Hello all...

[SonicMage117]

Hello ALL!

New member here.

About me,
I now have 48 Seymour Duncan custom shop and regular sets under my belt with these 3 being the newest. Seymour Duncan has sent me to test and review. I have been collecting and receiving from Seymour Duncan for 5 years now.

Now I have to say, the only set from these 3 in the photos that I have tried so far is the Eric Gales set. How can I describe it? No shrill highs, muscular sound, piano like notes, clear bell like, responsive and very dynamic. Softer sounding? But roars with overdrive and distortion. It's funny, when you compare Alnico 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You can get them all to sound similar to the point where they are nearly indistinguishable and in the same ballpark bit the feel is completely different and the way they interact with the strings is COMPLETELY different from one another. What does this mean? This means that the way they interact with effects (overdrive, distortion, delay, reverb, etc) is far different from each other - which is why a famous friend of mine prefers the Five-Two set over the Psychedelic or Hot Rails set.

Anyways,
I've tried searching for reviews on these 3 sets here on the forum but doesn't look like anyone here has tried them or has any real knowledge on them (what we hear and learn from the youtube demos doesn't count). The Sayce "Mother" set didn't sound shrill or too high treble at all. It sounds like that set does the Tele thing (clean into hotter signal to create a blend of sorts which is what tricks the ear into thinking it will be too trebly).

This is where I will come in to tip the scales and share my knowledge. I have been spending lots of times reviewing pickups in 3 different languages as well as many guitars, and even more pedals but bare I'm mind that I'm not here to promote myself so I won't be linking to profiles, videos or anything like that but I AM here to discuss Seymour Duncan pickups sets. Hope this is okay! (I will ignore users who ask for personal information, who I am or youtube channel info) Just wanted to mention this up front.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a fantastic 2025! Now get out there and buy those pickups!!!!

 

[Mincer]

Welcome here! We always love people who bring their knowledge of SD with them here! Have you ever tried the Stormbringer set?

 

[SonicMage117]

Welcome here! We always love people who bring their knowledge of SD with them here! Have you ever tried the Stormbringer set?

Thanks!! Great to be here! Yes, I'm always recording my thoughts on pickups in a journal and the differences on how they react to effects, amps and dynamics! I'm not a pickup winder but have talked with a few of the greats to learn more about pickups as I have found them to be very interesting - especially within the last few years.


I have not tried the Stormbringer set yet but I am looking forward to it and once I do, I'll share thoughts on them! You?

 

[Mincer]

Thanks!! Great to be here! Yes, I'm always recording my thoughts on pickups in a journal and the differences on how they react to effects, amps and dynamics! I'm not a pickup winder but have talked with a few of the greats to learn more about pickups as I have found them to be very interesting - especially within the last few years.


I have not tried the Stormbringer set yet but I am looking forward to it and once I do, I'll share thoughts on them! You?

I haven't yet, but Blackmore's sound on that album is probably my favorite Strat sound ever.

 

[SonicMage117]

I haven't yet, but Blackmore's sound on that album is probably my favorite Strat sound ever.

I'll have to order a set soon!

My favorite strat sets are:

Steve Miller Joker Strat Set - (percussive, twang, 85% compressed yet full dynamics, well balanced eq)

Eric Gales Custom Shop Signature Set - (Smooth, more mids, less treble focused, round bass frequencies, 0% compressed and dynamic)

Joe Bonamassa Cradle Rock 63 Strat Set - (huge bottom end, balanced mids and treble grouped as one, 25% compressed, dynamic)

Hendrix Set (hairy bass frequencies around glassy highs, 40% compressed, high treble, less bass focus, unique mids wave)

Five-Two Set - (I'm still learning to use these and their strengths/characteristics)

I have own quite a few and switched out even more but those are my favorites - at least for now..


I like when a set is unique and can easily be heard apart from the rest of the heard. Seymour Duncan seems to do a good job at that, so I stick with Seymour Duncan as often as I can. There are quite a few companies that just make simplified copies (basic sounds for 50's, 60's, 70's).

There's a few humbucker guitars right now undergoing surgery, getting some Seymour Duncan's installed. I can't wait to get them back. Most recently, was an ESP LTD EC-1000 Eclipse that got the Blonde Dot set installed. It sounds just as Joe said it would, very balanced. I'm happy with it.

 

[Mincer]

Great reviews so far! The Five Twos are my favorite true singles...although I'd love to try them in stack noiseless form- with flat poles.

 

[jeremy]

i love rory so really wanna try a cradle rock set, but my strats all sound good as they are. the one i gigged last night has hendrix pups neck and middle with a 5/2 bridge, and it sounds great. the neck/middle tone is beautiful and the 5/2 is killer in the bridge

 

[SonicMage117]

Great reviews so far! The Five Twos are my favorite true singles...although I'd love to try them in stack noiseless form- with flat poles.

I need to spend more time with the Five Twos, the use of two magnets seems to becoming more of a thing in modern pickup sets today. Fender seems to be releasing a Five Two set as well pretty soon here, not sure if it's noiseless or traditional.

 

[SonicMage117]

i love rory so really wanna try a cradle rock set, but my strats all sound good as they are. the one i gigged last night has hendrix pups neck and middle with a 5/2 bridge, and it sounds great. the neck/middle tone is beautiful and the 5/2 is killer in the bridge

The Cradle set is pretty amazing!

