Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

A

ant_riv

New member
Hello-
New to the forum and my first post.

I would like to know if anyone has tried a set of Seth Lovers and a set of Antiquities in the same guitar?

If so, what did you like about each one, and what didn't you like about each one?

Did you wind up keeping one set in the guitar, or did you move on to something else? If so, what?

I'd also appreciate hearing anything else anyone would like to share about either of these sets of pickups.

Musical preferences lean towards classic rock, Kossoff (Free) and any Les Paul based "guitar rock".

Thanks a lot!
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

I have tried both sets in the same Hamer Studio Custom. Similar to a PRS.

Both are great sets.

I found the Antiquity to have a warmer tone that was slightly hollow compared to the Seths.

The Seths seemed to have a little more output and highs, perhaps because the Seth uses a fully charged magnet and the Antiquity uses a de-gaussed magnet.

Personally, I prefer a fully charged alnico 2 magnet in my humbuckers.

You really couldn't go wrong with either set but I do recommend searching for a fairly strong bridge Antiquity if you go for those. I like the 9K Antiquity I have but you might have to special order one of those.
 
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Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

Thanks for the reply Lewguitar.

I have a set of Seth Lovers that I purchased recently. I really wanted the Antiquities, based on things I've read about them, but the Seths came along at a good price.

I hope to get them in my guitar this weekend and judge for myself. Unfortunately, I've never heard either in person.

Thanks for the info!
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

Welcome to the forum.

Lew's description rings pretty true. I would only add that the Seths have more "focus" compared to the Ants.

I've tried both pups in my R8, and both sounded great. I pulled the Ants in favor of something with a bit more oomph. I kept the Seth in the neck though, and had a 78 made with Seth parts for mojo and authenticity, like the Seths and Ants.

Bottom line......you can't go wrong. What are they going in?

Luke
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

+1

Both are great.

If you like a bit more punchy tones as opposed to softer spongier, get the Seths. But for thicker and a hollow soft but clear 3d tone ants can't be beaten.

B
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

dr.barlo said:
+1

Both are great.

If you like a bit more punchy tones as opposed to softer spongier, get the Seths. But for thicker and a hollow soft but clear 3d tone ants can't be beaten.

B
Click to expand...

Lewguitar said:
I have tried both sets in the same Hamer Studio Custom. Similar to a PRS.

Both are great sets.

I found the Antiquity to have a warmer tone that was slightly hollow compared to the Seths.
Click to expand...


Guys, with "hollow", are we talking about a scooped-like sound here ?
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

No, it's not like scooped which makes me think of a c5. It is not the lack of mids. It is just that the lower mids, and upper mids can be heard quite separately. And that's I suppose what that 3d hollow thing is trying to say.

For example, when I pick (with both the pick and the finger at the same time) say D on G string in the fifth position, and bend it to E, I can hear how the lower mids and upper mids+highs behave differently. It sort of blooms.

That's the best I can do with words, you know. Hope it makes some sense...

B :)
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

I haven't tried Antiquities, but in regards to the Seth, in the bridge the upper-mid range "honk" can be a little overwhelming. I had one in my SG and had to remove it cause I couldn't get over how agressive the focus was on the upper mid-range. It might play out differently in a Les Paul, but in thinner guitars I would actually reccomend a pickup with a more "hollow" sound.

That said, if you wanna try a Seth (b) I could definitely hook you up with mine, which is waiting for a good home.
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

Thanks to everyone for passing along the info.

I am going to try out the Seth Lover set in my '71 LP Deluxe. It was routed for full-size HBs before I purchased it.

I'll let you know how it works out once they're in.

I appreciate your help. Thank you!
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

I had both sets in the same Lespaul std. 2003.
Neck:
- Ant Neck is more open sounding -close to heaven. Seth neck is more warmer / woody)
- Ant Bridge is too low output as degaused A2 magnet. Did not like it reverse to the neck which one of the best neck pups I had.
So I vintage "dreamteam" is Ant Neck + SH1B (Sh55B ) of course depents on taste and axe ...
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

I want to get a better sound in my Gibson 335 because it sounds so toneless and muffled ever since I put Antiquities into my Heritage 575. Reading these posts I'm pretty sure Ants are the way to go, but does anyone have any other recommendations for a 335 that I generally play fairly clean and jazzy? The tones I seek are sweet and warm...
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

I haven't tried the Antiquities, and from what I've heard, you can get the same thing from swapping magnets in the regular Duncans like the JB and Custom Custom. As far as I know, (I have done absolutely no research on Antiquities) Antiquities are just aged magnets or something. I cannot give you a comparison, but I have some Seth Lovers that I've installed in everything from a Les Paul, Strat, and Ibanez RG Prestige. They sounded great in ever single guitar I put them into.

My overall opinion is that they are best in a basswood guitar like my RG. Of course they're great in a Les Paul because they sound like vintage pickups, but they don't have the thickness or low end of a Burstbucker. Basswood adds some low end, and Seth Lovers are a little on the bright side so they turn out to be smooth but still all the midrange you need to sing in the mix.

Needless to say, they were great in my strat. However, I felt that they didn't have quite enough output to be optimum. In a Les Paul which is acoustically loud, and for some reason with my Ibanez, the output is pretty fair. I guess the bridge and string tension of a strat needs a higher output or something.

Some people told me that the Seth Lovers would be muddy for distorted applications, but since I play kind of like 80's metal type stuff, they stay crisp and clear but smooth at the same time. I have tried them with a fairly high amount of distortion and they hold up pretty well. I guess that's because they don't have a lot of low end so they don't get as muddy as a 59. It seems like my Pearly Gates has substantially more bass than the Seths, and Seths in the low end is comparable to a Custom Custom.

I think it was a member called Blueman who first told me about magnets swapping and the magical UOA5, so I tried that pickup as well as a roughcast A2 in a range of Seymour Duncan pickups. The UOA5 can turn many of the Seymour Duncan pickups into vintage pickups because it softens everything, including the output, and has a real sweet quality. It's spongier than polished A5 too.

As long as Seymour Duncan doesn't raise the price of the Seth Lovers, then they are going to be hard to beat as far as value and quality. The only competitor I can think of is the Dimarzio PAF 36th, but that's a different animal.
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

UberMetalDood said:
I think it was a member called Blueman who first told me about magnets swapping and the magical UOA5, so I tried that pickup as well as a roughcast A2 in a range of Seymour Duncan pickups. The UOA5 can turn many of the Seymour Duncan pickups into vintage pickups because it softens everything, including the output, and has a real sweet quality. It's spongier than polished A5 too.

As long as Seymour Duncan doesn't raise the price of the Seth Lovers, then they are going to be hard to beat as far as value and quality.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was me about the magnets, been championing the cause for years.

I agree on the Seth's, I haven't found a better PAF. I don't need to swap the mags in them.
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

blueman335 said:
Yeah, that was me about the magnets, been championing the cause for years.

I agree on the Seth's, I haven't found a better PAF. I don't need to swap the mags in them.
Click to expand...

I strongly support that blueman and dr. barlo supported me to change magnets in my Ants.Ants are great base to look around. Its not potted and a great wind.

He have had every magnet in my 2 pairs of Ants and they excel. After all my pair in the Les Paul carries a A4 in the neck and a RC A5 in the bridge. My ES carries a full charged A2 in the neck (it's a Seth Lover magnet from another swap) and a higherwound Ant Bridge with a RCUO A5.
 
Re: Anyone compare Seth Lovers to Antiquities?

My experience with SD Antiquity pickups is that they are consistently more convincing for vintage guitar tone. This will suit some guitars and not others.
 
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