voggin
New member
Finally got my guitar back from having these installed (I know, I should do it myself, but I wanted those little molex thingies put on so that I could switch pickups easily back to stock if I wanted).
Anyway, I put them in my Les Paul, which is a 2010 Standard, so it's the 2008 specs (hence the PC board and molex connectors.) The original pickups were Burstbucker Pros, which were ok. I only had a couple of issues with them, and I had managed to find work-arounds, so there wasn't exactly a sense of hatred or urgency spurring me on. However, they weren't really working for me. The neck was the better pickup, I thought. Although it was potted and had a bit of a modern voice, if that means what I think it does, it fell into the "perfectly functional humbucker I can live with" category. No real love going on. I probably could have lived with it.
The bridge, however, was a different matter. On higher gain, it was actually pretty awesome. I think this is its happy place: I think Gibson may have been going after the PRS-ish market with the 2008 Standard (leaving the Traditionals for the, well, traditional) so the BB Pro bridge was well voiced for a Mesa/high drive kind of thing. The problem for me was that that kind of gain constitutes maybe 3-5% of my playing. I'm more into a clean-on-the-verge-of-breakup kind of thing or a modest overdrive. And I found this pickup to be pretty brittle in those contexts. Rolling back the tone helped with the spikiness a bit, but then I found you lost too much of the flavour of the pickup.
Interestingly, clean on both pickups, with the volume and tone down a bit on the bridge, was a pretty nice sound, so I guess they were a well matched pair. I just wanted something different.
So I got a pair of Seths. And before I say anything about them by way of a review, I would like to point out one thing: SEYMOUR CHARGES INCREDIBLY FAIR PRICES FOR HIS STUFF. This is the second set of 'buckers I've bought off the shelf from SD, and they were both under $200 and equal to anything boutique, let alone Gibson pickups which are $50-70 more apiece where I live (Western Canada). Thanks, Seymour, for being such a fair businessman as well as talented in your field.
Anyway, on to the Seth Lovers. Bear in mind, I am in full honeymoon period, but I am loving these things. A few people warned me that the Seths might not match well with my chambered Lester, but I actually believe the opposite to be true. These suckers should have been stock on this guitar.
Starting at the neck, through both of my tube amps (an older tweed Pro Junior and a Hot Rod Deville 4x10) the sound is almost vintage les paul. Rich and smooth, with a crispness/clarity I really can't describe. There's absolutely no mud at all. Whether that's the pickup alone or the combination of the pickup and the chambering, I don't know, but it sounds like those youtube videos where that German guy plays a vintage Gibson. What's really cool is that there's this almost increase in volume or burst of tone like, a millisecond after you pick the note. It is so rich and complex (I know, I sound like a wine tasting guide) but it is just brilliant. And the pickup is so sensitive/dynamic: I find I get an incredible range of tones from the subtlest of changes in pick angle or attack.
Now onto the bridge. Loads of brightness and treble, but none of the harshness or icepick of the stock pickup. With the tone rolled back to about 7 and a touch of hair, it sounds like a 40 foot long tele. Just an amazing tone. Which reminds me: I've always been happy with the Bournes tone pots on this guitar and their taper, but with these Seths, the slightest change is both noticeable and usable. When I said "7" above, I mean it. 6,7,and 8 are very distinct sounds.
I've blown on too long, but I think these pickups are great. My previous SD experience was a JB/Jazz combo in a PRS SE, and they were a fantastic set too, although obviously very different. And again, to the right guy playing the right music, the Burstbucker Pros were quality gear and very good at what they (I assume) aimed to do. But I bought this guitar used a couple of years ago because I never felt a neck I liked so much, nor had I ever heard an electric sound so good unplugged. So I was okay with the stock pickups for a while, knowing the guitar itself was a keeper. But man, I would easily have paid double for the Seths if I knew ahead of time how amazing they were. I can't imaging how great some of the boutique stuff out there must be if it is that much better (judging by its price) than the Seths. (Well, that was really passive/aggressive of me. I don't think they are or could be better, so the Seths are a steal!)
