John Bohlinger and the PG crew visit the Seymour Duncan pickup factory in Santa Barbara, California, where company co-founders Seymour and Cathy Carter Duncan began the business in 1976.
Seymour Duncan himself greets PG’s crew and begins the tour by talking about his early days in the pickup business. He started re-winding pickups for David Schecter, then jumped into the big time via a large order from Japan—doing all his company’s early flatwork by hand. He also recounts meeting and being helped by Bill Carson, a co-designer of Leo Fender’s classic early instruments, including the Stratocaster, and gleaning tips from the legendary pickup designer Seth Lover. Plus, he recounts his time with Jeff Beck, George Fullerton, Ted McCarty, and other heroes of guitar.
After talking with Seymour, Bohlinger and the gang move to the factory, where Seymour Duncan CEO Marc DiLorenzo takes the lead. Pickups—more than 1,300 different varieties—are still built by hand at Seymour Duncan. And 20 more new models are being debuted this year. “You know how guitar players are,” says DiLorenzo. “They never stop chasing tone.”
Derek Duncan, custom shop manager and Seymour’s son, shows Bohlinger where the raw materials and components are kept—all inspected as they come in before they are put on the shelf. He also explains how the company kept pickups shipping out through the pandemic, except for one month. After the stock room, it’s off to magnet wire testing, then production planning—a two-person operation that processes incoming orders to plan which pickups will be built when. Next up: the custom shop, where we see NYC bass pickups in process, followed by a stop at the magnet grinding operation—where Derek also started working for the company—and the magnetizing station, where alnicos get their charge. At bobbin assembly, raw materials are tuned into components for use in the winding process. Some ultimately get dipped; others get a wrap of tape before moving along. The winding machine, by the way, was purchased from Gibson’s historic Kalamazoo operation. Then it’s on to pickup assembly, and, from there, we get to see the wax potting procedure. Lead wires—two or four, depending on the pickup—then get soldered to bottom plates.
Finally, we stop in on Kevin Beller in the company’s engineering department. Beller has designed many pickups over his four decades at Seymour Duncan, and during our stop he was working on Jared James Nichols signature P-90 style humbuckers. The finale: the space where pedals and the company’s PowerStage pedal-sized amps are made, including the 700-watt model used by Dave Mustaine.
Ten PAF-style options to freshen your tone.
Gibson’s early “Patent Applied For” humbuckers are the stuff of legend, and Seth Lover’s pickup creation is widely regarded as one of the most important advances in the electric guitar’s evolution. If you’re chasing the holy grail vintage-PAF sound but find yourself a few a thousand short of the price of an original mint set, you may want to check out some of these modern—and affordable—alternatives.
SEYMOUR DUNCAN SH-18 Whole Lotta Humbucker
Wound with 42-gauge plain-enamel wire and housing rough-cast alnico 5 magnets, these humbuckers are exact replicas of the custom pickups Seymour Duncan made for the likes of Clapton, Beck, and Page in the early ’70s.$189 street (set)
seymourduncan.com
LOLLAR Imperial
The unbalanced-coil Imperials were designed to provide airy top end, tight lows, balanced midrange, and complex overtones. The alnico 2s in the neck and alnico 5s in the bridge are degaussed to specific levels unique to each position.$350 street (set)
lollarguitars.com
DYLAN PICKUPS DAF
“Dylan Applied For” humbuckers are available in both alnico 3 and alnico 5 versions. They’re wax-potted and feature 4-conductor wiring for coil-splitting and phasing options. They come in a variety of finishes. (Toaster-top and clear bobbin models shown.)$299 street (set)
dylanpickups.com
GIBSON BurstBuckers
Designed to recapture the tonal magic of the original PAF humbuckers, BurstBuckers are not potted. They boast vintage-style 2-conductor wiring, unmatched bobbin windings, and alnico 2 magnets. The Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 models offer varying output levels.
$176 street (single)
gibson.com
BARE KNUCKLE PG Blues
Designed to replicate the famous out-of-phase mid-position sound of Peter Green’s ’59 Les Paul, this pair features sand-cast alnico 2 magnets, scatterwound bridge coils of plain-enamel 42AWG wire, and Formvar-coated wire in the neck coils.$289 street (set)
bareknucklepickups.co.uk
DIMARZIO PAF Masters
The PAF Master Bridge pickup employs alnico 4 magnets for their high iron content, while the Master Neck pickup houses alnico 5s. Both feature 4-conductor wire. Several patented DiMarzio techniques contribute to their quiet, bright, and dynamic performance.$149 street (set)
dimarzio.com
RIO GRANDE Buffalo Texas Set
This set consists of a Genuine Texas bridge pickup and a Buffalo Bucker for the neck. Available with 2- or 4-conductor wiring and in a variety of colors/covers ($50 less for standard nickel covers), these alnico 5 pickups are wound to 8k for the neck and 9k for the bridge.$296 street (set as shown)
riograndepickups.com
LINDY FRALIN Pure PAF
Wound at 7.5k-7.8k in the neck and 8k-8.4k in the bridge, these humbuckers use alnico 2 magnets to soften the treble and smooth the grind. Pure PAFs are built to look like the real deal. A partial-tap kit is available separately.$260 street (set)
fralinpickups.com
SUHR Thornbucker
Created to have all the best attributes of ’50s PAF-style pickups without the downsides, these humbuckers are available in a range of colors. They feature such modern touches as 4-conductor wiring and a variety of spacings. The neck pickup houses an alnico 5 magnet while the bridge holds an alnico 4.$119 street (per pickup)
suhr.com
LACE Big Block
This barium-ferrite set offers tones reminiscent of classic twin-humbucker guitars from the ’50s and ’60s, but with the modern features of a Lace humbucker: low magnetic string pull, low noise, and coil-splitting capability.$195 street (set)
lacemusic.com