Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
- Thread starter Chubtone
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LtKojak
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
I can only compare a stock 2009 '59n to a stock 1990 wounded by Maricela Juàrez and the only thing I can say is that the one Maricela made sounds OUT OF THIS WORLD.
The stock 2009 '59n sounds EXCELLENT, but the other one just have the MOJO no other p'up I've ever owned had. Changing the magnet to an A4 will get the stock '59n to the ballpark, though. Close... but no cigar.
Paired with an A8 bridge p'up (Gibson '57 Classic Plus and Custom 8) creates a killer set that can play just any kind of music.
Nowadays Duncan p'ups are just as good as the ones from yesterday, if not "better"... but what "better" or "worse" actually means is all subjective. One man's trash is another man's treasure, so you can't really generalize.
In a big production scale, changes in composition of available materials will create differences in tone even between batches of the same p'up, but I don't think anybody will be able to hear it in a blind test.
So, think less and play more! :naughty:
HTH,
I can only compare a stock 2009 '59n to a stock 1990 wounded by Maricela Juàrez and the only thing I can say is that the one Maricela made sounds OUT OF THIS WORLD.
The stock 2009 '59n sounds EXCELLENT, but the other one just have the MOJO no other p'up I've ever owned had. Changing the magnet to an A4 will get the stock '59n to the ballpark, though. Close... but no cigar.
Paired with an A8 bridge p'up (Gibson '57 Classic Plus and Custom 8) creates a killer set that can play just any kind of music.
Nowadays Duncan p'ups are just as good as the ones from yesterday, if not "better"... but what "better" or "worse" actually means is all subjective. One man's trash is another man's treasure, so you can't really generalize.
In a big production scale, changes in composition of available materials will create differences in tone even between batches of the same p'up, but I don't think anybody will be able to hear it in a blind test.
So, think less and play more! :naughty:
HTH,
Last edited:
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
I've compared older Customs (DC sticker - no winder initial) to modern Customs (SH-5) and older Distortions (DDL and DDJ) to modern Distortions (SH-6) and found the older ones to have a less articulate tone.
That's not a bad thing, IMO.
The newer models had more note definition for solos, a more crisp attack (almost compressed), the notes of chords were more definable, and generally sounded like I was running a clean tone parallel to a dirty tone at the same time.
That's not really a tone I strive for. I prefer the way the older models have a slight "blur" to single notes/solos, and how power chords retain their root-5 tonality even if you're using the octave.
I've compared older Customs (DC sticker - no winder initial) to modern Customs (SH-5) and older Distortions (DDL and DDJ) to modern Distortions (SH-6) and found the older ones to have a less articulate tone.
That's not a bad thing, IMO.
The newer models had more note definition for solos, a more crisp attack (almost compressed), the notes of chords were more definable, and generally sounded like I was running a clean tone parallel to a dirty tone at the same time.
That's not really a tone I strive for. I prefer the way the older models have a slight "blur" to single notes/solos, and how power chords retain their root-5 tonality even if you're using the octave.
F
Funkfingers
Guest
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Ah-a. The ol' "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" myth that plagues almost all musical equipment.
FACT #1 - Advances in pickup manufacturing technolgies should make present day products more consistent than, say, thirty years ago. The only downside to this is that the occasional really cooking example is unlikely to slip out very often.
FACT #2 - If pickup manufacturers are NOT making pickups at least as well as they did thirty years ago, they are heading for deep doo-doo.
FACT #3 - How a pickup sounds depends on many variable factors. Hence, meaningful, objective comparisons are very difficult to make. You either like the sound and dynamic response of a given pickup on a particular guitar or you don't.
FACT #4 - Naughty people with old stuff to sell might want you to believe that their merchandise has special properties, unavailable elsewhere and on sale for a limited time only. Hurry, hurry, hurry.
:deal:
Ah-a. The ol' "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" myth that plagues almost all musical equipment.
FACT #1 - Advances in pickup manufacturing technolgies should make present day products more consistent than, say, thirty years ago. The only downside to this is that the occasional really cooking example is unlikely to slip out very often.
FACT #2 - If pickup manufacturers are NOT making pickups at least as well as they did thirty years ago, they are heading for deep doo-doo.
FACT #3 - How a pickup sounds depends on many variable factors. Hence, meaningful, objective comparisons are very difficult to make. You either like the sound and dynamic response of a given pickup on a particular guitar or you don't.
FACT #4 - Naughty people with old stuff to sell might want you to believe that their merchandise has special properties, unavailable elsewhere and on sale for a limited time only. Hurry, hurry, hurry.
:deal:
ACH91332
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Well in response to your question Slash has and that's exactly why there is a new Slash model A2P. It has the same construction of the 1986 A2P set he has in his recording Les Paul. I think his sig set is a little hotter though but it has wooden spacers and the baseplate is constructed how it was in 1986 as well.
Well in response to your question Slash has and that's exactly why there is a new Slash model A2P. It has the same construction of the 1986 A2P set he has in his recording Les Paul. I think his sig set is a little hotter though but it has wooden spacers and the baseplate is constructed how it was in 1986 as well.
G
Grandturk
Guest
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
This is where 99% of it comes from.
This is where 99% of it comes from.
F
Funkfingers
Guest
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
In fairness, sometimes, there is no substitute for the old gear. For instance, a Hammond B3 or C3 organ through a Leslie cabinet makes the whole building throb. Ditto Moog Taurus mkII bass pedals.
In fairness, sometimes, there is no substitute for the old gear. For instance, a Hammond B3 or C3 organ through a Leslie cabinet makes the whole building throb. Ditto Moog Taurus mkII bass pedals.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
I just read for about the 100th time on a forum of course, how some guy swore his old Distortion sounded better in the same guitar as his new one and when he switched them back it was instantly better.
Then there's the guys who swear that the Trembucker versions of all the pickups don't sound as good as the regular spaced ones.
I play lots too.... '78 in the bridge and SSL-5 in the neck here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4w-71gZZAI
I just read for about the 100th time on a forum of course, how some guy swore his old Distortion sounded better in the same guitar as his new one and when he switched them back it was instantly better.
Then there's the guys who swear that the Trembucker versions of all the pickups don't sound as good as the regular spaced ones.
I play lots too.... '78 in the bridge and SSL-5 in the neck here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4w-71gZZAI
Evan Skopp
SDUGF Founder
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
That's some pretty sick playing, Chubtone!
That's some pretty sick playing, Chubtone!
C-Martin
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
+1
Love what you did on that charvel, thats my kinda guitar!
As for the subject, i remember reading some review or was it a video.. i forget but it was someone from seymour duncan saying that they had a certain production pickup that sounded better than the others he had tried and that being because everything just went spot on and "right" when the pickup was made thus giving it a slight mojo to it. He said it stil sounded like all the others but had a little something special about it that others didnt. That said i have a large collection of both new and old SD pickups and i even have a old JBJ that i bought on ebay that came with one coil malfunction that i sent to MJ to rewind. Theres just something about some of the older ones and especialy the mj wound ones that just has something special about them.. but like most anything that varies, it can sometimes be for the worst and not always for the better. I have 2 old jbj that i couldnt bond well with.. i gave one away and the other i'm still not sure what to do with it. I installed both those, a brand new TB-4, a old TB-4 and another JBJ in my charvel and the 2 JBJ just sounded wrong and lifeless, kinda dark and no guts to them.. i ended up using the old TB-4 and putting the other JBJ in another guitar, the newish TB-4 came off of my pro mod charvel and it sounded way better than the 2 JBJs. The old TB-4 and the other JBJ had a bit less of a mid range spike and sounded overall tighter imo.. so i stuck with those.
+1
Love what you did on that charvel, thats my kinda guitar!
