Thursday, June 23, 2022

Review quickie: Seymour Duncan - Green Magic


Seymour Duncan's Green Magic humbucker is new for 2022. It's conceived in the image of Peter Green's pickups in one of his Les Pauls.  As such, if you are in the market for some high output pickups maybe... 😑


The GM is a moderately hot bridge pickup & if you choose the neck version, it's more moderate than hot. The magnets here are Alnico 2 & it's voiced to be a scooped sounding performer. There are currently three versions available, black, zebra & covered. 

Likes:
  • clarity
  • warmth (neck)
  • adaptable to intense distortion
Dislike
  • price
The GM is a great pickup if you choose to embrace warmth & clarity over all other distractions. The neck pickup can easily be a go-to jazz humbucker if a tad of overdrive is your thing; think John Scofield. The bridge is a little edgy despite the scooped EQ as documented by the manufacturer so some tweaking of the treble at your amp is necessary if classic rock & blues are your music staple. Does it replicate the Peter Green magic? I can't answer this for sure because I don't know the definitive Peter Green tone, I'm not a fan & not looking forward to find out either. I'm treating the GM as it is. But the pleasant surprise here is its ability to handle gobs of distortion well. I can easily replicate Dissection's Reinkaos era tones here, no problem but then again, this is not the manufacturer's initial intention. 

Please be informed that the GM used to be a custom shop offering & it's now made available as a regular production model. I have no idea if it went through some custom floor treatment before hitting the shelves because the retail price for one ($180) is a little higher than the other standard models; 59, Pearly Gates, A2 Pro, etc. Be informed that if you choose a calibrated set, the neck's pickup magnet is already reversed to give you the out-of-phase tone. 

Rating: 90%
Availability: Davis GMC
Prices:
  • Single: $180 (uncovered) / $215 (covered)
  • Set: $325 (uncovered) / $365 (covered)
Pics: Seymour Duncan

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