Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
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Thames
Great White Malice
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Seth Lover Neck & Bridge :
What I like the most about the Seths are their clarity. Clear and distinct, that's how your strings will sound like. They definitely have that hollow sound, which I love. THe bridge pickup has some serious balls, I really like the way it sounds with OverDrive. The neck pickup is warm and smooth, good choice to replace a woofy-sounding LP neck pickup.
Antiquities Neck & Bridge :
The greatest choice for those looking for a PAF pickup, with the aged look. Share the same characteristics of the Seths, but the aged magnets make 'em even smoother. I plan to replace the mags in there for either A3/A5 or full strenght A2's.
Seth Lover Neck & Bridge :
What I like the most about the Seths are their clarity. Clear and distinct, that's how your strings will sound like. They definitely have that hollow sound, which I love. THe bridge pickup has some serious balls, I really like the way it sounds with OverDrive. The neck pickup is warm and smooth, good choice to replace a woofy-sounding LP neck pickup.
Antiquities Neck & Bridge :
The greatest choice for those looking for a PAF pickup, with the aged look. Share the same characteristics of the Seths, but the aged magnets make 'em even smoother. I plan to replace the mags in there for either A3/A5 or full strenght A2's.
midnite_man
New member
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Texas Hot Antiquity's - Straight across my American Strat and just installed yesterday.
By far, the best quality set of single coils I have ever used in a Strat. Custom-wound by M.J. and Seymour himself (as 2 out of the 3 that I use are wound and signed by Mr. D.), they produce as about as vintage a Strat sound as you can get, IMHO.
I use the Texas Hot Custom Antiquity in the bridge which kicks out some deep highs. The neck Texas Hot single-coil has a perfect amount of bass and treble in it to help produce some very soulful blues tones. The middle RWRP Texas Hot is great for rhythm, and takes the hum right out of the mix.
All three pickups sound oh so quiet, and as smooth as a baby's bare bottom. I'm extremely proud to have a set in my axe!
I installed a blender-pot in place of the bottom tone-pot on my Strat to mix the bridge and neck pickups together, which makes the sound that much more versatile. You can easily find a happy medium in there.
Thank-you Seymour and M.J. for producing such an outstanding product now available to the public!!!
Cheers!
:notworthy
Texas Hot Antiquity's - Straight across my American Strat and just installed yesterday.
By far, the best quality set of single coils I have ever used in a Strat. Custom-wound by M.J. and Seymour himself (as 2 out of the 3 that I use are wound and signed by Mr. D.), they produce as about as vintage a Strat sound as you can get, IMHO.
I use the Texas Hot Custom Antiquity in the bridge which kicks out some deep highs. The neck Texas Hot single-coil has a perfect amount of bass and treble in it to help produce some very soulful blues tones. The middle RWRP Texas Hot is great for rhythm, and takes the hum right out of the mix.
All three pickups sound oh so quiet, and as smooth as a baby's bare bottom. I'm extremely proud to have a set in my axe!
I installed a blender-pot in place of the bottom tone-pot on my Strat to mix the bridge and neck pickups together, which makes the sound that much more versatile. You can easily find a happy medium in there.
Thank-you Seymour and M.J. for producing such an outstanding product now available to the public!!!
Cheers!
:notworthy
Stevo
Tonus Maximus Pacificas
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Seth Lover Bridge
This pickup has enough midrange to cut the mix, without sacrificing it's high end. It is very well balanced, without too much emphasis on any certain frequency, therefore I find it versatile and somewhat transparent to the natural sound of the guitar. I wouldn't consider it quite as transparent (or bright) as the 59b, but it is very "open", where it is articulate when distorted.
I highly recommend the Seth Lover bridge for a Les Paul, when using vintage Marshall amps.
Seth Lover Bridge
This pickup has enough midrange to cut the mix, without sacrificing it's high end. It is very well balanced, without too much emphasis on any certain frequency, therefore I find it versatile and somewhat transparent to the natural sound of the guitar. I wouldn't consider it quite as transparent (or bright) as the 59b, but it is very "open", where it is articulate when distorted.
I highly recommend the Seth Lover bridge for a Les Paul, when using vintage Marshall amps.
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Seth Lover neck with an A3 magnet: Wow! This thing is sweet, yet not muffled at all! Very full sounding, yet always articulate. This is my second favorite neck pup behind the Pearly Gates neck.
