I recently purchased a set of these pickups off eBay thinking they were the standard "made to order" version they (Seymour Duncan) still sell on their website. They were considerably cheaper than the made to order versions, but to my surprise, they were set #022/250, unused, in the hand numbered and initialed (by Maricela Juarez') box, although they were missing 1 of the cloth bags that each pickup originally came in. Both pickups were the SD "Antiquity" versions with Seymour Duncan's signature and Joe Bonamassa's initials, both hand signed on the bridge pickup plate.
Anyway, I bought them to install on a "relic-ed" Telecaster/Broadcaster build that I was working on for my personal guitar, so I was absolutely blown away at my good fortune. I began reading this forum in the hopes that there were some 1st hand reviews and was somewhat disappointed to learn that there was not a single review. So here is mine...
The pickups sound great as I would expect from almost ANY SD pickups. I have been playing Teles and Tele style guitars for going on 50 years, and have never owned one that has had as well-balanced of a sound as these. Each note is clear and we'll articulated, whether finger picking single notes or strumming chords. The electronics that I used are standard 250k CTS pots and a vintage style Switchcraft 3 way pickup selector with a .022 orange-drop treble bleed circuit. The bridge pickup is very bright and punchy, but not harsh in any way. I like to cut the tone back about 1/2 way, but small adjustments in either direction can make subtle differences, especially when the volume is rolled back. The neck pickup is brighter than any Tele neck pickup that I have ever played, and the tone adjusts equally as well as the bridge pickup. Both are very versatile!
But these pickups really shine in the middle setting with that classic "glassiness" that vintage Fenders are known for. For a guitar with only 2 pickups and a single volume and tone control, this guitar checks all the boxes that any Tele fanatic could ever want. That being said, these pickups aren't going to be for everyone. I have a 2021 Player Tele with stock pickups that are "similar" in tonality but much hotter and can even hold their own with most of my humbucker equipped guitars.
These pickups really breath when played cleanly or with mild breakup, but fall short when trying to achieve a distorted sound. I only tried them distorted to see how they handled, but I have Strats, LPs and PRSs for those ranges. That said, a little breakup on the amp and a slight boost with a Tube Screamer really makes these things smolder. Now this is all just my opinion, so I know not everyone is looking for the same tone as me, but this should give you a ballpark of where these pickups actually stand.
For reference, I play mostly through a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 combo played through a 4X12 Marshall cabinet.
BTW, I have read all posts on this particular forum and for the record, have seen JB twice in concert with his band and once with Black Country Communion, and his tone is truly legendary. As far as the "infamous" Squier Tele video, I can clearly hear a difference between the Broadcaster and the Squier (even through my phone's speaker). The Squier is brighter and lacks some of the warmth of the Broadcaster, but that could also have something to do with the 75 years of age difference between the pickups.
Anyway, I hope some of you will enjoy this review and mostly I hope to inspire some other people with these pickups to write a review. As far as my research has taken me, this is the only review to date. Happy pickin' everyone!