Seymour Duncan is easily one of the biggest names when it comes to pickups. Whether you are looking for a set of vintage spec single coils for your classic Tele, a modern set of humbuckers for your brand new Gibson SG or even an active pair for your Music Man bass, Duncan has you covered ten times over. But as good as their homegrown creations are their artist signature pickups sets are just as great. Often based on popular models used by the players themselves, these Signature Artist pickups are more than just fanservice -- they are high-quality pieces of gear worthy of the Seymour Duncan brand. With that said, take a look at a few of our favorite Seymour Duncan Artist Signature Pickups below.  

Jimi Hendrix Signature Strat Single-Coil Set

The newest artist signature set on this list, these single coils were meticulously built to recreate the sound and feel of Jimi’s own Strat pickups. Whether you’re a fan of the Hendrix Strat sound or not, the fact remains that these are solid, vintage-style Stratocaster pickups that imbue the quality and craftsmanship that has echoed Seymour Duncan’s products throughout their history. Seeing as how Hendrix famously played his Strat upside down (the strings were restrung the correct way, though), this set features a reverse pole piece stagger to recreate that same sound and feel. While this might make these pickups feel somewhat off balanced compared to what most Strat players are accustomed to, they do give the set a unique flavor not seen with other single coils. All in all, these single coils are great vintage-style pickups worthy of the man himself. Also available as a Loaded Pickguard. Click here for more information on the Jimi Hendrix Signature Strat set.  

APH-2 Alnico II Pro Slash Humbucker Set

While Slash has played with multiple amazing guitars over the years, he's been using the same Les Paul for all of his recordings since 1986. This set was designed to specifically give his other Les Pauls, what he calls his "live guitars," that exact same tone. Based on Duncan's famous APH-1 Alnico II Pro Humbucker design, this signature set features the same rich, thick tone, only kicked up a notch. In order to get that same sweet sustain and signature crunch that characterizes Slash's signature sound, there Alnico 2 pickups are overwound just enough to push them towards that sonic sweet spot heard on countless records. But the custom job doesn't end there: The Slash set comes with some of the same other features found on the Duncan pickups in Slash's '86 Les Paul (his main recording ax) including single-conductor cable, long-legged bottom plate, and wooden spacer. For the hardcore Slash fan or for any player that loves sweet, rich humbucker tone, this set comes highly recommended. Click here for more information on the APH-2 Pro Slash Humbucker set.    

Dave Mustaine Livewire Active Humbucker Set

For all of you active pickups players out there, this is a set you should definitely give a closer look at, whether you're a fan of Dave Mustaine or not. While there are a lot of benefits to active pickups, they are not without their drawbacks. So when Seymour Duncan got together with the Megadeth frontman, their mission was to create a pickup preamp that allowed the organic sound and feel of passive pickups with the high gain aggression of an active set -- all without losing any clarity. Suffice it to say that the Livewire Active set delivers on the promise as these are some of the smoothest active pickups I've ever heard. But don't get me wrong, these are high gain pickups through and through, perfect for classic rock, garage, punk, thrash, nu-metal, death metal, hard rock and plenty of other high-energy styles. Best of all, this set includes the necessary pots, mounting hardware, jack, and battery clip for easy installation. Click here for more information on the Dave Mustain Livewire Active Pickup set.    

Jason Becker Perpetual Burn Humbucker

With an Alnico 5 bar magnet and a 12.11k of DC resistance, this humbucker has the clarity and punch tailor made for shredders and high-energy players in mind. The Perpetual Burn is also a great choice for rock, blues, and fusion players as well. And for all of you out there that don't feel like you have the know-how to perform a pickup installation, the Perpetual Burn is an easy-to-set replacement for any humbucker-equipped guitar that requires no modification to the instrument. Unfortunately, the Perpetual Burn Humbucker is only available as a bridge model, although it will pair perfectly with a hot neck humbucker for a modern, high-energy sound or with a lower-output neck pickup for a more versatile configuration. The Perpetual Burn is available in both standard humbucker and Fender-friendly Trembucker spacings. Click here for more information on the Jason Becker Perpetual Burn Humbucker.    

Final Thoughts …

If the pickups above are any indication, you shouldn't discount artist signature pickups as a simple gimmick or cash grab. Not only are they worthy of the artist who's name they bare, they are great pickups in their own right. Whether you are a fan of the players or not, you owe it to yourself and your tone to give these Duncan Artist Signature pickups a closer look! If you have any questions regarding the purchase of any of the Duncan Artist Signature pickups mentioned above or any other piece of gear we carry, don't hesitate to chat with one of our friendly PAL pros by using the live chat feature below or by calling us toll-free at 1 877-671-2200!    

Your Turn to Sound Off!

What's your opinion on signature pickup sets? Have you ever used any on your own guitar?

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