Antiquity 8.7k with a full strength A5 magnet: Man, can you say "mids?" This thing has 'em in spades, so you might want to scoop the mids on your amp a bit (unless you've got a Marshall! :13: ). This pup really captures that PAF honk well. The mids, along with the lack of wax potting allow this pup to express itself without any hindrances. You can hear every little nuance of your playing with these low output, unpotted babies!
Seth Lover neck with an A3 magnet: Wow! This thing is sweet, yet not muffled at all! Very full sounding, yet always articulate. This is my second favorite neck pup behind the Pearly Gates neck.
Antiquity 8.7k with a full strength A5 magnet: Man, can you say "mids?" This thing has 'em in spades, so you might want to scoop the mids on your amp a bit (unless you've got a Marshall! :13: ). This pup really captures that PAF honk well. The mids, along with the lack of wax potting allow this pup to express itself without any hindrances. You can hear every little nuance of your playing with these low output, unpotted babies!
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That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
I have a set of Antiquities myself
Neck (7.47k) [vintage, weakened Alnico 2 magnet]. This is my favorite blues pup. It handles overdrive extremely well. It's fat, smooth, articulate, and warm.
Bridge (8.4k) - [switched to full strength Alnico 5 magnet]. I love this pup with my distortion channels. It's smooth, bright and warm with a little bite to it. It has a nice trebly tone to it when played clean (not harsh) and with distortion, it really sings. Every note in the chords jumps out and it allows me to play dynamically.
What I love about the Antiquities is that they sound like real PAF pups. They're low output, but they can really handle different situations very well. I have played jazz, blues, all kinds of rock, and funk with these with no problem. It's amazing how it doesn't have any feedback problems from not being wax potted, but that's all part of the mojo
I have a set of Antiquities myself
Neck (7.47k) [vintage, weakened Alnico 2 magnet]. This is my favorite blues pup. It handles overdrive extremely well. It's fat, smooth, articulate, and warm.
Bridge (8.4k) - [switched to full strength Alnico 5 magnet]. I love this pup with my distortion channels. It's smooth, bright and warm with a little bite to it. It has a nice trebly tone to it when played clean (not harsh) and with distortion, it really sings. Every note in the chords jumps out and it allows me to play dynamically.
What I love about the Antiquities is that they sound like real PAF pups. They're low output, but they can really handle different situations very well. I have played jazz, blues, all kinds of rock, and funk with these with no problem. It's amazing how it doesn't have any feedback problems from not being wax potted, but that's all part of the mojo
Maximusgordon 2.0
New member
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Ive had a set of Antiquities in my Les Paul for about 4-5 months now, and they are truly great PAF replicas. The bridge pickup is wound at 8.76k and the neck at 7.75k. They have a natural, open sound but the mids in have a kick to em which is great for rock and blues leads. They have a lot of cool overtones and manage to sound warm but with a bit of edge in the highs to. Less linear and "straight up" than the '59. I have experimented with Alnico 5 magnets in them and it gave the pups a more edgy, bright sound, i eventually put the A2's back in. Anyways, the strength of these pickups is in that they have plently of mids and lows but are extremely open also, they are really dynamic and i have used them to even play metal with great results. They'll do any style of music and have a real old school touch to them. I will be selling them unfortunently because i only have two electric guitars currently and need to cover more sonic ground, my two guitars sound VERY different, but both have a very "Antiquitish" sound and i want to have one of them to sound more modern......So if your lookin for a set of Ants., Im your man!!!
Ive had a set of Antiquities in my Les Paul for about 4-5 months now, and they are truly great PAF replicas. The bridge pickup is wound at 8.76k and the neck at 7.75k. They have a natural, open sound but the mids in have a kick to em which is great for rock and blues leads. They have a lot of cool overtones and manage to sound warm but with a bit of edge in the highs to. Less linear and "straight up" than the '59. I have experimented with Alnico 5 magnets in them and it gave the pups a more edgy, bright sound, i eventually put the A2's back in. Anyways, the strength of these pickups is in that they have plently of mids and lows but are extremely open also, they are really dynamic and i have used them to even play metal with great results. They'll do any style of music and have a real old school touch to them. I will be selling them unfortunently because i only have two electric guitars currently and need to cover more sonic ground, my two guitars sound VERY different, but both have a very "Antiquitish" sound and i want to have one of them to sound more modern......So if your lookin for a set of Ants., Im your man!!!
