The Seymour DuncanThirty-Five

History

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Care Instructions

Welcome

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Congratulations

1Seymour and Cathy in 1978. Seymour holds the Telecaster given by Jeff Beck in exchange for creating the original “Tele-Gib.”

T he S e ymour D un c an S t ory

The sound of an electric guitar or bass starts with the pickups—but in Seymour W. Duncan’s hands, the pickups themselves become masterfully crafted instruments.

Starting as a young teen, Seymour often worked ten-hour days as a professional—if underage—guitarist. During that time he kept detailed notebooks about guitar sounds he heard, and tinkered with the instruments of friends, who included young Robbie Robertson and Adrian Belew.

In the early ’70s, Seymour relocated to London, playing sessions by night and work-ing days at the Fender Sound House, the repair shop that served as his postgraduate laboratory. There, he serviced guitars and wound pickups for Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, the Who, Robert Palmer, Mick Ronson, Jeff Beck, and other leading lights of British rock. Some came for pickup repairs, others to seek help creating a distinctive guitar voice via one of Seymour’s custom pickup creations. Seymour kept exhaustive notes and took meticulous measurements on every guitar that came in.

In 1975, Chris Rainbow brought Seymour to LA as guitarist for his recording session there. Seymour connected with the vibrant music scene in Topanga Canyon, where Jamie Shane of Canned Heat fame introduced him to Cathy Carter. Just like in London, musicians at the time were on a quest to capture the best tone of the old

“pre-CBS” Fenders and Gibsons, yet colored with more output and new sounds.

The large “corporate” guitar brands at the time had lost their heart and changed most everything about their guitars for the benefit of the “bottom-line”. They had simply stopped listening to what their customers wanted.

In 1976, the Seymour Duncan Company’s first product was a set of brass bridges for Fender Tele® guitars. These sweet sounding and sustain-rich bridges were inspired by the best of the vintage guitars Seymour touched and cared for in London. The com-pany also offered custom pickup rewinds and soon earned a reputation for musician-centric products. After moving to Santa Barbara and borrowing $1250 from a friend, Seymour and Cathy quickly expanded into offering authentic vintage and Seymour- designed single coil pickups. Always listening, carefully, to what their customers wanted.

By 1980, after getting another “micro” loan from a friend, they were able to finally tool up to build humbuckers. Now they could offer all musicians the same magical “JB”, “Jazz”, “’59” and other pickups Seymour had been hand building for Jeff and others in London.

And that was the beginning of a wonderful company, full of bright and dedicated teammates, many of whom are still there today. From Kevin Beller, longtime engineer and designer of the convertible amp, the first quiet single coils, and the successful Rails and Stack series, to Maricela “MJ” Juarez who joined Seymour in the Custom Shop. It’s a team effort, but it’s lead by Seymour who, to this day, you can still find in the Custom Shop as happy as ever behind a winder.

The years have passed, but the mission never varied. Seymour Duncan helps musicians achieve the tone that sets them apart.

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The Seymour DuncanThirty-Five

For 35 years Seymour W. Duncan—and the company that bears his name—have collaborated with countless players, from household names to bedroom beginners, acquiring unrivaled insight into guitar and bass tone. Now all that expertise is embod-ied in a stunning new guitar.

Created to celebrate the Seymour Duncan company’s 35th anniversary, the limited-edition Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five hearkens back to Seymour’s roots as a guitar tech in early-1970s London, where he wound pickups for the biggest names in British rock. A huge Yardbirds fan, Seymour conceived a custom guitar for Jeff Beck, pairing a Fender Telecaster with a set of specially voiced Gibson-style humbuckers he wound. Beck even-tually used the instrument, dubbed the “TeleGib,” on Blow by Blow, one of the most acclaimed instrumental rock records of all time. Jeff was so thrilled with that “TeleGib”, he gave Seymour the Esquire guitar he used on the early Yardbirds recordings in trade.

The pickups Seymour made for Jeff and that first “TeleGib” were the concepts behind what would become the Seymour Duncan Company’s first production models, the JB and Jazz. The quintessential set of hot-rodded humbuckers, to this day, the JB remains the world’s most popular humbucker. Those pickups and that instrument have inspired the Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five.

The Thirty-Five is hardly a literal reproduction. Like many things Seymour Duncan makes, the guitar relies on both vintage production techniques and bold new ideas. Some features are strictly old-school, notably the guitar’s JB and Jazz Concept pickups, which are tonal clones of Seymour’s 40-year-old originals. Other vintage-style details include the single-piece truss rod and the guitar’s substantial but comfy neck.

The guitar boasts many modern features as well. It comes with a second pair of pickups: limited-production Zephyr Silvers that deliver unprecedented sonic detail via cryogenically treated silver-wire coils. The guitar also boasts the Liberator™ Solderless Pickup Change system, which lets players switch between the provided pickups and any other humbuckers in minutes. Meanwhile, precision CNC engineering provides an innovative fretboard shape optimized for string-bending.

