20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

As for drive, I see it every day when I'm in the factory.
Consider yourself lucky, Evan. To look somebody in the eye and see it, is a sight of rare beauty, which I, for one, appreciate a lot.

As for direction, I'm no longer on the SD management team and I don't participate in the discussions regarding the future direction of the company.
So is Cathy and who else in the Management Team? Assuming Seymour no longer participates, that is. Is Derek involved in the discussion of the company's direction?

Thank you in advance to take the time to graciously answer the questions, Evan. I appreciate it a lot and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Yours very truly,
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

So is Cathy and who else in the Management Team? Assuming Seymour no longer participates, that is. Is Derek involved in the discussion of the company's direction?

In addition to the CEO, the Management Team is comprised of various department heads including R&D/Engineering, Operations, Finance, Sales and Marketing. There have been times when Human Resources was represented as well. Derek is on the Management Team and he has been participating in the Business Planning Sessions since he was in his early 20s.

By the way, there's another Duncan in the company: Derek's brother and Cathy and Seymour's eldest son, Cody. Cody is an amazing photographer. Check out his work here. He is responsible for most of the product photography on the SD website. Cody travels internationally around half the year doing his photography. When he's back in the States, he often works at SD doing photography or special projects in the Marketing Department.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

By the way, there's another Duncan in the company: Derek's brother and Cathy and Seymour's eldest son, Cody. Cody is an amazing photographer. Check out his work here. He is responsible for most of the product photography on the SD website. Cody travels internationally around half the year doing his photography. When he's back in the States, he often works at SD doing photography or special projects in the Marketing Department.


Did he do these http://customshop.seymourduncan.com/ ? Those pickup "glamour shots" are really good. These two in particular always catch and hold my attention for a moment when I'm browsing that site, but they're all nice.

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Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

One time, I asked him what he likes to collect besides guitar related things, and he said "photographs and cowboy stuff."

I already know that he's got more cool rock'n'roll photos than you could imagine, but I'm still interested in how deep he is in American cowboy culture. I think he's got a lot of old western TV episodes, movies, and cowboy collectibles, including single actions and lever actions.

Evan....what do you know about his western Americana collecting?
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Yes. I would like to hear all about Seymour's firearms. I love that stuff. I need a nice lever action, one of these days.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Did he do these http://customshop.seymourduncan.com/ ? Those pickup "glamour shots" are really good. These two in particular always catch and hold my attention for a moment when I'm browsing that site, but they're all nice.

Honestly, I don't know. There's been another photographer in the company, Andreina Diaz, who happened to be a student alongside Cody at the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography. Both Andreina and Cody shared photography duties for much of the company's recent history. Probably only they know which images each of them shot.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Evan....what do you know about his western Americana collecting?

I know he collects fireman helmets, vintage baseball mitts, military patches and insignia, arrowheads and stone tools, and wooden duck decoys.

And American guitars. Lots and lots of 'em.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

I know he collects fireman helmets, vintage baseball mitts, military patches and insignia, arrowheads and stone tools, and wooden duck decoys.

And American guitars. Lots and lots of 'em.

Well, if he'd be interested, I'll send a couple extra command ballcaps I've accumulated over the years. Some are pretty beat up but hey-I used em.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

This is such a tease. I get the feeling Seymour Duncan doesn't care for the spotlight too much, or maybe he doesn't care for interneting, but it would be cool if he could do a periodic Q&A. No chit chat, just a set of questions and some answers, and then he can keep on keepin' on.

Seymour just loves to create pickups, I don't think you'd ever have found to him care about the spotlight. As for Q&A, I don't think I've ever seen him on a forum and he might be totally unfamiliar with them. He's done Q&As through a ton of other mediums. But I'll take the feedback we need a forum Q&A.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Consider yourself lucky, Evan. To look somebody in the eye and see it, is a sight of rare beauty, which I, for one, appreciate a lot.


So is Cathy and who else in the Management Team? Assuming Seymour no longer participates, that is. Is Derek involved in the discussion of the company's direction?

