Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker Set — Aged PAF Vintage Neck & Bridge

The Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbucker set is one of the most historically faithful reproductions of Seth Lover's original 1955 Gibson P.A.F. humbucker ever made commercially. Built in Seymour Duncan's Custom Shop and wound on the actual Leesona winding machine from Gibson's original Kalamazoo, Michigan factory, these pickups use period-correct materials throughout — Alnico 2 bar magnets, 42AWG plain enamel wire, butyrate bobbins cast from the original P.A.F. mould, and single-conductor braided lead wire — and are aged both cosmetically and magnetically to replicate the character of a pickup that has been played and loved for decades.

The PAF — What It Is and Why It Matters

P.A.F. stands for Patent Applied For — a reference to the sticker Gibson placed on the underside of the humbuckers Seth Lover designed and first installed in Gibson guitars from 1955 onwards, before the patent was granted. The patent (US 2,896,491) was for a hum-cancelling pickup using two coils wound in opposite directions and connected out of phase, which cancels the 50/60 cycle hum that single-coil pickups are prone to while preserving the guitar signal.

Original P.A.F. humbuckers were hand-wound on manual winding machines and assembled from whatever materials were available in Gibson's Kalamazoo factory at the time — which means they varied considerably between units. Some were wound hotter, some cooler. Some magnets were stronger, some weaker. The coil scatter (the distribution of wire on the bobbin) was irregular in ways that machine winding cannot replicate consistently. This variability is precisely what vintage pickup hunters value: no two original P.A.F.s sound exactly alike, and the range of tones within that original production run encompasses most of the sounds that define classic rock, blues, and jazz guitar.

The authentic P.A.F. production run ended around 1962–1963 when Gibson changed materials and processes. A genuine original today in good condition changes hands for prices that reflect its rarity and tonal significance. The Seymour Duncan Antiquity is for players who want that tone in a guitar they can actually play.

Alnico 2 Magnets — And Why Magnetic Aging Changes Everything

Alnico 2 (aluminium, nickel, cobalt, grade 2) is the magnet material used in Seth Lover's original P.A.F. design, and it is fundamentally different from Alnico 5, which is the dominant magnet alloy in most modern passive humbuckers. Alnico 2 is softer in magnetic character — it has lower coercivity (resistance to demagnetisation) and a lower maximum energy product than Alnico 5. In practice this translates to a slightly warmer, more compressed tone with a sweeter, less assertive treble response and a full, rounded low-end.

But the more significant variable is magnetic field strength over time. Alnico magnets are susceptible to gradual demagnetisation through repeated mechanical shock (being strummed and vibrated for decades), heat, and simply the passage of time. A P.A.F. from 1957 has a meaningfully weaker magnetic field than the day it left the Kalamazoo factory. This matters tonally: a weaker magnet field means less pull on the strings, which allows the strings to vibrate more freely and sustain longer without the magnet's pull dampening the vibration. The result is the airy, open, slightly loose character that is so distinctive in well-aged original P.A.F.s — a quality that cannot be replicated simply by using fresh Alnico 2 magnets.

Seymour Duncan's magnetic aging process partially demagnetises the Alnico 2 magnets in each Antiquity pickup to replicate the field strength of a vintage unit. This is not a cosmetic process and cannot be seen — it is a functional change to how the pickups interact with the strings, and it is a central reason why the Antiquity sounds different from other Alnico 2 humbuckers built from new parts.

Wound on the Original Leesona Machine from Kalamazoo

When Gibson closed its Kalamazoo, Michigan factory in 1984, Seymour Duncan acquired the original Leesona winding machine that had been used to wind humbuckers in the P.A.F. era. This machine is still in use at the Santa Barbara Custom Shop for the Antiquity series.

