The Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbucker pickup brings vintage tone and craftsmanship to modern guitars, offering players an authentic recreation of the legendary P.A.F. humbuckers designed by Seth Lover in 1955. Handcrafted in Seymour Duncan's Custom Shop, these pickups are aged both cosmetically and magnetically to emulate decades of natural wear and tear. The neck pickup delivers a balanced frequency response, combining sweet treble clarity with warm, full-bodied lows. Meanwhile, the bridge pickup offers a slightly hotter wind for enhanced output, producing rich harmonic content and spongy vintage warmth. With custom-aged butyrate bobbins crafted using the original P.A.F. mold, this pickup delivers unmatched authenticity and tonal complexity.
Seymour Duncan Custom-Wound Coils for Rich Harmonic Content
At the core of the Antiquity humbuckers are their vintage-output coils, designed to capture the organic richness and harmonic detail that defined the original P.A.F. pickups. These coils produce an airy openness in the treble range, adding clarity to chords and articulation to single notes. The bridge pickup is wound slightly hotter, ensuring a balanced tonal output that complements the mellower response of the neck. This winding technique enhances warmth and sustain, giving solos a smooth, singing quality while maintaining the growl and depth needed for rhythm work. The result is a pickup that delivers authentic vintage tone with nuanced expression.
Antiquity Custom-Aged Alnico II Magnets for Balanced Tone
The Antiquity humbuckers feature custom-aged alnico II magnets, meticulously treated to replicate decades of natural aging. These magnets produce soft yet articulate treble frequencies, while delivering a warm and full-bodied low-end response. The aging process adds an airy quality to the upper register, ensuring chords remain clear and defined even under heavy gain. Additionally, the magnets' balanced output provides consistent string-to-string response, letting players achieve dynamic expression across all ranges. Whether playing intricate lead lines or layering lush chords, these magnets bring vintage tonal authenticity to every note.
Authentic Construction for True Vintage Character
Every Antiquity humbucker is built with period-accurate materials and techniques, including butyrate bobbins molded from the original P.A.F. designs. The pickups are hand-aged to recreate the patina and wear of decades-old hardware, giving them a timeless aesthetic that complements their vintage tone. Plain enamel 42AWG wire ensures consistent winding and tonal accuracy, while the overall construction is fine-tuned to mimic the tonal qualities of classic Les Paul pickups. This attention to detail results in a pickup that not only sounds vintage but looks the part, delivering both style and substance for discerning players.