Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $117
Standard/Professional
$99
$200+
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Price History
Based on price data from 5 merchants for "Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Meet the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model, a reputable choice for musicians seeking to infuse their sound with vintage character. This pickup is a remarkable re-creation of the classic Seth Lover PAF humbucker that graced the iconic late-1950s Gibson Les Paul. The SH-1 model is known for its slightly scooped midrange compared to the original Seth Lover model, offering a unique tone palette for modern musicians.
Constructed with plain enamel wire, a long-legged bottom plate, and a 4-conductor cable, this model combines the best of vintage design with modern performance. The absence of a Seymour Duncan logo gives it an authentic old-school aesthetic. To ensure squeal-free performance, the pickup is vacuum wax potted, providing a seamless playing experience. This pickup is an excellent fit for musicians seeking flexible tones with a vintage flair.
Key Features:
- Vintage look and sound: The '59 Model SH-1 provides a late-'50s, vintage-correct, humbucker sound that's both warm and crystalline.
- Tone monster setup: Best used with balanced and warm-sounding instruments, this pickup works especially well with mahogany bodies and rosewood fingerboards.
- Trust your tone to Seymour Duncan: This pickup is a product of Seymour Duncan's lifelong pursuit of refining the art of creating pickups.
- Plain enamel wire, 4-conductor cable, long-legged bottom plate: These features give the pickup its vintage character and modern performance.
- Vacuum-potted for squeal-free performance: This process ensures the pickup will perform smoothly without any unwanted noise.
- Bridge position: The pickup is designed for the bridge position, offering a unique tonal balance.
Product specs
| Type | Humbucker |
| Position | Bridge |
| Active/Passive | Passive |
| Magnet Material | Alnico V |
| Number of Conductors | 4 wire plus shield |
| DC Resistance | 8.2K |
| Connectivity | Soldered |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Covering | Uncovered |
| Format | PAF |
FAQs
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What type of sound can I expect from the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup?
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The Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup offers a classic PAF-style tone with a warm, full sound and clear articulation. It's versatile enough for a range of genres, from blues to rock, providing vintage-inspired tones with rich harmonics.
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Is the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model suitable for high-gain music styles?
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Yes, while primarily known for its vintage tone, the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model can handle higher gain settings, making it capable of delivering articulate sounds even in rock and metal contexts.
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What type of magnet is used in the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup?
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The Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup uses an Alnico V magnet, which contributes to its balanced tone and dynamic response, offering warmth and clarity.
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How many conductors does the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model have?
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The Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model features a 4-conductor wiring setup, allowing for versatile wiring options, including coil splitting for additional tonal variety.
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Is the Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup covered or uncovered?
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The Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model pickup is an uncovered humbucker, which can contribute to a slightly brighter tone compared to covered versions.
Videos
Seymour Duncan
The Seymour Duncan '59 (Bridge)
The Seymour Duncan '59 (Bridge)
Seymour Duncan
The Seymour Duncan '59 (Neck)
Seymour Duncan
SEYMOUR DUNCAN SH1 / 59' vs SH2 JAZZ - Passive NECK Guitar Pickup Tone Comparison / Review
Mike Stamper
'59 Model Neck Humbucker Demo
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan 59' SH-1 vs JAZZ SH-2 - Passive Neck Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo
Mike Stamper
Seymour Duncan Pickups - '59 (Neck)
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan '59 Model Humbuckers // SH-1n and SH-1b
Visual Guy
DiMarzio PAF PRO vs Seymour Duncan 59' SH-1 - Passive Neck Guitar Pickup Comparison Tone Demo
Mike Stamper
Reviews
PROS
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Warm, singing sound with presence and clarity, ideal for jazz and blues
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Rich harmonic response and good sustain
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Versatile for various styles, from country to heavy metal
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Great vintage-style humbucker, perfect for replacing late-50's PAF pickups
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Balanced clean sounds with powerful attack, similar to single coil
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Excellent articulation and note clarity
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Works well in high-gain settings without being overpowering
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Four-wire hookup allows for coil splitting
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Complements other pickups without overpowering them
CONS
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4-conductor variants are becoming rare and hard to find
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model.
Comparisons
Features and functionality
Mods and upgrades
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Swapping the SH-1 '59 for a Pearly Gates in the neck position offers a better tonal balance and clarity in thicker-bodied guitars.
