Fake SDs

[GuitarStv]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001327352262.html?ug_edm_item_id=1005001327352 262&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21CAD%21C%24%2096.36%21C%24%20 64.56%21%21%21%21%21%402102ef5116713620145537049d0 0de%2112000015717546473%21edm&edm_click_module=alg _products&tracelog=rowan&rowan_id1=aeug_edm_24677_ 1_en_US_2022-12-18&rowan_msg_id=3388biz_pay_after_purchase:0:0_572 784127$fd19853480d04971a4af58e43dd5096c&ck=in_edm_ other


These fake pickups are getting a lot harder to distinguish from the real ones:




I wouldn't be able to tell these apart from the real thing.

[ErikH]

The logo not being centered on the bobbin, the font not being exact, and the entire bottom plate looks to be covered in a thicker coat of wax, are giveaways to me. The logo is certainly obvious.

[Masta' C]

The logo not being centered on the bobbin, the font not being exact, and the entire bottom plate looks to be covered in a thicker coat of wax, are giveaways to me. The logo is certainly obvious.

Logo not being centered is a good clue, but I've seen plenty of these counterfeits that had properly centered logos.

The wax on the bottom is similar to SD pickups. Someone rubbed their finger on the one above, which made it look more waxy, but SD pickups often come with a thin layer of wax covering the baseplate. It's just thin enough you don't notice it unless you touch or rub it as with the pickup above.

As for the font, there's no dead giveaway as you are claiming. Attached is a quick mockup of the pickup above with an actual SD pickup over the top... Good luck telling those fonts apart in real life!



The biggest "tells" on these pickups tend to be oversized mounting holes/screws and slug poles with a pronounced bullseye pattern, rather than the very subtle bullseye pattern real SD slugs have. Those that know what they're looking for can also distinguish the marks left from bending the mounting tabs during baseplate manufacturing.

They really have become nearly indistinguishable from the real thing otherwise. They're even using similar self-tapping screw poles now, which used to be another indicator of authenticity.

When buying "used" pickups, I recommend steering clear of any modern production models dated 2016 or newer on the label. This includes the JB, Jazz, 59, Alnico II Pro, Full Shred, Custom, etc.

For "new" pickups, buy from authorized dealers only!

[Mincer]

And always check this thread for more info about fakes. Don't buy anything used without posting in that thread first. Sometimes deals are really too good to be true, and yes, when buying band new, support authorized dealers or now, the actual SD website.

[beaubrummels]

The logo not being centered on the bobbin, the font not being exact, and the entire bottom plate looks to be covered in a thicker coat of wax, are giveaways to me. The logo is certainly obvious.

The official Duncan font has changed. The thinner serif one is from before Cathy Duncan took over the company. After taking over, she had the Duncan part thicker (see the web site logo at the top of the forum), but on the pickups, both words Seymour Duncan are in a thicker font now.

[El Dunco]

How much does it cost to make these that it’s worth it??

My doubts were the same, but I must say that sound quality and performance are very similar to the original. For what I pay for them I am very satisfied

That’s depressing, buyer’s remorse much?

To me and I’m going to assume most people very familiar with the SD font, they are way off.

The letter spacing, letter shapes and the shade of white is wrong.. It’s too far apart on the fake, too far away from the bottom of the plastic.. I don’t know if it’s like this in person but the fake is far too white, SDs are an off-white, almost grey/silver tinted white. I just got out some real SDs for reference and the font is almost touching but not and as close to the bottom as possible on all of them.

[Masta' C]

It costs about $5 USD per pickup to produce these. The pickups are then sold for $45 to $90 per pair on sites like AliExpress and upwards of $120 or more once they find their way to popular retail sites.

I have not personally installed a set of the newest breed of fakes, but they are likely made reasonably well. SD quality? Of course not.

Is it possible that they sound close to the originals? Yes! The formulas for these longstanding models are practically public knowledge. Still isn't right, though.

