NAMM 2026: Seymour Duncan has unveiled a multi-voiced electric guitar pickup set that gives players the tones inspired by two of its most-loved humbuckers, a “clear, articulate single-coil” voicing – and delivers an all-new voicing that promises totally brutal electric guitar tone for those occasions when you need to take your tone nuclear.
At first blush, the MortalCoil Multiple-Voiced Active humbuckers are a serious upgrade for any metal guitar. And they sure throw down the gauntlet to Fishman, whose Fluence humbucker series has established itself as the industry standard for multi-voiced pickups.
The MortalCoil’s primary tone is this all-new MC1 voicing. This is an all-new sound for a Seymour Duncan pickup, and it’s for sonic extremists. No matter how far you push the gain dial, it promises “uncompromising tightness, note separation, and cutting presence for modern metal applications, maintaining clarity and balance without fizz or nasal midrange”.
We could get down with that. It will be interesting to see how many electric guitar manufacturers agree and have these installed in their new high-performance models, the likes of ESP/LTD, Jackson et al.
The MortalCoil set is an easy, drop-in mod for those with multi-voice pickups installed. But if you’ve got a guitar with active pickups already installed this should be an achievable upgrade for those proficient in gear DIY, or your local store’s tech could help.
Versatility is one of the set’s obvious advantages. You have the MC1 voice, then you have the Seymour Duncan Jazz humbucker alternate voicing at the neck, and the JB humbucker at the bridge, both of which need little introduction. The Jazz/JB is one of the all-time great pickup pairings for rock and metal. And then you’ve got that single-coil voicing.
What many metal players will tell you, however, is that what matters is the attack. They want zero latency from their guitar amp or amp modeller, and from their pickup.
The MortalCoil pickups are designed around a a low-resistance, high-density copper coil to enhance your guitar’s attack.
And then you have the preamp. For this project, Seymour Duncan had to start from the beginning.
“Our all-new preamp utilises advanced audio op-amps that contribute gain, rich harmonic detail, and dynamic feel with extremely low distortion, while the efficient circuit design supports superior battery life for reliable performance on stage and in the studio,” says the Californian brand. “The result is crushing attack and surgical control under modern metal gain.”
The MortalCoil set is available for six or seven-string guitars, and is available now. You can hear ‘em in action at the top of the page, and see more over at Seymour Duncan.
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