New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
- Thread starter GibSG
- Start date
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
SH1B - pretty good rock tone. Should have been the stock pickups on all 'affordable' solid body Gibsons.
SH1N - a bit thick and spongy. Needs adjustment or modification to sound really good.
SH1B - pretty good rock tone. Should have been the stock pickups on all 'affordable' solid body Gibsons.
SH1N - a bit thick and spongy. Needs adjustment or modification to sound really good.
Ashurbanipal
Well-known member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Looks great! Pre-2003 guitar, I presume.
Looks great! Pre-2003 guitar, I presume.
Chris Pile
Well-known member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Open covers are a great look. Where did you get yours?
Open covers are a great look. Where did you get yours?
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
I dig the open covers- you don't see them a lot, so I will naturally like them! How does it sound? Probably pretty rockin'. SH-1s work well in an SG to me. I like the sound better than in an LP, although others may think differently.
I dig the open covers- you don't see them a lot, so I will naturally like them! How does it sound? Probably pretty rockin'. SH-1s work well in an SG to me. I like the sound better than in an LP, although others may think differently.
Rand-O-Monium
New member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Looks killer!
Looks killer!
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
That would be my understanding as well.
That would be my understanding as well.
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
By the way...
That is an exceptionally good looking SG with the open pup covers and the 5 layer scratch plate. I usually don'e like the larger-sized guard, preferring the smaller one to show off more of the wood, but this one looks amazing.
By the way...
That is an exceptionally good looking SG with the open pup covers and the 5 layer scratch plate. I usually don'e like the larger-sized guard, preferring the smaller one to show off more of the wood, but this one looks amazing.
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Mincer,
My 1980 ES-335 (with a Maple neck) had a set of '59s. The bridge was perfectly fine, but I seemed to find myself twiddling often with the amp's and Guitar's knobs whenever I used the neck P/U. It was rather "boomy". Mr. Duncan claims his SH-1 '59 is as direct a copy of Beck's '59 Les Paul P/U's as can be mass produced. I accept that; I've no doubt that even Halle Berry has bad breath first thing in the morning! I tried a DiMarzio Air Classic in the neck and wound up spending significantly less time twiddling with my knobs as a result; substantial improvement. Not to worry: Duncan's vintage soapbars are fantastic!
Mincer,
My 1980 ES-335 (with a Maple neck) had a set of '59s. The bridge was perfectly fine, but I seemed to find myself twiddling often with the amp's and Guitar's knobs whenever I used the neck P/U. It was rather "boomy". Mr. Duncan claims his SH-1 '59 is as direct a copy of Beck's '59 Les Paul P/U's as can be mass produced. I accept that; I've no doubt that even Halle Berry has bad breath first thing in the morning! I tried a DiMarzio Air Classic in the neck and wound up spending significantly less time twiddling with my knobs as a result; substantial improvement. Not to worry: Duncan's vintage soapbars are fantastic!
Lewguitar
New member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
New 59's are terrific pickups. I put roughcast A5 magnets in mine. Rounds the treble and fills in the midrange a bit.
The bass has never been an issue for me. I do not hear any excess bass in my sets in my guitars. Never have either.
I've experienced excess bass from the neck pickup in the 50's and 60's Gibson humbuckers the 59 is based on...but those sets do not have a dedicated neck and bridge pickup calibrated for those positions like the Duncan 59 set has.
Sometimes I think people use descriptions like muddy bass or scooped mids just because they read someone else say that. Or because they're inexperienced beginners. Or both. Or neither...
I have 59's in four guitars now: two PRS CU22's and two newer SE Singlecuts.
All of my 59n's are 7.5K.
Two of my 59b's from the 1980's are 8.5K and 8.6K but one measures 7.9K.
My 59b from the 1990's is 8.1K. And my new 59b is 8.16K.
My newest set is the best sounding set. It has the most prescence and the "biggest" sound.
Go figure!
I do prefer them with the a roughcast A5 magnet though so I swap the polished A5 for roughcast...even in my old ones.
