"Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

pittbull

Active member
I remember in Guitar player magazine 1979 when Seymour was going to put out a "Special Van halen pickup" and Ed basicly told Seymour not to do that,anyway I believe that pickup was the Duncan Custom SH-5 "Beefed up PAF sound". Any opinions on this.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

Use the search function. There are long winding threads even showing a private EvH Museum with one of these short lived pickups in flesh. Also an excerpt of the letter from EvH's manager which denies the full production of this pickup.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I'm sure it was much like the "78 Model". That was (supposedly) the pickup Seymour rewound for Eddie around that time, which likely was the pickup that was in Frankenstein.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I remember in Guitar player magazine 1979 when Seymour was going to put out a "Special Van halen pickup" and Ed basicly told Seymour not to do that,anyway I believe that pickup was the Duncan Custom SH-5 "Beefed up PAF sound". Any opinions on this.

:banghead::banghead::banghead:
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I lean toward the Duncan custom sh-5("Beefed up PAF sound).The 78 doesnt have the cut-edge-crunch-output thats on Van halen 1(first album).The Duncan custom custom is not van halen 1 sounding either due to the alnico II magnet.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

EVH's Custom (or maybe Custom Custom, DD and WACF really don't sound ceramic, though Fair Warning on the other hand...) came later, when he decided he needed more warmth and output to compensate for the Floyd and brighter guitars.

First few albums seem much more like an A2 pickup for the whammy parts on most songs. Plus the Templeman/Landee going wild on the treble on VH I.

EVH has been reluctant to give Seymour Duncan credit since the goofup with advertising before a deal had been worked out... But the original "rewound gibson PAF" he talks about is the '78. A few old article scans turned up a while back, printed before things went sour, which confirm that.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

Van halen 1 to me sounds like a ceramic magnet pickup,I dont hear alnico II magnet at all on van halen 1.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

A lot of people think the Destroyer sounds like a ceramic. Doesn't to me, lacks the harsh presence of a ceramic, though it's pretty bright.

I've heard people get a pretty impressive bite out of a Custom Custom (especially for an A2 pickup!). Very "And The Cradle Will Rock". And that was in a mahogany Schecter, rather than a Floyded ash strat...

Anyways, the '78 is the controversial SD in question. A2 doesn't necessarily mean fat and mellow, Billy Gibbons gets some pretty scary bright tones out of his Pearly Gates when he wants...
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I dont hear alnico II at all on van halen 1 (first album),alnico II is just to soft to achieve the crunch and edge that on van halen 1.I dont hear alnico II on any of the early van halen(van halen 1 thru Diverdown)
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I remember in Guitar player magazine 1979 when Seymour was going to put out a "Special Van halen pickup" and Ed basicly told Seymour not to do that,anyway I believe that pickup was the Duncan Custom SH-5 "Beefed up PAF sound". Any opinions on this.

More likely it was the Custom Shop EVH
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

The 78 didnt come out until mid 2000,Why would Seymour wait that long.I use my ears for what my sound needs or what it needs to achieve the van halen 1 sound.There some guys that cant determine the van halen 1 sound to the rest of the van halen catalog.I tried the ducnan custom custom because thats what alot of guys were talking about on guitar sites,that was a mistake.
 
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Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

The 78 didnt come out until mid 2000,Why would Seymour wait that long.I use my ears for what my sound needs or what it needs to achieve the van halen 1 sound.There some guys that cant determine the van halen 1 sound to the rest of the van halen catalog.I tried the ducnan custom custom because thats what alot of guys were talking about on guitar sites,that was a mistake.

The CC works for Fair Warning / 1984. Maybe later as well. It gets less clear once EVH started using the rack effects etc
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

The '78 came out briefly as the EVH in the late 70s. Due to ill-will it generated with a certain artist, it was abandoned as a pickup advertised to the public.

The Custom Shop would still make it, it just wasn't advertised.

The Custom Shop started mentioning it's existance again on the website fairly recently, then got renamed the '78.

SDCS makes a lot of pickups that don't reach general production. Custom Shop is constrained by different rules than full production.

And of course you should use whatever works for you. But that's a different question than what was used on the album or what pickups have been sold as EVHs...
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

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Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

the duncan custom SH-5 is a great pup, it will cover a lot of ground.
it has that "van halanized" tone to it with the right amp. I think i remember reading the custom was made for elliott easton to put in his dean.
Pittbull, if you are trying to dupe that VH1 tone exact it wont/cant happen,there are far too many variables to deal with.
I am not trying to discourage you but even EVH himself cant get it again.
 
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Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

.I tried the ducnan custom custom because thats what alot of guys were talking about on guitar sites,that was a mistake.
I warned you about that one, i said it is great for latter VH tones but
NOT the first record. just slap a ceramic in that CC you bought.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

I remember in Guitar player magazine 1979 when Seymour was going to put out a "Special Van halen pickup" and Ed basicly told Seymour not to do that,anyway I believe that pickup was the Duncan Custom SH-5 "Beefed up PAF sound". Any opinions on this.

NO seymour did not have VH in mind when he wound the custom. it has been said the custom was a result of a request from elliott easton of the cars who wanted a bigger hotter PAF for his dean
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

So let me ask this,the first time you heard Van halen 1(first album),and your trying to analize his sound,pickup wise,what would be your first thought and what pickup would you have used to achieve that sound.For me the first time I heard van halen 1 if I had to guess pickup wise it wouldnt be a vintage type of pickup thats for sure.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"


That so perfectly describes what people try to do with the VHI sound around here ANAL-ize.

You said yourself that you hear vintage pickup tones on that album. If thats what you hear then why not buy that and get the tone you want? Who cares if it isnt the exact type of pickup used as its the sound that your after right? Then why try to shove it down everyone elses throats. Everyone has their own opinion buy according to yours and be happy.
 
Re: "Seymour Duncan Special Van halen pickup 1979"

Something else that was lightly touched on but should also be taken into consideration was what Templmann did to the sound. Are you going for the sound on the record or what was in the room that day? If your after the sound on record then you need a pickup thats going to compensate for the changes in EQ the engineer did.
 
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