Uncovered Seth Lover?

[Praxis]

Greetings,

I'm new to the forum, first post here, after lurking a bit. /wave

Anyway, I'm looking for a Seth Lover bridge pickup. There is a seller on ebay that is offering new uncovered Seths, and I'm wondering if they're legit? When I look at the Duncan site, there's no option for an uncovered Seth-- only gold or nickel covers. But then, maybe the official site hasn't been updated, and there actually is an uncovered option?

For aesthetic reasons, I'd be adding a raw, unplated cover, to match a neck pickup, so buying an uncovered version makes sense (if it is the real thing).

Thanks!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

The seller might have taken them off themselves. I've seen them sold uncovered as sets as well. I do know that I've seen them uncovered.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

im guessing you can get uncovered seths as a floor shop custom. ive pulled the cover off a few seth neck pups before

 

[Mincer]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

I believe you can order them. I believe one of our members here swears by the sound of uncovered Seths.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

Uncovered pickups generally sound better. That's why people started taking the covers off in the first place! Now it's just done for looks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[blueman335]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

I believe you can order them. I believe one of our members here swears by the sound of uncovered Seths.

That would be Lew. Next round of guitar projects I'm going to take the covers of a Seth set or two myself.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

You can buy Seth uncovered but the bobbins will have to be black or zebra.

You can also buy Seths with an aged cover as a shop floor custom, which comes with a warranty - instead of trying to get an uncovered pickup and do it yourself with no warranty.

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

I just bought a used early 90s MJ wound Seth and i can see the white bobbin through the cover hole on the screw bobbin.

Sort of related topic. I bought this pickup to put in a "shredder" Les Paul. I know it is un-potted and worry about microphonics at high volumes. I know that many praise this pickup because of the fact it is un-potted. How much affect would mild potting do to the tone of the pickup? Just enough potting so it will not squeal.

 

[LLL]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

uncovered Seths? Yeah, good stuff.

Puts ya into dangerous territory...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

I believe you can order them. I believe one of our members here swears by the sound of uncovered Seths.

That would be me.

Uncovered, the Seth has more drive and volume.

I prefer them uncovered.

I have Seths in two identical PRS SE Singlecuts.

I left the covers on one set and removed them on the other.

When I compared them, it was no contest.

The uncovered Seths were more dynamic sounding in every way. Also, you might find a pair of zebras or even a pair of double creams under those covers, so clearly, Duncan expects some of us to remove the covers.

I should say that I am a jazzy blues player in kind of a Robben Ford style...no metal or over the top, super saturated Overdrive for me.

I prefer BB King's sound or Eric Clapton's or Peter Green's 60's sounds to metal sounds...so I'm not removing the covers just to get more distortion.

I think they get a more singing sustaining "Cream" or "Bluesbreakers" or Truth" era Jeff Beck kind of tone uncovered.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

Besides Lew, has anyone else tried this?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

Yep, it's my #1 Duncan, an uncovered A3 Seth/Ant hybrid for neck.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

It would be interesting Lew, for you to have swapped the experiment around. So you then uncover the other set and cover the original uncovered ones.....for a sense of completeness to the experiment and to make the conclusion more accurate.
There are enough differences I have found in 'identical' guitars I myself own alone to account for more than the differences I infer from your post.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

You can order a set of PARCHMENT double bobbins. I have 2 Hybrids that way. No cover, no wax potting. 1 double parchment, 1 double white for my white Strats, my Antiquity had double cream bobbins under the cover.
All of my bridge humbuckers are un-covered and unpotted: My Hybrid, my WLH, all my Cust.Shop Seth Lovers, my four Jazz models. 1 pair white, 1 pair black.
If you are anything like me, and I know I am, I must have the bridge covers off, I can hear it and I don't like the sound with wax potting at all, I don't care what science says, I can hear it. Maybe the pickup vibrates to an extremely small extent, just enough for me to notice. I like the look of covers on, but the sound is so much more open to me cover-less.
The neck I like covered. And I always use a non potted Jazz or similar wind in the neck.
Last thing about covers, the only time I had feedback trouble was with my Custom Shop WLH. It squealed so loud after the uncovered Seth I just had, everyone yelled at me at once! Took the cover off at rehearsal and it was fine after that. I know, I know, but I swear to all the gods of all the world's religions, and my mothers' grave, I am telling you the truth. My experience is exactly like I explained.
Steve Buffington

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

I just bought a used early 90s MJ wound Seth and i can see the white bobbin through the cover hole on the screw bobbin.

Sort of related topic. I bought this pickup to put in a "shredder" Les Paul. I know it is un-potted and worry about microphonics at high volumes. I know that many praise this pickup because of the fact it is un-potted. How much affect would mild potting do to the tone of the pickup? Just enough potting so it will not squeal.

For me, the squeeling thing doesn't happen much onstage because I play with the amp behind me and my back is to the amp.

The squeeling thing happens more at home, where I tend to play facing my amplifier and with the guitar and pickups facing the amplifier.

I haven't found my Seths to be particularly microphonic either way, but again: I like to play at a moderately loud volume but not with uber-gain, distortion or Overdrive. Just enough to get a good "Clapton with Cream" kind of sustaining tone.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

It would be interesting Lew, for you to have swapped the experiment around. So you then uncover the other set and cover the original uncovered ones.....for a sense of completeness to the experiment and to make the conclusion more accurate.
There are enough differences I have found in 'identical' guitars I myself own alone to account for more than the differences I infer from your post.

I did eventually remove the covers from the covered set of Seths and when I did they sounded just like the uncovered set I had compared them to.

I now have uncovered Seths in three guitars: two identical PRS Singlecuts and one '95 PRS CU-22.

I have covered Antiquitys in my fourth PRS, a '02 CU-22. I like them a lot but they're not as ballsy sounding as the uncovered Seths.

In my fifth PRS, another Singlecut, I have covered PG's. Love those too...but not as much as the three Seth sets or the Antiquity set.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

i like the seth neck without a cover but my seth bridge is plenty bright with the cover on.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

i like the seth neck without a cover but my seth bridge is plenty bright with the cover on.

Plenty bright both covered or uncovered.

What I like about uncovered is the louder, more driving sound.

Honestly: the Seth without covers sounds like a rock version of the Seth.

Great for British Blues...which is kind of my favorite lead guitar sound.

Even though not all of those guys removed the covers on their PAFs, removing the covers gives more of that sound.

 

[Praxis]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

Thanks for all the replies/discussion. So it seems the Seths can be purchased new without covers, even though the official site doesn't list that as an option.

In the end, I decided to go a different way, though. I managed to score a PGBJ (MJ wound Pearly Gates), so I'm going to try that first. If it isn't quite what I'm looking for, I'll go back to the Seth idea, or perhaps an Antiquity.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Uncovered Seth Lover?

those are my three favorite bridge buckers!