My old ones came with a magnet that's rougher than polished but more polished than
a "roughcast" A5.
Kind of between polished and rough, but more polished than rough.
New 59's are terrific pickups. I put roughcast A5 magnets in mine. Rounds the treble and fills in the midrange a bit.
The bass has never been an issue for me. I do not hear any excess bass in my sets in my guitars. Never have either.
I've experienced excess bass from the neck pickup in the 50's and 60's Gibson humbuckers the 59 is based on...but those sets do not have a dedicated neck and bridge pickup calibrated for those positions like the Duncan 59 set has.
Sometimes I think people use descriptions like muddy bass or scooped mids just because they read someone else say that. Or because they're inexperienced beginners. Or both. Or neither...
I have 59's in four guitars now: two PRS CU22's and two newer SE Singlecuts.
All of my 59n's are 7.5K.
Two of my 59b's from the 1980's are 8.5K and 8.6K but one measures 7.9K.
My 59b from the 1990's is 8.1K. And my new 59b is 8.16K.
My newest set is the best sounding set. It has the most prescence and the "biggest" sound.
Go figure!
I do prefer them with the a roughcast A5 magnet though so I swap the polished A5 for roughcast...even in my old ones.
My old ones came with a magnet that's rougher than polished but more polished than
a "roughcast" A5.
Kind of between polished and rough, but more polished than rough.
Last edited:
Lewguitar
New member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Is this true? Has anyone else heard or read that "Mr. Duncan" said that? I will say that Beck's playing and sound on Truth is a huge influence on me. (As is Clapton's playing and sound with Cream.). Maybe that's why I like the 59 Model so much.
Something to keep in mind is that pickups were not calibrated for the neck vs. bridge positions back in the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.
Both pickups were usually the same pickup. There was no neck vs. bridge model.
The fact that the 59 Model is a calibrated set makes for a big difference (for the better, IMO) between a real 60 year old PAF set and today's "PAF" sets like the 59 Model.
Is this true? Has anyone else heard or read that "Mr. Duncan" said that? I will say that Beck's playing and sound on Truth is a huge influence on me. (As is Clapton's playing and sound with Cream.). Maybe that's why I like the 59 Model so much.
Something to keep in mind is that pickups were not calibrated for the neck vs. bridge positions back in the 50's, 60's and into the 70's.
Both pickups were usually the same pickup. There was no neck vs. bridge model.
The fact that the 59 Model is a calibrated set makes for a big difference (for the better, IMO) between a real 60 year old PAF set and today's "PAF" sets like the 59 Model.
Last edited:
darthphineas
New member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
yeah, I'm also not sure I'm buying in to the idea that the Duncan 59 Model is a direct copy of anyone's 59 Lester pup... unless that pup had been replaced or rewound to something different than it was originally.
the common thing going on is that the 59 Model is Seymour's take on it, and heating it up to account for considerations of the trends of the time it was released (i.e., lighter strings, etc). I think even the description from the Duncan company site says as much.
yeah, I'm also not sure I'm buying in to the idea that the Duncan 59 Model is a direct copy of anyone's 59 Lester pup... unless that pup had been replaced or rewound to something different than it was originally.
the common thing going on is that the 59 Model is Seymour's take on it, and heating it up to account for considerations of the trends of the time it was released (i.e., lighter strings, etc). I think even the description from the Duncan company site says as much.
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Actually, this is the biggest complaint about 59s, is that in some guitars, they can sound boomy. There are other options, though, if you own one of these. Looks like you found yours!
BTW, I have never heard the Jeff Beck story before. Source?
Actually, this is the biggest complaint about 59s, is that in some guitars, they can sound boomy. There are other options, though, if you own one of these. Looks like you found yours!
BTW, I have never heard the Jeff Beck story before. Source?
LtKojak
New member
Re: New SD SH-1 '59 Humbuckers on my SG Special
Shame on you, Dave... shame on you!
http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/vintage-humbucker-stories
Shame on you, Dave... shame on you!
Similar threads
