Jump to content
Heritage Owners Club

Duncan 59's


jamison162

Do you like the 59's in a Heritage H-150?  

27 members have voted

  1. 1.

    • Inexperienced, can't compare really.
      9
    • Yes, they rock hard!
      4
    • Ummm, Undecided, Depends on the guitar, etc.
      10
    • Inexperienced, can't compare really.
      4


Recommended Posts

Posted
:o  Hmmm. Not sure how dumb a move it was. It was just sitting in an attic, not being used. I'm sure the boys got some $$'s for it. And Jon gets to wind pups on a big piece of history. Plus! Heritage gets to use the pups, too ... if they want to. And having gotten to meet Jon, speak at length with him AND get to play his pups on a prototype H150, I think it was a great move.

 

well, they could have started making PAF's themselves & selling them as aftermarket/upcharging as OEM ....I suspect business will go very well for whoever owns the original winding machines those legendary/expensive pups were all made with.

Posted

Jons pups sound great....his tone stood out on July 18th!!!  i think his amp was also a great part of that, but if i had the $$$$, Throbak pups would be going in my secret project

Posted

I find the '59's work well in a resonant and bright guitar. If the guitar is solid and dark/punchy; then you need a pickup that is more transparent.

Posted

well, I just ordered a set of the SLE-101 Limited pups, can't wait to try them out

 

looks like I'll be eating more raman noodles for a while  :afro:

Posted
Jacques..nice post, but honestly didn't do anything for me.  I think you are way overshooting in trying to philosophise the issue.

 

I'm afraid you didn't get the self-mockery I intended (like Tulk1 did)... just read how I signed my post  :wink:

Posted
I find the '59's work well in a resonant and bright guitar. If the guitar is solid and dark/punchy; then you need a pickup that is more transparent.

 

That must be why I like them in my PRS McCarty - both neck and bridge. It is probably the most resonant guitar I own and 'bright' was my first impression of it tonally.

I'm doing classic styled rock through a Maz Jr. 2-10, and I just recently picked up a Victoria Double Deluxe. My McCarty sounds wonderful through both, though I admit curiosity about some of the booteek pickups.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
Is he still alive?  Seriously, such wire exists!

 

The NOS wire I use does not come from Heritage. They do have some old poly wire but it is the wrong kind and wrong size for PAF style pickups.

 

The winder Heritage had was only used to wind PAF slug coils which is only half of the pickup. You also need to have a screw coil to make a complete PAF style pickup. Heritage did not have an original machine that would do screw coils. For that you have to have a Leesona 102 winding machine which I have. I did not buy my Leesona 102 from Heritage. The slug winding machine I bought from Heritage was a wreck and had to be completely overhauled and rewired to get it working correctly. Even at that it is extremely tweaky and takes a lot of adjustment to get it to make a good coil. Once it is dialed in it makes very nice coils but it is still far, far from user friendly. In short the old machine from Heritage is half of the puzzle to winding a PAF style pickup. The other half of the puzzle is the Leesona 102 coil winder which I also own. The terms of sale with Heritage give them OEM exclusivity which I think they are very pleased with and I got a very cool old winding machine that complements the other vintage pickup winder I own. Heritage kept the old machine for years but apparently it narrowly escaped being thrown in the dumpster. I think everybody is happy that the old machine is back to making pickups instead of gathering dust as it decayed.

Posted
I find the '59's work well in a resonant and bright guitar. If the guitar is solid and dark/punchy; then you need a pickup that is more transparent.
that is right for me. SD59 in bridge was too bright. Replaced by G-n Historic 57+. SD59 in neck works so far but I would go further in challenge.
Posted

Now that I have her back, I have 59s in my H535 and I really love them. I like the bridge for the music I play with gain and I like the neck for all of my clean/blues stuff. The pair are very versitile and in my opinion give you the "classic" les paul/335 sound. People may have different preferences either way but I feel the 59' is sort of the the reference point for all the rest. The 535 had schallers in it and Bird actually pulled the 59s out of the H150 I sent him and put them in the H535 for me ( very cool! thank you) because like allot of you on this thread, he doesn't care for them. I really love that bridge pickup with a ton of overdrive on it. Its just a great gainy sound with lots of pinch harmonics and a smooth mid/bright crunch. I get the feeling most who don't care for them really like a warmer tone than that so I think I understand where everyone is coming from.

