Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker - Made to be a faithful replica of a PAF
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Bridge on Washburn A5, Neck on Ibanez RG
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Pickups
Other pickups on guitar: A5 has a SD Jazz Neck, RG has a SD Custom Bridge & JBJr Middle
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Pop, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Stock Pickups didn't sound this good

Perceived output level: '59s are a replica of PAFs
Tone: Vintage
Sonic evaluation: Possibly the nicest sounding neck pickup I've ever heard. You've got to remember that these are made to duplicate original PAFs, and that's what they do.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: If your going for modern medal, better find something else. These give you vintage tone.

Comments:

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Can't remember the specs. Seems average for a bucker though

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock 490's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Dont really know or care
You musical style(s): Too many to list
Reason for pickup change: 490's sounded lifeless & boring in the Les Paul. I wanted to get closer to a vintage type of tone.

Perceived output level: About the same as the stockers. Maybe just a little less but not much at all.
Tone: Nice vintage sound. Very warm yet a smooth sparkle on top. Mids are not harsh in the least. These pups seem to be very balanced.
Sonic evaluation: I plug straight into a Fender Princeton or an Epi Galaxy 10 (a very cool little tube amp) & a few others. No distortion boxes for me (I rely on my tubes for my tone). That's right, I'm one of those damn purists.(hehe) These pups drive the front end of my amps pretty well.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a good pup for just about anything except it may not be aggresive enough for metal. But with all these effects boxes nowadays you could probably even coax metal out of it.

Comments: If I had to choose a pup again I'd probably get these again but I would like to try the Seth Lover because I've heard they're even smoother & warmer than the '59. But overall I can't complain about these pups. To me, they do sound like a vintage Les Paul & I think they're worth the price. The 490's were chrome covered & these are open coil (black & creme) so they give the Les Paul a different kind of look. I'll most likely keep these for a while until I talk myself into getting a pair of Seth Lover but for now I think they're just great.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: dillion DR-450 PRS hollowbody copy
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup: many
You musical style(s): country 50's rock, gospel, mild smooth jazz
Reason for pickup change: pickups were extremely bright and edgy neck and treble with not much bottom.

Perceived output level: quite a bit louder
Tone: well a nice warm deep sound that still sparkles for the neck and lots of drive for the bridge.
Sonic evaluation: changed this guitar into what it was meant to be. it sounds wonderful

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: country 50's rock, gospel, mild smooth jazz. these pickups should cover just about any style except death metal but who needs that?

Comments: well I got these 59's with nickle covers from a guy on ebay. he just took them out and put in fralins. he sold three pickups at once. a new Al Demeola and the two 59 duncans from him new guild bluesbird. got them all for about 80 dollars. one of the best deals I ever got on ebay. over the last 24 years I have owned about every guitar except a PRS. I got a chance to buy this beautiful hollowbody copy for only 227.00 but was dissatisfied with its pickups. now I have a wonderful sounding guitar that I think will be my main guitar for a long time to come and all for about three hundred backs. what a bargin.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ???

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez AX220QQMB
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Was a Burstbucker but switched back to it
Other pickups on guitar: Burstbuckers
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Alternative emo/power pop hard rock.
Reason for pickup change: Just thought that the Duncan 59 and Custom 5 would be better sounding than my Burstbuckers........bad idead!

Perceived output level: Medium Hot
Tone: Balanced throughout the spectrum
Sonic evaluation: I have a Marshall DSL 100, Engl Thunder 50, Laney VH100R and LH50R with Mesa Recto 4x12 V30 cabs.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play alternative rock with a touch of emo. It would be a solid match but unfortunately Duncans just aren't my cup of tea and after reading all the reviews I'm surprise not many has tried the Gibson Burstbuckers. The Bursbuckers sound better than the 59 or any Duncan that i've tried....Custom 5, JB, Seth Lover, Invader and etc.

Comments: I'm returning the 59 and Custom 5 back to guitar center so that answers your question if they were stolen or destroyed. I'm kinda disappointed from what I heard from the 59 ...not to say that they are bad but they are sterile sounding compared to the Burstbuckers! If i was going to go head to head between the two the plus of the 59 is that it has a tighter bass and overall tone, it's very well balanced you can hear all the notes ring out but when i cranked it with distortion along with the custom 5 while performing palm muting i get a screechy noise...can't descibe it except that it sounded synthetic compared to the Burstbuckers.....the BB had a smoother richer organic tone that sounds terrific it didn't have the darker mids of the 59, it actually had less mids and the sound is a bit brighter, but overall it's pure magic with a great vintage vibe. Sorry Seymour....not my type of pickup

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 7.43k

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Custom
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibsons 490R & 498T
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Pull up a chair, this is going to take a while...
You musical style(s): A huge swath of noise best described as bluesy-alterna-pop-rock.
Reason for pickup change: Tired, flat, muddy Gibson pickups needed a time-out in the case while another pickup brings life to my guitar.