I can only guess the unseen financial impact to SD over the past few years, but I've been surprised that they haven't looked into ways to make their pickups harder to counterfeit.

[dave74]

I wouldn't even take a chance these days. Buy direct from a reputable SD dealer and play happily ever-after.

[Phantasmagoria]

I could get pup's off (local) Amazon for pretty fair prices before but post covid everyone's selling them for ridiculous prices (2-3 times actual US prices). So now I get them online from here:

https://www.stompbox.in/

I'm guessing they're the real deal since these guys stock/and are official dealers for all the big names. (incl. Friedman, Revv, Soldano, Quad Cortex, Kemper and a whole lot of boutique pedals etc..). They still charge decent prices and in the past couple of years I've bought an SD Custom 5, Dimarzio Tone Zone, Air Norton S and most recently a SD Custom from them (All sadly still lying in my parts drawer w/o guitar's to put them in...since I've been happy with the stock pup's in all my recent guitar purchases.)

As for Chinese fakes.....I would'nt be surprised if some of them are real SD's (meant for OEM Ibanez, LTD, PRS SE etc guitar's made in China) that made their way out of the back door....

[Wound_Up]

I could get pup's off (local) Amazon for pretty fair prices before but post covid everyone's selling them for ridiculous prices (2-3 times actual US prices). So now I get them online from here:

https://www.stompbox.in/

I'm guessing they're the real deal since these guys stock/and are official dealers for all the big names. (incl. Friedman, Revv, Soldano, Quad Cortex, Kemper and a whole lot of boutique pedals etc..). They still charge decent prices and in the past couple of years I've bought an SD Custom 5, Dimarzio Tone Zone, Air Norton S and most recently a SD Custom from them (All sadly still lying in my parts drawer w/o guitar's to put them in...since I've been happy with the stock pup's in all my recent guitar purchases.)

As for Chinese fakes.....I would'nt be surprised if some of them are real SD's (meant for OEM Ibanez, LTD, PRS SE etc guitar's made in China) that made their way out of the back door....

That's not the only way they end up on AliExpress. Guitar mfgs also sell their overstock to buyers and those buyers put the stuff up on AliExpress, etc... I thought I had a counterfeit Black Tusq Graphtech nut because it was sent to me in a ziplock bag with a hang tag. I was so sure it was fake, I demanded my money back from the seller and they did. No questions asked.

Then I contacted Graphtech to verify that it was counterfeit. That's when I was told about the above. And they kindly explained that my nut was a genuine Graphtech nut and it was overstock that I bought, which explains no packaging and only a hang tag.

Yes. I felt like a real POS after that. So I messaged the seller and apologized as much as I could and bought 2 other nuts from them in the meantime.

[Wound_Up]

I wouldn't even take a chance these days. Buy direct from a reputable SD dealer and play happily ever-after.

Sometimes that can even leave you with questions like it did me. The 59 I bought was also overstock, this time from a small guitar mfg/shop in Texas. It came with no packaging & no embossed logo on the baseplate, IIRC. I posted here to make sure it was legit and someone knew who the seller was before I ever mentioned them, and assured me they were a legit shop and an authorized dealer.

[krovatron]

I see guys in Indonesia doing the backdoor sales on legit parts. Not sure how great of a deal it is.

Id never buy pickups from Chinese sellers - if I was looking for a true spec. The fakes are getting ridiculously good in their apperance. I would only buy used popular Duncans from reputable sellers.

[jeremy]

yep. i always go through an authorized dealer for new stuff and only trusted sellers for used. saving a few bucks isnt worth the gamble to me. if i need a used pup, i always ask here first actually

[Mincer]

They'll just move to using actual product photos of real SDs, but that isn't what you'll get. If you want something cheaper, post in The Trading Post here, and you have a better chance of getting a real SD at a cheaper price.

[Robert Villegas]

Fake goods often try to look like the real thing, but they might not use the same fonts or typefaces. If you spot differences in the font used compared to the real thing, like different letter shapes, spacing, or sizes, that could mean the item is fake.