But the Thirty-Five’s greatest attribute is its astonishing attention to detail. Many parts were painstakingly handcrafted: Seymour and longtime Custom Shop manager Maricela “MJ” Juarez personally made each pickup, and Seymour engraved every neck plate. Frank Falbo, Seymour Duncan’s Vice President of Product Development, did all the fretwork, verifying that every fret is perfectly seated and shaped. Famed father-and-son luthiers Jean and Matt Larrivée oversaw wood selection, carving, sanding, and assembly, and Matt crafted every truss rod by hand. From its Tahitian black pearl neck inlays to its 35,000-year-old mastodon ivory nut, every detail of the Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five is drop-dead perfect.

The Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five reflects our company’s 35-year pursuit of perfect tone. We have every confidence that it will help you find the tones of your dreams. We had fun building it we hope you enjoy playing it just as much!

Photo by Cody Duncan.

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Special Features

One-piece swamp ash body. A single-piece body resonates with a clear, unified voice. We choose body blanks for their volume and attack. As a result, the Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five’s body is loud and articulate, with a strong fundamental and beautifully balanced overtones.

One-piece quarter-sawn maple neck. Tone comes first when we select wood for a Thirty-Five neck. We seek out the perfect balance of strength, stability, and resonance.

Custom fretboard profile. Precision CNC engineering provides the perfect fretboard shape under string tension. This ensures the smoothest playing experience and minimal string noise. The fretboard surface is optimized for string-bending. A subtle, custom-compounded radius commences just above the 12th fret, reducing fret-out when bending high strings toward the middle of the fretboard, even for players using an ultra-light setup. A gentle fall-away compensates for the natural pull at the bolt-on neck joint.

Handmade vintage-style truss rod. Matt Larrivée makes each Thirty-Five truss rod. Each has a custom length and fit. We use a traditional single-action design because it has a more focused tone and adds the minimum amount of non-wood material to

the neck. This type of truss rod allows subtler adjustments than the modern double-expanding type, and it works beautifully with the Thirty-Five’s strong, stiff neck.

Unpainted neck pocket. We initially “undercut” the Thirty-Five’s neck pocket. That way, we can cut to the final dimensions just prior to assembly, removing all finish for an ultra-resonant, direct-to-wood connection.

Precision neck angle. The Thirty-Five’s neck must be slightly angled to accommodate the tune-o-matic-style bridge. We rout this angle directly into the neck pocket without resorting to shims or a micro-tilt adjuster.

Comfortable neck profile. The Thirty-Five’s neck shape fuses several popular vintage profiles. It’s substantial yet comfy, with just a hint of a V-shape. The nut width is 1.75”, though the sloped shoulders provide the sleek feel of a slightly narrower neck.

Seymour-engraved neck plates. Seymour W. Duncan personally handcrafts each neck plate, punching and countersinking the holes, stamping the serial numbers, and shaping and polishing each unit prior to plating.

State-of-the-art bridge hardware. Bill Callaham mills the Thirty-Five’s ABR-1-style bridge from a solid billet of cold-rolled alloy steel, as opposed to more common materials such as zinc alloy, brass, or aluminum. This formulation provides a stronger fundamental and better overtone alignment. A locking TonePros tailpiece also contributes to the Thirty-Five’s strong, unified voice.

Left: Seymour hand-engraves each neck plate. Right: The neck pocket is cut after the guitar is finished, providing a paint-free, wood-to-wood junction of neck and body for maximum resonance.

Upper Left: Each SD35 body is crafted from a single piece of swamp ash selected for volume and attack.Bottom Left: The neck is made from strong, resonant quartersawn maple.Right: Frank Falbo personally installs every fret, making sure each is perfectly seated and shaped.

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Warmoth 6105 nickel/silver fret wire. We selected this wire for its consistency, balanced height-to-width ratio (.047” x .097”), and comfortable crowns. This nickel/silver material produces the most popular “classic” tone.

Varnished phenolic pickguard. Each pickguard is individually made from flat stock. They’re sprayed with a light coat of trans black to reinforce their deep, rich color, and then finished in multiple coats of clear varnish before being buffed to a high shine.

Thin “mandolin varnish” finish. The Thirty-Five uses the custom varnish formulation the Larrivées perfected for their exquisite high-end mandolins. The finish boasts a slick feel, an attractive “wet” look, and a perfect balance of durability and resonance.

Luxurious detailing. The dot neck inlays are Tahitian black pearl. The 35th anniversary logo inlay is New Zealand white mother-of-pearl. The nut is fashioned from 35,000-year-old fossilized mastodon ivory.

Handmade JB & Jazz Concept pickups. Back in the ’70s, the JB and Jazz humbuckers helped cement Seymour W. Duncan’s reputation as the world’s premier pickup maker. That influential sound is painstakingly replicated here via a JB/Jazz Concept pair hand-

made by Seymour and longtime Custom Shop manager Maricela “MJ” Juarez, down to the butyrate bobbins, maple spacer, long-legged base plate, and single-conductor cable.

Zephyr Silver humbuckers. In addition to its classic-sounding JB and Jazz pickups, the Thirty-Five comes with a set of Zephyr Silver humbuckers, an advanced design featuring cryogenically treated silver-wire coils. Zephyr pickups deliver explosive dynamics and unparalleled tonal response, distinguished by wide-open highs and richly detailed mids.

