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Seymour Duncan SH-15: Alternative 8
List: $125
This pickup is one of the newest offerings by Seymour Duncan, a by-product of user tinkering shared at the manufacturer’s forum. The typical Duncan fanatic is one who, having liked the tone of a particular pickup, goes further to dabble with parts variation. The Alternative 8 proves that there are rewarding returns in messing with magnetic variation.
Features
The SH-15 is a high output pickup with an alnico 8 magnet, the numerical superiority here is a definite implication of increased strength compared to the alnico 5 unit. The pickup was intentionally conceived to generate higher output without having to resort to a ceramic magnet foundation. There is a clear objective here in preserving the vintage nuances of a great sounding pickup while offering a contemporary variation. Besides this highlight, the pickup is a typical manifestation of an average looking, black, slot/ flat pole pieces equipped pickup; you can’t tell it’s an Alternative 8 just by looking at it.
In use
At an initial neutral EQ setting (treble/ mid/ bass at noon position), the humbucker sounds bright in both clean & driven modes. Sounds like the typical Duncan JB pickup but the marked difference here lies with the midrange definition; the SH-15 has this grainy midrange response that begs the (guitar’s) volume knob to be lowered. This is where the pickup is at its best- it’s perhaps the blues-crunch benchmark to beat. Couple it with a deserving tube amp with no pedals to rob its inherent nuances & you have your crunch tones made. The grainy midrange here is a great inspiration for those fight-back playing that you think is out of your league.
The SH-15 is also the recommended pickup if you have a penchant for boosting the lower frequencies at high gain/ drive settings but do wish to end up too muddy & lost in the mix. As the pickup’s inherent midrange & treble responses are in excess of the bass, you could simply dial in more bottom end without worrying the loss of definition; definitely good news to the metal heads.
On the flip side, if you are doomed to play a practice grade amp in the abyss of your room without any chance whatsoever to experience the tonal bliss of a 12” speaker, the Alternative 8 is a pickup to avoid. This set up would conjure too much top end without the hope of curing excess with the amp’s tone/ EQ knobs.
Tone test equipment:
• Guitar: Gibson Les Paul BFG
• Amps: Marshall JVM/ MG15/ Sound Drive SG-612R
Last say
The SH-15 is a rewarding pickup if you have the means to balance its excessive brightness & it’s not about having numerous EQ controls to trim things down, an appropriate amp driver plays a considerable part in this aspect. Simply put, the SH-15 here is the superior manifestation of putting your favourite pickup through a BOSS Blues Driver pedal but with a more dynamic control of proceedings.
Rating: 89%
Product availability
• Davis Guitar
Likes:
• One of the best blues-crunch voicing
• Good definition at high gain/ drive settings
Dislikes:
• Sounds too sharp in use with small amps
• Not a balanced performer in clean settings
Worthy competitor:
• Bare Knuckles- Crawler
