Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

[Drew816]

So does this look about right for an early 80's Duncan '59 pickup?

This one is reading 14.22 ohms so I suspect it was a '59 that was rewound and maybe then converted to 4 conductor but this guy has a few more of these in 2 conductor reading in the 8 ohm range so I'll just make a swap if this looks legit. I have an 83 and this bugger looks just like it, only my baseplate has markings on that one so...

Thoughts? Does this look period correct or??

 

[theodie]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

Some dill-hole probably put a 59 sticker on a Custom.



I have never seen a sticker with red numbers and letters. I dont know if the sticker is legit? Maybe I just have not seen one in red?

 

[trevorus]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

Do you mean 14.22 KOhms?

 

[dystrust]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

I've never seen a genuine sticker that looks like that. I have a double cream Custom from the early to mid 80s which has a 'DCJ' sticker in black with the same font used until a couple years ago. I second the vote that this is a Custom with an added / changed sticker.

I also noticed that this pickup doesn't have a 'Seymour Duncan' baseplate. Could be something older or maybe something different entirely?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

sure looks like a custom to me

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

I didn't think that in the early 80's, Customs had 4-conductor wiring....

In the early 80's SD catalog, only The Mag and the Distortion model have 4-conductor wiring.

 

[Drew816]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

Not sure about what was available in that time period, but this was supposed to be from the early 80's, PRE stamp on the baseplate.

I have another one with 2 conductor on the way, supposed to be from the late 70's early 80's also with the Red stamp though a 59B in this case. So the theory goes that they did these little stickers in Red, then in Blue ink and them things started getting spelled out from what I'm hearing. So 59 NECK or BRIDGE, then Distortion Bridge all in Blue ink by then.

Hey, I'm no expert but I think the mystery on this pickup is likely solved and that it was either rewound and 4 conductor added or it was mis-labeled custom; but man 14k in ohms, phew!

Happy Playing!

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

Check the magnet.

 

[C-Martin]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

sure looks like a custom to me

+1 to that, same here i have a really old custom and looks pretty much like this, the fact that it doesn't have the "square hole" also indicates this isnt really a 59

 

[Shinobi]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

I've never seen a genuine sticker that looks like that. I have a double cream Custom from the early to mid 80s which has a 'DCJ' sticker in black with the same font used until a couple years ago. I second the vote that this is a Custom with an added / changed sticker.

I also noticed that this pickup doesn't have a 'Seymour Duncan' baseplate. Could be something older or maybe something different entirely?

A part from the sticker it is a spitting image of the stock Schaller pup out of my 84 Kramer Baretta....which I have been told is nothing more then a German PAF or SD 59.

 

[theodie]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

A part from the sticker it is a spitting image of the stock Schaller pup out of my 84 Kramer Baretta....which I have been told is nothing more then a German PAF or SD 59.

You may be on to something here. It does look alot like a pickup out of a Baretta and those read around 14K or so IIRC.

I dont remember what sort of hook up wire they had though. I still say, its probably a Custom.

 

[Shinobi]

Re: Vintage Duncan '59 in 4 conductor reading 14.2 ohms?!?!

You may be on to something here. It does look alot like a pickup out of a Baretta and those read around 14K or so IIRC.

I dont remember what sort of hook up wire they had though. I still say, its probably a Custom.

The only difference between the one pic'd and the schaller out of my Baretta is that the back of the schaller has a wire clamp at the screw location where the wire goes through the back case and into the pup. It's like a little clamp down to insure that if the wire was tugged on it wouldn't pull on the pup where is connected.

Other then that the wire even looks the same...it just doesn't have the wire clamp. The wire clamp or hold down is similiar to how you see cable tv wires or Dish wires clamped to the side of a house. It just is holding the wire snug.