Super Reverb (or 1989 Laney 100W AOR + 4 x 12).

I use my LP for blues, rock, hard rock and psychodelia. I am very into the sound of my amps...

I liked the effect of the change so much that I got another for the neck. The SH-1 did not really change the character of the guitar, but accentuated what was already there. It should be noted that my 78 Les Paul has a three-piece maple neck, so it???s naturally a little brighter than the 59 re-issues. That would definitely affect the way the tone of this pickup ???sits??? within the tone of the instrument.

I???d consider trying Burstbuckers next time, but at the price they???d have to be very impressive to sway me. The SH-1 does a good job for me.

Duncan SH-1n '59, Humbucker, Nickel cover, single lead. Neck Position.

02 Les Paul Standard, 50's neck with Burstbucker Pro's. Didn't like the Pro's at all. Couldn't rip them out fast enough. Installed Gibson '57 Classics and liked them much better. Like a fool I thought I wanted something else so I tried the Duncan '59.
Read on..............

I didn't like the Pro's at all so I installed a pair of Gibson '57 Classics. Ahhh much better. But after awhile I "thought" the '57s were not hot enough. I wanted another change so the first thing I did was try to get a deeper tone in the neck pickup so I researched and thought the SH-1n would do the trick even though I was a little leary of the comment "slightly scooped mids" which to me is leaving the PAF territory. So I installed the '59 in the neck of my Les Paul. Well hmmmmm this isn't working. While the '59 sounded pretty with deeper bass and softer highs than the '57 Classic, the lack of midrange just ruined it for me. The mid's almost sounded "modeled" to me. While the rest of the tone was very sweet it just did not have the bite of the Gibson. Also the Duncan being a Alnico V was a mismatch with the '57 Classic Plus in the bridge which is Alnico II. Could not match up the focus and volume evenly. I tried and tried but ended up throwing the '57 Classic back in the neck and wondered why I ever pulled it in the first place. I like the Classic much better for my setup and taste. For me using a Marshall JTM45 and Les Paul, the Classics are going to be hard to beat. I will keep the SH-1n and try it in a different guitar. That works sometimes. Something with very loud mids may just need this pickup. I don't think this is the perfect '59 humbucker. The eq is just off.

I may try it in a Hollow body but for my Les Paul it didn't work for me. Too soft. If Seymour Duncan would take a '57 Classic, massage it's tone first to be just bigger and then smooth off the very top end and only slightly enhance the bass, then it would sound like the real PAf humbuckers of 1959. Just leave the strong rich mids alone!
I'm a total Marshall/Gibson/Humbucker guy. Overall this is a nice humbucker with "some" good qualities. Didn't floor me.

Pickup features: Humbucking/passive
Impedence or other specs: 8k and 9k

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson DK2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan JB and SH-6 Distorsion
Other pickups on guitar: Little '59 in middle and neck position
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): melodic death metal, rock, punk, clean stuff
Reason for pickup change: Jb has too mucj treble detail, SH-6 has too much distorsion and those 2 pu has toooooo much output!

The putput level is moderate and it is the best pick up i've ever own! I'm playing it through a 100watt hi-gain amp (ENGL Powerball!!!) and it is the best pick up for hi-gain sound. don't belive to peolple who tell that it is unswitable to metal. it isn't true!!! This pick up is incredibly balanced. bass, mids and trebble are very very equilibrated!
Now i can hear every note of a hi-gain powerchord!!!

So, if you are looking for ultra versatile pickup, buy this one!!! Clean sound, crunch, vintage distorsion and modern ultra-gain distorsion.

From sweet clean arpeggios to distorted (but clear!!not like kinda "shhhhhhhh" sound) hi-gain moder sound like In Flames, Children Of Bodom, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity &co.

COmpared to Dimarzio pu it delivers more "real" sound of the guitar: full, clean and warm..so,the best!
Compared to EMG 81\85 the sh-1 blows it away! with sh-1, the distorsion is much more powerfull and not compressed. remeber: passive is better than active.
Put it with 2 Little'59 in mid and neck position and you will have ultra-versatile pick-ups.

Original PAF sounding copy / passive
1-Conductor with Braided Shielding
Neck: 7.43 k
Bridge: 8.13 k
Neck: 6.8 KHz
Bridge: 6 KHz

Alnico V Bar Bass 6 / Mid 3 / Treble 8

I just installed both neck and bridge pickups in my Korean Hamer Rick Nielson Explorer replacing the stock "Duncan Design" 101N and 102B pickups.

Artist using this pickup are: Ben Harper (neck & bridge), Robben Ford (neck & bridge), Mike Einzinger / Incubus (neck).

