Seymour Duncan—both the man, and the company that bears his name—has been at the forefront of pickup innovation for decades and is a firmly established leader in transducers for guitar and bass. The complete Seymour Duncan catalog includes everything from vintage-inspired Strat and Tele sets to modern extended-range humbuckers, as well as soundhole devices for acoustic guitar and thundering, rumbling bass pickups. In this guide, we’ll cover in-demand offerings in the humbucker, Stratocaster, Telecaster and bass categories, in addition to one of the most popular 7-string sets on the market and a quirky, multi-voiced pickup pair.

One thing is for certain: Duncan does it all. Whether you play blues, rock, country, jazz, punk, metal, fusion or all of the above, there are Seymour Duncan pickups for you.

Pictured: Swapping Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded SH-2 Neck Pickup into Les Paul

Table of Contents

Seymour Duncan's History of Pickup Manufacturing
Seymour Duncan's Humbucker Pickup Offerings
   Seymour Duncan Retrospec'd Antiquity Humbucker Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded SH-4/SH-2 Humbucker Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan SH-6 Duncan Distortion Bridge Humbucker Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Humbucker Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Humbucker Pickup Set
Seymour Duncan's Stratocaster Pickup Offerings
   Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Strat Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surfer Strat Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Strat Pickup Set
Seymour Duncan's Telecaster Pickup Offerings
   Seymour Duncan Little '59/Vintage Stack Telecaster Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Hot Chicken Telecaster Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Telecaster Pickup Set
Seymour Duncan's Bass Pickup Offerings
   Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Bass Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound P Bass Pickup Set
Seymour Duncan's 7-String and "Out There" Pickup Offerings
   Seymour Duncan Nazgûl/Sentient 7-String Humbucker Pickup Set
   Seymour Duncan SHPR-1s P-Rails Neck and Bridge Pickup Set
Swap for a Set of Seymour Duncan Pickups

Seymour Duncan's History of Pickup Manufacturing

Seymour W. Duncan wound his first pickup using improvised tools at age 16, in order to fix his broken Fender Telecaster. By the mid ’60s, Duncan was working as a guitar repairman and had built a reputation among local musicians for his skill and ingenuity as a tech. Committed to tonal experimentation during this period, Duncan also reached out to Les Paul and Seth Lover (both of whom became mentors) for advice from inventive minds.

Pictured: Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Humbucker Pickup Set

As word of Duncan’s repairs and modifications spread, none other than Jimi Hendrix requested a meeting with him at Xavier University in 1968. Naturally, Duncan gifted Hendrix a custom set of pickups. In 1973, Duncan moved to London at Les Paul’s suggestion, where he found work at the Fender Soundhouse. There, he offered repair services and pickup rewinds to artists such as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, George Harrison, Pete Townshend and David Gilmour.

Based on growing demand for his custom pickups, the Seymour Duncan company was officially established in Santa Barbara, California, circa 1976. Seymour Duncan has continued to grow and evolve since, catering to guitarists and bassists of every style in the ever-changing world of music.

Pictured: Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded SH-4/SH-2 Humbucker Pickup Set

Today, Seymour Duncan remains a thriving pickup manufacturer with additional footholds in pedals, power amplifiers and parts. The following is a curated list of some of our favorite, top-selling pickups in the Duncan range.

Seymour Duncan's Humbucker Pickup Offerings

Pickup Model	Tonal Profile	Magnet Type	Output Level	Pickup Resistance (ohms)
Retrospec’d Antiquity Set	Vintage, P.A.F.-style voicing; articulate yet mellow; sweet treble and full lows	Alnico 2	Medium	8.6k (bridge); 7.7k (neck)
Hot Rodded SH-4 JB/SH-2 Jazz Model Set	Tight lows, airy highs, aggressive midrange (bridge); warm and vocal-like with scooped mids (neck)	Alnico 5	High	16.6k (bridge); 7.5k (neck)
SH-6 Duncan Distortion Bridge	Powerful rock/metal tones with enhanced upper-midrange harmonics	Ceramic	High	16.6k
SH-8 Invader Set	Vicious high gain; richest low end of any Duncan humbucker, with prominent mids and crunchy treble	Ceramic	High	16.6k (bridge); 7.5k (neck)
SH-55 Seth Lover Set	Classic rock tones; warm lows, balanced mids and smooth highs	Alnico 2	Medium	8.25k (bridge); 7.4k (neck)

Seymour Duncan Retrospec'd Antiquity Humbucker Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Antiquity humbuckers are closely based on original Gibson P.A.F. (Patent Applied For) pickups, right down to being constructed with some of the same tools.

