Description

The Philip Sayce “Big Daddy” Stratocaster® Pickup Set is a tonal tribute to the pickups found in one of Philip’s favorite vintage guitars. Capturing all the power and character that ‘60s Strat® pickups are known for, the Big Daddy set is a snapshot of how a great set of pickups sound after 60+ years of aging and countless high-intensity performances.

Philip Sayce has solidified himself as one of blues guitar’s modern powerhouses, and anyone who hears his signature licks can tell you: he really knows his way around a Stratocaster. Sayce is known for playing two iconic vintage Strats: Mother and Big Daddy. While they’re both from 1963, they have completely different personalities. Mother sports a set of pickups from 1958, slightly underwound, with an articulate and airy tone characteristic of ’50s Strat pickups. Big Daddy is big and muscular, epitomizing the best of what ‘60s Strats have to offer. After the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop replicated Philip’s Mother Stratocaster set with astounding detail in 2025, Philip decided Big Daddy deserved the same treatment.

In the early 1960s, Fender’s Stratocaster pickups changed slightly – with higher output and a punchier sound. This led Philip to seek out 1963 Strats throughout his time playing with Jeff Healey, Melissa Etheridge, and in his solo career. After years of searching, he found Big Daddy, a 1963 sunburst Stratocaster that became one of his favorites on stage and in the studio. Today, the neck and bridge pickups are original to the instrument, and the middle pickup was swapped for a carefully selected early-1965 gray bottom Strat pickup. The combination made Big Daddy “like a steamroller” in Philip’s words – the guitar he reached for when looking for a massive Strat sound.

To recreate these special pickups, the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop and engineering team took special care to develop a recipe that would sonically match the tone, feel, and output characteristics of the originals: A full-bodied neck pickup, “greasy” and expressive middle pickup, and a unique bridge pickup with the perfect amount of power and highs that cut through without being too harsh.

Through careful measurement and sound testing – the Custom Shop team was able to deliver a pickup set that perfectly nailed the tone and attitude of Philip’s guitar. As Philip’s original bridge pickup aged, the copper wire made direct contact with the Alnico 5 magnets, resulting in a subtle smoothing of the high end. To recreate this signature sonic fingerprint, Seymour Duncan’s engineering team introduced a micro-capacitor soldered to the back of the pickup. This gently shifts the resonant peak, producing the sweet treble response needed to round out this balanced set.

In honor of Big Daddy’s 1963 vintage, the first 630 sets of the Philip Sayce “Big Daddy” Stratocaster® Pickups are specially aged in the Custom Shop to match the look of the originals. They include a certificate of authenticity signed by Philip and Seymour W. Duncan inside the limited-edition packaging. These limited-edition sets are available now on a first-come, first-served basis. All sets are pad-printed with Philip’s signature on the flatwork.

Looking for a vintage ‘60s Strat tone that doesn’t hold back? The “Big Daddy” Stratocaster Pickup Set has the huge sound that drives Philip Sayce’s heaviest performances.

Strat ® and Stratocaster ® are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation