On the track of Vintage Tones
When the ongoing vintage and relic boom started to pick up pace in the mid-nineties, the Antiquity Series by Seymour Duncan came just at the right time. For these pickups not only had the "antique" looks, but also could produce authentic vintage tones which are often perceived as better-sounding due to the ageing and abrasion of their materials. Quite similarly as with good red wine that gets better over the years. Since many musicians and guitar builders kept asking for Antiquity pickups with a new, pristine look, Seymour Duncan has now released the Antiquity Retrospec'd Series featuring the same old-school tones – but with a brand-new outward appearance!
Pioneering work in the Custom Shop
Different metal alloys, special windings, weakening magnets – long before the big companies were interested in the vintage trend, Seymour Duncan and his team were dedicated to analyzing and precisely reconstructing pickup designs and their tonal characteristics. Thanks to this know-how about materials, manufacturing techniques, and the effects of time, many new options have become possible in the guitar work shop: For example, when you want to bring a modified vintage piece back to original spec, or when you want to “retrofit” a new instrument for epoch accurate tones:
To deliver the typical clean 1960s Jazzmaster tone, the Antiquity II Retrospec'd pickups have hand-ground Alnico V rod magnets and a special coil wind. As a result, chords have an especially clear quality, solos ring out with that crispy bright tone, while dirty tones have that gloriously ragged bark that has become a preferred means to cut through even the wildest post-punk or alternative music.
The Retrospec'd Surfer Strat pickups produce the sound and feel that normally could only come from single coils from the 1960s, which were a little more beefy. The bridge pickup is wound a bit hotter for extra midrange and output. The neck and middle pickups produce that bright, glassy, classic Stratocaster tone, but with a subtle sweetness amid the high-end sparkle that only a decades old pickup can produce.
The tone of vintage P.A.F. Humbuckers from the 1960s is one of the most sought-after tones: clearer and more open than later humbucker designs, airy and sweet, with a very specific growl when pushed. In this tradition, the Retrospec'd neck humbucker delivers an articulate, yet mellow tone with soft treble attack and full-sounding lows. The bridge model is wound a little hotter to reflect the most commonly mismatched sets of the originals, producing a perfect balance of treble articulation and low-end warmth.
The P90 Dog-Ear pickups deliver the authentic growl and grit of late 50s ES-330 pickups. Thanks to specially calibrated Alnico II bar magnets and custom coil winds, chords are full and round sounding through the neck pickup, single notes have a sweet, bouncy quality. Through the bridge pickup, chords have a gritty, honky midrange, single notes are nice and articulate without sounding harsh.
The Retrospec'd Texas Hot Strat single coils reproduce the slight sweetness that only six decades of ageing can provide. To achieve this, the treble attack is softened by specially degaussed Alnico II rod poles. In this way, the neck and middle pickups produce that familiar spanky attack and bell-like chime often associated with Stratocaster tone, but with a sweet tonal character. The bridge pickup is wound hotter, resulting in a little more growl and midrange, for a better overall balance and increased versatility.
In early 1950s Telecaster pickups, the high-end has typically softened and sweetened a little. In effect, the neck pickup has a full and round bass response and a smoother, more musical attack adding richness to chords – ideal for big, bold rhythm playing. The bridge pickup produces the classic Tele twang and snap with a nice and bright treble response ideal for lead playing – on the verge of feedback but without being piercing.
If you fancy the aged look, also take a look at the original Antiquities.
