How do you visually tell the difference B/W Seymour Duncan and Duncan Designed pups

I have seen pickups that say "Seymour Duncan" on the top and some that say "Duncan Designed".

1. How can one visually identify whether pick ups are "Seymour Duncan" or "Duncan Designed"?

2. If the pickups say "Seymour Duncan" on the top does that definitely mean that they are Seymour Duncan and not Duncan Designed pickups?

3. Or can pickups that say "Seymour Duncan" on the top still be Duncan Designed pickups?

Thanks for any help with this issue.

I would say that if they say the name they are definitely Duncans. But maybe put this up at the Seymour Duncan pickup forum or ask someone at the company, since they should know all the details. Too many players without a program in this fast moving world.

George

Number 2 is correct

If it says Seymour Duncan, it's a Seymour Duncan. If it says Duncan Designed, it's a Duncan Designed.

If it says Seymour Duncan, it's a Seymour Duncan. If it says Duncan Designed, it's a Duncan Designed.

that's about it.

Do you ever take off the plastic on the Seymour Duncan's or just leave it on?

Pickups marked as Duncan Designed are made off-shore for import model guitars from various manufacturers, like my Squire Tele with the two Duncan Designed P90's in it, all Indonesian all the time and always way good. Pickups marked as Seymour Duncan are all Made in the U.S. of A. and will generally have a stamping on the bottom side of SD. All Seymour Duncan pups are Duncan Designed unless one of the other tonemeister's did the design work, but if it was designed on Seymour's dime it then becomes his design.

They're simply marked different. They give it to you straight. Seymour Duncan is the real deal, Duncan Designed is the offshore Duncans.

I have the DD pickups in my Squier VM Jaguar bass. They are are marked Duncan Designed.

I heard that the Duncan Designed pickups were designed by stage and screen star Sandy Duncan. Is that incorrect?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2nlUmDVlt3E/TUXhaRpx9xI/AAAAAAAAAGY/jNV3gxZ8sBk/s200/sandy+duncan.jpg

Some of the antiquity Duncans, a few Duncan reissues, and some pickup models of early PAF and Fender models, like the full sized '59, do not have any writing on top. The ones with the logo on them are usually the hotter Seymour Duncan pickups like the Scremin' Demons, Gus Gs, Hot Rails, Cool Rails, single coil space 'lil '59, or active pickups.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-antiquity-humbucker-pickup/h68350000001000?src=3WWRWXGB&cagpspn=pla&gclid=COSHhci6nrECFSUbQgodIzEvdA

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-sh-1-59-model-4-conductor-guitar-pickup

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-st59-1-little-59-telecaster-pickup

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-sh-8-invader-pickup

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-gus-g-signature-humbucker-pickup-set

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/seymour-duncan-blackouts-ahb-1-humbucker-set