The significance is in how the machine winds the wire. The original Leesona is a manual machine — the tension, speed and distribution of wire across the bobbin varies slightly with each rotation, producing what pickup makers call "scatter winding." The coil turns are not uniformly layered; the wire crosses and spreads in slightly irregular patterns that modern CNC winding machines cannot replicate. This randomness in the coil geometry affects the distributed capacitance between the coil turns, which influences the pickup's frequency response — particularly at the high end, where scatter winding tends to produce a smoother, more complex rolloff rather than the sharper, more defined top end of a perfectly uniform coil.

The 42AWG plain enamel magnet wire is also period-correct. Modern pickups more commonly use heavy formvar or polyurethane-coated wire; plain enamel was the vintage standard and has slightly different electrical properties — specifically a thinner coating that affects the capacitance between adjacent turns. Both the wire specification and the winding machine are authentic details, not marketing approximations.

Not Wax Potted — Vintage Harmonic Character and What It Means

Wax potting is a standard process in modern pickup manufacturing: the wound bobbin is submerged in a mixture of paraffin and beeswax under vacuum, which impregnates the coil and seals the wire turns in place. The purpose is to prevent microphonic feedback — the phenomenon where an unwaxed pickup acts like a microphone, picking up the vibration of the pickup cover and winding directly and amplifying it as a high-pitched squeal, particularly at high gain settings.

Original P.A.F. humbuckers were not wax potted. The wire turns were free to vibrate slightly, which at moderate gain settings adds a complexity and harmonic richness — a slight bloom at the edge of notes, a warm breakup when the amp is pushed, and the sense that the pickup is on the verge of acoustic feedback in a musically useful way. This quality is often described as "singing" or "alive" and is difficult to describe clinically, but it is audible and real, and it is something that waxed pickups cannot fully replicate.

The trade-off is clear: at high gain settings, or in close proximity to a high-volume amplifier, an unwaxed pickup is more likely to become microphonic and squeal. The Antiquity set is designed for players working at moderate gain who want the full vintage character — not for players running high-gain metal setups at stage volume where microphonic feedback would be a practical problem. If your playing style involves heavy distortion at loud volumes, wax-potted pickups will be more practical. If you play blues, classic rock, jazz, or anything where amp tone and natural breakup are part of the sound, the unwaxed Antiquity delivers a quality that wax-potted alternatives cannot match.

Butyrate Bobbins, Period-Correct Materials Throughout

The bobbins for the Antiquity humbuckers are cast from the same mould that the original P.A.F. factory used — acquired and preserved for exactly this purpose. Butyrate (cellulose acetate butyrate) is the period-correct plastic for P.A.F.-era humbuckers. Modern pickups often use ABS or other plastics; butyrate has slightly different acoustic and electrical properties, including a slightly different resonant character, which contributes to the overall tonal picture.

The 2.5-inch Alnico 2 bar magnet, custom machined metal spacer, maple spacer, nickel silver bottom plate with long mounting legs, and single-conductor push-back braided lead wire are all period-correct specifications. The braided shield wire is particularly relevant: it is single-conductor, which means no coil splitting is possible — these pickups are permanently configured as humbuckers, exactly as the original P.A.F. was designed. Players who want coil-split capability should note this before purchasing. The Antiquity is not that pickup. It is a fixed humbucker, built as Seth Lover intended.

Each Antiquity humbucker is built and inspected in the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop in Santa Barbara, California. USA made.

Neck and Bridge Voicing — Articulate Mellow vs Open Vintage Growl

The neck pickup (7.70k DCR) is voiced for the articulate, mellow character of a vintage neck humbucker — a soft, sweet treble attack with a warm full low-end and the airy openness that Alnico 2 at aged field strength produces across chords. Single notes sing with harmonic complexity and the sustain that a weakened magnet field allows.