Mix and matching pickups/sets is something I do not have much experience with but I see guitarists such as Andy Timmons get some super nice tones with how they utilize this approach. I bet your set up sounds great!!

 

[jeremy]

i had the full hendrix set and it was nice, but i wanted a little more from the bridge and had the 5/2 sitting around and it turned out to be a great match. reverse slant on the bridge pup (ala hendrix) and the 2nd tone is wired just to the bridge pup so i can roll off high end when needed. great sounding all around

 

[Sam SG]

43 sets of pickups?? My head would be spinning.
Now 12ax7 tubes...then we are talking lol I've sold off allot but I've had atleast one example of every manufacturer and type made besides Mazda Genelex and a random few rarities.
I've since sold the don't likes and have a stash of the ones i use.

 

[SonicMage117]

i had the full hendrix set and it was nice, but i wanted a little more from the bridge and had the 5/2 sitting around and it turned out to be a great match. reverse slant on the bridge pup (ala hendrix) and the 2nd tone is wired just to the bridge pup so i can roll off high end when needed. great sounding all around

Thanks for that! I'll have to try this!! Especially since my Five Two set is not currently in an axe

 

[SonicMage117]

43 sets of pickups?? My head would be spinning.
Now 12ax7 tubes...then we are talking lol I've sold off allot but I've had atleast one example of every manufacturer and type made besides Mazda Genelex and a random few rarities.
I've since sold the don't likes and have a stash of the ones i use.

It's definitely alot, many just sit in drawers or in the closet for a time. I own too many pickups, guitars and pedals but I try to cycle between too long!

 

[beaubrummels]

Welcome to the forum

If Duncan is sending you pickups to test and review, where can we read the published reviews?

 

[SonicMage117]

Welcome to the forum

If Duncan is sending you pickups to test and review, where can we read the published reviews?

Here! I plan on posting video clips here, soon, of various pickups. Mostly seymour duncan pickups but also from other companies as well. Maybe some pedals too.

After a while if I get comfortable enough around members, then I might link my personal stuff. For now, I just don't see the point since some people can take things to unnecessary extremes. Like I said before, I'm not looking to grow my followers/views by a forum which only has an amount of daily users, that growth pretty much takes care of itself. This is with no offense meant to anyone or the forum itself, it's just a security precaution.

 

[beaubrummels]

Ok. Sure sounds pretty unusual for a reviewer on Duncan's payroll to suppress exposure and not have their reviews publicly published. Doesn't seem to be in Duncan's best interest.

 

[SonicMage117]

Ok. Sure sounds pretty unusual for a reviewer on Duncan's payroll to suppress exposure and not have their reviews publicly published. Doesn't seem to be in Duncan's best interest.

I'm not sure what you mean. They don't pay me, I just get to keep the products, and it's in exchange for my thoughts/experience within an allotted time.

I buy guitars, pedals and pickups and created a community based on that. And thus, soon after have been sent pedals and pickups as gifts and for review purposes, not to boost their sales. I was never asked or obligated to share with the public my experiences so I'm just not sure where that is coming from, I already have a following, choosing to respect my privacy from forum members doesn't diminish anything on my part or any one company's. So I don't think there's anything strange about it.

 

[Mincer]

I know SD regularly does this with people around the world. I was one of those people now and then, before I started on the forum. I was also writing blogs for them.
I do appreciate any real-life knowledge about any pickups, but it is extra special when people can share their thoughts about sets that don't have a ton of saturation out there. We are at the point where we all split hairs on Strat pickups when describing them, and this is the audience that really appreciates any experiences with them.

 

[beaubrummels]

I'm not sure what you mean. They don't pay me, I just get to keep the products, and it's in exchange for my thoughts/experience within an allotted time.

I buy guitars, pedals and pickups and created a community based on that. And thus, soon after have been sent pedals and pickups as gifts and for review purposes, not to boost their sales. I was never asked or obligated to share with the public my experiences so I'm just not sure where that is coming from, I already have a following, choosing to respect my privacy from forum members doesn't diminish anything on my part or any one company's. So I don't think there's anything strange about it.

You're saying Duncan gives you pickups for free in exchange for your thoughts, but you don't have to share your thoughts, and you don't think that's strange?

 

[SonicMage117]

You're saying Duncan gives you pickups for free in exchange for your thoughts, but you don't have to share your thoughts, and you don't think that's strange?

No. I think it's strange that I literally told you I'd offer you my thoughts in text and video form here but you ignore that because I told you I wouldn't share my identity. If you don't want my reviews you can just say so, I was actually thinking of linking to my social media spaces but I see now that's probably not the best idea.

Yes, Seymore Duncan, Wampler, and a few other companies have sent me products for my thoughts, again, these were never thoughts that were meant for the public, it's not for sales - so the only thing that's strange or unusual is that you kept putting things that don't exist.

Again, I'll post my thoughts in reviews form here, I am not going to share my identity, it's for security/privacy reasons. I can see that bothers you, so you can ignore the incoming reviews if you'd like. Just wanted to reiterate that I will be sharing my thoughts/reviews without connection to my social media pages, identity reveal, etc.