Posted
I get the feeling most who don't care for them really like a warmer tone than that so I think I understand where everyone is coming from.

 

Nope, I like a slightly brighter, clearer more airy tone with openess and harmonic swirl and greater response/touch sensativity.  The 59's just don't have all of that, they're too hot, potted, and the materials just aren't top quality.  Once you play a really good set of unpotted, low wind PAF's like the Seth Lovers (allbeit they are A2's), WCR Crossroads, Darkburst, Lollar Imperials and my current favs, Sheptone, you'll know what we are talking about.

 

But the 59's are good at what they do.

Posted
  Once you play a really good set of unpotted, low wind PAF's like the Seth Lovers (allbeit they are A2's), WCR Crossroads, Darkburst, Lollar Imperials and my current favs, Sheptone, you'll know what we are talking about.

 

But the 59's are good at what they do.

I have Seths in my H150. Wonderful. At what they do.

Tried them in my PRS Swamp Ash Special. Yeeeeech.

I have 59's in the PRS. Yyyeeeessss ;D Bit much in the 150 for what I like. Creamy though.

It just depends on application and personal taste.

What some call bright others call shrill. There can be no right or wrong here.

Cant imagine playing Seth's on a modern high gain amp would be a pleasing experience for anyone.(done it)

Posted

Had '59s in my H-157 and replaced them with Duncan Distortions.  The '59s weren't terrible, but I found them shrill.  You have to remember that the 157 has an ebony fretboard, which adds a fair amount of brightness.  The Distortions have the higher gain that I like, but they also add a mid spike in such a way that they seem to round off some of the high end and make things fatter.

Posted
I have Seths in my H150. Wonderful. At what they do.

Tried them in my PRS Swamp Ash Special. Yeeeeech.

I have 59's in the PRS. Yyyeeeessss ;D Bit much in the 150 for what I like. Creamy though.

It just depends on application and personal taste.

What some call bright others call shrill. There can be no right or wrong here.

Cant imagine playing Seth's on a modern high gain amp would be a pleasing experience for anyone.(done it)

Just realised Ive repeated this post and the question only had to do with 59's in a 150 anyway :rolleyes:

I still like 59's for certain things.

Robbin Ford used 59's in his LP's for ages. Dont think his choice of tones suck too bad.

Maybe you need a Dumble amp to make 59's sound good? :)

Posted

Yeah, my original post had to do with standards LP type guitars and specifically the H-150, mine is 9lb 2-oz..  Sure you have to match pickups and guitars.  In regards to Seth Lovers in a Swamp Ash PRS, I can't imagine how bright and thin that sounded.  The Seth's utilizes A2 mags, and I didn't really even like them in my H150.  They were better than the 59's though, being unpotted, much more open and airy, but to bright and thin.  All A2's hummers I've personally tried hae sounded this way although most descriptions say A2's are warmer.  I don't hear them that way.

Posted

Have had my 150 with the 59s for the better part of the past two years. The way I play, I'm not sure even the most expensive, exclusive or exotic replacement 'bucker would make me a better player or give me a better sound.  :):rolleyes:

 

In fact, I was playin' out last night and had plenty of positive comments on the noise I was making. H150 thru RC Boost, AC Boost, and Deelay into a Bad Cat amp. Got the job done and had a good time playin'  :) 8)

Posted

maybe it takes a different thread but as soon as this one is popular now i would like to know is there anyone here having h-150 with SD59 replaced for any Gibson pickups? thanks

Posted
Have had my 150 with the 59s for the better part of the past two years. The way I play, I'm not sure even the most expensive, exclusive or exotic replacement 'bucker would make me a better player or give me a better sound.  :):rolleyes:

 

In fact, I was playin' out last night and had plenty of positive comments on the noise I was making. H150 thru RC Boost, AC Boost, and Deelay into a Bad Cat amp. Got the job done and had a good time playin'  :) 8)

And thats what its all about... Playing and having a good time. :)

All this tone pursuit is just a distraction.

I always try and dial in he same sound regardless of what amp or guitar Im using. Its silly when I think about it.(the gear Ive bought) ;D

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...