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L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
The Seth Lover and Antiquity are my two favorite Duncan neck humbuckers.
They are alnico 2 and very similar to each other. The Antiquity has a little more of a sense of space and breath...but both are very similar.
Alnico 2 gives a humbucker a little less bass & treble and a little more mids. This is nice for a warm, clear neck pickup tone without the extra bass that can cause a neck humbucker to sound "woofy" or "muddy".
The description on the box says the Seth Lover is for the player looking for less "soup" (= mud) and more "twang".
That's about right: it's not as bright as the alnico 5 59N or Jazz N but with less bass, the Seth still gets a clearer tone than either.
I find it to be a perfect match for the Custom Custom bridge pickup.
Highly recommended...and the Antiquity equally highly recommended for a little more hollow, slightly more complex tone.
Lew
The Seth Lover and Antiquity are my two favorite Duncan neck humbuckers.
They are alnico 2 and very similar to each other. The Antiquity has a little more of a sense of space and breath...but both are very similar.
Alnico 2 gives a humbucker a little less bass & treble and a little more mids. This is nice for a warm, clear neck pickup tone without the extra bass that can cause a neck humbucker to sound "woofy" or "muddy".
The description on the box says the Seth Lover is for the player looking for less "soup" (= mud) and more "twang".
That's about right: it's not as bright as the alnico 5 59N or Jazz N but with less bass, the Seth still gets a clearer tone than either.
I find it to be a perfect match for the Custom Custom bridge pickup.
Highly recommended...and the Antiquity equally highly recommended for a little more hollow, slightly more complex tone.
Lew
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Hi Mac! I don't have experiance with the PG and the Seth in the exact same guitar...I was hoping to try to limit my comments to pickups I've tried in the same guitar, for the sake of accuracy. I think most people would say that the PG is brighter. The PG does use unbalanced coils which tend to open up the mids and extend the highs. I'm not sure about the Seth as I've never installed a 4 conductor version, only single conductor, so I've not been able to measure each coil of the Seth. The Antiquity does use unbalanced coils, and that's why it tends to be a little more open and spacious in the mids. Lew
Hi Mac! I don't have experiance with the PG and the Seth in the exact same guitar...I was hoping to try to limit my comments to pickups I've tried in the same guitar, for the sake of accuracy. I think most people would say that the PG is brighter. The PG does use unbalanced coils which tend to open up the mids and extend the highs. I'm not sure about the Seth as I've never installed a 4 conductor version, only single conductor, so I've not been able to measure each coil of the Seth. The Antiquity does use unbalanced coils, and that's why it tends to be a little more open and spacious in the mids. Lew
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Let's say you want the ultimate P.A.F. pickup for your guitar. Ebay has fakes and the real ones cost thousands of dollars more than the guitar you trying to put them into. So what to do? Well, you could invent a time machine and warp to the late 1950's and grab a set and warp back. Or, you could count on Seymour Duncan to do it for you and just buy a pair of Seth Lover pups.
So here's the scoop. Years ago, Seymour Duncan and Vice President Evan Skopp, went and searched out Seth Lover, the original inventor of the Gibson PAF humbucker. Seth was living in near poverty. So the three of them set out to create an exact replica, using all the same materials, including the original Leesona winder used back at Gibson Kalamazoo in the 50's. So this pickup is as close as you can get to a real live PAF from the 50's, but without the 40-something years of aging due to cigarette smoke, beer spills, sweaty handed guitar players, and a naturally-aged Alncio 2 magnet. By the way, Seymour does make that cigarette/beer/sweat aged PAF, they call it the Antiquity model. Will have a review on that pickup soon.
So let's get down to the real tests I put this Seth Lover set through. I installed them into two different guitars, one a DeArmond M-72 (Korean-made flat top Les Paul clone). The M-72 had a rosewood neck, thin veneer maple flat top, on a nice heavy mahogany solid body. One of the best Korean guitars I've ever played. The other guitar was a 99 Les Paul Standard, mahogany bodied, rosewood fretboard, maple carved top. Both were 24 3/4 scale necks.
Both guitars were played into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue with Brimar NOS 6V6 power tubes, NOS Mullard preamp tubes and a Weber Chicago 12" speaker. The other test amp was a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket with EL84 tubes and the stock 10" speaker.
