Ant II Surfers vs SSL-1's

Twang Man

New member
One more time Lew, how do the Surfers compare tonewise to the SSL-1's? I know what the SSL-1's sound like but I haven't heard the Surfers. Duncan makes so many great vintage pups it really makes it rough on a guy trying to make a decision.
 
Re: Ant II Surfers vs SSL-1's

Twang Man said:
One more time Lew, how do the Surfers compare tonewise to the SSL-1's? I know what the SSL-1's sound like but I haven't heard the Surfers. Duncan makes so many great vintage pups it really makes it rough on a guy trying to make a decision.

Read my current scoop on the Surfers...I also use the SSL1s...The Antiquity series has this openess of tone..It's hard to explain,but it's this mojo that Seymour injects into these pickups...It's something you feel and hear when you use these pickups,but it's hard to convey in words?

John
 
Re: Ant II Surfers vs SSL-1's

I really like the SSL-1's, but when I compared my friend AJ's Jimmie Vaughn Strat, which has a pair of SSL-1's and a Fralin SP43, to my own Strat which has a set of the Surfers, I thought the Surfers seemed louder and stronger overall, and had a more complex, more textured and livlier tone.

The Surfers seem to have "better" n & m and m & b tones too. In fact, I think the Surfers get some of the best tones in the #2 and #4 switch positions of any pickups I've ever used.

I had a set of the SSL-1's in this same Strat, then a set Of Fralin Blues Specials and then a set of Antiquity Texas Hots - all in this very same Strat. The Surfers sound the "best", to me, of any pickups I've had in this ax.

As John noted, the Antiquitys have a "vibe" that's hard to put into words. But it's a great vibe and one that feels instantly comfortable and makes getting a great tone easy. Kind of makes a new guitar sound like a super great vintage guitar...only better. Like the way you picture a killer vintage Strat sounding in your head.

My '88 57 RI Strat with the Surfers sounds "better", to me, than my original '63 with the original pickups.

John's having a bit of a time getting used to the Surfer bridge pickup, but having played my '63 for over 25 years, I'm used to that bright alnico 5 tone and I love all three of the Surfer pickups. I think they're a great set and that's the way I'd recommend they be used: as a complete set.

I also have a Strat with the Duncan APS-2's and Twangbanger. Those are louder and chunkier than the Surfers, and as much as I like the way that Strat sounds, I still prefer the Surfers. They're just more comfortable and familiar sounding to me and when I play it I feel very relaxed and just play better.

Lew
 
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