“Brings you closer to the sound of electric guitar’s heyday”: Seymour Duncan has launched its own guitar strings – and they could be the key to unlocking “true vintage tone”
The pickup specialist has expanded its Antiquity range with a six-string set that looks to help players harness “true vintage tones of the most infamous guitars ever produced”
(Image credit: Seymour Duncan)
Seymour Duncan has expanded its Antiquity electric guitar pickup range, but not with a new set of humbuckers or single-coils.
Instead, the storied pickup specialist has turned its attention to the electric guitar string market, unveiling a new six-string set that serves as the firm’s first-ever set of guitar strings.
In keeping with the wider Antiquity family – which is committed to capturing “the true vintage tones of the most infamous guitars ever produced” – this new release rolls back the years with a more retro design that looks to deliver the desired string sounds and feel of yesteryears.
Specifically, it opts for pure nickel winds, rather than a nickel-alloy plated design. As Seymour Duncan notes, before alloys were introduced, pure nickel-wound strings were commonplace on most guitars.
As well as apparently offering a longer string life and a more consistent tone, pure nickel also provides a richer, warmer tone that became the backbone of classic blues and rock ‘n’ roll.
(Image credit: Seymour Duncan)
“Now our Antiquity Vintage Modern Strings bring you even closer to the sound of electric guitar’s early heyday,” the company states. “Antiquity Vintage Modern Strings are the perfect start to your signal chain in the quest to unlocking your favorite classic guitar sounds.”
In terms of gauges, Light (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046) and Extra Light (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042) options are available.
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This release also sets a potential precedent for future Seymour Duncan drops. We don’t believe this move into the string market is a “one and done” thing, and we fully expected the firm to bolster its string reserves in the future.
Could it continue down the line of releasing strings specific to its pickup collections? Or, failing that, some signature strings to go with its signature pickups? An eight-string set of alt.metal strings would be quite the release.
Both Light and Extra Light Antiquity string sets are available now for $9.99.
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.
