Where to find the characteristic of a pickup?

[Stonepaq]

I currently have a guitar equipped with the Duncan Designed HB-105, and I was wondering how I could be able to know what it does, like middles, treble, bass control, attack and all that stuff. Is there any tool available or way to know how to compare pickups out there?

 

[JamesPaul]

There is some information for the Duncan Designed pickups, on the Internet Archive. I think that page is now gone from seymourduncan.com.

https://web.archive.org/web/2020021...com/blog/product-news/duncan-designed-pickups

The latest Seymour Duncan pickup chart is here.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/pickup-comparison-chart

Although be cautious with direct comparisons. I think the Duncan Designed reuse a smaller subset of coils and swap out magnets and pole pieces. I base this on feedback here on the Forum about the HB-102 (Jazz) neck sounding more like a '59 and the HB-112 being similar to a Screamin' Demon, but with more bite and screams.

Probably the most accurate info would come from searching here on the Forum for HB-105.

 

[Mincer]

I also think asking specific questions here is a great idea, since this is really the best resource for pickups online. The combined experience here is staggering. The link above was the only 'official' descriptions of the DD line, but we have lots of people here that have measured various DD pickups.

 

[Stonepaq]

Those seem very helpful, thanks a bunch!

 

[Masta' C]

That page states that the HB-105 were the budget version of the "Blackouts" pickups, but as I recall, they are basically closer to traditional EMG's with tweaked preamps. It's been a while since I played the 105's in comparison to anything else, but I remember my "real" Blackouts being much fuller/thicker sounding with more output.

And, yes, this forum is the best place to get information about the character of pickups. Things like DC resistance specs or Bass-Mid-Treble charts are pretty much useless when trying to determine what a pickup really sounds and plays like.

 

[Stonepaq]

That page states that the HB-105 were the budget version of the "Blackouts" pickups, but as I recall, they are basically closer to traditional EMG's with tweaked preamps. It's been a while since I played the 105's in comparison to anything else, but I remember my "real" Blackouts being much fuller/thicker sounding with more output.

And, yes, this forum is the best place to get information about the character of pickups. Things like DC resistance specs or Bass-Mid-Treble charts are pretty much useless when trying to determine what a pickup really sounds and plays like.

Thats good to know, I'll look into that.