Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

[Foreverstrung]

Hey All, I'm new to this forum and have had a good look around, but I was directed here by a bit of confusion. I purchased a Seth Lover pick up on eBay about a year ago, used. Came in what appeared to be the original box with paperwork. Put it in an SG for a bit. Loved it, but I sold the SG, so I pulled it and set it aside for a future build.
Well, a year later I've decided to sell it on eBay, I have it listed and someone pointed out that it did not have the Seth Lover sticker the the Seymour Duncan signature. (I saw this sticker on another Seth Lover P'up listed). My question is, did all the Seth Lover P'ups have the same sticker with signature or were some like mine, (picture enclosed) put into circulation without the signature?
Appreciate the assistance to clarity
PS...I attached the cloth wire to the braided wire and coverd in shrink tubing. Just how I wired this P'up in the SG wiring harness

 

[Foreverstrung]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

So, anybody? Does this look like the real deal? I've got about 10 hours, then I've gotta choose to pull the plug or not

 

[Kam]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Well, this is an odd coincidence...but it seems that we already had a thread about this.

It seems genuine to me and a number of other members didn't see anything wrong with it. If you want to be certain then I would suggest sending a PM to either Evan Skopp or Frank Falbo here on the boards. They should be able to clear it up for you without a doubt.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

There's a few reasons the sticker could be missing. It could have been an original pickup in a guitar (OEM).

Your best bet is to put an ohm meter on it, and find out if it reads around 7.2K since it appears to be a neck pickup.....8.1K if it's a Seth Bridge.

 

[Foreverstrung]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Reads 7.14k

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Well, I'm sorry then. As I said in my thread I must be the Ignorant Yahoo then. I was under the impression that they came with a non stock baseplate with a serial number and signatures.

I could have worded my OP a lot better and I apologize for that. I do however see a bunch of listings on ebay that are either deliberately or ignorantly misrepresented. Not to say that you did either of these, I should have been a lot more understanding and not come off like a know it all in my thread.

So, you have my apologies.

 

[Foreverstrung]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Hey, I really appreciate that Dr.K. I was taken back not so much for what you said, but rather that I may had been duped last year and was advertising something that was a fraud. It's a Bitc* getting a good sellers status and then to keep it. Nothin wrong with keeping a guy honest.
I do agree there is alot hot air trying to be sold, all the more reason to ask the right questions.

 

[Kam]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Yeah, the resistance reading is pretty much what you'd expect for a Seth neck. The only other Duncan pickup that's been around that long and comes in single con cable is the '59 which would generally read a bit higher than that, I think.

I'm certainly no expert, but I reckon it's a Seth.

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Yeah, the resistance reading is pretty much what you'd expect for a Seth neck. The only other Duncan pickup that's been around that long and comes in single con cable is the '59 which would generally read a bit higher than that, I think.

I'm certainly no expert, but I reckon it's a Seth.

I do have a 59n that reads 7.26k ohms at room temp and it's possible that it could vary down to 7.14k ohms, IDK. I would definitely PM Evan or Frank to try to get clarification on this as I think it would be good info for a lot of us. IMO

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Hey, I really appreciate that Dr.K. I was taken back not so much for what you said, but rather that I may had been duped last year and was advertising something that was a fraud. It's a Bitc* getting a good sellers status and then to keep it. Nothin wrong with keeping a guy honest.
I do agree there is alot hot air trying to be sold, all the more reason to ask the right questions.

No worries mate! Thanks for accepting my apology.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Does the baseplate have long legs? I can't tell from the pic, but it should have long legs. Additionally, I have to ask is the white stuff on the shield heat shrink tubing? A normal Seth will have one wire insid a braided shield.

Don't sweat the resistance too much at this point. Most SD neck pups have very similar DC resistance, so that's not the be all end all answer.

Luke

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

My 1990 '59n wound by Maricela measures 7.47K.

HTH,

 

[Foreverstrung]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

LukeDuke, this P'up originally has one black wire inside the braided shield wire. The white wire I've attached to the braided shielding and wrapped in shrink tubing. I preferred wiring the SG I briefly had it in this way, wired with the cloth wire for a ground rather than using the braided shield soldered to a pot, just trying something new. Worked well, as I expected.
The legs have me baffled. They are not only NOT long, they are shorter than any other humbucker I have around here right now. Not that many, but about 13. The legs are almost non existent. Does this settle it? Does a Seth only come with long legs? I've got some "Pat No" pick ups here, 65's to 68's and these legs are a 1/2" long and look it, this P'up here looks like maybe 3/16" maybe a 1/4". Are there ever any exceptions to this rule? Can this still be the real deal or is it a bust?

 

[lemonman]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

Regular Seths have the long PAF legs. Unless that's a pup built to a guitar builder's specs, I'd have a hard time believing it's a Seth Lover.

The exception (and maybe Frank or Evan can chime in) would be if someone like Hamer, for example, wanted the Seth wind, but needed short legs. SD could've built a short legged version using the normal Seth bobbins on a production short legged baseplate. Still seems to me it would be identified more clearly, though.

When did Duncan start the embossed baseplate? Could it be a real early SH1 or SH2, before they added so many other models?

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

My 1990 '59n wound by Maricela measures 7.47K.

HTH,

I've got two both wound by Maricela '83-'88 (no MIA on the baseplate), one reads 7.49k ohms the other reads 7.26k ohms. As a matter of fact I was influenced in part because of the admiration you have for yours LtKojak.

Regular Seths have the long PAF legs. Unless that's a pup built to a guitar builder's specs, I'd have a hard time believing it's a Seth Lover.

The exception (and maybe Frank or Evan can chime in) would be if someone like Hamer, for example, wanted the Seth wind, but needed short legs. SD could've built a short legged version using the normal Seth bobbins on a production short legged baseplate. Still seems to me it would be identified more clearly, though.

When did Duncan start the embossed baseplate? Could it be a real early SH1 or SH2, before they added so many other models?

Whats the color of the capitals? Black or red? Probably black, because the red ones have on winder inital afaik

We have up to now only a very rough timeline! In this it should be made prior to 1983

This are my best guesses:

1. no backlogo, small tag without winder from late 70 up to ?
2. no backlogo, small tag with winder from ? to 1983
3. big backlogo without MiA, small tag with winder from at least 1983 to 1988
4. small backlogo with MiA, small tag with winder from 1988 to 2002
5. small backlogo with MiA, large tag with SN and Model from 2002 to ?
6. small backlogo with MiA, large tag with date from ? to now

When did the silk screen front logo come?

This is the best info I've been able to find on the dates.

 

[Captain Tightpants]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

This is one of 2 of my Seth Lovers, this one is fairly new. It is my understandig that the older ones have Seth and Seymour's signatures in black.

I don't think the pickup in the OP is a Seth Lover

Ignore the solder on the left hand leg, I had to repair it, the leg was breaking off.

 

[dvadneau]

Re: Seth Love, Fact or Fiction

I can't see why anyone has said it looks like a Seth Lover. A Duncan, yes, but not a Seth Lover.

I can't imagine a Seth Lover without the signatures and serial numbers.

I have an older set - not exactly sure from when. They have NP and BP on the stickers, so pre 2002. However, like the current offering, the baseplates are not stamped with the SD logo and have a serial number and signatures.

The reading suggests a few possibilities (assuming a tolerance of +/-10%): 59n, PGn, Seth neck, FullShred neck, Invader neck. Unless the pole pieces were exchanged we can rule out the FullShred and Invader - although, if you look at the labels page, those fit the single N label... The cover in the listing looks like it was put on well. If not a pro, then someone who's done it before, so it's difficult to say if the cover was put on by SD or not.

The exception (and maybe Frank or Evan can chime in) would be if someone like Hamer, for example, wanted the Seth wind, but needed short legs. SD could've built a short legged version using the normal Seth bobbins on a production short legged baseplate. Still seems to me it would be identified more clearly, though.

I had this thought as well, even a custom shop version, but, like you, I thought they would have been better identified.

There might have been a time when only an N was put on one of the pups that isn't an Invader or FullShred. The PGn is close in resistance, and could be confused by some as a Seth. I find the 59n hotter, but without a base comparison it could be confused with that as well.

Definitely a question for the SD crew. Evan or Frank or MJ?