Duncan Custom SH-5 Special Van halen pickup

pittbull said:
I had a conversation about this topic with MJ last week the article that was in Guitar Player magazine 1979 about the Seymour Duncan Custom pickup was really a custom wind pickup that Seymour did for Eddie in 78. The 1979 article which said Duncan Custom(Van Halen) was the custom wind that Seymour did for Eddie in 78 NOT the Duncan Custom SH-5 the article was miss leading,when Eddie seen the article he called Seymour about it and Eddie wasn’t happy at all he didn’t want Seymour to sell the pickup because it was Eddie’s recipe to Seymour what he wanted in that PAF pickup so Seymour removes the Van Halen name on the next Seymour Duncan article in the next Guitar Player magazine about the pickups Seymour offers.This was also told to MJ by Seymour. The Seymour Duncan 78 IS the pickup.
Click to expand...

If I'm reading this right, the pickup referred to as Custom (Van Halen) in guitar player magazine is sold nowadays as the 78?
 
Chistopher said:
If I'm reading this right, the pickup referred to as Custom (Van Halen) in guitar player magazine is sold nowadays as the 78?
Click to expand...

i doubt it!
the ad says:

59 Model, ld & rhy
Jazz Model, ld & rhy
The Mag (strat sound)
JB Model (Harmonics)
The Duncan Custom (van Halen)
Seymourizer II (series parallel)
Duncan Distortion

that's identicial to the model numbering except for the last 2 reversed and discontinued products...

SH-1: 59
SH-2: Jazz
SH-3: stag mag nowadays
SH-4: JB
SH-5: ducan custom
SH-7: Seymourizer II, now SH-6n
SH-6: distortion (SH-6b)​
 
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I recall the '78 Model was a trembucker, 4-conductor version of the Evenly Voiced Harmonics pickup, which came out in the 2000s. The original recipe PAF Seymour did for EVH was never released to the public before then AFAIK. The Duncan Custom was the Duncan Custom, "PAF on steroids" ceramic pickup.
 
pittbull said:
I had a conversation about this topic with MJ last week the article that was in Guitar Player magazine 1979 about the Seymour Duncan Custom pickup was really a custom wind pickup that Seymour did for Eddie in 78. The 1979 article which said Duncan Custom(Van Halen) was the custom wind that Seymour did for Eddie in 78 NOT the Duncan Custom SH-5 the article was miss leading,when Eddie seen the article he called Seymour about it and Eddie wasn’t happy at all he didn’t want Seymour to sell the pickup because it was Eddie’s recipe to Seymour what he wanted in that PAF pickup so Seymour removes the Van Halen name on the next Seymour Duncan article in the next Guitar Player magazine about the pickups Seymour offers.This was also told to MJ by Seymour. The Seymour Duncan 78 IS the pickup.
Click to expand...

Sorry my reading ability isn’t great. Can anyone tell me if today’s Duncan SH-5 is based on the “sh-5 (Van Halen)” that was advertised in the magazine in October 1979?
 
Masta' C said:
Re: Duncan Custom SH-5 Special Van halen pickup

So, if the "Mighty Mite" pickups are the real deal EVH originals, then why aren't they mentioned more often and better sought after...or are they and I'm just missing something?
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They are clones of the Super Distortion. Most guys just get that. A Mighty Might of that era does get some love from the hard core chasers of that sound

Ed used a least 2 guitars on VH1 so "that sound" is not specific to 1 pickup even on that recording. I am on the record that for VH1 I believe Frankie had a PAF. Original or the Duncan rewind I am not sure. The Destroyer had a Dimarzio Super Distortion or the Mighty Might clone of it. All the examples of Super 70's people refer to that I have heard sound nothing like that record but the DImarzio absolutely does.

After that that it gets weird. I have always thought the tones on VH2 or WACF were quite pedestrian. Any Marshall at volume could have done those. I suspect they were done with Frankie and not the Destroyer. With Fair Warning things change and I think this is where the 14k, CC style pickup shows up on Frankie.

As for the 5150 Kramer, Ed said in an 80's interview it had a 59 in it. Maybe at that point it did.. It appears to have ended its run with a JB in it and Diver Down tones are what I would imagine a broken JB in that arrangement to sound like. What happened in between those to points is anyone's guess
 
I looked at many high res photos of the Van Halen club days from 1976-1977-1978 and the photos were all PAF pickup just by looking at the photos non of them had the hex pole pieces like the mighty mite pickups the only mighty mite pickup is when Eddie cut up his Ibanez Destroyer which he named the shark and put a cream color mighty mite(not dimarzio)pickup which after Van Halen 1 was recorded,the shark was used for the recording of Van Halen II also.
 
And what if THIS happened....

He recorded with 2 different guitars and 3 pickups?!?!?!?!

Day 1 - lays down rhythm track with Explorer and Super Distortion
Day 2 - throws down solo with Strat and Duncan Custom
Day 3 - Party at Dave's place... Ed changes pickup in Explorer to a PAF
Day 4 - redoes bridge and last half of sol with Explorer


What NOW?!?!?!?!?!:dunno:
 
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