Duncan talk: Screamin' Demon

The Screamin' Demon (SH-12) humbucker was originally a Duncan custom shop unit for George Lynch. The objective of its conception was to preserve the open voicing of the '59 model with more output to supplement distortion-driven applications & a deeper thumping tone when employed clean- Jeff Golub has the Lil' Screamin Demon in his '60s Fender. Contrary to the name implication, the SH-12 is not the meanest pickup in Planet Duncan, although the allusion to some treble end malevolence, is there. There is a slight scooped setting to be heard when in use, especially under intense distortion. I like the SH-12 for its clarity, some of us might find this a little excessive but it's something we can tame via EQ meddling (your amp's EQ section/ pedal EQ). The SH-12 sounds rather generous in the lower frequency range (better manifested in clean mode) but coupled with the augmented treble bits, the pickup simply sizzles. I didn't buy this pickup because of George Lynch (no offence sir, I am still a fan of your techniques & licks), I want a humbucker with some top-end sting without being devoid of bass entirely & the SH-12 does it for me.

Manufacturer's notes:

• Pickup's default EQ settings: Bass- 5/ Midrange-4/ Treble- 9
• Magnet type: Alnico V
• Output: High

My experience with this pickup:

• Guitars currently sporting the Screamin' Demon: Ibanez RG1550 (Trembucker version)/ RG471AH

This pickup used to be in the following guitars:

• Gibson LP BFG/ Ibanez RG560/ Ibanez SZ320

For those of us who wish to embed this pickup into our guitars with a dual action, locking whammy bridge unit (Floyd Rose or its derivatives), please reinforce some bottom end. For the rest of our guitars with fixed bridges, this is unnecessary.