Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
- Thread starter britishgeetah
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LesStrat
Reining PunLowered
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
I watched The Last Waltz a year or so ago. The instrumental blues clip with Clapton was incredible. At the end of the first verse, EC's guitar strap came loose at the neck. I had to rewind a couple of times to figure out what happened.
Robbie didn't miss a note. While Eric was catching the neck of his guitar, Robbie had already covered the lead. Incredible musicianship.
That said, his tone was quite lacking, IMHO. As I recall, it was rather thin.
EC, OTOH, RAWKED.
I watched The Last Waltz a year or so ago. The instrumental blues clip with Clapton was incredible. At the end of the first verse, EC's guitar strap came loose at the neck. I had to rewind a couple of times to figure out what happened.
Robbie didn't miss a note. While Eric was catching the neck of his guitar, Robbie had already covered the lead. Incredible musicianship.
That said, his tone was quite lacking, IMHO. As I recall, it was rather thin.
EC, OTOH, RAWKED.
sosomething
Seymour Duncan Customer Support
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
The story sounds like BS.
Soaking strings in hair oil and cutting swastikas in speakers are the kind of fake answers one would expect from someone having a little fun with the explanation, but "I have more winds in the pickups" is a pretty techy turn for someone who's been giving goofy reasons for their sound. You don't go from hair oil and swastikas to specific differences in spec minutiae when you're loaded, or otherwise. I could be wrong - it could be true - but the needle on my BS meter buried itself when I read that story.
The story sounds like BS.
Soaking strings in hair oil and cutting swastikas in speakers are the kind of fake answers one would expect from someone having a little fun with the explanation, but "I have more winds in the pickups" is a pretty techy turn for someone who's been giving goofy reasons for their sound. You don't go from hair oil and swastikas to specific differences in spec minutiae when you're loaded, or otherwise. I could be wrong - it could be true - but the needle on my BS meter buried itself when I read that story.
Evan Skopp
SDUGF Founder
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
Here's how Seymour told me the story.
As a teenager, he was playing up and down the New Jersey shore. One of the bands he used to open for was Levon and the Hawks. Seymour admired Robbie and his Tele tone.
On one show at a club called Tony Mark's, Seymour loaned his Tele to this girl singer who was strumming it like an acoustic. Seymour always plays with light strings. The high-E caught on the pickup and broke one of the coils, causing him to play his set on the neck pickup -- which pissed him off.
He got some magnet wire from his uncle and set about trying to re-wind the pickup. Some of you may have heard the story about the converted record player that was his first winding machine.
Long story semi-short: when Seymour first put the pickup in his guitar, it sounded weak and thin compared to Robbie's.
Are you with me so far?
So Seymour took Robbie's guitar in his hands and looked at it. On Robbie's guitar, the bridge pickup looked fatter than the one he just wound. And he and Seymour were talking about why they sounded different. And Robbie said, "Mine has more windings."
So Seymour re-wound his bridge pickup -- this time with more windings. And lo and behold, he eventually nailed that hot Tele sound.
So, if Seymour's memory is more accurate than Robbie's, there's a small kernel of truth to the story, as Robbie has told it. But I'll go with Seymour's version. It makes a heck of a lot more sense.
Here's how Seymour told me the story.
As a teenager, he was playing up and down the New Jersey shore. One of the bands he used to open for was Levon and the Hawks. Seymour admired Robbie and his Tele tone.
On one show at a club called Tony Mark's, Seymour loaned his Tele to this girl singer who was strumming it like an acoustic. Seymour always plays with light strings. The high-E caught on the pickup and broke one of the coils, causing him to play his set on the neck pickup -- which pissed him off.
He got some magnet wire from his uncle and set about trying to re-wind the pickup. Some of you may have heard the story about the converted record player that was his first winding machine.
Long story semi-short: when Seymour first put the pickup in his guitar, it sounded weak and thin compared to Robbie's.
Are you with me so far?
So Seymour took Robbie's guitar in his hands and looked at it. On Robbie's guitar, the bridge pickup looked fatter than the one he just wound. And he and Seymour were talking about why they sounded different. And Robbie said, "Mine has more windings."
So Seymour re-wound his bridge pickup -- this time with more windings. And lo and behold, he eventually nailed that hot Tele sound.
So, if Seymour's memory is more accurate than Robbie's, there's a small kernel of truth to the story, as Robbie has told it. But I'll go with Seymour's version. It makes a heck of a lot more sense.
JacksonMIA
Lemur-buckerologist
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
That's good enough for me. Thanks, Evan.
That's good enough for me. Thanks, Evan.
Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
BTW, this was addressed 2 years ago as well... gotta love the search function of most message boards
:laugh2:
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=12709
BTW, this was addressed 2 years ago as well... gotta love the search function of most message boards
:laugh2:https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=12709
cronnin
New member
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
Sounds like they are both right. Robby ment that his pup has more windings than a normal tele, but it didn't (the lie). However, it did have more windings than the one Seymour wound. Right?
This story is pretty funny if you think of it.:laugh2: :smack:
Sounds like they are both right. Robby ment that his pup has more windings than a normal tele, but it didn't (the lie). However, it did have more windings than the one Seymour wound. Right?
This story is pretty funny if you think of it.:laugh2: :smack:
P
Peter Antal
Guest
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
Cool stories, thanks for sharing them!
Cool stories, thanks for sharing them!
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Even if that was how SD began, which I don't believe, but even if, SD has learned and innovated far too much since then for someone to be able to try and discredit him. But I don't believe it, so I think the other guy is full of @#$. It could be jealousy on the other guy's part anyways: SD is successful, but Robbie Robertson, who the hell is he?
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Even if that was how SD began, which I don't believe, but even if, SD has learned and innovated far too much since then for someone to be able to try and discredit him. But I don't believe it, so I think the other guy is full of @#$. It could be jealousy on the other guy's part anyways: SD is successful, but Robbie Robertson, who the hell is he?
strangegrey
New member
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
Well, the M.O. is identical...but I don't think Eddie Van Halen gets along with anyone these days....
Well, the M.O. is identical...but I don't think Eddie Van Halen gets along with anyone these days....
BachToRock
New member
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
I worked in the industry for over a decade and never encountered a single person that was inspired to play the guitar or achieve great tone by Robbie Robertson...
On the other hand we have Seymour... a humble and modest TONE GOD...
I worked in the industry for over a decade and never encountered a single person that was inspired to play the guitar or achieve great tone by Robbie Robertson...
On the other hand we have Seymour... a humble and modest TONE GOD...
fab.regnaut
New member
Re: Seymour Duncan based on a big lie?!
I am with you on this one Jeremy ! :banana:
But I don't have a bloody Porsh , but an old rusty Renault ...
:banana: :banana: :chairfall
I am with you on this one Jeremy ! :banana:
But I don't have a bloody Porsh , but an old rusty Renault ...
:banana: :banana: :chairfall
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