sh55 seth lovers vs antiquities?

[Darth Mildly Grumpy]

It's my understanding the Seth Lover was designed to be as true to the original specifications as possible. That is to say, what the specs were supposed to be as opposed to the PAF pickups that actually made their way into production, I.e. mismathced coils, etc.

Both are excellent, but soundwise to my ears the Antiqities have a rawer, brasher tone than the Seths, and Seths are smoother and more even, but to my ears have more balls and girth in a dirty amp. The Ants cut better in the mix, tho.

I prefer the Seths, personally.

Oh, and they are both more articulate than a 57.

.all of the tones i love and am shooting to get closer to were recorded when these pickups were 5-20 years old.

Keep in mind a big part of that tone is produced by the recording equipment used, too.

 

[Axeman16]

It's my understanding the Seth Lover was designed to be as true to the original specifications as possible. That is to say, what the specs were supposed to be as opposed to the PAF pickups that actually made their way into production, I.e. mismathced coils, etc.

Both are excellent, but soundwise to my ears the Antiqities have a rawer, brasher tone than the Seths, and Seths are smoother and more even, but to my ears have more balls and girth in a dirty amp. The Ants cut better in the mix, tho.

I prefer the Seths, personally.

Oh, and they are both more articulate than a 57.



Keep in mind a big part of that tone is produced by the recording equipment used, too.

very true. im leaning towards seths although ill have to take what i find. i wont pay new prices, i wont order from someone in the states since im up here in canada and with the exchange plus uspsits not worth it. there is a guitar show in a few weeks and i hope to find a set there. if not its the kijiji waiting game.

 

[ant_riv]

I've had both.

I love the SLs and moved along the Antiquities. Nothing wrong with them, they just didn't do it for me. Others have done a good job describing the differences, so I won't repeat any of it.

I'm also a big fan of Kossoff.

 

[Darth Mildly Grumpy]

very true. im leaning towards seths although ill have to take what i find. i wont pay new prices, i wont order from someone in the states since im up here in canada and with the exchange plus uspsits not worth it. there is a guitar show in a few weeks and i hope to find a set there. if not its the kijiji waiting game.

I've got a guitar with a Seth bridge and a 57 neck. The 57 is actually a little too muddy, but the middle combo of the two is outstanding, so I put up with the slight muddiness.

 

[Zoobiedood]

the thing is the whole 60 year old pickup doesnt mean anything to me.

all of the tones i love and am shooting to get closer to were recorded when these pickups were 5-20 years old.

Then, the Seths are the right choice.

 

[Axeman16]

Then, the Seths are the right choice.

doing some research into electric city pickups. heard nothing but good things and prices are fairly competitive with that of a new set of seths or ants.

 

[The Archer]

I have both sets loaded into Les Pauls.

One of the guitars is acoustically brighter and took to the Antiquities beautifully. The darker sounding Les Paul sounds incredible with the Seth Lovers.

 

[dmoss74]

i'm curious why folks have never tried to degauss (or re-gauss) their pickup magnets, if they feel that is the reason they aren't getting the desired results? it's relatively easy to do, and cheap.

and i just bought a very reasonably priced ant bridge pickup (gold) to go in my edwards lp custom. it should get here in a couple days. right off the bat, i can assume it will be an improvement over the stock pickup (another duncan. the blow torch 16k bridge pickup...i think it's a jb, or something like that).

i'll give it the usual test...try it alone. maybe re-gauss (if i don't initially like it). from there, it would be mag swaps. if i don't like an a3, a4 or a5 in it, off she goes to the bay.

 

[Zoobiedood]

I think people tend to start messing with height, pole height and on to swapping magnets. I guess I don't hear much about degaussing as it is a mystery to many people. How are you doing it?

 

[dmoss74]

member zhangliqun told me about how you can get a neodymium disc magnet (from stew mac) and just wave it across the pickup, even while it's in the guitar, and you can even be playing it while you're doing it. you just hold it a couple inches away, and swipe it across the pickup, at about a 45 degree angle.

you can de-gauss, or re-gauss, using the same method. and the results are instantaneous.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Be aware of two things:

1) What pole (N or S) of the neo disk is facing what pole of the bar magnet in the pickup.

2) When degaussing, the results are instantaneous -- partly. In some cases the full effect might not be complete for days or even weeks.

 

[dmoss74]

Be aware of two things:

1) What pole (N or S) of the neo disk is facing what pole of the bar magnet in the pickup.

2) When degaussing, the results are instantaneous -- partly. In some cases the full effect might not be complete for days or even weeks.

thanks for clarifying that. when i did a little dg, it seemed instantaneous, and didn't change a whole lot after time. or if it did, i didn't notice any substantial changes.

 

[Slater529]

I just put a set of Antiquities in my R9 and they sound really good to my ears. Playing clean they're clear, articulate and chimey. Perfect!

