How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

BleedingFingertips

BleedingFingertips

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Keep asking me this question over and over again. JB is aka SH/TB-4, Custom as SH/TB-5 etc. etc. There're however such (awesome) pickups as Black Winters, Nazgul, Pegasus, Alpha&Omega. Why don't they have their SH number? And should they?
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

well if the Black Winters get a number it should be 666


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Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Flake said:
well if the Black Winters get a number it should be 666
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I think some of the earlier reviews described it as having an eq of 6/6/6. But it was more of a joke. As regards numbers, there's a looong way to 666. I think the highest number so far has been 18 or something in this area.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

BleedingFingertips said:
I think some of the earlier reviews described it as having an eq of 6/6/6. But it was more of a joke. As regards numbers, there's a looong way to 666. I think the highest number so far has been 18 or something in this area.
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Seth Lover mate


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Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

The SH/TB is Standard Humbucker and Trembucker with the pickups designated number, like SH-4 or TB-4 in the JB's case. Some HB's don't have a TB version, like the Seth Lover. As for the newer HB's like the Black Winter and others, I have no clue why they don't follow this method.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Jeff_H said:
The SH/TB is Standard Humbucker and Trembucker with the pickups designated number, like SH-4 or TB-4 in the JB's case. Some HB's don't have a TB version, like the Seth Lover. As for the newer HB's like the Black Winter and others, I have no clue why they don't follow this method.
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Perhaps, the new humbuckers are not very "standard", are they? I mean everything with "SH" on it seems to be PAF- or JB-inspired. :dunno: Personally, I prefer real names.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Yeah I don't get why you guys are all about calling pickups by their code. Trying to sound cool or something. I have no idea what damn pickup you're talking about.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

I tried to order a Saturday Night Special Trembucker from Guitar Center. That was fun. :banghead:
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

BleedingFingertips said:
Perhaps, the new humbuckers are not very "standard", are they? I mean everything with "SH" on it seems to be PAF- or JB-inspired. :dunno: Personally, I prefer real names.
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SH means Seymour Humbucker and it's used to described all standard HBs made by Duncan, meaning that they all are made with 49.2mm polepiece spread.

TB meand TremBucker, and that's a Duncan proprietary format, using 52.5mm polepiece spread. The number indicates the order in which it was put on the market. FYI, the oldest HB is the '59, hence the SH-1 number. It's an inventory thing, nothing less, nothing more.

Fun fact, all the p'ups designed for modern metal, didn't get the SH, as they were born as 7-and 8-stringed guitars. Hence no SH. Others were made with the artist's name, so they were called just that, like the Jason Becker. Others have special monicker, like the APH-1.

/Peter
 
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Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Discharged said:
You just don't understand how they were baptised: SH means Seymour Humbucker and it's used to described all standard HBs made by Duncan, meaning that they all are made with 49.2mm polepiece spread.

TB meand TremBucker, and that's a Duncan proprietary format, using 52.5mm polepiece spread. The number indicates the order in which it was put on the market. FYI, the oldest HB is the '59, hence the SH-1 number. It's an inventory thing, nothing less, nothing more.

/Peter
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Oh, I do know that SH is for standard spacing and TB for trem-spaced guitars. The issue is that some newer models are called "bla bla" or "bla bla Trembucker", without SH or TB designation. The order thing is convincing but since not every model has a number it does not make any sense.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

I wondered this, too. Maybe it is to move away from every model having 2 names. There are most likely internal inventory numbers, but publicly, it is easier to connect to 'Black Winter' than a number. I have no knowledge of this, just guessing here.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

The numbered humbuckers feature the same white font on the bobbin... :scratchch
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

I like having both a model number and a name. In a technical discussion, if I say I have an SH-1n, everyone knows exactly what we're talking about. On the other hand, if I say I have a '59, it could be neck, bridge, or trembucker. In a casual conversation, saying I have a '59 is more intimate.

Just my SH-2 cents worth. ;)
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Some models numbers are indeed almost synonymous with a pickup name, think JB or Distortion.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

I think its like any classification system. You start out small and one numbering system will do. Then you add in a whole range of extra models your original had not been designed to cope with and you have to redesign. I'm sure barcoding has made the original redundant completely.....but out of established protocol the TB and SH are retained.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

If it weren't for the SH system no one would remember the Seymourizer or Silverbird. If it weren't for the SH system no one would ask why there isn't an SH-7 or SH-9, and they would be forgotten.

That's not the actual reason, just a happy side effect.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

Interesting. Why isn't there an SH-7 or SH-9?
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

I would like to see the trembuckers use the same size bobbins as SH but with wider pole spacing.
 
Re: How come some Duncan PUPs have SH/TB addendum while others don't?

ArtieToo said:
Interesting. Why isn't there an SH-7 or SH-9?
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The SH-7 Seymourizer became the SH-6n and the SH-9 Silverbird was discontinued. It was basically a humbuckers made from two Tele rail bridge pickups.
 
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