Seymour Duncan recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a limited-edition Custom Shop recreation of the Duncan Distortion, and now Doug Rappoport is putting the high-output pickup set through its paces.
The 50th Anniversary set pairs a Duncan Distortion bridge pickup with the Seymourizer II neck pickup, which was eventually renamed the Duncan Distortion Neck. Rappoport’s demo showcases the aggressive response these pickups became known for, including tight, percussive lows and plenty of upper-midrange and high-end cut.
The Duncan Distortion design dates back to the late ’70s and has remained largely unchanged over the years. For this anniversary version, Seymour Duncan went back to some of the construction details found on the early pickups.
That means butyrate bobbins, long-leg baseplates, and Maple spacers, with the bridge pickup using a large ceramic magnet and hot coil windings. The neck pickup is designed to retain clarity while providing enough output and sustain for higher-gain lead tones.
Each set is hand-built in the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop by a team led by Maricela “MJ” Juarez. The pickups also feature replica “Seymourized” and model-name stickers, light aging, and bottom plates hand-signed by Seymour Duncan and Juarez.
Seymour Duncan is producing just 500 of the 50th Anniversary Duncan Distortion Custom Shop sets worldwide. They’re available in black or zebra finishes, come in special anniversary packaging, and go for $375. Get ’em right here.
