What SD Pickups have I got?

G

guitaroz

New member
Hi,
I bought a guitar recently, a Fat Strat that had two humbuckers (Seymour Duncans) in it. I have removed these pickups to find out what models they are, yet on the underside of each pickup there is no serial number or stamp (as is usual with SDs) to identify. The only thing on each is stamp is R (like this ®) on one of them (the neck humbucker) and F (also in a circle) (on bridge humbucker) and that's it. Can someone tell me if these are genuine Seymour Duncans or copies? (the SD name and logo are as normal on front of each Humbucker). I have other SDs and they normally have a stamp or a number, but these have baffled me. Any help much appreciated.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Welcome to the forum.

On the Fender Big Apple and Double Fat Stratocasters, the stock pickups should be a Pearly Gates Plus and a special '59N with short baseplate elevator screw lugs and RP/RW to make the Inside Coils sound noise-cancelling.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

guitaroz said:
Hi,
I bought a guitar recently, a Fat Strat that had two humbuckers (Seymour Duncans) in it. I have removed these pickups to find out what models they are, yet on the underside of each pickup there is no serial number or stamp (as is usual with SDs) to identify. The only thing on each is stamp is R (like this ®) on one of them (the neck humbucker) and F (also in a circle) (on bridge humbucker) and that's it. Can someone tell me if these are genuine Seymour Duncans or copies? (the SD name and logo are as normal on front of each Humbucker). I have other SDs and they normally have a stamp or a number, but these have baffled me. Any help much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Funkfingers said:
Welcome to the forum.

On the Fender Big Apple and Double Fat Stratocasters, the stock pickups should be a Pearly Gates Plus and a special '59N with short baseplate elevator screw lugs and RP/RW to make the Inside Coils sound noise-cancelling.
Click to expand...

They should have Seymour Duncan baseplates. F (Front/Neck) and R (Rear/Bridge) are found on cheap imports. Do the pickups have black 4 conductor wires with red and white taped off, black going to the switch or volume pot, and green and bare going to ground?
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

So far, the replies have assumed that the OP guitar is a USA Fender. The pickups that the OP describes have features that would not be out of place on a MIK or MII Squier Standard series guitar.

Definitely need photographs of the pickups and control wiring.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Here are my guesses....1) You purchased a counterfeit guitar or 2) You purchased a "real" guitar with counterfeit pickups.

The "R" and "F" stampings are not used on any Seymour Duncans and are almost exclusively found on Asian-made "import" pickups that come stock on many lower end guitars.

Are the baseplates brass (gold in color)? This is not always the case with import pickups, but brass is a dead giveaway that they are not real Duncans, as Seymour Duncan only uses nickel-silver baseplates, even on their.

You should definitely post pictures of the guitar and serial number, along with close-ups of the headstock, wiring and pickups (front and back) so we can see what's going on...
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Funkfingers said:
So far, the replies have assumed that the OP guitar is a USA Fender. The pickups that the OP describes have features that would not be out of place on a MIK or MII Squier Standard series guitar.

Definitely need photographs of the pickups and control wiring.
Click to expand...

He said that they had the SD logo on the bobbins. Either they've had the baseplates replaced, or they have a fake stamp.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Thanks for the replies thus far, per your requests here is a photo of the back of the pickups. Possibly could be fake then?sd.jpg
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Definitely Asian. More likely to be Chinese than Korean. i.e. Not the Powersound type found on the Squier Standard series.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Would you please post a picture of the bobbins?

I's like to see the Seymour Duncan logo they've put on.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Might as well photograph the entire guitar. It would shed some light on the extent of the fakery.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

masta' c said:
You should definitely post pictures of the guitar and serial number, along with close-ups of the headstock, wiring and pickups (front and back) so we can see what's going on...
Click to expand...

There's no question those are NOT Seymour Duncans. Would you mind posting the pics I requested above? Very interesting...
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Yeah those are definitely not real Duncans. The logos aren't even centered. Looks pretty damn fake to me.
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

I kinda figured they were fakes thus why I posted on this forum. I think most of the guitar hardware is fake too. See guitar pic. But I have actually taken it apart and refitted with genuine hardware and pickups. The Floyd Rose has been replaced by a Wilkinson Tremolo which works superbly and the guitar sounds amazing now genuine SDs and the works. Will post newly reco guitar pic later.1511000_560841857364689_2031668157_n.jpg
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

Now that I can see the bobbins, my guess is that those p'ups are made by G&B, the Korean OEM for PRS and others. They seem to have double-thick ceramic mags, isn't it?

Some individual went to great lengths to fake those p'ups.

Oh, well... live and learn, I suppose. The guitar itself seems to be quite alright. That figured maple neck looks great, and I'm a sucker for black hardware on natural maple or creme.

Good luck!

Yours very truly,
 
Re: What SD Pickups have I got?

I only see one picture (body and part of the neck), but I'd put money on the likelihood that entire guitar is counterfeit. The pickups are proof enough, but the fretboard ends on the real Fenders are rounded and the hardware was clearly not correct.

I don't know what you paid for the guitar, but I hope you got a good deal, especially considering all the work and "upgrades" you had to do to it...

Can I ask where you are located and where you got the guitar?
 
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