Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

[IMENATOR]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

For me it was the 21 data return policy, did not like the HotRails Neck, got a Jazz Neck instead, a great experiences. Alson the SD Forum and learning resourses.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I like Duncan's because of how they sound. Of course that is also why I like Dimarzio's and Lace's.

Amen + 10-4

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

After that I tried a lot of Duncans and DiMarzio’s. Some pups I have are stock. Some pups I mag swap. I’ll use whatever works.

^^^ That Too

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Well...I don't. I love both Duncan and DiMarzio, and I even like things that Fender and Gibson have to offer. (I use some other brands too.) I have nothing resembling brand loyalty when it comes to pickups; I use what works for my intentions with the guitar in question. There are tons of good sounding pickups out there these days. Duncan has several standout offerings (Seths, P Rails, Firebird pickups, Quarter Pounders, the Custom Shop in general, alnico "staple" repros and the Phat Staples), as does DiMarzio (EJ Custom, Bluesbucker, Red Velvet, Super Distortion, PAF Master, 36th, PAF '59). I love every one of my Fender reissue pickups, and my old Highway 1 Strat pickups (the older alnico III vintage wind ones). Every single U.S.A.-made Fender that I own (and even one MIJ Fender I own) has the stock pickups. More of my Gibsons than not have their stock pickups; nothing aftermarket beats a plain-old Gibson P90 IME. No one pickup company does it all IMO. You're better off learning the lines of at least Duncan and DiMarzio, if not any others, rather than getting stuck on just one of them.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I went to Duncans mostly because the product site was so good. I was looking at plenty of others, but general thing used to be a lot of fancy marketing, that told nothing about how the said pickup actually sound like in output/eq wise.

 

[justFred]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Duncan offers such a wide range of products that it's almost impossible not to find something you like in its catalog. As such, it's hard to pick one single model that can portray the brand, but the P-Rail, which is capable of sounding like a Humbucker, a P90 or even a single-soil, reflects how wide the range of offerings really is.

 

[Supernut]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I have guitar builds with hot stack for Tele, hot for Strat set, hot rodded humbucker set, and sh11(b) and pearly gates, and I love them all. That's good enough for me. By the way, this is an open ended list.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Cuz I lived in Santa Barbara for 5 years. Tried my first Jazz neck and was addicted.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I came late to the pickup game. I've always been happy with the pickups that came in my guitars. That changed after I bought a pair of Les Paul 1960 Classics with the 496r/500t pickups. They sounded good, but were just too hot for my Mesa amps. So I started a search for pickups. I knew I wanted vintage tone; a comparo article in "Vintage Guitar Magazine" led me to the Seth Lovers and Antiquitys as the best PAFs at a reasonable price. A Musician's Friend sale on a set of Custom Shop Seths was the final impetus, and I took the plunge. This actually took a lot of agonizing and a leap of faith, but they were exactly what I was looking for.

I bought an ASAT Deluxe with the '59/TB-4s, and again...success. For all the debate about the JB, with the 250k pots it was killer in this guitar...just beautiful rock tone.

And then I bought a used G&L Legacy that came to me with a set of Texas Hot Antiquitys. My oldest Legacy had Duncan SSL-2s from the factory, and I always thought those were great, but the THs brought something different. I wasn't going to swap out the SSL-2s or the G&L CLF-100s in my other Legacys, but I really liked these. I swapped in the RW/RP middle and the hot bridge...even better.

I still love many of the factory pickup in my guitars and don't feel the need to change them. When I have, I've gone with Duncans, and I'm very happy with the tones and the quality.

Bill

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Lucid made me do it. . .

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I bought a 1966 Strat that had the original neck and middle but the bridge was gone. I asked the dealer what would be the closest match. He said Antiquities. I put one in and it exactly matched the originals in EQ profile and output. Never looked back. Every Duncan I’ve bought sounded like the original recording I wanted to sound like.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

_ ItsaBass > " More of my Gibsons than not have their stock pickups; nothing aftermarket beats a plain-old Gibson P90 IME "

I concur and I also had two gibsons with Awesome stock PAF's I never needed to change ( in Relation to my Amps ) a 73 SG and a 80 or 81 Studio Paul

 

[Inkstained]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I'm a famous rock star, and they ask me to play Duncans. I reluctantly agreed.

 

[cliffenstein]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Got a JB Jr for my American Standard Stratocaster years ago and loved it so much I used it for 20 years. I played gigs all over the world and recorded many albums. It’s a fantastic product. I now have two more Strats...one has a Little ‘59 in it and the other a Red Devil. I just love the sound and feel that these bridge pickups deliver.

For full size hunbuckers I generally go Gibson (though I totally like the full size JB, too). I’ve had great experience with the Angus Young Signature, 498T and now a wax potted Burstbucker Type 2. Played a guitar once with a Dirty Fingers in it...did not like that one at all.

I have never liked any Dimarzio pickups I’ve tried...whether they were single coil size or full size humbuckers. There’s a tonal quality about them all that I just don’t dig.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I went to Duncans mostly because the product site was so good. I was looking at plenty of others, but general thing used to be a lot of fancy marketing, that told nothing about how the said pickup actually sound like in output/eq wise.

+1

DiMarzio makes great pickups, just like Duncan. But SD's site is much easier to navigate IMO. Easy to compare pups, good prose descriptions of each pickup, EQ and output measures, clean layout.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Dimarzio has recently revamped their website. IMO, it’s much better now.

 

[TVFV]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Dimarzio has recently revamped their website. IMO, it’s much better now.

Much more mobile friendly I might add.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Interesting. I don't like what DiMarzio has done. You can no longer put the pickups in a certain category into list form, and arrange by output, e.q., or whatever else.

Duncan has never had a good Website IMO.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Re: Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

I use SD's because I like to keep up with the Kardashians, plus all my friends are doing it and besides a little bit of Duncan ain't never gonna hurt nobodies.

That being said I like a lot of other brands as well so I'm not dead set on SD only. Some of my favs include:
Bill/Becky Lawrences
DiMarzio Breed,Evolution,PAF Pro
EMG-81/85/58/H
Gibson Iommi but it's a one trick pony and I'd need a dedicated guitar to use that pickup so it may be a while before I revisit that one.
I think that's about it save for some random pups but Id have to really think about it.

Most established pickup makers each respectively make awesome products and they support their business quite well in all areas so that's why I tend to stray from Duncan depending on what I want from a particular guitar and really that's what it all boils down to because each respective pickup maker has a few stand out models that do their thing to the point that not much can step in it's place and substitute.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Duncan heads – why do you choose SD over anything else?

Interesting. I don't like what DiMarzio has done. You can no longer put the pickups in a certain category into list form, and arrange by output, e.q., or whatever else.

Duncan has never had a good Website IMO.

In the main menu you can chose output level and at least look at that aspect.

Edit:
This screen shot was from mobile. I haven’t visited the desktop version, so it may be less user-friendly.