Description
The SH-55 isn’t Seymour Duncan’s take on a P.A.F. – it’s the real thing, co-designed with humbucker inventor Seth Lover himself to replicate his original 1955 spec down to the last detail. That means a nickel silver cover and long-legged baseplate, butyrate bobbins, plain enamel magnet wire, an Alnico 2 bar magnet, a wooden spacer, and black paper tape holding it all together. Crucially, Duncan left it unpotted, just like the originals, so you get that slightly airy, microphonic “honk” that wax-potted reissues can’t quite fake. A vintage-style single-conductor cable comes standard for straightforward wiring.
Tonally, this is P.A.F. territory through and through: warm, woody, and touch-sensitive, with enough clarity to stay articulate through country, blues, jazz, and classic rock rigs. It’s voiced brighter than many humbuckers, which makes it a particularly good match for maple and ebony fingerboards. Keep in mind it’s happiest paired with amps under 50 watts – push it into ultra high-gain tube territory and you’ll lose the vintage character that makes it special.
Most players run the SH-55 as a matched neck and bridge set, though it also plays well in the neck position alongside an SH-11 Custom Custom if you want a hotter bridge voice for heavier rock tones. Gold-plated covers and four-conductor wiring are available if you need coil-splitting or a different look.
Notable users include Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Sheryl Crow, Steve Stevens, Dweezil Zappa, Blues Saraceno, and George Pajon Jr. (Black Eyed Peas) – all running the neck and bridge combo.
- Alnico 2 magnet, unpotted for vintage microphonic response
- Nickel silver cover and baseplate, plain enamel wire, wooden spacer
- Single-conductor cable standard; gold cover and 4-conductor cable available
- Best under 50-watt tube amps; pairs well with maple/ebony boards
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