Things to Consider:

• Authentically unpotted for increased sensitivity
• Vintage-voiced sound is less “hyped” than a modern humbucker
• Pairs well with a Les Paul or Les Paul-style guitar

 

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Retrospec'd Antiquity Humbucker Pickup Set

Seymour Duncan Retrospec’d Antiquity humbuckers are built in their Custom Shop, which is headed by Maricela “MJ” Juarez—La Maestra. She’s worked with Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour, Slash, Billy Gibbons and countless others, helping bring their signature sound to life. Anything passing through the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop is top tier.

The Retrospec’d Antiquity humbucker set is magnetically “aged” to emulate years of maturation and wound on a genuine Leesona machine straight from Gibson’s early Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory. The neck pickup is soft and round, with just enough bite up top for clarity, while the bridge position offers old-school snarl and warm sponginess. The Antiquity humbucker set is ideal for anyone seeking famous P.A.F. tones that seemingly never go out of style.

Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded SH-4/SH-2 Humbucker Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The SH-4 JB bridge and SH-2 Jazz Model neck evolved from the pickups installed in the legendary “Tele-Gib” guitar Seymour W. Duncan gifted to Jeff Beck—famously heard on 1974’s Blow by Blow.

Things to Consider:

• Wildly popular pickup pairing and Seymour Duncan’s personal favorites
• Versatile sound suits many genres, including blues, country, hard rock and metal
• Vacuum wax potted to reduce sensitivity to feedback and noise

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded SH-4/SH-2 Humbucker Pickup Set

Seymour Duncan’s Hot Rodded humbucker set includes the iconic SH-4 JB bridge and SH-2 Jazz Model neck pickups. The Jazz-Blues (JB) is Duncan’s most popular electric guitar pickup of all time, and it was invented early in the founder’s career. Alongside the Jazz Model neck humbucker, this set delivers an exceptionally versatile array of sounds first demonstrated by Jeff Beck. In the early ’70s, the tone Beck achieved with Seymour Duncan’s pickups had guitarists scrambling to get their hands on his custom windings. Sitting on 70 reviews at the time of publication, the Hot Rodded humbucker set scores a near-perfect 4.9/5, thanks to its inherently timeless tone.

Seymour Duncan SH-6 Duncan Distortion Bridge Humbucker Pickup

Why It’s Cool: Initially debuting in 1980, the SH-6 Duncan Distortion bridge humbucker is a high-output beast for every manner of hard rock and metal.  

Things to Consider:

• Duncan’s original high-output passive humbucker
• Comes in a variety of covered/uncovered configurations and colors
• Also offered as a 7-string or 8-string model

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan SH-6 Duncan Distortion Brige Humbucker Pickup

For high-gain guitarists requiring utmost articulation and note-to-note definition, the SH-6 Duncan Distortion bridge humbucker is up to the task. By way of boosted midrange and treble spectrums, even under dense distortion, this pickup injects cutting clarity into the signal. Balanced by tight, punchy lows, the Duncan Distortion bridge never sounds muddy and holds up well to down tuning for even the most crushing tones. Another popular, top-reviewed offering by Seymour Duncan, the SH-6 has garnered a rating of 4.8/5 on our site. It's also available in the neck position.  

Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Humbucker Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Overwound coils, oversized pole pieces and three ceramic magnets turn any guitar into a vicious metal machine.

Things to Consider:

• Active-style aggression and output from a passive pickup
• Substantial low and low-mid content for enhanced fullness
• Used by everyone from Tom DeLonge to Wes Borland

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Humbucker Pickup Set

The sonic signature of monstrous Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader humbuckers is assertive and transformative—take nearly any guitar, and they’ll turn it into a beast for punk, thrash, nu metal and more. A trio of ceramic magnets and overwound coils pump out the power, enriching high-gain distortion with fullness, depth and attitude. The Invaders’ oversized pole pieces additionally widen the magnetic field, and subsequently the frequency response, resulting in uncanny low end for bone-rattling riffs. Another top-reviewed favorite of hard rock and metal guitarists, the Seymour Duncan Invader set earns a flawless 5/5 stars from our customers.

Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Humbucker Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The SH-55 was a collaborative development between Seymour W. Duncan and Seth Lover—the inventor of the humbucker—in the early ’90s, to nail the symbolic P.A.F. sound.

