Seymour Duncan has collaborated with blues rock guitar maverick Philip Sayce for a signature set of Stratocaster pickups, promising a faithful recreation of his signature Strat sounds.
Called the Philip Sayce "Mother" Stratocaster Pickup Set, the trio of single-coils are inspired by an electric guitar that has been by Sayce’s side throughout his career. The guitar in quetion is actually a 1963 Fender Strat, but when its original pickups shorted out after years of use and corrosion, the 1958 pups he replaced them with gave the guitar a whole new voice.
Sayce feels like a solid choice for Seymour Duncan's latest vintage Strat tone exploration: his innovative, pentatonic-based style sees him make light work of daredevil over-bends and trem-picking with his fingers, with his ice-cold lead playing inspired greatly by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins.
The guitar has been used by Sayce during his stints with Jeff Healey, Melissa Etheridge, and Uncle Kracker, and has been a driving force during his solo career. The death of the original pickups ended up being a blessing in disguise for the guitarist.
The ’58 pickups that took their spot are slightly underwound, resulting in, as Seymour Duncan says, a “clear, full-bodied sound that has been the hallmark of Philip’s guitar tone ever since”.
The team at the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop has since put the set under its tone-exploring microscope to recreate them at an affordable price.
So, expect the same “singing, punchy Strat sound” of Sayce’s right-hand six-string, with “bell-like cleans” that can “easily morph into sizzle” with a little overdrive or fuzz.
The set is built with Alnico 5 magnets with delicate care taken with the winding process “to match the feel and responsiveness of Philip’s original guitar”.
Each of the first 500 sets sold are specially aged to match the heavy relic of Sayce’s originals. A certificate of authenticity, signed by Sayce and Seymour W. Duncan, is also included and arrives in limited-edition packaging. All sets are pad-printed with Philip’s signature on the flatwork.
Speaking to Guitar World about his tone choices, Sayce admitted to being very picky, and he's showing no signs of relenting in his exacting ways here – meaning all three single-coils will offer something to savor.
“I'm very, very picky; I want all three [pickups] to be just right,” he said. “I don't want to cringe if I go to any of them. I want them to all be so that I could land on any of them and feel real good about it. Or feel inspired by the sound.”
The Seymour Duncan Philip Sayce "Mother" Stratocaster Pickup Set is priced at $375.
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