HB-101's revisited. (Duncan Designed 59's)

[ArtieToo]

Before I can do the Lew A2/A3 59 mag swap, I needed to remind myself of what 59's sound like to begin with. So I dropped my HB-101's into my Champagne Sparkle Daisy Rock. Wow. These sound amazing. The neck is sweet and mellow without the "mud" that is sometimes associated with a 59n. The bridge is bright and clear with no ice-pickyness. (Is that a word?)

Duncan Designed's sometimes get a bad rap that they don't deserve. The bad news is . . . these sound so good, I'm not sure I want to mess with a mag swap.

[GuitarDoc]

No need to ruin a good thing.

[Dave Locher]

That guitar is a special kind of awesome!

[ArtieToo]

Thanks Dave. I can never capture it's true color. Maybe I'll try it out in the sunshine, a little later today. It's a rare Champagne Sparkle. Like a light wine, rather than pink. It's basically a Schecter, that plays great. This is the guitar that was my "score of the century." I got it for $100. They threw in a $70 TKL soft case, and when I got it home, discovered that it had a pair of Slash A II Pro's in it.

Now I'll have to snag another set of 59's.

P.S. The guitar originally came with Duncan Designed, so, I've sort of taken her back home.

[Gstring]

I also believe that allegations of being the poor relative are unjustified. I have (uncovered versions) of both 101s (59 copies) and 102s, (jazz and JB copies),in archtop mahogany/maple bodies and they definitely make the grade. I have also worked on many guitars which had DD HBs and ,in some cases what appear to be Asian copies of DDs (B and G) and the owners were very happy with as is.

Plus FWIW with so many people these days using good amps, pedals and electronic enhancers I wonder if the fine subtleties of boutique pups are worth the extra expense. Just my view.. I am sure many will disagree and everybody is, of couse, entitled to dispose of their spare income in the matter which gives them satisfaction.

[ArtieToo]

I have the 102 set also, in a Peavey Tele. My "poor man's" Tele-Gib. She sounds amazing. I use a Superswitch for a wide variety of tones.

[PFDarkside]

I agree 100%, the 59s and JB/Jazz sound fantastic. Competed to the absolute rubbish that was shipped with import guitars 25 years ago, it’s amazing the tones you can get from affordable guitars now.

[JB_From_Hell]

Have a HB-102b in my LP Standard replica. It screams just like a JB.

[Masta' C]

The Duncan Designed pickups are actually really good. Duncan was among the first to offer "budget" pickups made with intentional designs, good materials and improved quality control. The pickups aren't 100% perfect replicas of their USA counterparts, but they are very close and, in some cases, sort of an improvement. I've replaced USA Duncans with Duncan Designed before simply because it was right for the particular guitar.

[Lewguitar]

"If it ain't broke..."

[ArtieToo]

"If it ain't broke..."

Hey Lew; While looking for something else, I found a white TB-59 and a black 59n in my pups drawers. So, I just need to decide what to put these into and I can still do the mag swap thing without spending any more money.

[Lewguitar]

Hey Lew; While looking for something else, I found a white TB-59 and a black 59n in my pups drawers. So, I just need to decide what to put these into and I can still do the mag swap thing without spending any more money.

Do it! Try either A2 in both, or A3 in the neck and A2 in the bridge.

[ErikH]

I had a Hamer EchoTone that came with these exact pickups in it. I got it used cheap. Hated to let it go but didn't have a choice at the time. Those pickups were fantastic in that guitar. Just the right amount of output and a decent bloom too. That was a fun guitar to play.

[ArtieToo]

Yeah. This one of my few guitars that is now set in stone. I'll never change this one again. The only possible mod, is that it came from the factory with a tone push-pull, which I don't have wired to anything. I might do something with that.

Duncan Designed Slutbucker?

[ArtieToo]

Since we're talking about DD's, I'll just continue here. I bought my Squier Vintage Modified HH Jaguar for a specific pup combo that I wanted to install. But the HB-102's, (JB/Jazz) sound so good, I can't bring myself to mess with it. So, it's another guitar that will remain bone stock. (Actually, it was a birthday present from my wife. But I kinda pointed her in the right direction.)