Things to Consider:

• Vintage-output pickup with a broad, sweet tonality
• Full-spectrum coverage weighs heavier on the treble side
• Unpotted for maximum sensitivity and inimitable microphonic character

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Humbucker Pickup Set

Just as no two vintage Patent Applied For humbuckers were ever exactly the same, the Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover set has its own character separate from the Antiquity pickups seen above. This model is a faithfully recreated “OG” P.A.F., which borrows its design directly from Lover’s 1955 original. In the neck position, its sound is iconically round, smooth and unpretentious, with the ability to warm up even the most frigid guitar. At the other end, the Seth Lover bridge humbucker has enough bite to chomp through a mix with a more traditional, compressed, almost honky midrange voice. These are the sound of classic rock, blues and country.

To summarize with a quote from a reviewer: “You could spend more, but they won’t be any better than these. They are insanely good. They have that magic, 3D, unpotted, microphonic sound.”

Seymour Duncan's Stratocaster Pickup Offerings

Pickup Model	Tonal Profile	Magnet Type	Output Level	Pickup Resistance (ohms)
Quarter Pound Strat Set	Thick and punchy, with lots of snarl and top-end sparkle	Alnico 5	Medium-high	13.4k (bridge); 12.87k (middle); 12.37k (neck)
Antiquity II Surfer Strat Set	Smooth, chimey, bouncy and quintessentially “Strat”	Alnico 5	Low	9.8k (bridge); 6.5k (middle); 6.5k (neck)
Hot Rails Strat Set	High-gain ready, with aggressive crunch and articulate note definition	Ceramic	High	16.6k (bridge); 10.9k (middle); 10.9k (neck)

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Strat Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Ideal for heavy rock, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Strat trio serves up massive tone reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore.   

Things to Consider:

• Twice the power of a traditional single coil
• These fit in any guitar routed for single coils
• Reverse wound, reverse polarity (RW/RP) middle pickup cancels hum in 2 and 4 positions

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Strat Pickup Set

Convert your go-to Stratocaster into a surly snarler with the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound set. Boasting a hotter-than-average output, these pickups lend themselves to huge, sustaining chords and scorching leads, while still maintaining the distinct personality of single-coil Strat pickups. The sound is firm in the lows, rich in the mids and shining in the highs. Though the bridge position is notably aggressive, the middle and neck pickups still offer the throatiness and quack associated with more traditional Strat tones.

Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surfer Strat Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surfer Strat set channels a variety of genre-defining sounds associated with 1960s surf, rock, blues and country.  

Things to Consider:

• Cosmetically aged to look like a true vintage pickup set
• EQ profile sports moderate bass, natural mids and prominent highs
• RW/RP middle pickup for noiseless operation in 2 and 4 positions

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Strat Surfer Pickup Set

The Antiquity II Surfer Strat single-coil pickup set throws back to a pivotal time in electric guitar history, where the Fender Stratocaster’s unique voice began to inspire new forms of musical expression. While the neck and middle positions provide smooth, bouncy chime, the bridge pickup is wound approximately 50% hotter for more midrange push and output. This gives the Antiquity II Surfer Strat bridge single coil a slightly more in-your-face character, without compromising that one-of-a-kind Stratocaster sound. This is a true vintage-inspired set for old-school rock purists.

Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Strat Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Hot Rails scale humbucker design down into single-coil form factor for high-gain tones in a traditional SSS Stratocaster layout.    

Things to Consider:

• Perfect for hard rockers who like the look and feel of a Strat
• Dual blade construction offers maximum string coverage
• As humbuckers, they’re virtually noiseless

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Strat Pickup Set

A set of Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for a Stratocaster soups it up with the meatiness and singing sustain of unchained humbuckers. With more than enough horsepower for belligerent saturation, Hot Rails turn your Strat into a high-gain sleeper, conquering even the most extreme metal tones with ease. Chords ring powerfully and articulately, and single-note runs leap off the fretboard, enhanced by the bridge position’s gorgeous midrange overtones. If you love your Strat and want to repurpose it for heavier music, installing a set of Hot Rails is the way to go.

Seymour Duncan's Telecaster Pickup Offerings

Pickup Model	Tonal Profile	Magnet Type	Output Level	Pickup Resistance (ohms)
Little ’59/Vintage Stack Set	P.A.F.-style humbucking tones (bridge); classic, spanky warmth (neck)	Ceramic (bridge); Alnico 5 (neck)	Medium (bridge); Low (neck)	17.7k (bridge); 15.8k (neck)
Hot Chicken Tele Set	Vintage Tele twang with boosted highs and lows for modern styles	Alnico 5	Low	26.46k (bridge); 15.8k (neck)
Quarter Pound Tele Set	Throaty, growly roar (bridge); midrange-focused for huge chords (neck)	Alnico 5	Medium-high	16.95k (bridge); 11.75k (neck)

Seymour Duncan Little '59/Vintage Stack Telecaster Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The Little ’59 and Vintage Rhythm Stack combo turns any Telecaster into a rock machine.

