Re: Seymour Duncan most versatile Hb
WHAT !!! NO A2P in the poll ??? Confused !!!
Dear confused, as a proud owner of many Duncan PU's, I can safely say that I have yet to find a PU with an A2 magnet that I like, let alone that would qualify as "versatile." I can't get them to work in
one guitar. A2 magnets bring with them some inherent qualities that are less than desiarble, in some woods they work out fine, but in other woods they're not going to sound very good (loose low end, overly rounded top, low output, and fizzy distortion). A2 magnet PU's can work great in some situations, but they're not as widely adaptable as a good PU with an A5.
The JB shouldn't even be in any poll that's looking for versatility, as it one one of the most finicky PU's there is. One of it's big fans on this forum called it "atrocious" in some guitars. It's just too specialized, as are the Custom & Distortion. I have a few C5's, and like them a lot; while they have their virtues, they're just too high output to work in some applications. I don't think
any high output PU will meet any resonable standards for being flexible across the board. You can easily push a PAF into hard rock & get great tones, but high output PU's don't always work as good for softer things.
The Duncan that I've found to be the most versatile is the '59. A very good PU, though not always the best, it works well in many guitars and woods, and for many styles of music. Great clean or with overdrive. PAF's set the standard 50 years ago, and while other PU's can do certain things better, none can do so many as well. That's the definition of versatility.