marcbc Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I stopped in my local guitar shop today to check out pickups and they raved about seymour duncan pickups. do you guys have any knowledge on them, im thinking about putting them in my sheraton i wanna get an alnico pro II and a pearly gates do they beat GFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericlees Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 yeah no doubt! duncan are the best at least for my ears....i have duncan on all my guitars...gfs are not bad, but not great as sd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I have a Sheraton II with the SD "Silver" pickups (Jazz neck, JB bridge) and they were quite an improvement. SD has sound clips at their website so you can get an idea of what they sound like. All my basses have SD pickups, and, come to think of it, all both of my electrics -- the other one is a Les Paul Deluxe with SD SM-1s, which are sweet as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eor Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 i have the alnico iis in the neck and bridge of my lp special ii. sounds awesome in that guitar. they also split like a champ and because of the fakiness of the wood and construction (bolt on alder, i think?) that guitar becomes my "strat" when i split the neck pickup. i could only imagine that they sound better in better guitars. that said, i'm happy with my gfs stuff, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I stuck a Seymour Duncan JB in my SG over 20 years ago and I've never had any reason to change it. Later I added a Jazz in the rhythm position. SD offers a great range of excellent pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookelputz Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 The step up from OEM to GFS is much bigger than the step from GFS to SD. Got some of both. Its all good. I have an SD '59 neck/PG bridge that is really nice, and a Jazz set that you would not believe, and a GFS strat set as well as various Mean 90's and Dream 90's. SD pickups have truly great sound and an acceptable price. GFS has highly acceptable sound and a truly great price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 The Slash set(Alnico ii Pro) is pretty sweet. I also had a SH-5 Custom in a custom job for 20 years, till I replaced it with a original Gibson PAF T-top and wished I hadn't. The Seymour Duncan Hotrod SH-2 jazz/SH-4 JazzB set is one of the best sets you can get for the money. And if there is one SD I'd like to try it would be the Pearly Gates. I never tried GFS pickups so can't compare to Duncans but I reckon it's like the difference between Epiphone and Gibson. Terrific bang for the money, but really not the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bob Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I never tried GFS pickups so can't compare to Duncans but I reckon it's like the difference between Epiphone and Gibson. Terrific buck for the money' date=' but really not the same.[/quote'] I haven't tried the GFS either so I can't comment on them, but I put SD 59's on the DOT (mainly influenced by advice on the jazz forums) and like them a lot. The DOT was suffering from a certain amount of muddiness and the SD's were a great improvement for a lot less than Gibson's Classic 57's. I've used the Gibson 57's since (in the 175 reissue), but I don't know that they are a vast improvement over the SD's - certainly not for the extra you have to pay (another Gibson trait). In this respect I thought the SD's were a good compromise. I've changed pick-ups mostly because I like messing about with, and learning about, guitars. I've swapped the pups in the Epi LP, DOT and the 175 (for 490/498, Duncan 59's and Gibson 57's respectively) with obvious improvements. The LP and DOT originals were well worth the change, the original 175 pups though were not too bad (I already had the 57's left over from another project so didn't have to buy them in especially). HOWEVER the outcome of all this boring old waffle is: depending on model and year some of the original Epi pups are really not so bad; but, if you really must change them, I'd make sure to go for a REAL improvement - given the time and cost of making the change. Don't go to all that trouble to swap a pup out for something that's not much different. Although, I have to say too, that you learn all sorts of things by working on guitars - things you often don't appreciate until much later on. Seem to be rambling - sorry. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 The general concensus of the forum has alway been that there are many options in pickups and the prices vary widely according to popularity. Seymour makes some great pickups, but so do several other makers. It's pretty much personal preference and the humbuckers are frequently made after the style of the Gibson PAF pups produced in the 50's. I have the SD Pearly gates set in the neck and bridge on my Epi LP. They were originally designed for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top in an attempt to reproduce the sound of his favorite ('59, I think) Gibson LP that had PAF's. They are hot wound and have a full spectrum tone. The PG set is good for driving any amp that responds to a hot input with good distortion. Picking dynamic response is good and they clean up really well with a rollback off the volume controls. The bridge can be growly or, with the right amp settings, almost telecaster-like. The neck pickup is bluesy and hot with a good clean sound that distorts smoothly when overdriven. I have read reviews that were favorable for Rockfield pickups and the street price on them is about $50. SD's go for almost twice that. I think you can find other brands for low prices that would be almost indistinguishable in a blindfold test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 If you really must change them' date=' I'd make sure to go for a REAL improvement - given the time and cost of making the change. Don't go to all that trouble to swap a pup out for something that's not much different. Although, I have to say too, that you learn all sorts of things by working on guitars - things you often don't appreciate until much later on. Bob[/quote'] The Sheraton II is probably as bad as it gets for swapping pickups. Everything (except the pickups themselves) have to go through the treble f-holes, so be sure it's going to be worth it before you start. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and disappointment. I just did the swap job on my Sheraton, so I know whereof I speak. It's demanding and fairly precise work to wire up a harness in such a way that everything will then fit through that little space (1" x .75" on my '95) without separating a wire or solder joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geetar playr Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Seymour Duncans, are, in my opinion, a perfect upgrade for any Epi. I put Duncan '59's in my Epi LP Custom, and this guitar sounds amazing....I'd put it up against any Gibson LP. For classic tone, the Alnico II and '59's are the way to go. I have a guitar I've installed Dimarzio's in....and I really like them (Tone Zone/Air Norton)....but....aaah...still like those Duncans a little better. Also, Kent Armstrongs are amazing. I put Vintage G12's in my Sheraton...sounds as good if not better than the Epi LP. If you can find a local tech/dealer, or check out Ebay, you can get the Kent Armtrongs around $50-60/each. Highly recommended. But again, I think the Duncans are THE pups to go to for upgrade....just cause I am ecstatic over the sound of my Epi LP:d/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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