Things to Consider:

• Neck pickup cuts interference associated with transducers in this position
• Single coil-sized bridge serves humbucking-style tones
• Set preserves classic Tele tonality with a little extra “oomph”

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Little '59/Vintage Stack Telecaster Pickup Set

Between the Seymour Duncan Little ’59 bridge and Vintage Rhythm Stack neck, you can explore an array of both classic and contemporary sounds. The P.A.F.-inspired Little ’59 is timeless and perfectly suited to modern rock, offering a killer, full-bodied humbucker sound. In the neck position, the Vintage Rhythm Stack delivers traditional Tele tones with all the trebly twang and spank that’s made the guitar’s voice so famous. This vintage-modern pickup set is ideal for players hoping to slightly beef up their Telecaster’s sonics without changing its character altogether.

Seymour Duncan Hot Chicken Telecaster Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Seymour Duncan Hot Chicken Tele pickups cater to today’s chicken pickin’ country guitarists.

Things to Consider:

• Neck EQ profile is balanced with slightly scooped mids
• Bridge EQ profile balances bass and mids while boosting highs
• As Duncan Tele Stack pickups, they’re practically noiseless

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Hot Chicken Telecaster Pickup Set

The Seymour Duncan Hot Chicken Tele pickup set preserves old-school twang but increases the output and shirks the noise for use in higher-gain situations. While not true single coils, the Hot Chicken recipe dishes authentic Telecaster tones for the palettes of contemporary country players. Noiseless operation is a huge plus, enabling guitarists to easily match their Tele to hotter amplifiers and enjoy clean, clear sound.

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Telecaster Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The Quarter Pound Tele set coaxes the heaviest humbucking sounds from your Telecaster.

Things to Consider:

• Achieve the saturation expected from humbuckers with true single coils
• Each pickup has plenty of top-end definition and midrange bite
• Ideal for heavier rock, fusion and more

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Telecaster Pickup Set

Seymour Duncan’s Quarter Pound Tele set is one of the hotter offerings on order, delivering thick, overdriven humbucking sounds for folks who like to rock a little harder than a traditional Telecaster allows. These well-matched bridge and neck pickups complement each other perfectly in terms of tonality. The rhythm position is incredible for punchy chords and buttery leads, while the lead pickup conjures up an effortless roar akin to a P90. Push your Telecaster’s tone over the edge with a pair of Quarter Pound pickups; they do come highly rated, at 4.89 stars on our site.

Seymour Duncan's Bass Pickup Offerings

Pickup Model	Tonal Profile	Magnet Type	Output Level	Pickup Resistance (ohms)
Quarter Pound PJ Bass Set	Punchy, sustaining and articulate tone suited to hard rock and punk	Alnico 5	High	14.61k (bridge); 12.5k (neck)
Quarter Pound Jazz Bass Set	Powerful and harmonically complex, with prominent attack and sustain	Alnico 5	High	13.7k (bridge and neck)
Quarter Pound P Bass Pickup	Fat, full and punchy, with additional midrange presence	Alnico 5	High	12.5k

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Bass Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Bassists from Blink-182, Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Religion and more have built their low-end foundation on Quarter Pound PJ pickups.   

Things to Consider:

• Powerful, versatile blend of Precision and Jazz Bass tonalities
• Intensely wound Jazz Bass pickup increases sonic richness
• P Bass pickup magnets create extended frequency range

 

Shop Now:: Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ Bass Pickup Set

When it comes to hard-hitting bass tones with ample low-end power, midrange assertiveness and a hint of air up top, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound PJ bass pickup set covers all of that and more. The Jazz Bass single coil produces a focused midrange attack, which helps your tone cut through dense arrangements and solidifies the mix to create a massive sonic force alongside guitars. Meanwhile, the Precision Bass split single coil offers a full, fat frequency response with loads of output. Together, the pair excels in hard rock and metal, though they’re convincingly versatile for a range of genres.

Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: These Quarter Pound pickups give you all the goodness of a classic Jazz Bass sound, with even greater attack, sustain and midrange drive.

