Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

[MikeB]

Recently a friend of mine who is a luthier asked me to do a video-demo for one of his guitars. To my surprise it was equipped with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surfer single coils and I am not lying when I say that I was blown away by these PU's! How could they sound so full of detail while having this output (?) I asked myself. If you plan to replace the pickups of your Strat or Strat-alike guitars you should keep an eye on these *word*

Hear for yourself if I talk bull... LOL

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Enough output? ****, yeah!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Make no mistake. If you're a connoisseur of strat tone, you need to have a Surfer set. It's the definitive early 60's A5 strat sound, and many of us love the Surfer Custom bridge for the added output with a traditional tone.

One thing I've found is that you can take every boutique pickup winder's take on a vintage spec A5 strat pickup, and you'll have a bunch of sets that all sound nice, but they all sound a bit different. The Surfers are a set that's straight up pleasing to most.......if you appreciate vintage spec single coils.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

I would not claim that the Ant II pickups are definitively anything. They are just extremely close to what I would like a Stratocaster pickup to sound like under all circumstances, from totally clean to absolutely filthy.

 

[Artie]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Nice guitar, nice licks.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Dumb jack socket location for seated playing!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

I think they have too much output to be honest.

Fine pickups for sure but a tad overwound if you've got any experience with vintage Strats. They are also a bit mixed up as to what era they are supposed to replicate but fine pickups details aside.


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[the guy who invented fire]

Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Double post...

 

[MikeB]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Make no mistake. If you're a connoisseur of strat tone, you need to have a Surfer set. It's the definitive early 60's A5 strat sound, and many of us love the Surfer Custom bridge for the added output with a traditional tone.

I only can second this emotion, well said!

 

[MikeB]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

They are just extremely close to what I would like a Stratocaster pickup to sound like under all circumstances, from totally clean to absolutely filthy.

...and I'd like to add: when playing with hi-gain at high volumes, you'll get the sweetest feedback with loads of brilliance (if you want).

Nice guitar, nice licks.

Thanks ArtieToo for checking!!!

 

[MikeB]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

Dumb jack socket location for seated playing!

I rather think I'm too fat! HAHA

Apart from that I had no angle plug simply. Also for a beloved Gibson Flying V you should have an angle plug at hand (when standing) and it's rather impossible to play a Flying V properly when sitting. *buh*

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

My favorite neck and middle pickups for a strat...Bridge position I have different opinions on.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

That is a SWEET guitar, and the pickups sound great in it.

 

[DreX]

Re: Antiquity II Surfer PU's - enough output?

The the thing I love about the Ant II is that they seem to be right on the border between hot and cool. Too hot to be shrill, too cool to be numb. In positions 1 3 and 5 they have a softer, piano-ish attack and full sound, but in positions 2 and 4 they still have the sort of quack you associate with lower output single coils, so it ends up sounding ideal no matter what pickup combo you select.

OTOH, I think they are a little too soft and full sounding for dirty, aggressive blues, that's a time when some shrillness helps you get your point across. In that respect I think the Ant IIs make better rhythm guitar pickups than lead. For good lead pickups, I'd rather reach for the fringes than go "middle of the road".

The nice thing about such a pleasantly balanced pickup, though, is that you don't have to screw with your EQ as much, it pretty much sounds good no matter what. If I'm using Texas Specials or similar pickups, I have to mess with the treble, and if I'm using low output pickups I have to mess with the gain, with Ant. II is just perfect when you plug in. I think that's why people respond to them so favorably.