Liberator™ Solderless Pickup Change System. Seymour Duncan’s Liberator™ combines a top-quality volume pot with the Bare Wire Lockdown® system, enabling quick, solder-free pickup changes. In mere minutes, you can switch between the JB and Jazz Concept pickups, the Silver Zephyrs, or any other humbuckers. The Thirty-Five come wired with warm-sounding 250k pots, but we’ve also included a pre-wired 500k harness for those who prefer a brighter sound.

Strictly limited production. There will be only 35 individually numbered instruments. Each will be signed by Seymour Duncan and include a certificate of authenticity.

Top: Seymour W. Duncan, Frank Falbo, and luthier Jean Larrivée [L-R] scrutinize a newly cut SD35 body.Bottom Left: The anniversary neck inlay is crafted from white New Zealand mother-of-pearl.Bottom Right: A rolled-steel alloy Callaham bridge and locking TonePros tailpiece provide maximum tone and resonance.

Top Left: The included Silver Zephyr pickups boast cryogenically treated silver-wire coils.Top Right: A neck signed and dated by Seymour and Cathy.Bottom: Cathy, Derek Duncan, Seymour, and Frank pose with the finished product.

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Care Instructions

All setup, maintenance, and tech work on the Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five should be performed by a qualified technician. Seymour Duncan cannot be held liable for damage to the instrument due to improper maintenance.

Truss rod adjustment. The Thirty-Five’s truss rod is a vintage-style design capable of finer adjustments than a modern, double-expanding rod. The guitar’s quartersawn, hard-maple neck will require less adjustment than other neck types. Do not over- tighten the rod!

Bridge and tailpiece adjustments. Both the bridge and tailpiece have locking Allen bolts. Loosen these prior to height adjustments, and then retighten them. Never attempt adjustments without loosening these bolts! However, intonation adjustments are not affected by any locks, and can be performed at will.

String-through body. The through holes for the traditional three-saddle bridge pay homage to the historic guitar that inspired the Thirty-Five, on which the bridge and stop tailpiece replaced the original three-saddle bridge. You won’t void your warranty by stringing the guitar through the back, but Seymour W. Duncan advises against it for best results.

Liberator™-equipped control plates. The guitar comes equipped with a 250k Liberator volume pot and 250k tone pot. Included in the case is an additional control plate equipped with 500k Liberator and tone pot. Changing control plates is as simple as loosening the screw terminals, removing the wires (after noting their location), and reinserting them in the same location on the additional control plate. No soldering is required. Please do not over-tighten.

Zephyr Silver pickups. The guitar comes equipped with the JB & Jazz Concept set, replicas of pickups Seymour made prior to the company’s inception. These use single-conductor wire. An additional set of Zephyr Silver pickups is included in the case. These have four-conductor wire. If you choose to install these, or any other Seymour Duncan pickups with four-conductor wire, simply match the colors to those on the Liberator for a quick, solder-free install.

Cleaning. The best cleaning system for this guitar’s thin varnish finish is a high grade, gentle, non-abrasive substance made specifically for guitars.

Temperature. Avoid extremes of hot or cold. As a rule of thumb, store the guitar only at temperatures in which you would feel comfortable.

Seymour Duncan Thirty-FiveLimited Lifetime Warranty

The Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five guitar is warranted to the original retail purchaser against defects in materials and workmanship, without time limit. Evidence of ownership is to be provided by way of original purchase receipt or a signed letter from an authorized dealer indicating you are the original purchaser. This warranty is not transferrable to subsequent owners.

This warranty does not cover the following items:

1. Wear from normal use.2. Damage that results from abuse, neglect, or accident.3. Damage from exposure of the guitar to extreme temperature or humidity conditions.

In addition, settling of the finish is considered a consequence of “normal use” and is not covered by warranty. Setup and action are not a “Warranty Matter” as they are a matter of personal preference.

Unauthorized repairs or alterations may void this warranty. Hardware not manufactured by Seymour Duncan is warranted by the original manufac-turer but may be serviced by Seymour Duncan at our discretion. Shipping charges to and from the authorized repair facility are the responsibility of the customer. Please contact your dealer or Seymour Duncan for authoriza-tion to return your Seymour Duncan Thirty-Five. Guitars shipped without a return authorization number issued by Seymour Duncan will not be accepted, instead returned freight collect. This warranty takes the place of any other warranty, expressed or implied. You may have other rights under local law.

Seymour Duncan performs all warranty work in-house or at a location of its discretion. This is to ensure a professional and accurate assessment can be performed on your instrument. Seymour Duncan will not reimburse for unauthorized work done outside of our facility.

Remember, the best warranty is a careful owner. We take pride in building great guitars. If we build a problem into one, we want to take care of it, but we cannot be responsible for problems resulting from mistreatment or carelessness.

Seymour Duncan5427 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 964-9610 • www.seymourduncan.com

Art Direction by Larry Nguyen

All contents of this booklet © 2011 Seymour Duncan. All rights reserved. Seymour Duncan is a registered trademark.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.