Thank you in advance to take the time to graciously answer the questions, Evan. I appreciate it a lot and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Yours very truly,

Hey buddy, as Evan points out Derek is on the management team, as is Max Gutnik (formerly the master behind Pro Tools/Line 6), and Rick Solomon for new products. I'm also on the team more in my capacity to speak for the community because in all things we do it's always guided by really filling a need for guitar players and also being respectful to our customers.

As to the earlier question from LesStrat, Kevin has worked at Seymour Duncan almost since the very beginning and is a phenomenal engineer, one of those guys that deserves all the attention he could ever receive and I know you guys would love him if I could somehow talk him onto the forum. He's a bass player and adds a ton of value to the company. He works with another engineer (Wayne) who does a lot of the pedal work and also helped develop the landing radar on the Mars rover.

As for the direction, we're as committed as ever to providing both innovative new products as well as going after those that help capture a sound that people are still looking for. Providing the highest quality in our materials, giving you a great customer service experience - none of those things have changed. Seymour has always been the guiding light especially for vintage style stuff because he has always been no compromise when it comes to the way (and materials) that many of those are built with and that'll never change.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Seymour just loves to create pickups, I don't think you'd ever have found to him care about the spotlight. As for Q&A, I don't think I've ever seen him on a forum and he might be totally unfamiliar with them. He's done Q&As through a ton of other mediums. But I'll take the feedback we need a forum Q&A.

It might be too much to ask of someone, but I was thinking reddit IAmA style; have someone take the questions to him, via email or in person, and then report back with his answers.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

Let's hear some hot stuff: His relationship with Larry DiMarzio?

You can read between the lines with this one:

http://guitarism-tr.blogspot.com/2011/03/special-interview-with-pickup-guru.html

Who are your most favorite luthier and pickup makers?


My favorite builders are guys at Fender, Gibson, Bill Crooks (Brad Paisley), Bill Asher (Ben Harper) and Bill Collings and Paul Reed Smith. I’m friends with just about all the pickup builders such as EMG, Lindy Fralin, Jason Lollar and the many small boutique builders.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

The dreaded "Duncan-Dimarzio Debacle" dawned when the dastardly Dale Duncan double-dipped in Duke Dimarzio's Duchess, Daisy Dimarzio. Decades later, Duke Dimarzio was on his deathbed and declared with his dying decree that the Duncan dynasty didn't deserve Double-Cream Bobbins... Their descendants have been disputing and duking it out ever since.
 
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Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

I heard he worked for Might Mite before starting his own company, is that true?

he did according to this?

"Randy Zacuto, from JB Player also purchased parts from me. He hired a friend of mine named Seymour Duncan, who had been making tele three piece bridge saddles and rewinding pickups to make Mighty Mite pickups for him. A short time later, Seymour came out with his own line of pickups. We also sold those.
"Randy Zacuto was the founder of Mighty Mite.

He hired Seymour Duncan (OEM work) around the mid 1970s to design and work on Mighty Mite pickups.

 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

he did according to this?

"Randy Zacuto, from JB Player also purchased parts from me. He hired a friend of mine named Seymour Duncan, who had been making tele three piece bridge saddles and rewinding pickups to make Mighty Mite pickups for him. A short time later, Seymour came out with his own line of pickups. We also sold those.
"Randy Zacuto was the founder of Mighty Mite.

He hired Seymour Duncan (OEM work) around the mid 1970s to design and work on Mighty Mite pickups.


I had no idea that Mighty Mite had been around that long. I used to order a lot of stuff from them from the late 90's up until a few years ago for our music store.
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

I had no idea that Mighty Mite had been around that long. I used to order a lot of stuff from them from the late 90's up until a few years ago for our music store.

Dude, the original 3 coil Motherbucker dates back to the 70s...
 
Re: 20 Random Seymour W. Duncan Facts

That would be awesome if they made the 5/2 a reversible bobbin. I just prefer warm lows and articulate highs, rather than the reverse. I listend the YouTube vids of the 5/2, and the wound strings did seem overly pronounced to my ears. I'll probably order it in reverse eventually, I like to taste test, I'm not on a quest for tonal perfection.

How about a 5/8? That would boost the high strings and keep the snap that the A5 has.
 
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