Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers, neck, bridge, and set

From the manufacturer:

The Antiquity bridge humbucker delivers that open, airy tone of the great PAF humbuckers that Seth Lover designed in 1955. High notes cut through without being overly bright, and low notes growl with spongy vintage warmth. We wind the bridge model a little hotter for better balance and added warmth, and, as with the neck model, we use the same custom hand-aging process to create an authentic vintage look and sound. 

The Antiquity neck humbucker delivers an articulate, yet mellow tone that results from a perfectly balanced frequency response that combines a soft, sweet treble attack with a warm, full sounding low-end. The custom aged alnico 2 bar magnet creates an airy openness to the top-end that gives chords clarity and articulation, while the vintage output coils really bring out the rich harmonic content. Single notes have a beautiful singing quality with just the right amount of treble emphasis.

We have taken great care to make sure our Antiquities collection are all hand built in our Custom Shop the way Seth Lover did in 1955. The mold we use for our butyrate bobbins was created by the same factory that built theoriginalPAF mold for Gibson. Other key features include our specially manufactured 42AWG plain enamel mag wire, nickel silver cover, 2.5-inch alnico 2 bar magnet, custom machined metal spacer & maple spacer, single conductor push-back braided lead wire, and nickel silver bottom plate with long mounting legs.Staying true to the original Gibson PAF, these humbuckers are not wax potted which takes you right to the edge of harmonic breakup. For that unmistakable vintage mojo, we wind every Antiquity humbucker on Seymours original Leesona winding machine from the early Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, MI. Bottom plates & bar magnets are all signed by Seymour to guarantee that you are getting an original Seymour Duncan Antiquity.

Ethan's picks for best videos/sound clips:

Johnny Hawthorne demos the Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Pickups in this clip. Skip to 1:00 to hear the neck pickup in action on a clean setting. It has a really warm, fat tone that has plenty of chime and bell-like tones for a vintage PAF sound. Turn up the volume and you'll get a really nice organic breakup for that creamy vintage blues sound (listen at 1:30). Jump to 3:50 to hear the bridge pickup, boasting a vintage crunch tone with a perfect balance of treble clarity and low-end warmth.

The player is Johnny Hawthorne and he is using a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall DSL amp.

This video compares the tones of Gibson Burstbucker Pros vs. Seymour Duncan Antiquities. Although very similar in sound, there are a few subtle variations in tone that make each pickup set unique. On a clean setting, I feel that the Antiquities have more 'sweetness' to the tone. There is a very full bottom end and the tone is generally a lot 'woodier' sounding than the Burstbuckers. The Antiquities definitely have a more balanced frequency response and tend to be a little smoother overall, while the Burstbuckers offer a little more midrange edge. With some drive on them, the pickups sound similar, although the Burstbucker pros seem to offer a little more midrange growl and greater output. The Antiquities tend to be a little more conservative, although have a very warm, vintage crunch that is sweet to the ears. Ultimately, it comes down to taste and style of playing, as both of these pickup sets are fantastic selections.

Here is an index of the video clips if you want to skip around: 0:10 BB 1 (Neck) - Clean 0:41 Antiquity (Neck) - Clean 1:37 BB 1 + 2 (Neck & Bridge) - Clean 2:31 Antiquities (Neck & Bridge) - Clean 3:28 BB 2 (Bridge) - Clean 4:16 Antiquity (Bridge) - Clean 5:06 BB 1 (Neck) - w/ OD 5:35 Antiquity (Neck) - w/ OD 6:01 BB 1 + 2 (Neck & Bridge) - w/ OD6:31 Antiquities 1 + 2 (Neck & Bridge) - w/ OD 7:05 BB 2 (Bridge) - w/ OD 7:33 Antiquity (Bridge) - w/OD 8:03 BB 2 (Bridge) - w/ amp distortion 8:45 Antiquity (Bridge) - w/ amp distortion

Tones were recorded with a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Suhr Badger 30 amp with 1x12 ext. cabinet loaded with Celestion V30 and Analogman King of Tone OD miked with a SM-58 trough a M-Audio Fast Track and Logic for reverb and mixing.

Check out this Gibson SG loaded with Seymour Duncan Antiquities. You can hear the neck pickup at 2:45. It has a deep low end that lends to its warm, vintage sound, yet the top end has a nice spank and sparkle to it. The bridge pickup also has nice warmth to it, giving it a mellower sound than traditional bridge humbuckers. There is still plenty of presence and chime to it, but the tone is much more subdued. If you were to kick in some gain, your highs would stay relatively tame, but the lows and mids would punch through for a vintage crunch.

The player is James Albritton of Troll Music and he is using a Gibson SG through a Peavey Delta Blues 15.

Here is a very in-depth look at the Seymour Duncan Antiquity bridge and neck pickups. The Antiquity bridge pickup delivers a very airy tone that breathes with vintage warmth. The highs are present, yet they never sound too bright or harsh, while the lows have a deep, spongey warmth and bounce that adds depth to the tone. The Antiquity neck pickup has a very sweet sound that is both articulate and mellow at the same time; you get this soft treble attack combined with a deep low-end. The balanced frequency response lends to a smooth, warm neck tone that is full and balanced. If you're searching for that aged PAF sound from the 50s, the Antiquities may be your best bet. You'll have everything you need to get beautiful vintage tone in no time.

The player is using a Hamer Monaco Elite through a Marshall JTM 45 with G12M Greenbacks and Badgerplex AC and Dan Armstrong Orange Squezer pedals.

This video really highlights some of the vintage tones you can get with a set of Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups. The neck pickup has a very touch sensitive feel to the tone; it is very responsive and easily affected by your playing/picking technique. The frequency response is pretty balanced, with a slight dip in the mids for that full-body sound. The bridge pickup has some sweet jangle to it, and with a bit of overdrive you get some killer vintage rock tones. The sweet thing about these pickups is how low output they are; so if you like to rely on your amp for distortion, these pups are perfect. They handle gain in a very musical way, adding rich harmonics to the tone and a perfect splash of midrange.

The player is Gregor Hilden and he is using a 2006 Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue through a Fender Vibroverb and an Okko Diablo Gain/Overdrive and Vahlbruch SpaceTime Delay.

Check out the killer hard rock tones you can get out of the Seymour Duncan Antiquity bridge pickup. With high gain, these pickups manage to stay incredibly clear and present, boasting a musical tone that is rich in harmonics and very articulate. The low output design allows the pickups to be pushed pretty hard without getting too hot and fizzy sounding. The lows have nice grit to them, the mids add a bit of punch and presence, and the top end isn't overly bright and shrill. For that early classic British rock tone, you can't go wrong with a Seymour Duncan Antiquity bridge pickup.

The player is Oleg Booksha and he is using a Gibson Les Paul through a Friedman tube head.