Classic Les Paul Deluxe vintage mini humbucker tone with rich midrange harmonics and an authentic ’60s growl in the bridge and that familiar sparkly mini humbucker tone with a slightly softened treble attack in the neck.
DCR – Short for DC Resistance, is measured in Ohms and is the total resistance of the copper wire wound around a coil form. The length of the coil form, the number of turns and the gauge of wire all affect the DCR reading. DCR is often used as a gauge of output because as the turns increase, so does the output, though magnet type and the coil geometry also influence output. Magnet – We use several different magnet formulations: Alnico 2, Alnico 3, Alnico 4, Alnico 5, Alnico 6, Alnico 8 and Ceramic 5/8. In the case of pickups, the most significant characteristic is the gauss strength, which is a measure of the density of the magnetic field. Of the magnets we use, Alnico 3 has the lowest gauss strength. From there in order of ascending strength you have A2, A4, A5, A6, Ceramic and A8. As the gauss strength goes up, so does the output. The magnets at the lower end of the scale tend to produce a softer attack and a degree of “bloom” to the envelope of the note.
Ceramic magnets should be considered as an individual case because they do not contain any nickel or iron. This has the effect of decreasing the inductance of the pickup and significantly raising the resonant frequency. It is for this reason that many consider ceramic magnets to have a brittle sound, not their gauss strength. Looking at this from another point of view, ceramic magnets can be said to produce increased clarity, better note definition and faster response to picking. Output – The overall output of a passive pickup is influenced by several design factors: number of turns of wire on the coil(s), strength of the magnet, coil geometry and magnetic circuit geometry.The output of an active pickup is influenced by the same factors but is predominantly determined by the design of the onboard preamp.
The Antiquity II Adjustable Mini Humbucker has a truly unique tonal character. Its midrange emphasis brings focus to the lows, and adds a gritty sweetness to the highs. Overdriven sounds break up nicely with a smooth, warm growl. Clean tones pop and ring with a zing that full-sized humbuckers struggle to match.
Each Antiquity II Mini Humbucker is hand built and aged to look and sound like the original. We use a hand-cut P90 soapbar cover-sized mounting ring, and these pickups mount to the guitar exactly like an original Les Paul Deluxe. Staying true to this type of ’50s-era Gibson and Epiphone pickups, these vintage mini humbuckers are not wax potted, which takes you right to the edge of harmonic breakup and sustaining feedback.
These can be used in any guitar with a Les Paul Deluxe or P90 (with our Tapped Mounting Plate) pickup rout.
Hand Built in California. Period Correct. Every Time.
Our team of master builders have been with us for an average of 21 years—they take pride in crafting our products to create the most amazing sound possible.
Take Your Tone For A Test Drive
If you’re not 100% pleased with the sound of your Seymour Duncan pickups, you can exchange them for up to 21 days after purchase. This offer applies to any pickups bought from an authorized Seymour Duncan dealer in the USA.
