Capture “biting clarity and warm, crunchy overtones” with the Seymour Duncan ’78 Model humbucker

For the past four-plus decades, few guitar tones have been more coveted than the crunchy, overdriven, extremely articulate and highly dynamic roar that characterized late ‘70s hard rock, in particular the shreddy, tap-happy brand that burst out of Southern California during the era. 

And no pickup company was more at the center of that sound than Seymour Duncan. Now, that unparalleled tone is available once again in the new Seymour Duncan ‘78 Model humbucker, a pickup that “articulates the very best in harmonics and crunchiness.”

As Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario explains in the above demo, “In the late ‘70s, Seymour Duncan – the man – was well-known as the guy to custom-wind pickups for some noteworthy guitarists who were looking to venture beyond what was available and create their own identifiable tone and sound. 

“In 1978 – hence the name – one such artist handed a PAF to Seymour to have it rewound to bring out more natural harmonics and a hotter wind, to make harmonics scream and notes jump.”

The new ‘78 Model is wound to the same exact specs of what Seymour described as his “hot wind,” allowing for a slightly overwound vintage-spec A2-style humbucker to yield a responsiveness normally heard in high-output A5 and ceramic pickups.

“To put it another way,” Paul says, “this ‘78 Model is undoubtedly meant for guitarists who want to bring out clarity in their tapping, warm crunch tones and the ability to coax both natural and artificial harmonics with ease.”

The pickup was previously only offered as a custom shop option, but now Seymour Duncan has made it available as a production model at an affordable price point. It’s available in Trembucker bridge, standard spaced bridge and a customer-demanded matching neck model, in traditional assorted colorways of Black, Gold cover, Nickel cover, Reverse Zebra, White and Zebra.

As for how it sounds? Check out Paul’s hot licks on a pair of ’78 Model-loaded guitars – a Floyd Rose-equipped Kramer and a Les Paul – and prepare for some screaming, shredding, dive-bombing goodness.

Paul’s verdict? “The Seymour Duncan ‘78 Model humbucker is a wildly responsive overwound pickup with biting clarity and warm, crunchy overtones. It’s a humbucker that over-delivers the very best of classic and hard rocking tones for tappers and shredders alike. 

“A lot of guitarists have been waiting for a pickup like this, and it doesn’t disappoint.”

To grab a ‘78 Model for yourself, head over to Seymour Duncan.