Adding dirt with either a Fulltone Full Drive 2 through a clean channel, or with on-board drive channel distortion.. They don't sound harsh or brittle, in fact I haven't found a setting I don't like.

I'm willing to bet I'd love the SL set too. But to be perfectly honest, I doubt I'd be able to appreciate the subtle differences. I'm happy with my choice and as far as I'm concerned, the search is over.

Now I just need to STOP reading pickup reviews!

 

[Zoobiedood]

Haha, the Ants are beautiful pickups. Some love the Seths more, some less. Eventually you just have to enjoy and play.

 

[dmoss74]

to the op: my antiquity bridge came in this afternoon, and i just installed it. here's a clip where you can hear it.

https://app.box.com/s/nla5rfd3xc2tq87comw49qequ7c1xgm2

i did three different sounds, clean, with a slight od (od11), then the od11, boosted with an ocd, but set to be just a boost (all volume, no drive). what the recording is not picking up is how much less volume the antiquity puts out, vs the neck pickup. it's way more palpable in the room. they all begin with the neck, then the middle, then the bridge. but you can probably figure that out without me telling you.

and the neck pickup i have in this guitar is a very low wind (6.8), with an a2 magnet. it's setup below the neck ring, while the ant is right up, almost touching the strings. i definitely think these are probably supposed to be matched (the antiquities, that is).

i have some other a2 magnets, that are more fully charged. i'll swap one of them in (if i decide to keep the pickup) next string change. the overall tone is fine, it's just that it's getting overpowered by the neck pickup...which, again, the sm57 didn't really pick up on.

amp is an ac15c1, and the levels were moderate. master was at about 9:30, and the channel volume (top boost) was only at like 9:00, or 8:30.

i would definitely recommend getting these as a set. they are probably matched better that way. the pickup reads as spec'd. 8.58.

sorry for the long clip. i wanted to hear the differences recorded.

 

[Zoobiedood]

Great clips there. The Ants (& Seths) are my favorite sets in any LP or semi-hollow.

 

[dmoss74]

pardon the multiple (lengthy) clips, but i tried another recording, to try to show how (in a live room), the antiquity sounds like it has less output than the other pickup. i used a condenser mic this time, and backed it about two feet away from the amp.

funny thing is, this still isn't picking it up. but i think i see (hear) what's happening. there's a definite midrange hump to this pickup, or more of a compressed overall tone. the low notes (and high notes) are somewhat subdued in this pickup, which i'd have to attribute to the weakened magnet. or at least that's my guess.

anyway, not a bad pickup, but i don't think i'll be keeping it. i'd rather just keep this stock and sell it, rather than dick around with the magnets.

if anyone wants it, hit me up.

https://app.box.com/s/ng765wucgdep6d8krzhykmiv18xwdmbl

 

[Zoobiedood]

member zhangliqun told me about how you can get a neodymium disc magnet (from stew mac) and just wave it across the pickup, even while it's in the guitar, and you can even be playing it while you're doing it. you just hold it a couple inches away, and swipe it across the pickup, at about a 45 degree angle.

you can de-gauss, or re-gauss, using the same method. and the results are instantaneous.

Wow, I learned something! Is there a way to measure it while you do it, so you can get predictable results?

 

[dmoss74]

Wow, I learned something! Is there a way to measure it while you do it, so you can get predictable results?

yer ears.

 

[AJK1]

to the op: my antiquity bridge came in this afternoon, and i just installed it. here's a clip where you can hear it.

https://app.box.com/s/nla5rfd3xc2tq87comw49qequ7c1xgm2

i did three different sounds, clean, with a slight od (od11), then the od11, boosted with an ocd, but set to be just a boost (all volume, no drive). what the recording is not picking up is how much less volume the antiquity puts out, vs the neck pickup. it's way more palpable in the room. they all begin with the neck, then the middle, then the bridge. but you can probably figure that out without me telling you.

and the neck pickup i have in this guitar is a very low wind (6.8), with an a2 magnet. it's setup below the neck ring, while the ant is right up, almost touching the strings. i definitely think these are probably supposed to be matched (the antiquities, that is).

i have some other a2 magnets, that are more fully charged. i'll swap one of them in (if i decide to keep the pickup) next string change. the overall tone is fine, it's just that it's getting overpowered by the neck pickup...which, again, the sm57 didn't really pick up on.

amp is an ac15c1, and the levels were moderate. master was at about 9:30, and the channel volume (top boost) was only at like 9:00, or 8:30.

i would definitely recommend getting these as a set. they are probably matched better that way. the pickup reads as spec'd. 8.58.

sorry for the long clip. i wanted to hear the differences recorded.

I've always been able to recognise ant pickups, they have a definite sound
I used to own a set and couldn't dial them in, in hindsight probably because i wanted them to be something that they are not.

But strangely, i miss them and their unique sound.
I'm tempted to get another set one day