Seymour Duncan
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instrument accessories |
| Founded | 1 January 1976 in Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| Founder | Seymour W. Duncan, Cathy Carter Duncan |
| Headquarters | Santa Barbara , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Seymour W. Duncan (founder) |
| Products | Guitar pickups, bass pickups, effects pedals |
Number of employees | 120 |
| Website | www |
Seymour Duncan is a United States-based manufacturer known for producing guitar and bass pickups as well as effects pedals, all designed and assembled domestically. Established in 1976 by guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan alongside Cathy Carter Duncan in Santa Barbara, California, the company currently employs approximately 120 individuals.
History
Seymour W. Duncan developed a passion for guitars early in life, which led him to pioneer advanced pickup rewinding methods that enhanced sound quality. His career included valuable experience at Fender Soundhouse in London and mentorship from industry legends such as Les Paul and Seth Lover, the creator of the humbucker pickup. After moving to California, Duncan and Cathy Carter started a pickup rewinding business that eventually expanded into crafting custom pickups for Stratocaster, Telecaster, and humbucking models.
Over the course of more than twenty years, Seymour Duncan broadened its range to encompass pickups for electric, bass, and acoustic guitars along with related accessories, solidifying its position in the market. The company's influence was honored in 2012 with induction into the Vintage Guitar Hall of Fame.
From the 1980s through 2013, bass pickups were sold under the Basslines brand before being merged under the Seymour Duncan label without altering their design. Seymour Duncan continues to innovate and produce pickups at its Santa Barbara facility, upholding a reputation for high-quality American craftsmanship.
Notable users
The inaugural artist signature pickup was the SH-12 Screamin' Demon, developed for George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob). Another influential collaboration was with "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who contributed to the SH-13 Dimebucker pickup used on tribute models by Washburn Guitars and Dean Guitars. Seymour Duncan pickups have also gained traction in Japan through prominent rock groups. Dino Cazares of Divine Heresy and formerly Fear Factory partnered with the company to create the Blackouts active pickup series tailored for various seven-string guitars.
The SH-4 "JB Model" humbucker stands as Seymour Duncan's top-selling product. Originally designed in the early 1970s for Jeff Beck after his original PAF pickups were replaced by a technician, Beck utilized these pickups on his "Blow By Blow" album with a custom guitar nicknamed the Tele-Gib, featuring a JB pickup at the bridge and a Jazz Model at the neck. Although closely linked to Beck, the JB is not officially a signature model.
Additional well-known musicians who use Seymour Duncan pickups include:
- Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
- Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, employing a JB model in his Fernandes Stratocaster replica
- Mark Hoppus of +44 and blink 182, using SPB-3 "Quarter Pound" bass pickups
- Tom DeLonge of blink 182 and Angels and Airwaves, with SH-8 "Invader" and later SH-5 "Custom" pickups
- Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, who collaborated on his signature active humbuckers called "Dave Mustaine Livewires"
- Randy Rhoads, who favored Jazz and JB pickups on his Jackson custom guitars
- Linde Lazer of HIM, utilizing Custom Seymour Duncan pickups
- Synyster Gates from Avenged Sevenfold, known for using Custom Invader pickups
- Mick Thomson of Slipknot, featuring his signature active Blackouts (AHB-3s)
- Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Akesson of Opeth, frequently playing Full Shred pickups
Products
Seymour Duncan provides an extensive selection of guitar pickups, encompassing Humbuckers, Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, P90, Filtertron, Mini Humbucker, Acoustic pickups, along with bass pickups and effects pedals.
Among their well-known offerings are the '59 Model, the JB (bridge) and Jazz (neck) combination, the Duncan Distortion set, and the Pearly Gates set. For nearly every pickup category, they manufacture versions that range from vintage and antiquity styles with aged finishes to modern and high-output variants. Since 2013, their product line has expanded to include pickups designed for 7- and 8-string guitars as well as active pickup models.
The company also produces the "Duncan Designed" series in Korea, aimed at OEM clients for mid-tier guitars priced between $300 and $800. These pickups draw inspiration from popular Seymour Duncan designs but utilize a single configuration suitable for either neck or bridge placement to optimize production costs while preserving sound quality.
In addition to pickups, Seymour Duncan offers effects pedals such as the 805™ Overdrive, Vapor Trail™ Delay, and the Dark Sun Digital Delay + Reverb pedal—the latter created in partnership with Mark Holcomb from Periphery.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Seymour Duncan briefly ventured into manufacturing guitar amplifiers. Although these amps had a limited market presence due to the brand’s lesser recognition in amplification, they remain valued by collectors and enthusiasts. At Winter NAMM 2017, Seymour Duncan introduced the PowerStage line of pedal amplifiers featuring models like the PowerStage 170 and PowerStage 700.