The bridge pickup (8.60k DCR) is wound slightly hotter, which is standard practice for matched sets — the bridge position naturally produces less string movement than the neck position (strings vibrate in a tighter arc near the saddle), so the bridge pickup needs to be wound a little warmer to balance volume across positions when switching. Seymour Duncan notes the bridge model captures the open, airy tone of the best original P.A.F. bridge pickups — high notes cut without brightness becoming harsh, and low notes carry the spongy vintage warmth that has defined blues and classic rock guitar sounds for seven decades.

Who Is the Antiquity Set For?

The Antiquity set is for the player who has been chasing the tone of old Les Pauls, old SGs, and the guitars on the recordings that defined classic rock, blues, and jazz guitar — and who wants the most historically accurate and tonally faithful version of that pickup currently available without buying an original. It is for players who understand and value the difference between a waxed and an unwaxed pickup, who know that moderate gain and amp tone are the context in which these pickups shine, and who are not expecting a high-output metal pickup in a vintage coat.

Guitarists who play through a Plexi-style amp at the edge of breakup, who want chords to bloom and notes to sing without digital assistance, and who are comfortable with the idea that their pickup requires some care in high-gain situations — these are the players who will get the most from the Antiquity. Installed in a well-set-up Les Paul or SG, this set is one of the most complete vintage humbucker experiences available.

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What guitars are the Antiquity humbuckers designed for?

The Antiquity set is designed for standard humbucker-routed guitars — primarily Les Paul, SG, ES-335, and similar Gibson or Gibson-compatible formats. The long mounting legs on the nickel silver base plate are period-correct for vintage-style mounting rings. They will fit any guitar that accepts a standard full-size humbucker. If you have a pickup ring that requires shorter legs, or a guitar with a non-standard route, check the mounting dimensions before ordering.

Can I coil-split the Antiquity set?

No. The Antiquity uses single-conductor push-back braided lead wire — the same as the original P.A.F. This wiring format provides one output from the complete humbucker and does not expose the individual coil taps required for coil splitting. These pickups are permanently wired as humbuckers. If coil-split capability is important to you, look at pickups that offer four-conductor wiring, such as the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover set or the '59 Model.

Will the unwaxed design be a problem with my setup?

It depends on your gain levels and volume. The Antiquity is voiced for moderate gain — the classic rock and blues territory where the amp is working and the pickup responds dynamically. At high gain settings or very loud stage volumes, an unwaxed pickup is more susceptible to microphonic feedback (a high-pitched squeal caused by the pickup cover and wire vibrating in the magnetic field). If your playing involves high-gain metal tones or very loud stage volume with the guitar close to the amp, the Antiquity's unwaxed nature may cause practical problems. If you play in the moderate-gain range where vintage PAF tones live, the unwaxed character is a feature rather than a limitation.

How do the Antiquity humbuckers compare to the Seth Lover model?

The Seth Lover set (named for the P.A.F.'s designer) is Seymour Duncan's other flagship PAF-style humbucker. Both sets target similar tonal territory, but with some differences: the Seth Lover uses four-conductor wiring (coil-split capable) and is wax potted, making it more practical in high-gain situations. The Antiquity is unwaxed, uses single-conductor wiring, and includes the magnetic aging process — giving it a slightly more authentic vintage character at the cost of some practicality. The Antiquity is for the player who wants maximum vintage authenticity; the Seth Lover is for the player who wants vintage tone with more modern versatility.

What does magnetic aging actually do to the sound?

As Alnico magnets age, their field strength gradually weakens. A weaker magnet exerts less pull on the guitar strings, which allows the strings to vibrate more freely — particularly at the tail end of a note, where a strong magnet would otherwise damp the vibration sooner. This produces the characteristic vintage "sag" and warmth: notes that sustain differently, chords with a slightly looser, more open feeling, and a treble response that is sweet rather than piercing. Seymour Duncan partially demagnetises the Alnico 2 bar magnets in the Antiquity set to replicate this weakened vintage field strength — it is a functional tonal change, not a cosmetic one, and it cannot be applied after the fact to a fresh set of magnets.