As for the subject, i remember reading some review or was it a video.. i forget but it was someone from seymour duncan saying that they had a certain production pickup that sounded better than the others he had tried and that being because everything just went spot on and "right" when the pickup was made thus giving it a slight mojo to it. He said it stil sounded like all the others but had a little something special about it that others didnt. That said i have a large collection of both new and old SD pickups and i even have a old JBJ that i bought on ebay that came with one coil malfunction that i sent to MJ to rewind. Theres just something about some of the older ones and especialy the mj wound ones that just has something special about them.. but like most anything that varies, it can sometimes be for the worst and not always for the better. I have 2 old jbj that i couldnt bond well with.. i gave one away and the other i'm still not sure what to do with it. I installed both those, a brand new TB-4, a old TB-4 and another JBJ in my charvel and the 2 JBJ just sounded wrong and lifeless, kinda dark and no guts to them.. i ended up using the old TB-4 and putting the other JBJ in another guitar, the newish TB-4 came off of my pro mod charvel and it sounded way better than the 2 JBJs. The old TB-4 and the other JBJ had a bit less of a mid range spike and sounded overall tighter imo.. so i stuck with those.
Marshall_Abuser
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Good Lord! Finally, someone that actually SHREDS and plays excellent LEAD posts here!
Great stuff! But I'd like to hear more of that '78 when playing fast alternate picking on the lower strings! I use the bridge pickup to play those kinds of runs myself...
Good Lord! Finally, someone that actually SHREDS and plays excellent LEAD posts here!
Great stuff! But I'd like to hear more of that '78 when playing fast alternate picking on the lower strings! I use the bridge pickup to play those kinds of runs myself...
freddarl82
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Yes, it might be splitting hairs, but none of the 4 items you discuss above are "Facts," but rather your observations and opinions (which I happen to mostly agree with). To assert them as "Facts" is hyperbole; if they were in reality "Facts," there would be no room for one to agree or disagree, because a fact is a fact and incontrovertible. So please, don't assert your opinions as "Facts."
Ah-a. The ol' "They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To" myth that plagues almost all musical equipment.
FACT #1 - Advances in pickup manufacturing technolgies should make present day products more consistent than, say, thirty years ago. The only downside to this is that the occasional really cooking example is unlikely to slip out very often.
FACT #2 - If pickup manufacturers are NOT making pickups at least as well as they did thirty years ago, they are heading for deep doo-doo.
FACT #3 - How a pickup sounds depends on many variable factors. Hence, meaningful, objective comparisons are very difficult to make. You either like the sound and dynamic response of a given pickup on a particular guitar or you don't.
FACT #4 - Naughty people with old stuff to sell might want you to believe that their merchandise has special properties, unavailable elsewhere and on sale for a limited time only. Hurry, hurry, hurry.
:deal:
Yes, it might be splitting hairs, but none of the 4 items you discuss above are "Facts," but rather your observations and opinions (which I happen to mostly agree with). To assert them as "Facts" is hyperbole; if they were in reality "Facts," there would be no room for one to agree or disagree, because a fact is a fact and incontrovertible. So please, don't assert your opinions as "Facts."
oilpit
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
+1
I was on the fence about getting a Charvel, and I definitely just made up my mind!
+1
I was on the fence about getting a Charvel, and I definitely just made up my mind!
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Just curious about your user name. I have 3 sets of Chubtone pickups, and his El Gordo/63 set was my idea. It's the fattest sounding vintage A5 set I've ever owned. I also love his reverse staggered 69 set. My tele has the III/V set, and it's awesome. I love a lot of single coils from Duncan to Lollar, but I especially love the now defunct business, Chubtone, which was Mike Gray by himself, and I don't think he's doing it anymore.
Just curious about your user name. I have 3 sets of Chubtone pickups, and his El Gordo/63 set was my idea. It's the fattest sounding vintage A5 set I've ever owned. I also love his reverse staggered 69 set. My tele has the III/V set, and it's awesome. I love a lot of single coils from Duncan to Lollar, but I especially love the now defunct business, Chubtone, which was Mike Gray by himself, and I don't think he's doing it anymore.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
That's an interesting question. I have owned Chubtone Studios in So Cal since 1993 and have been posting online on all the gear forums since the start of the internet as Chubtone. I thought it was a pretty original name and it was certainly seen by thousands of people on the different gear forums over the years. When I saw the name Chubtone used as the company name for a line of pickups I figured someone must have seen my name on one of the forums. OR someone else came up with a cool name for his pickup company totally independent of me or having seen the name online. That is entirely possible. It's not that outlandish of a name and it makes total sense for a pickup company so I would never claim or really even care that it was taken from me.
