Is this a real Seymour Duncan?

[Vastard]

zz0.2i0p63obaupzz

[beaubrummels]

I don't see anything that looks suspicious on that one.

[Masta' C]

Is this legit? Thanks.

Good to go on that one!

[4SMWinder]

So I already went through SD service and they verified that this is the real deal and a very general timeframe of the early 80s. I just want to share this interesting JB that I salvaged out of a 71 Strat. The screwside coil was dead (no reading, so an open coil,) but the slug side was reading just right at ~8.16k. The magnet is an A5 rough and the backplate was threaded with a maple spacer. I've never seen a vintage SD with this particular label, and it didn't have the winder's mark label - I was assured by support that this was before that era.

This pickup was dirty as could be and had some white goo all up in the screw bobbin. The whole guitar had this in the cavities, pots, under the bridge saddles, etc... I keep assuming it was some kind of frosting or whipped cream from a long time ago. The dirt seemed like it was everywhere and included a lot of ancient cigarette smoke. The body and headstock were pretty heavily coated with brown film.

Anyway, I cut the coils off of the screw bobbin and rewound it to match the DCR of the slug bobbin. I handwound it with as minimal scatter as I could - I thought about using my CNC for uniformity of coils, but decided to give it a little personal touch. I replaced the lead wire with new 5 conductor, it only had about an inch of lead coming out of the Strat. Since I don't usually resell my rescues, I considered just using metal jacket vintage style wire but decided to stay stock like. Vacuum potted it and it's back in business.

P.S. does anyone know or can identify the plastics company from the molding marks inside the bobbin? I'd say it's H P I or P I H.

[Masta' C]

Can't help with the bobbin maker, but that is a first-gen SH-4 "JB" model. This particular one is approximately 1978-81 in vintage.

Really cool find and awesome of you to give it a new life!

[Hiwatts and Gibsons]

This thread title makes me wonder if anyone has ever made a faux Seymour Duncan and stamped it with Seymour Butts on the bottom coil?

I kinda want to get one made for me on the dl now.

[beaubrummels]

This thread title makes me wonder if anyone has ever made a faux Seymour Duncan and stamped it with Seymour Butts on the bottom coil?

I kinda want to get one made for me on the dl now.

Sounds like it's time for you to start a new company.

[baba4kaka]

Hi everyone! I have a very strange pickup here. I think it is a fake, but I could not find any similar photos with the legit or the fake, so it is interesting anyway. The logo appears to be engraved. The font is very strange. The baseplate appears to be nickel plated brass (look at the threaded holes). The wire with two blue and two white cores. It comes out of the coil at the top (have you ever seen anything like that?). Unfortunately, the inside is covered in wax - this pickup had a cover. It's really strange pickup. What do you think of its origin?

[jeremy]

that red stuff sure isnt factory and the wires arent right, looks like a fake to me

[playas]

Looks to me like someone tried potting it at home with red candle wax.

[beaubrummels]

Welcome to the forum

Looks like a complete Frankenstein pickup. Can't tell if the baseplate was a real one. If it is, someone took a couple bobbins from something and wired them up themselves and assembled them onto a Trembucker plate, then wax potted with candle wax, which then melted the bobbins (notice the end bent upward on the bottom side of one of the bobbins).

[Masta' C]

Hi everyone! I have a very strange pickup here. I think it is a fake, but I could not find any similar photos with the legit or the fake, so it is interesting anyway. The logo appears to be engraved. The font is very strange. The baseplate appears to be nickel plated brass (look at the threaded holes). It's funny that the holes in the baseplate are not under the coil with screws, but under the coil with unregulated cylinders.The wire with two blue and two white cores. It comes out of the coil at the top (have you ever seen anything like that?). Unfortunately, the inside is covered in wax - this pickup had a cover. Resistance 4.8+4.7 kOm. It's really strange pickup. What do you think of its origin?

Definitely not a Duncan! I don't even think that baseplate is real SD.

[Securb]

The big question is how does it sound?

[beaubrummels]

Definitely not a Duncan! I don't even think that baseplate is real SD.

Agree looking closer. The threads look like brass with some kind of silver coat on the plate.