“A set of humbuckers from one of his favorite ES-335s”: Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa have produced another set of signature pickups – a pair of PAFs that replicate the tones of “one of the finest instruments in his collection”
The Blonde Dot 1960 ES-335 humbucker set seeks to channel the sonic spirit of JoBo's prized semi-hollow
(Image credit: Seymour Duncan)
Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa have teamed up to produce another set of signature pickups – this time a pair of humbuckers that seek to recreate the tones of JoBo’s Blonde Dot 1960 ES-335.
As the curator of one of music’s largest and most envied vintage guitar collections, Bonamassa is by extension also the custodian of some of the most sought-after vintage pickups, including a wealth of Gibson’s original PAF humbuckers.
Indeed, original early examples of Seth Lover’s pioneering Patent Applied For units are widely considered to be the some of the sweetest-sounding pickups you could fit into an ES-335 or a Les Paul.
This latest collaboration between Bonamassa and the pickup specialist looks to harness this tonal nirvana, and first began when Seymour Duncan approached the blues guitar ace with the prospect of working together to recreate a set of humbuckers from one of his ES guitars.
To that proposition, Bonamassa volunteered his prized blonde-finished 1960 dot-neck ES-335 – one of the rarest ES-335 examples owing to their limited number, which had been aptly named “Blonde Dot” by its owner.
Dubbed “one of his favorite ES-335s”, the guitar was first purchased by Bonamassa from a friend who supposedly had a collection of these highly sought-after dot neck ES models, and came fitted with what Bonamassa considered to be “some of the most balanced PAFs in his collection”.
It is this set of PAFs that has been replicated for Seymour Duncan’s latest release. To do so, the company measured and recorded the original units, recruiting an Alnico 2 magnet in the neck and Alnico 4 magnet in the bridge. Aesthetically, unaged nickel covers look to channel the like-new condition of the Blonde Dot humbuckers.
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“There was something about this one. It just kind of explodes out of the amp,” Bonamassa says of his original Blonde Dot. “The PAFs are really balanced. It’s really clear in the front, but kind of punches you in the face in the back.
“The front pickup is really clear and Strat-y,” he continues, “and the back pickup is really punchy and dark and bite-y at the same time, so it’s got a lot of output.”
(Image credit: Seymour Duncan)
The first 800 sets come with limited-edition packaging, and bottom plates signed by Bonamassa and Duncan. After that, the set will be available as standard Custom Shop Seymour Duncan pickups with a number of cosmetic options.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