What I found was simply ear and eye-opening. The clean neck tones are my 2nd favorite neck pups for a Les Paul guitar. I can play any sort of Rock and Blues with nary a hitch. In the Fender DRRI, the low end response is simply incredible (12" speaker). The upper mids and high end are smooth as a calm sea in the early morning around sunrise. We always here adjectives like "buttery smooth", but I don't think this really does the Seth's justice. The Alnico 2 magnets are my favorites because they are lower output and seem to let your guitar breathe. The clean tones on the bridge pup are just as nice. I'm not a huge bridge pup fan, but the highs are mellow enough that I don't feel like there's a sharp stick being shoved through my forehead! Bass response on the bridge can be dialed in nicely with a bit of tweaking. Same results through the Mesa/Boogie.
Now when pushed the Seth Lovers are awesome. Great crunch. Whether running it through the Fender with total tube saturation, or through the massive amounts of gain the Mesa offers, the pickups perform incredibly! The lack of wax potting adds to the mojo in many peoples opinion. Others have complained in really high gain situations, but if you've ever listened to some old Ted Nugent, you'll see how he incorporates a bit of feedback into his tone. He is a master tone ninja and his ByrdLand's are running PAF, non-wax potted pups. It's all part of the tone. You can have them wax potted back at the factory if needed, but they use a special low temp wax. The butyrate plastic bobbins will melt in a normal wax bath.
On the Mesa/Boogie, I have some incredible gain stages. Not once did the Seth Lovers crap out on me. But, I don't spend a lot of time in ultra high gain situations with my playing style. So this pup is the ultimate PAF for me. And I didn't have to warp back to the 50's to get one.
I now have put a set of Seths into Heritage 335. I think I might have found the perfect pup that guitar. Just the best use for the Seths that I have found.
Let's say you want the ultimate P.A.F. pickup for your guitar. Ebay has fakes and the real ones cost thousands of dollars more than the guitar you trying to put them into. So what to do? Well, you could invent a time machine and warp to the late 1950's and grab a set and warp back. Or, you could count on Seymour Duncan to do it for you and just buy a pair of Seth Lover pups.
So here's the scoop. Years ago, Seymour Duncan and Vice President Evan Skopp, went and searched out Seth Lover, the original inventor of the Gibson PAF humbucker. Seth was living in near poverty. So the three of them set out to create an exact replica, using all the same materials, including the original Leesona winder used back at Gibson Kalamazoo in the 50's. So this pickup is as close as you can get to a real live PAF from the 50's, but without the 40-something years of aging due to cigarette smoke, beer spills, sweaty handed guitar players, and a naturally-aged Alncio 2 magnet. By the way, Seymour does make that cigarette/beer/sweat aged PAF, they call it the Antiquity model. Will have a review on that pickup soon.
So let's get down to the real tests I put this Seth Lover set through. I installed them into two different guitars, one a DeArmond M-72 (Korean-made flat top Les Paul clone). The M-72 had a rosewood neck, thin veneer maple flat top, on a nice heavy mahogany solid body. One of the best Korean guitars I've ever played. The other guitar was a 99 Les Paul Standard, mahogany bodied, rosewood fretboard, maple carved top. Both were 24 3/4 scale necks.
Both guitars were played into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue with Brimar NOS 6V6 power tubes, NOS Mullard preamp tubes and a Weber Chicago 12" speaker. The other test amp was a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket with EL84 tubes and the stock 10" speaker.
What I found was simply ear and eye-opening. The clean neck tones are my 2nd favorite neck pups for a Les Paul guitar. I can play any sort of Rock and Blues with nary a hitch. In the Fender DRRI, the low end response is simply incredible (12" speaker). The upper mids and high end are smooth as a calm sea in the early morning around sunrise. We always here adjectives like "buttery smooth", but I don't think this really does the Seth's justice. The Alnico 2 magnets are my favorites because they are lower output and seem to let your guitar breathe. The clean tones on the bridge pup are just as nice. I'm not a huge bridge pup fan, but the highs are mellow enough that I don't feel like there's a sharp stick being shoved through my forehead! Bass response on the bridge can be dialed in nicely with a bit of tweaking. Same results through the Mesa/Boogie.