Had the company lasted longer or become better known I would have changed my online name.
That's an interesting question. I have owned Chubtone Studios in So Cal since 1993 and have been posting online on all the gear forums since the start of the internet as Chubtone. I thought it was a pretty original name and it was certainly seen by thousands of people on the different gear forums over the years. When I saw the name Chubtone used as the company name for a line of pickups I figured someone must have seen my name on one of the forums. OR someone else came up with a cool name for his pickup company totally independent of me or having seen the name online. That is entirely possible. It's not that outlandish of a name and it makes total sense for a pickup company so I would never claim or really even care that it was taken from me.
Had the company lasted longer or become better known I would have changed my online name.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Thanks Evan. That means a lot coming from someone like you. I've been selling your products for about 15 years. I personally went the boutique route for a few years but have come back full circle on my guitars and pickups and have Duncans in literally everything except some vintage pieces I don't play. The Duncans just consistently deliver what I am looking for.
Thanks Evan. That means a lot coming from someone like you. I've been selling your products for about 15 years. I personally went the boutique route for a few years but have come back full circle on my guitars and pickups and have Duncans in literally everything except some vintage pieces I don't play. The Duncans just consistently deliver what I am looking for.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Thanks. I have three of these new USA Production model Charvels and two original Charvels, a 1980 prepro I've had since '86 and a 1984 pointy head I've had since '84. I switch back and forth between them all the time and I tell you, I LOVE the new Charvels. They aren't better, but I feel no drop off in playability and zero drop off in tone. The only difference is my old necks feel more worn in, but the new ones are getting there.
Thanks. I have three of these new USA Production model Charvels and two original Charvels, a 1980 prepro I've had since '86 and a 1984 pointy head I've had since '84. I switch back and forth between them all the time and I tell you, I LOVE the new Charvels. They aren't better, but I feel no drop off in playability and zero drop off in tone. The only difference is my old necks feel more worn in, but the new ones are getting there.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
I play 95% of the time on the bridge pickup. Heck, six months ago I would have said 99% of the time on the bridge. But lately I have been loving the neck single coil. I have a strat loaded with SSL-1's and with my modded DOD250 it is awesome. Now I have this SSL-5 in the neck of this new Charvel and I really dig it.
On this clip I was using the OD250 and intended to just do the single coil part with it and plug in an SD-1 or TS-9 or OCD and do the bridge pickup part but I played through it and the notes were there on the bridge pickup parts though the tone would have been better had I not been set-up for single coil tones. I just left it. I didn't want to nitpick too much.
This song has three guitars and 4 different Duncans on it. One rhythm guitar has my old '84 Charvel with a Custom in it. The other rhythm guitar is my 2008 USA Charvel San Dimas 1 with a Distortion in it and then the 2009 Charvel So Cal you see in the video.
I play 95% of the time on the bridge pickup. Heck, six months ago I would have said 99% of the time on the bridge. But lately I have been loving the neck single coil. I have a strat loaded with SSL-1's and with my modded DOD250 it is awesome. Now I have this SSL-5 in the neck of this new Charvel and I really dig it.
On this clip I was using the OD250 and intended to just do the single coil part with it and plug in an SD-1 or TS-9 or OCD and do the bridge pickup part but I played through it and the notes were there on the bridge pickup parts though the tone would have been better had I not been set-up for single coil tones. I just left it. I didn't want to nitpick too much.
This song has three guitars and 4 different Duncans on it. One rhythm guitar has my old '84 Charvel with a Custom in it. The other rhythm guitar is my 2008 USA Charvel San Dimas 1 with a Distortion in it and then the 2009 Charvel So Cal you see in the video.
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Call me, I'll hook you up.
Call me, I'll hook you up.
oilpit
New member
Re: Has anyone compared a vintage Duncan to it's modern version?
Checked out your Youtube page, very cool...
Expect a call :32:
Checked out your Youtube page, very cool...
Expect a call :32:
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