Source -
Users suggest replacing Epiphone Dot stock pickups with Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 for improved tone, especially for Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) style.
Source -
Swapping pots from 500k to 250k can significantly enhance the Jazz pickup's tone, making it sound less like a single coil and more like a desired PAF sound.
Source
Use cases and applications
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The JB pickup excels in high-gain settings, providing a fuller low-mid response, especially with Fender or Marshall amps.
Source -
Owners recommend using heavier string gauges, like 12s, on guitars with Bigsby setups for better stability and tone.
Source -
The Jazz neck pickup reportedly pairs well with hard clipping pedals like the MXR Sugar Drive or a Rat, rather than a Tube Screamer, for better overdrive tones.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 5 Reviews and 23 Ratings
10745
A bit of a bummer that 4-conductor variants are becoming rare, but it's worth the compromise for clarity and definition.
Before I had the 59 in the neck pickup position of my S521 MOL, I originally had the Jazz pickup, which, while it did the job, didn't have a lot of clarity for clean and mid-gain tones, and added excess low-end for ambient clean tones, making them rather unusable.
Enter the Seymour Duncan 59. Although it's an Alnico 5 pickup, this pickup prides itself upon its clarity, character and definition, and it's definitely a step up from the Jazz pickup. The 59 SH-1N is very friendly with the volume knob in mid-gain applications, retaining clarity with the volume knob turned down for edge-of-breakup blues lead tones. In clean tones, with the JB TB-4 in the bridge position combined with the push/pull coil tap volume knob, the ambient clean tones remind me of the Thinline tele's that I used to try back in the stores. Pretty unique for the tone.
The only bummer out of the 59 is the fact that the 4-conductor variants (which allow for coil splits from the 59) are becoming rarer and hard to find these days, but it's worth the compromise so long as you have a great bridge pickup that can do split coils. Perfect combination with the JB, SH-5 Custom or Distortion in the bridge position. If you're into a Seymour Duncan neck pickup that works very well with the volume knob, won't compromise clarity and definition, and produces lead tones that sing like a charm, take a serious look at the SH-1N 59 pickup. I did, and ever since I upgraded my S521 MOL with the JB TB-4/59 SH-1N pickup combo, I never looked back at Fishmans.
78
nice pickup
replaced the stock neck pickup in my rga 32 with the sh1 i like this pickup very much cause it's very warm sounding and has pretty low output and is great for slightly overdriven soloing and cleans
Artist usage
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Rivers used the Seymour Duncan humbucker for his bridge pickup on his Warmoth Custom Stratocasters.
ola has a tb 59 in the neck of his vantage avenger guitar. he pairs this with a duncan slug
...The item can be seen 0:31 into this video...
Both guitarists in Boris use Seymour Duncan pickups; a '59 in the neck position , and a JB in the bridge position. (The following is translated from Japanese) "JB (bridge) is located on the bottom left with... '59 (neck) ~. T [bassist/guitarist Takeshi]"
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This gear diagram of Michael's stage setup, includes a Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59.
In this video, Takayoshi Ohmura mentions using Seymour Duncan 59 pickups in both the bridge and neck pickup positions of his Mikio Fujioka signature ESP Snapper.
"Clarke modded this ’79 Gibson Paul Deluxe with Seymour Duncan ’59 pickups. His most-played LP, it has served in Candy, Kill for Thrills, GnR, MC5, as well as with Heart and Nancy Sinatra. “I grew up with this guitar, so it’s very special to me,” he said. "
In this article andy says he uses the 59' in the neck of his guitars
According to Guitar Geek's rig diagram, Madden uses this pickup on his Ernie Ball Silhouette Special.
IN one of his newer cap 10 models, lee swaped the chapman branded pickups for a duncan set. Lee states that he loves duncan pickups. in his original cap10 models he had a jb and jazz set. in this guitar however, he has a custom hybrid in the bridge and a 59 in the nick. He picked these to have a set in his guitar that is alittle more pokey
The Beginning of Times era.
Discuss your gear set-up for the new album.
E.H.: I used my ESP Custom Eclipse model guitars which are equipped with Seymour Duncan SH-5 (custom) and SH-1n ('59) pickups. I have Bogner Shiva anniversary amps which I use live and in the studio. I use Bogner Ubershall cabs.
Album Usage
The Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Seymour Duncan SH-1/TB-1 59 Model, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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