Now when pushed the Seth Lovers are awesome. Great crunch. Whether running it through the Fender with total tube saturation, or through the massive amounts of gain the Mesa offers, the pickups perform incredibly! The lack of wax potting adds to the mojo in many peoples opinion. Others have complained in really high gain situations, but if you've ever listened to some old Ted Nugent, you'll see how he incorporates a bit of feedback into his tone. He is a master tone ninja and his ByrdLand's are running PAF, non-wax potted pups. It's all part of the tone. You can have them wax potted back at the factory if needed, but they use a special low temp wax. The butyrate plastic bobbins will melt in a normal wax bath.
On the Mesa/Boogie, I have some incredible gain stages. Not once did the Seth Lovers crap out on me. But, I don't spend a lot of time in ultra high gain situations with my playing style. So this pup is the ultimate PAF for me. And I didn't have to warp back to the 50's to get one.
I now have put a set of Seths into Heritage 335. I think I might have found the perfect pup that guitar. Just the best use for the Seths that I have found.
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
So Scott, which do you actually prefer for the neck pickup: Seth Lover or AIIPro?
Or do you like them both equally?
That's kind of how I feel about the Antiquity HB and Seth Lover...they're both my faves and I prefer whichever one I happen to be playing at the moment, cuz they're both great.
I feel the same way about the Duncan Jerry Donahue and Antiquity in my Tele! It's impossible to really choose one over the other...they're both so darn cool!
Lew
So Scott, which do you actually prefer for the neck pickup: Seth Lover or AIIPro?
Or do you like them both equally?
That's kind of how I feel about the Antiquity HB and Seth Lover...they're both my faves and I prefer whichever one I happen to be playing at the moment, cuz they're both great.
I feel the same way about the Duncan Jerry Donahue and Antiquity in my Tele! It's impossible to really choose one over the other...they're both so darn cool!
Lew
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Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Lew, I pulled that review off my website from some months back.
Favorite Les Paul neck pup is the A2P. Seth is a close second. Antiquities are great, but they are really close to Seths. More of a cosmetic issue to me with the Seth and the Anti.
Favorite 335 pups, Seths.
Lew, I pulled that review off my website from some months back.
Favorite Les Paul neck pup is the A2P. Seth is a close second. Antiquities are great, but they are really close to Seths. More of a cosmetic issue to me with the Seth and the Anti.
Favorite 335 pups, Seths.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
I just bought a nickel Seth Lover neck for my Les Paul Std, to go with the Custom 5 bridge. It's replacing the 59N.
My question...since I use every tone from crystal clean to super high gain, and ALWAYS use potted pickups, would you suggest that I lightly pot this Seth neck before installing it, or leave it alone first, to test it for microphonics, THEN pot it, if necessary? I'd hate to have to rip it apart again, but want to hear some opinions on this, before I install it.
I just bought a nickel Seth Lover neck for my Les Paul Std, to go with the Custom 5 bridge. It's replacing the 59N.
My question...since I use every tone from crystal clean to super high gain, and ALWAYS use potted pickups, would you suggest that I lightly pot this Seth neck before installing it, or leave it alone first, to test it for microphonics, THEN pot it, if necessary? I'd hate to have to rip it apart again, but want to hear some opinions on this, before I install it.
dr.barlo
New member
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
I have 5 of them, 2 sets and a neck. I have the 2 sets with a5's in the bridge and a3's in the neck. The bridges read slightly above 8.70K, and the necks are like 7.70K.
Love them, and did not hear any other HB (including many boutiques, like timbuckers, rolphs, voodoo's etc etc Some are different, so the preference will be depending on your taste, and others are clearly dominated by ants.) that I liked more.
B
I have 5 of them, 2 sets and a neck. I have the 2 sets with a5's in the bridge and a3's in the neck. The bridges read slightly above 8.70K, and the necks are like 7.70K.
Love them, and did not hear any other HB (including many boutiques, like timbuckers, rolphs, voodoo's etc etc Some are different, so the preference will be depending on your taste, and others are clearly dominated by ants.) that I liked more.
B
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Reviews of Antiquities and Seth Lover Humbuckers
Finally...the good Dr. posts his findings! I'm in 100% agreement too. I really like my Tom Holmes, Lindy Fralins and Harmonic Design humbuckers...but not better than my Seths and Antiquitys. Lew
dr.barlo said:
Finally...the good Dr. posts his findings! I'm in 100% agreement too. I really like my Tom Holmes, Lindy Fralins and Harmonic Design humbuckers...but not better than my Seths and Antiquitys. Lew
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