Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa 1950 Broadcaster Set

[Humbuckers]

Excited to see that Mr. Bonamassa has decided to make a rare endorsement.



It has a surprising combination of magnets, with A2 in the neck and A4 in the bridge, which I understand is not historically accurate.

Bridge at 8.86K suggests it’s not the usual 9500+ turns overwound deal we usually see with “Broadcaster” style pickups.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Probably wound with 42 gauge wire as opposed to 43.

 

[Humbuckers]

Probably wound with 42 gauge wire as opposed to 43.

The coil looks compact enough that 8.86K of 42 gauge wire seems unlikely.

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5MV7ZUs7XDsiPnm9vHnk9L-1024-80.jpg.webp

 

[ruger9]

Love the Broadcaster sound, love flat poles, those pickups sound smokin' to me! I'd buy that Squier right now with those pickups in it, and be done for a 2nd "traditional" tele.

I think I'm going to order ordered these, and I don't even have a tele to put them in yet. And not because I'm a JB fan, but just because they sound REALLY good to my ears, for what *I* want to hear out of a tele. And getting the neck pickup EQ/balance right is key.

 

[Fenderbaum]

rare? no other guitar player has this much endorsement deals.

 

[archetype]

Excited to see that Mr. Bonamassa has decided to make a rare endorsement.

!

 

[TokyoPortrait]

Hi.

Don’t mean to turn this into a pick on Bonamassa thread* (yeah, sure you don’t…), but I have to say, I really do enjoy Joe when he’s all casual and chatty and showing stuff.

It’s going to be interesting & fun to see reactions when these pickups start turning up in folk’s guitars.

Pax/
Dean
* POB thread?

 

[bluetweed]

I really do not get the Alnico 2 and 4's being used?

 

[ruger9]

I really do not get the Alnico 2 and 4's being used?

It's nothing more complicated than trying to replicate the SOUND of Joe's original 1950 Broadcaster pickups. Rather than just duplicating the exact materials/construction and hoping it sounds the same... Remember- those pickups are 74 years old now... so the magnets are probably a little weaker than they used to be... so Duncan is trying to make NEW pickups sound like 74 year old pickups.

 

[FortuneTele]

Fender's Yosemite bridge pickup (used in the American Performer Tele) has A4 magnets and 7.77k (mine) of Formvar.

 

[RocknRollShakeUp]

They sound great!

JB really is a master player too.

 

[ERik77]

I'm very interested in this set. They sound great in the video.

 

[bluesfordan]

just heard about these today and of course the first 250 sets are already sold. I want a set but at the moment do not have 310 dollars to spare. That said, I'd love to try these in either of my Squier CV50s

 

[Humbuckers]

just heard about these today and of course the first 250 sets are already sold. I want a set but at the moment do not have 310 dollars to spare. That said, I'd love to try these in either of my Squier CV50s

There’s still some sets around.

https://reverb.com/item/85075630-seymour-duncan-joe-bonamassa-broadcaster-set-ltd-signed

 

[surfco]

JB sounds like JB no matter what overpriced pickups he plays.

 

[Rokdogguy49]

Maybe Rob Di Stefano will chime in on this.
I understand that early on, oftentimes Leo would use whatever magnets he had around, but I also don’t think A4’s or A2’s are what’s associated with the Broadcaster.
As an aside, the bridge pickup he is using in this video…meh!
The neck ain’t bad.
YMMV

 

[Rokdogguy49]

There’s still some sets around.

https://Reverb(dot)com/item/85075630-seymour-duncan-joe-bonamassa-broadcaster-set-ltd-signed

Rob can more than likely wind a set of these with a lot of money left in your pocket.

 

[rigatele]

In some sense, whatever magnets Leo had lying around, are whatever magnets we have lying around...

 

[uriah1]

Nice.

What are the difference between a 52 broadcaster pickup and a 52 reg tele pickups
I would assume the same?

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Over 3 bills for a set??? Too rich for my blood...