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NAMM 2026: Seymour Duncan is taking a leaf out of Fishman’s book with its brand-new MortalCoil humbuckers, which pack three distinctive voices for catch-all tonality.
Sounding like a Tekken character, the MortalCoil Multiple-Voiced Active Humbuckers are loaded with three precision-engineered voices, inspired in part by its heritage pickups.
There’s the fast, controlled attack of its modern metal-minded MC1s in voice one, authentic JB tones in voice two – the pickup it made with Jeff Beck, but one that's taken on a life of its own since – and a clear, articulate single coil to round out the lot.
Beneath the hood, there’s some wiring wizardry going on, too. They’re precision-wound high-density copper coils with optimized resistance, which, in simple terms, means that they offer a faster response and stronger pick attack “than competing designs” – and it's a perk that it says will benefit users of all tunings.
Moreover, the humbuckers also boast new preamps, imbuing them with a more dynamic feel, even when the distortion is dialed back to its minimum. Their efficient circuitry, meanwhile, helps prolong battery life. Pair it with Ernie Ball’s rechargeable 9Vs – what a revelation! – and you could be on to a real winner.
In recent years, Fishman Fluence pickups, bolstered by their multi-voice system, have been appearing in guitars of all shapes and sizes, with widespread backing, including endorsements from Polyphia’s Tim Henson and Scott LePage, as well as Mick Thomson, and a continued presence in Strandberg guitars.
It seems, then, that Seymour Duncan, a company with a rich heritage, is looking to bite back with this three-in-one active pickup. By packing the “surgical precision” of the MC1, the genre-crossing JB, and a single coil sound made with modern rigs in mind – which is especially useful for guitars without a pre-wired split coil – the MortalCoil could prove a worthy adversary.
“Experience what happens when 50 years of pickup expertise meets modern active technology,” says Seymour Duncan. “MortalCoil installs easily as a drop-in upgrade for many existing active setups and includes all required pots and wiring.”
Some eagle-eyed folk have noticed that the MortalCoils play a big role in ESP's latest lineup, including the TH-1000 Evertune. Now they're available as aftermarket parts, ready to add more heat and versatility to six- and seven-string guitars.
The Seymour Duncan MortalCoil Multi-Voiced Active Pickups are available for $169.00 per pickup, or $279.00 for a set.
See Seymour Duncan for more.
It’s been a busy few months for the pickup brand, having released Slash’s Back to the Beginning pickups, which were custom-wound for his SG, earlier this month.