I changed the pickups because although the Duncan Designs were adequate, I bought both pickup used on Ebay for the price of 1 new and have tried all other duncans except these for some reason. The JB being my favorite bridge, with the Custom/Custom being 2nd favorite bridge pickup. I usually have the JAZZ SH-2 neck pickup or SSL-1s in middle and neck on my super strats. These pickups are fresh to my ears and fingers without all the high treble gain.

Output perceived to be mid to low but made up for any high gain pickup in tone. High gain pickups like my JB's hold the massive distortion and volume better because the coils are beefier and the notes are rapid and sharp. The 59's have this "air" surrounding the note and each note comes through like a chord...Fat and full and the sustain sits there until you stop it. It has a low end response which can make a speaker "waffle" and the low notes carry weel without too much mud or mush. Mid range is your guitars natural sound anyway so it does not boost much here. and Treble response is so damn even across the entire spectrum that it won't hide your playing mistakes. What you play is what you get...but I will say that the honey rich sustain on loud clean makes your playing breathe.
i don't feel like these pickups would hurt any style, but they sound like your favorite "blues" track instantaneously. I play all styles and could pull them all off. Heavy Metal just does not sound as raspy or trebly...it sounds like Gary Moore's timbre of metal.
I didn't find it unusable as some have reviewed. It is a sweeter change to my tone. Sponge factor of about 10

If it was destroyed or stolen, I would use these again.
I have been playing the better part of 25+ years and have owned every amp and piece of equipment out there. I currently play a 50 watt Landgraff "plexi" style head with a 2X12 Bob Burt 100 year old pine cab w/ Vintage 30 80 watt and a Heritage 80 watt celestions mixed. Both speakers make up for each other to create a better tone period. I use Landgraff Mo D and Dynamic overdrive for the base of my overdrive/distortion tone and use Xotic RC/BB and AC here and there. Keeley four knob compressor. Boss RE-20 Space Echo. MXR phase and flanger. Jim Dunlop 535Q Wah. My fingers and George L cable in everything including wiring my guitar pots to output jack with it.
I love the original tone finger print these pickups have and hate nothing about it. Like I said, i have owned every amp and pedal and rack unit and Seymour Duncan pickup out there except these until now. These pickups do not limit tone or expression or imagination. you would want these in one of your most warmest sounding guitars, you know where you strum it like an acoustic without being plugged in and the note are clear and transparent. I wish it was scatterwound for more air and open notes...but you have to order that custom from Seymour.
I am so satisfied and happy that the notes have such a chewy fat presence with air surrounding each note...it floats you to play what you hear inside your head really well.

Passive humbucker, 7,4K neck/8,1K bridge. Alnico 5 magnets. Single conductor cable vintage blues set.

I put these to my lespaul ( a chinese copy built point to point as original - there is even a gibson logo at the head). Original pickups were lifeless muddy copies with huge ceramic magnets and definately no clarity. I just simply wanted to make my guitar sound like it is a real Gibson.

Vintage output, perfect for my kind of bluesy hardrock and jazzy cleans.
The output drives the tube amp just the right amount to get the sound cut through or roll the volume pot a bit to get sensetive cleanier sounds. Bridge pickup is smooth a little rebelious not too bassy sounding. Middle gives you very mild little crispy sounds, perfect for southern rock 'cos of little 'honky tonk' feel. And finally neck gives you nice smooth lead and beatifull jazzy clean tones when tone rolled down a bit and on full bright it gives you nice little biting lead sound. Overrall very much like Gibson PAF

I'm using Peavey Classic 30 tube amp with just basic cry baby and digitech compressor. A basic kinda cheap tube amp which actually sounds great with these pickups. Single eq makes things simple but gives you no chance of variation between clean and overdrive. With mids on full, trebles almost zero and bass little over the half way the clean channel sounds nice little jazzy with these. Overdrive channel sound bit weak and unsinging alone but with help of compressor the sound is pure rock n roll.

This pickup is made for bluesy rock. For metal something more crushing is much more suitable for bridge.

If it was destroyed or stolen I would definately buy it again or basically just test some other vintage SD like alnico II or seth lover. I've been playing for five years and already gone through multiple gear variations. I have plenty of other guitars with most of them duncans fitted in. For some more bite needing stuff i use my selfmade mahogany bodied guitar with Duncan JB and Jazz. To compare it to 59' JB gives you plenty of output and singing mids ( think some late 80's hairmetal) and Jazz quite similar but more clarified sound at clean but with drive it doesn't give you so paf like lead tone. Then I have my other selfmade mahogany bodied guitar with schaller golden 50's. Love them, so warm so crispy and beatiful round leadtone but very bright still. A fender strat with Duncan JB Junior in bridge to give some bite or when needed to be tapped and two Duncan aps 1 single coils with very nice honk.

I'm very happy with these ones. I chose 59's just 'cos of price (120??? for whole set) and I have no reason to complain - just what I wanted to fullfil the lack of respect when people sees the Gibson logo at my guitar and doesn't know that it's a fake.