Is this a real Seymour Duncan?

[CarlosG]

Hi! Are they original hot rod set? I have never seen "made in USA" on backplate.

[Edika]

Hi all, new member here and first post. I was trying to find information about a pair of pickups I bought of the ebay. They are used and they seem legit but some info on a search I did really made me question their authenticity. It's a TB4 and a 59 neck from 2021. Measurements are accurate with the TB4 measuring at 17.7 kOhm and the 59 at 7.4 kOhm. You can see some photos below to help me figure out if they're real or not. They seem to be but still, seems like fakes have gotten really good. Some are with flash and some with just light. I'd appreciate any input you might have.

[Wound_Up]

Hey thanks very much, that confirms it. And I know this is most definitely the SD forum but....if anyone out there had any ideas on the single coils that would be great. I'm assuming that they're not Seymour Duncan?

Going by the tape around the single coil leads, it looks like stock Fender tape that you see on countless guitars. Not sure what the pickups are but they seem to be something by Fender. Are you sure the pole spacing is almost 55mm? You measured it?

[Wound_Up]

I'm 100% sure this is real. I just figured I'd post in here as another example of a genuine pickup people can use for comparisons. Seth Lover bridge pickup from AMS. Looks good to me and sounds FANTASTIC. Nothing special about the top. Looks like every other humbucker.

[domjammoo]

Hey thanks very much, that confirms it. And I know this is most definitely the SD forum but....if anyone out there had any ideas on the single coils that would be great. I'm assuming that they're not Seymour Duncan?

[JOLLY]

It is a Pearly Gates Plus, which is essentially a '59.

[domjammoo]

HI everyone. So I've bought what I think is a much-modified Fender American Standard Strat, either 2000 or 2001 (so theoretically could be an American Series, but I think it's a Standard). Humbucker has a 'PGP' sticker on it - Pearly Gates Plus? But can't see any other model / serial numbers without unwiring the whole thing.

So two questions: (i) Can anyone confirm / identify what the HB is, and for a bonus point (ii) any idea on the single coils? I'm wondering whether this might actually be a 'Lone Star Strat', or someone has transplanted the whole loaded pickguard from one of those, as the pickguard doesn't line up properly around the trem (see photo). That would make them Fender Texas specials. The little blue stickers are interesting, one of them seems to say '7-12-00' which supports the 2000 theory, which was the last year Lone Stars were made. Lastly, the single coils are a weird size - they're about 55mm pole to pole. If you look closely the poles are way outside of the strings. Ideas? Thanks!

[jeremy]

at first glance, they look fine. i do love a pair of seths!

[Wound_Up]

I'm pretty certain this one is legit but figured I'd post anyway. I can always attempt to have SD run the serial number and confirm that it's a Seth but the serial is hard to read. I guess I didn't get a pic of the top side.

[Masta' C]

I have been seeing a LOT of pickups with this larger baseplate logo and no "Made in America" coming on the market, from OEM pulls to Custom Shop and even the newer production versions of the '78 model pickups straight out of retail packaging. So, yes, it does seem this may be the new baseplate design.

The change seems to have occurred around August 2022 from what I can tell. There are a few later examples with the "Made in America" logo, but also a few oddballs from the pandemic era that were produced with blank baseplates and SD decals because of supply chain shortages at that time.

Side note: If the baseplates are now being sourced from overseas, which I have suspected for a while that they probably are to save on costs, it's possible SD is restricted from putting a "Made in ___" stamp on the baseplate that is different from the actual country of origin for that part. If this is the case, then the pickups themselves would still be considered "Made in the USA" once they are constructed, but the individual components could very well be from somewhere else. I know they switched to YFS, a Taiwanese fastener manufacturer, for many of their screws and hex poles several years ago, so this happens from time to time.

[Schmuhl91]

I got this pearly gates for Christmas, little worried cause it does not say Made in America. Let me know what you think. Thanks

[Mincer]

My white bobbin pickups have multiple hairline cracks. I even had HQ inspect them to make sure nothing was wrong. But no issues with them at all.

[78Foxes]

Thanks Masta' C. Is the hairline crack in the cover an issue? And is it fixable? Thanks again.

[Masta' C]

I have a feeling this is a fake but thought it was worth an ask. It's said to be out of a Fender deluxe lone star Strat. Initially said to be a Pearly Gates, but clearly not. After i brought this up they said yeah, i was right, and its actually a trembucker... Anyway, my concern started with the name, "Evenly Voice Harmonics", with the VoiceD missing the D. I have only seen these referred to as VoiceD. I also can't see "made in the USA" under Seymour Duncan on the back. Unfortunately these are the best pics I have. A few things look correct, but i dont want to get stuck with a knockoff. Seller states it measured at 8.7k.Thanks for the help!

Looks like an early Custom Shop '78 model.

Although faint and grainy in the photo, it does say "Made in USA" under the SD stamp, which supports this being a very early model.

My vote is legitimate for this one.

[78Foxes]

I have a feeling this is a fake but thought it was worth an ask. It's said to be out of a Fender deluxe lone star Strat. Initially said to be a Pearly Gates, but clearly not. After i brought this up they said yeah, i was right, and its actually a trembucker... Anyway, my concern started with the name, "Evenly Voice Harmonics", with the VoiceD missing the D. I have only seen these referred to as VoiceD. I also can't see "made in the USA" under Seymour Duncan on the back. Unfortunately these are the best pics I have. A few things look correct, but i dont want to get stuck with a knockoff. Seller states it measured at 8.7k.Thanks for the help!