Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

Biu

New member
My tones are typically '70s, '80s, or DiMarzio Ibanez wanker :) But, I decided to give these pups a go again in my Schecter C-1 Stealth (mahogany, neck-thru), regardless of whether they'd be "me" or not, haha.

Duncan Distortion (Bridge):
It's a lot more clear than I remember, really good at holding definition with chords. I particularly liked this pup for rhythm work, I think it has a very nice thump with power chords, and actually worked very well on clean settings with jazzy chords (I really dug how it handled Maj9, min9, and diminished chords). I think it actually retained some sweet sparkle to the cleans and didn't distort the signal as I had anticipated. Overall, a good pup, though very "safe" in its tone. It is not radical like the DiMarzios I use, which is something I value for lead work, but most definitely a cool pickup that is not limited to only extreme-distortion music.

'59 (Neck):
I generally like an Alnico 2 magnet for humbuckers, so this review will be a little biased anyway :) It can get a little muddy sometimes, which should be expected, as it is a '59 in the neck of a MAHOGANY guitar, but even so, the tone itself is pretty good. Cleans and distortion were fairly well balanced, I wouldn't say it lacked anything in the EQ, just maybe TOO MUCH bass. It wasn't particularly sparkly, but had nice clarity all the same and under distortion, had that classic raunch. This pickup isn't as round as I would like it to be, it sounds more edgy and aggressive in the neck than I'd like. I don't know if I'd say it's completely vintage either, it seems to have an extra something in there that makes it a little more contemporary. Again, the tone is pretty "safe", sort of like a really exquisite, high-end upgrade of a generic tone. I can see why Duncans are useful in getting those classic tones, they are like a steroid boost and polish for famous guitar sounds. Unfortunately, I'm into the adventurous, exaggerated tones of DiMarzios, so these Duncans will have to take a backseat, but I WILL make good use of them!


All in all, I like these pickups a lot more than I used to and they will actually get some action this time! Thanks for reading my review ;)

-Biu
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

I'm glad to hear the SD's found a way in to your lineup!

Just out of curiousity, did you ever try a Jazz in the neck spot?
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

exactly what i was thinking - the jazz has a lot less of the bass you mention, and it's smoother and more bell-like

and i'd be looking at a full shred neck if you're a total distortion head ;)

tom
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

Man ive got a DD and i use it for pretty much anything of course the classic rock and roll. 80's metal and even metal old and nu. i find it works well for everything and if u roll the gain down u can get a nice snappy blues type thing
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

I'm always wondering why you guys think the '59 is bassy... I've got one in the bridge of my strat and it's just bright and clean... really cool sound... (it's a neck version though)
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

in the bridge the '59 is anything but bassy hehe - in the neck slot the bassiness comes out though!

tom
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

Kommerzbassist said:
I'm always wondering why you guys think the '59 is bassy... I've got one in the bridge of my strat and it's just bright and clean... really cool sound... (it's a neck version though)

The Neck Version is brighter than the bridge version, so that makes the '59 in a bright guitar like a strat even brighter.
It depends on the guitar.
I found out that the 59 acts very good with the wood and gives the natural tone of the guitar. Play a guitar "unplugged" and then compare it with the "plugged" tone.
That makes the 59 sound bright in a bright guitar and sound bassy in a darker guitar.
 
Re: Gave the Duncan Distortion and '59 another swing!

Imp said:
exactly what i was thinking - the jazz has a lot less of the bass you mention, and it's smoother and more bell-like

and i'd be looking at a full shred neck if you're a total distortion head ;)

tom
Hmmm, I really would like to try the Jazz. From all the reviews and descriptions, it sounds like it may just be the ticket, as far as SD pups go.

Haha, no, I'm no distortion-head. I like my pups to typically be low-output and vintage-voiced. I mean, my weapons of choice are DiMarzio Blue Velvets and Humbucker From Hell. (Yes, I am obsessed with the classic single-coil sound! :))

I am still quite pleased that my Duncan Distortion isn't excessive with my '70s tones; I was definitely expecting something more uncontrollable.

My little brother, Fatty Woo, has a '59 in the bridge of his Peavey Vandenberg, and I don't really like it. I dunno, it seems very generic, and it has nothing to do with its output or anything, it's just the voicing of it that I find a little irksome. I'll give that one another try though, I may be surprised yet again, haha :)
 
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