By the way, I got these five days ago, and I'm a forum junky, so you can see how much I've been playing them since this is the first chance I've had to post!
Anyway, I put them in my Les Paul, which is a 2010 Standard, so it's the 2008 specs (hence the PC board and molex connectors.) The original pickups were Burstbucker Pros, which were ok. I only had a couple of issues with them, and I had managed to find work-arounds, so there wasn't exactly a sense of hatred or urgency spurring me on. However, they weren't really working for me. The neck was the better pickup, I thought. Although it was potted and had a bit of a modern voice, if that means what I think it does, it fell into the "perfectly functional humbucker I can live with" category. No real love going on. I probably could have lived with it.
The bridge, however, was a different matter. On higher gain, it was actually pretty awesome. I think this is its happy place: I think Gibson may have been going after the PRS-ish market with the 2008 Standard (leaving the Traditionals for the, well, traditional) so the BB Pro bridge was well voiced for a Mesa/high drive kind of thing. The problem for me was that that kind of gain constitutes maybe 3-5% of my playing. I'm more into a clean-on-the-verge-of-breakup kind of thing or a modest overdrive. And I found this pickup to be pretty brittle in those contexts. Rolling back the tone helped with the spikiness a bit, but then I found you lost too much of the flavour of the pickup.
Interestingly, clean on both pickups, with the volume and tone down a bit on the bridge, was a pretty nice sound, so I guess they were a well matched pair. I just wanted something different.
So I got a pair of Seths. And before I say anything about them by way of a review, I would like to point out one thing: SEYMOUR CHARGES INCREDIBLY FAIR PRICES FOR HIS STUFF. This is the second set of 'buckers I've bought off the shelf from SD, and they were both under $200 and equal to anything boutique, let alone Gibson pickups which are $50-70 more apiece where I live (Western Canada). Thanks, Seymour, for being such a fair businessman as well as talented in your field.
Anyway, on to the Seth Lovers. Bear in mind, I am in full honeymoon period, but I am loving these things. A few people warned me that the Seths might not match well with my chambered Lester, but I actually believe the opposite to be true. These suckers should have been stock on this guitar.
Starting at the neck, through both of my tube amps (an older tweed Pro Junior and a Hot Rod Deville 4x10) the sound is almost vintage les paul. Rich and smooth, with a crispness/clarity I really can't describe. There's absolutely no mud at all. Whether that's the pickup alone or the combination of the pickup and the chambering, I don't know, but it sounds like those youtube videos where that German guy plays a vintage Gibson. What's really cool is that there's this almost increase in volume or burst of tone like, a millisecond after you pick the note. It is so rich and complex (I know, I sound like a wine tasting guide) but it is just brilliant. And the pickup is so sensitive/dynamic: I find I get an incredible range of tones from the subtlest of changes in pick angle or attack.
Now onto the bridge. Loads of brightness and treble, but none of the harshness or icepick of the stock pickup. With the tone rolled back to about 7 and a touch of hair, it sounds like a 40 foot long tele. Just an amazing tone. Which reminds me: I've always been happy with the Bournes tone pots on this guitar and their taper, but with these Seths, the slightest change is both noticeable and usable. When I said "7" above, I mean it. 6,7,and 8 are very distinct sounds.
I've blown on too long, but I think these pickups are great. My previous SD experience was a JB/Jazz combo in a PRS SE, and they were a fantastic set too, although obviously very different. And again, to the right guy playing the right music, the Burstbucker Pros were quality gear and very good at what they (I assume) aimed to do. But I bought this guitar used a couple of years ago because I never felt a neck I liked so much, nor had I ever heard an electric sound so good unplugged. So I was okay with the stock pickups for a while, knowing the guitar itself was a keeper. But man, I would easily have paid double for the Seths if I knew ahead of time how amazing they were. I can't imaging how great some of the boutique stuff out there must be if it is that much better (judging by its price) than the Seths. (Well, that was really passive/aggressive of me. I don't think they are or could be better, so the Seths are a steal!)
By the way, I got these five days ago, and I'm a forum junky, so you can see how much I've been playing them since this is the first chance I've had to post!
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