2011 Zephyr Brochure - Seymour Duncan

manufacturing techniques—including solidsilver
magnet wire and cryogenic treatment—
make these the most sensitive and expressive
pickups we’ve ever created. Their tone is
extraordinarily rich and detailed. They feel
different too, with unbelievably fast response and
breathtaking dynamic sensitivity. They deliver a
new sound and a new playing experience.
the copper used in conventional pickups.
Chances are you’ll feel increased immediacy
in pick or finger attack. You’ll also notice
more touch sensitivity, especially when
playing softly. Your entire rig will seem
more responsive, with a stronger connection
between what you feel in your fingers and
what you hear from your speakers.
For 35 years Seymour Duncan ® has been
driven by a desire to help musicians get the
most from their instruments. We’ve created
many technical innovations, from Stacks ® , the
first noise-cancelling single-coil pickups, to
Hot Rails, the first high-output, small-format
humbuckers. Our goal has always been to
give players more — more options, more
expression, more tone. And that’s the attitude
that inspired our Zephyr Silver Pickups.
When we set out to reimagine the traditional
passive guitar pickup, we began with a
few simple questions: If we could use any
materials, regardless of expense, what would
they be? Which designs and manufacturing
techniques would yield the ultimate results, no
matter how difficult or labor intensive? How
could we advance the state of the art?
This no-limits approach, combined
with our deep knowledge of
pickup designs, led us to
something remarkable:
Seymour Duncan Zephyr
Silver Pickups.
What do Zephyr Silver Pickups sound like?
Compared to traditional pickups, they
provide far more tone density across the
entire frequency range. They’re also better at
capturing the unique nuances of your guitar.
Paired with a good amp, Zephyr Silver Pickups
deliver extended range and amazing dynamic
response. The highs are gorgeous and opensounding.
Lows are as walloping as you want
them to be. The midrange is a marvel of rich
complexity. You get a powerful fundamental
that resonates from the instant you strike the
string through the final decay. This minimizes
unintentional harmonic ambiguity for a purer,
more musically pleasing tone.
I like traditional-sounding pickups.
Will I like these?
We think so. Zephyr Silvers don’t differ from
traditional pickups in the way that, say, lowimpedance
active pickups do. They’re still a
passive design, and they preserve the things
you like about the way
your guitar interacts with
your favorite amps and
effects. Our goal was
to capture everything
you like about a great
passive pickup—just
more of it.
It might help to
compare Zephyr
Silvers to an HD version
of a movie, as opposed
to a small-screen version.
The images and colors are
the same, but there’s more
definition and impact. Some
users say Zephyrs create a
larger “soundstage” for the guitar.
There’s more sonic detail, and more
space for it to unfold.
Do they sound good through a
distorted amp as well as a clean one?
Definitely. You’ll hear a huge increase in
detail and dynamic response even at highgain
settings. You’ll also feel more depth and
realism when playing through software or
hardware digital amp simulators.
I wish they weren’t so expensive.
So do we! But since each pickup
can contain a mile or more of silver
wire, its cost is tied to the price of silver,
which can fluctuate wildly, and this very smallgauge
silver wire has limited availability.
But the sonic advantages of silver are so
dramatic that we forged ahead despite
the expense.
With silver, there’s less frequency loss across
the entire sonic spectrum. Silver wire doesn’t
boost highs and lows, but it does a better job
of transmitting the highs and lows that are
already there. They sound airy, but not shrill.
Fat, but not boomy. And since silver is softer
and suppler than comparably gauged copper
wire, it produces an exceptionally even coil
form. It all adds up to a punchier, more “bursty”
feel with remarkably rich harmonics and
tone density.
These pickups provide
unprecedented sonic detail
and dynamic performance.
Their extraordinary materials and
What’s so special about silver?
Silver has the lowest resistance of any known
metal, which means it’s fast—way faster than

Additionally, Zephyr Silver humbuckers use
a glass-filled nylon bobbin. Nylon is less prone
to microphonics than traditional materials,
especially in an unpotted pickup, and it
doesn’t color the sound like cheaper plastics.
The glass filling increases structural integrity
for a stiffer bobbin, which makes for a more
stable coil.
®
Do Zephyr Silver pickups require any
special care?
No. They won’t tarnish. You can connect them
with any good solder. Or for the fastest, easiest
installation, use our Liberator Solderless
Pickup Change System for a high-end
mechanical connection.
What are the benefits of cryogenic treatment?
Cryogenic treatment is a proven enhancement
in high-end audio, where cables, vacuum tubes,
and even entire components are super-cooled
to align their internal grain structures. We’ve
found that applying cryo treatment to guitar
pickups enhances string definition, provides a
more consistent gauss pattern, and improves
overall efficiency. It also provides an excited,
dynamic midrange while tempering harsh,
unpleasant combing and spiking anomalies.
Any other unusual design details?
Our only other advice is to experiment a
bit with pickup height. If you like setting your
pickups close to the strings for extra sensitivity,
you may find that you get similar or greater
sensitivity from the Zephyr Silvers even when
they’re positioned further from the strings.
We at Seymour Duncan are very proud of
these pickups. We set out to create the most
sensitive, expressive pickups possible using
non-traditional materials and methods, and we
believe we’ve succeeded. We hope you love
Zephyr Silver Pickups as much as we do!
THE NEXT GREAT
SOUND OF GUITAR
www.seymourduncan.com (805) 964-9610
© 2011 Seymour Duncan. All rights reserved.
Our Zephyr Silver humbuckers add a few
more innovations. Their unique bi-metallic
pole pieces feature stainless steel around a
pure nickel core, an arrangement that shapes
and focuses their magnetic field. The high
chromium content of 440C stainless steel
delivers high saturation levels and extends
dynamic range. Meanwhile, the pure nickel
core responds more quickly to subtle changes
and heightens sensitivity to small signals. You
can feel the difference, especially when you
play softly.
CRYOGENICALLY TREATED
SILVER-WIRE PICKUPS
HANDCRAFTED IN
SANTA BARBARA,
CALIFORNIA, USA