Things to Consider:

• RW/RP neck pickup for hum cancellation when used with bridge
• Replacements for any Fender American Standard Jazz Bass
• Modern output with vintage articulation

 

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass Pickup Set

The Jazz Bass is one of the most celebrated designs in history, suitable for not only its namesake, but also blues, pop, R&B, rock in every flavor and even metal. Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass pickups preserve the versatility and integrity of the growling, midrange-focused bridge position and the warm, round neck (or middle) single coil—only with a little more juice.

Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound P Bass Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The Quarter Pound P Bass pickup uses larger pole pieces to expand its magnetic field and frequency range, resulting in massive sound.

Things to Consider:

• Seymour Duncan’s most popular bass pickup
• Perfect for rock/metal, but versatile enough for other styles
• Replacement for any Fender American Standard Precision Bass

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Quarter Pound P Bass Pickup Set

The Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P Bass split single-coil pickup is a high-output transducer for undeniably huge tone. By incorporating 1/4" pole pieces into the design, the Quarter Pound’s low-end response is intensely powerful, while the midrange is lightly scooped, and the highs offer enough bite to stand out in a mix. At high volumes, vacuum wax potting prevents feedback, so you can plug in, get loud and retain the full fidelity of your signal. A word of advice from one DIY modder: “Before you ditch your less expensive bass because you’re frustrated with the sound, do an upgrade to these babies. The installation was easy, and for just a few bucks you get quality sound.”

Seymour Duncan's 7-String and "Out There" Pickup Offerings

Pickup Model	Tonal Profile	Magnet Type	Output Level	Pickup Resistance (ohms)
Nazgûl/Sentient 7-String Set	Saturated and defined; ultratight lows and crisp mids for brutal high gain	Ceramic bridge, Alnico 5 neck	High	16.7k (bridge); 9.2k (neck)
SHPR-1s P-Rails Set	Combines humbucking, P90 and single-coil sounds in one pickup	Alnico 5	Medium-high	18.9k (bridge); 13k (neck)

Seymour Duncan Nazgûl/Sentient 7-String Humbucker Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: The Nazgûl/Sentient pickup set provides a quintessentially modern metal sound with punchy lows, assertive mids and illuminated highs.       

Things to Consider:

• Emphasizes pick attack for precise technical riffing
• Brutally voiced bridge and balanced, versatile neck
• Originally designed specifically for 7- and 8-string guitars

Shop Now:Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient 7-String Humbucker Pickup Set

Named after the Ringwraiths in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary Lord of the Rings series, the Seymour Duncan Nazgûl bridge humbucker possesses a fearsome sonic aura, lending the power of Black Breath to your 7-string for all-out high-gain terror. Tight, articulate and aggressive, it maintains clarity and harmonic richness suited to extended-range guitars. Completing the set is the Sentient neck position, which offers a more traditional voicing somewhere between the brand’s famous ’59 and Jazz models. Together, the Seymour Duncan Nazgûl/Sentient 7-string pairing covers everything from scorching, well-defined saturation to full, fluid lead lines.

Seymour Duncan SHPR-1s P-Rails Neck and Bridge Pickup Set

Why It’s Cool: Seymour Duncan P-Rails are a unique hybrid pickup featuring three distinct tones for players seeking ultimate versatility from one guitar.  

Things to Consider:

• Humbucking, P90 and Strat-like single-coil operation
• Wires to a 3-way mini switch for toggling voices
• Fits any standard humbucker slot

Shop Now: Seymour Duncan SHPR-1s P-Rails Neck and Bridge Pickup Set

Melding a Hot Rails coil with their Vintage P90, the Seymour Duncan P-Rails set functions as three pickups in one. With both coils engaged, they offer a rock-ready humbucking sound, but the magic lies in splitting them to run in pure single-coil or P90 modes. You can toggle between each setting at will, covering a broad range of sonic territory and negating the need to frequently swap guitars for genre-spanning gigs. P-Rails are an inspiring, versatile set of pickups if you play out regularly and would prefer to carry only a guitar or two.

Swap for a Set of Seymour Duncan Pickups

Mod-hungry guitarists and bassists, look no further—Seymour Duncan produces a pickup for everyone. We’ve shed light on some of their most popular offerings here, though you’re encouraged to also explore the broader Seymour Duncan pickup selection to help make your tonal dreams a reality.

Pictured: Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader Humbucker Pickup Set

Once you’ve tracked down the perfect pickup or set, a Guitar Center Repairs tech can perform an expert installation. This service is offered at each of our 300+ stores nationwide, so your new sound is never too far away. If you’re ready for a sonic transformation, consider Seymour Duncan.