Perceived output level: Slightly higher output than stock, but those were covered and these are installed as open-coils. The Duncan site states that covers take 15-20% of your tone, so...
Tone: Richer and more full bodied on both clean and distorted. The sustain alone makes this an improvement over the Gibsons.
Sonic evaluation: This is going into my Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb and the tone is so much better now! I use a Dunlop wah and a Digitech RP-100 from time to time, but since I've only had these pickups in for a few days, I'm going to spend a lot of time getting used to them before I start adding any color.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I opted to put the SH-1 in both neck and bridge as it's my first upgrade and I wanted some balance. A lot of players on the Duncan forum talk about swapping in a JB or Custom Custom in the bridge for sharper leads, but for now, the 59's give me everything I want in all positions. I think you could tackle everything short of metal with this pickup, but you can coax anything out of processors these days...

Comments: If destroyed (and with the open coils, that could happen) or stolen I would probably get both again, but this isn't a fair statement, as there are tons of replacement pickups out there. I guess I could find each manufacturer's site and download sample files and compare who knows how many tones trying to find one I like. Seymour Duncans have a reputation as some of the best pickups available. If I had more money, maybe I would have gone for a more boutique brand so I could flaunt the exclusivity factor, but why bother? The price on these were good and I'm just a bedroom guitarist, so until I'm making a living off of this, I'm not going to waste the time and resources to investigate every single available pickup. I considered the Gibson '57s, but the price was too high and the general consensus from the forums (including here) is that they're okay, and sound about the same. I wanted a fat, rich, creamy PAF tone with excellent sustain and that's what I got. Everything else after that is brand loyalty. I just didn't connect with the brand identity of DiMarzio or any number of other manufacturers so the Duncans are what I opted for. If another maker said their pickups would offer me the same tone for $10 less and take twenty pounds off of my midsection, I would've opted for them.
All wisecracking aside, I am very, very happy with this pickup. If you're taking your first steps into pickup replacement, I think you'll be just as pleased. Will I look into other types, more than likely yes. Will I try other brands? Can't say for certain right now, but I will say Seymour Duncan makes excellent pickups.
I'll also say that I have hardly any electrical experience, and I was able to install these myself and saved the $50 I would have paid some tech to do it. Unless you're afraid of soldering irons, you can do this yourself!

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Neck 7.43k, Bridge 8.13k

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibsons
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Too many to list
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock Gibson humbuckers were muddy and lacked the PAF tone that you get a Les Paul for.

Perceived output level: Fairly low output... but pretty close to what a '59 PAF would have been.
Tone: Good bass and mids, but really lacked high end punch with bridge position
Sonic evaluation: 92 Les Paul Standard through a Marshall JCM 900 Dual Reverb half stack. Not many effects, I like the sound of a guitar, not a circuit board.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is suitable for any blues, most rock, escept for maybe heavy metal or punk.

Comments: If these p'ups were stolen, I'd still buy one for neck position, but I've already gone ahead and put a Custom in the bridge, I just felt that the '59 lacked a good overdriven lead tone, in my opinion anyway. It's fine for blues or lighter rock, but not for the really nasty lead tone I look for in heaver rock.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG450
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Powersound Neck Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Blues, PWR Snd bridge Humb.
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Death metal, Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Former pickup was too weak and lacked clarity, especially at high amp volumes. Bass notes were muddy and treble notes indistinct.

Perceived output level: Not 'hot' but louder than my former stock humbucker.
Tone: Balanced with slightly scooped mids.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG450 into a Marshall V65R.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Jazz, blues. Delivers a balanced sound that can be shaped at the amp for almost all kinds of clean sounds. I shan't speculate how it'll sound in any other position.

Comments: If I lost it I wouldn't get it again because it's my first replacement and I'd like to hear other options. I certainly don't regret buying it though because its balanced sound makes it a very versatile pickup. At a neutral sound setting (with every knob set halfway) the tone is on the whole warm and slightly scooped. Chords sound full bodied and single notes are punchy. I'd say it's natural sound would be suitable for jazz. This pickup also responds well to an overdriven amp and provides a considerable amount of sustain.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: something

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez GRX-20
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock Ibanez, then SH-5 Custom
Other pickups on guitar: Neck and Bridge both have '59s
Artists using this pickup: Spakko Munkle and many more
You musical style(s): blues, blues rock, classic rock, and everthing in between
Reason for pickup change: The stock powersound ones were cheap and ceramic. The Duncan Custom was expensive and ceramic. I don't like ceramic magnets. They have too much treble and sound brittle. But they have lots of output.

Perceived output level: Less hot than the Custom but I these things don't matter to me - I just turn the gain up.
Tone: Pretty balanced really. I add to the bass and take away from the treble on my EQ but not much. This could be because of the guitar.
Sonic evaluation: I use an el cheapo Ibanez GRX-20. I am left handed. This means that it costs more than it should. Soon I will replace it with a custom Warmoth LP double cut of mahogany. The Ibanez guitar has a maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and an alder body. It's basically a Strat with humbuckers. I blocked the tremolo so it has a bit more oomph.
The amp I use is a Marshall AVT 20. It seems quite good for my style of music if I put the clean channel on and the gain at about 3:00. The OD channel seems to take something away from the dynamics of the amp so I don't use it often. I like to be able to feel what I am playing come out properly and this is an important part of the guitar experience. This also means that I have an excellent feel for the pickups!
These are very good pickups for classic rock and blues stuff which they are supposed to be. I can get Led Zeppelin and similar sounds from the bridge and Rolling Stones from bridge and neck together and good blues sounds from the neck alone. If you split the coils (I have a switch for this) you can get a kind of interesting but weak sound from the neck that is good for blues. The bridge sound doesn't give a proper single coil sound when split, but it is useful for cleaning up the sound. The Marshall isn't truely channel switching so I like to use split coils for semi-clean parts and humbuckers for dirty. Keep in mind that this is relatively low gain so don't try it if you are a metal head. If you are, there are probably better pickups for metal anyway.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues and classic rock stuff (see above). It works for this. Hard rock is workable but try something else for metal.

Comments: This is really a versatile pickup, and I can use it for many styles. It is designed for blues and classic rock, but with my friend, the amp's EQ, I can do lots of styles. It can do metal but I would not recommend it for full time hi-gain madness. Jazz may work but I really have the wrong setup for it. For most everything else it works very well. There is nothing that immediately comes to mind that I really love or hate about it - I just blame my guitar for all the problems ha ha. These are top quality pickups and are kind of out of place with a guitar that buzzes on nearly every fret.
I did try a Seymour Duncan Custom, which I bought mostly because I thought it would sound similar but with higher output. I found it to be too trebly, but I kept it. It is more agressive pickup that could do harder rock than the '59, but I am not overly fond of high treble sounds. I bought the '59 after deciding that the Custom didn't really work. I'l put it on the Ibanez and put the '59's on my new Warmoth.
I maybe could rate these pickups a ten or a nine if I felt that I could hear the best sound that they could give. However, I am not the best guitarist ever, and my equipment is similar in quality. They are very good, though, and they definitely deserve no less than an 8.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: uh..?..?

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Icon
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: JB
Artists using this pickup: Everyone
You musical style(s): Hardcore/Emo + ClassicRock/Blues
Reason for pickup change: Stock PUs were getting progressively microphonic and sounded muddy and weak.

Perceived output level: Balanced and smooth output, not terribly hot. Same out put as the stock humbucker.
Tone: Very clear, transparent and3 dimensional, not muddy at all. Clean it almost has a singlecoil like snap and sparkle to it. Roll off the tone and it fattens up handsomely. Distorted It sounds like Santana/Cream era Clapton. Boost the mids, pour on reverb and itll wail for days - nice sustain.
Sonic evaluation: My guitar is a Dean Icon Custom - made in Yugoslavia or someplace and I play it through a Crate VC3112 all tube amp. The guitar has the 59 and a JB in the bridge and the Amp has a Celestion V30. The net result is a tone to die for. Powerfull, full, clear, transparent - I could go on. The 59 is a crucial component in the chain - it delivers the perfect neck pickup sound - both clean and distorted and its very versatile - from comping jazz and blues, clean to Led Zep and Black Sabbath distorted. It even does country - I dont go there though - maybe a little Allman Bros and Lynerd Skynerd hehe.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This thing everything its supposed to do - it gets heavey but not in a metal kind of a way. I do play a lot of heavey stuff and thats what the JB is there for. This baby is there to shine when it comes time to mellow out. Oh and combined with the JB there is nothing the two of them cant do together.

Comments: I wanna try the DiMarzio PAF Pro and the Gibson classic 57 and see how they hold up against the SD '59. My last guitar was a Strat an I am loving the humbucking experience, but its still lacks the magic of a good singlecoil. My next venture will be a P90 in a semihollow. I will keep searching for "that" tone.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: go to the website

Model of guitar or bass: epi les paul(can't afford a gibson, alright)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock epi
Other pickups on guitar: duncan jb
Artists using this pickup: dunno
You musical style(s): everything jazz, blues, rock, metal,
Reason for pickup change: epi pickups blow goats for quarters

Perceived output level: not huge, very mellow pickup
Tone: got a little trebly, biting, I gotta role my tone down to five or lower
Sonic evaluation: I have a marshall 60, and a fender deville, use it wiht a line 6 pod and a crybaby wah and a boss mt-2

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

Comments: allright, bottom line, I don't use the neck pickup for crazy overdrive, that's what the jb is for. This pickup is silky sweet, full and gobs of great tone. Overdriven and clean, it does everything I want it to do, and sounds great the whole time. One of the best sounding pickups I've ever heard. I'm putting one in any humbucking guitar I ever buy.