Duncan Custom SH-5 Special Van halen pickup

[pittbull]

The Seymour Duncan Custom sh5 has a ceramic magnet

[beaubrummels]

Do we really need this thread at this point? That information is on the Duncan web site.

[pittbull]

I know

[Teleplayer]

I had a conversation about this topic with MJ last week the article that was in Guitar Player magazine 1979 about the Seymour Duncan Custom pickup was really a custom wind pickup that Seymour did for Eddie in 78. The 1979 article which said Duncan Custom(Van Halen) was the custom wind that Seymour did for Eddie in 78 NOT the Duncan Custom SH-5 the article was miss leading,when Eddie seen the article he called Seymour about it and Eddie wasn’t happy at all he didn’t want Seymour to sell the pickup because it was Eddie’s recipe to Seymour what he wanted in that PAF pickup so Seymour removes the Van Halen name on the next Seymour Duncan article in the next Guitar Player magazine about the pickups Seymour offers.This was also told to MJ by Seymour. The Seymour Duncan 78 IS the pickup.

Sorry my reading ability isn’t great. Can anyone tell me if today’s Duncan SH-5 is based on the “sh-5 (Van Halen)” that was advertised in the magazine in October 1979?

[beaubrummels]

Sorry my reading ability isn’t great. Can anyone tell me if today’s Duncan SH-5 is based on the “sh-5 (Van Halen)” that was advertised in the magazine in October 1979?

Yes, they are the same model SH-5 production pickup. Notice the 14.28k DCR in this listing.

https://reverb.com/item/35155431-rare-vintage-1979-seymour-duncan-custom-black-humbucker-pickup

And another one at 14.4k

https://reverb.com/item/55046080-seymour-duncan-duncan-custom-1979-v

[Bill Dennis]

Re: Duncan Custom SH-5 Special Van halen pickup

So, if the "Mighty Mite" pickups are the real deal EVH originals, then why aren't they mentioned more often and better sought after...or are they and I'm just missing something?

They are clones of the Super Distortion. Most guys just get that. A Mighty Might of that era does get some love from the hard core chasers of that sound

Ed used a least 2 guitars on VH1 so "that sound" is not specific to 1 pickup even on that recording. I am on the record that for VH1 I believe Frankie had a PAF. Original or the Duncan rewind I am not sure. The Destroyer had a Dimarzio Super Distortion or the Mighty Might clone of it. All the examples of Super 70's people refer to that I have heard sound nothing like that record but the DImarzio absolutely does.

After that that it gets weird. I have always thought the tones on VH2 or WACF were quite pedestrian. Any Marshall at volume could have done those. I suspect they were done with Frankie and not the Destroyer. With Fair Warning things change and I think this is where the 14k, CC style pickup shows up on Frankie.

As for the 5150 Kramer, Ed said in an 80's interview it had a 59 in it. Maybe at that point it did.. It appears to have ended its run with a JB in it and Diver Down tones are what I would imagine a broken JB in that arrangement to sound like. What happened in between those to points is anyone's guess

[pittbull]

I looked at many high res photos of the Van Halen club days from 1976-1977-1978 and the photos were all PAF pickup just by looking at the photos non of them had the hex pole pieces like the mighty mite pickups the only mighty mite pickup is when Eddie cut up his Ibanez Destroyer which he named the shark and put a cream color mighty mite(not dimarzio)pickup which after Van Halen 1 was recorded,the shark was used for the recording of Van Halen II also.

[Mincer]

He was probably getting shipments of boxes of pickups every day after the first album.

[pittbull]

Mincer how true

[Aceman]

And what if THIS happened....

He recorded with 2 different guitars and 3 pickups?!?!?!?!

Day 1 - lays down rhythm track with Explorer and Super Distortion
Day 2 - throws down solo with Strat and Duncan Custom
Day 3 - Party at Dave's place... Ed changes pickup in Explorer to a PAF
Day 4 - redoes bridge and last half of sol with Explorer


What NOW?!?!?!?!?!

[Butch Snyder]

And what if THIS happened....

He recorded with 2 different guitars and 3 pickups?!?!?!?!

Day 1 - lays down rhythm track with Explorer and Super Distortion
Day 2 - throws down solo with Strat and Duncan Custom
Day 3 - Party at Dave's place... Ed changes pickup in Explorer to a PAF
Day 4 - redoes bridge and last half of sol with Explorer


What NOW?!?!?!?!?!

What now??? Well, No matter what gear I have, and the pickups he used are a small part of his tone chain, I'm never going to sound like him anyway, no one will. Phil X does a great job of imitating EVH and even he's a looooooooog way off (by his own admission). I just enjoy the music and play what I can. The tone chasing and researching is fun though.

[beaubrummels]

The problem is it ends up being more speculating than research.

[Mincer]

The problem is that no one knew exactly what he was doing, and even if he were alive, he wouldn't remember (or he would lie about it).

[Securb]

And what if THIS happened....
Day 3 - Party at Dave's place... Ed changes pickup in Explorer to a PAF

Every account from EVH indicates that after modifying the Ibanez, the resulting sound was subpar. Consequently, the only subsequent use of that guitar was for the photo shoot on the cover of "Women and Children First." Regardless of the pickups in the guitar pictured, it is highly unlikely that they were ever used in any recording.

[Butch Snyder]

Every account from EVH indicates that after modifying the Ibanez, the resulting sound was subpar.

You mean when he took a drill to it and cut that massive piece out and put those two eye bolts and coupling nuts where the wood used to be? I believe he said cutting the piece out of the body made the tone super thin.