Educate me on Jazzmaster pickups please!

GoldenEraGuitars

Ive decided to become one of those lazy modern day “I want something for nothing” types (not really) and ask you guys for your advice on jazzmaster pickups. I could head to google and spend all day researching it... but I’m too busy in the workshop. And where’s the fun in that?!

Currently, this is where I’m at with my build.

https://i.imgur.com/Rm8t5Kv.jpg




 Scratchplate en route. It’s routed for p90s although I had wanted an HB P90 configuration but I think I’ll save that for the Jaguar.

So... I’m ignorant on this stuff, help!

meltedbuzzbox

What do you want to know?
Who makes the best? What sort of sound you get? How to wire it all etc?

GoldenEraGuitars

meltedbuzzbox said:

What do you want to know?
Who makes the best? What sort of sound you get? How to wire it all etc?

Yeah I guess primarily what type of sound you get (in currently using a p90 junior with a Gibson pickup). I’m also a feeder fan so I have heard jazzmasters heavily throughout the years but I’ve never played one properly.

Ill leave wiring just now tbh. Mainly types of sound? Do they come as high and or low output? Is it just a standard p90? Brands for making them (mojo has popped up on my radar a few times) 

Lebarque

Do you want a Jazzmaster, or do you want something that looks like a Jazzmaster, but sounds different?

GoldenEraGuitars

Lebarque said:

Do you want a Jazzmaster, or do you want something that looks like a Jazzmaster, but sounds different?

If we are referencing the new fender models...

Id prefer something that sounds like a jazzmaster. Otherwise, I’d build a different guitar

stimpsonslostson

My understanding is that Jazzmaster pickups are slightly wider & flatter, they have magnetic pole pieces (P90 is a bar magnet). 
Jazzmaster is slightly brighter & more "articulate". P90 has more grunt. 

In terms of brands- you can't go far wrong with Mojo or Oil City. Both make variations on the theme & I'm yet to hear anyone being disappointed by their products. 

Lebarque

lonestar said:

Lebarque said:

Do you want a Jazzmaster, or do you want something that looks like a Jazzmaster, but sounds different?

If we are referencing the new fender models...

Id prefer something that sounds like a jazzmaster. Otherwise, I’d build a different guitar

Just get the Mojos with the slightly overwound bridge then. I'm gonna do the same!

stickyfiddle

Proper JM pickups are like a Strat pickup that's been stood on. The coil is flat & wide rather than tall and thin, and the polepieces are magnetic (as opposed to a P90, which has bar magnets attached to the base of the pickup). 

They sound fatter than a strat but still jangle and chime really nicely. They also take dirt really nicely.

In terms of buying, you probably want a matched set (ie hotter bridge pickup). Mojo is excellent, as ever - I just emailed him and said "give me your best JM set" and he did exactly that. 

punchesjudy

Just get the Mojo set with the overwound bridge pickup. You will not be disappointed. 

GoldenEraGuitars

This sounds great. If it sounds as good in real life as it does in my head then it’s maybe exactly what I’m looking for!

Is there a fairly standard output I should look into? Would it be best to go lower or higher?

Johnnyseven

When I had Jazzmasters the pickups I liked the most were Seymour Duncan Antiquity 2's and Creamery Extra Width Jazzmaster pickups. A mate has a set of Mojo pickups in his that he really likes. I liked a higher output, but it's a matter of personal taste.

OilCityPickups

To put it into perspective ... a P90 coil is around 6mm tall ... but a Jazzmasters is roughly half as tall! This produces a super fat but very thin coil ... couple that with magnetic pole pieces ... which give more bite and jangle than the twin, opposed polarity magnets in a P90. The JM is fat, jangly and meaty ... with less natural mid growl than a P90. Fuzz and a JM = heaven! For my own taste ... I don't like overwinding them much.

impmann

The bridge unit needs a touch of over wind for my ears - a standard JM bridge pickup (especially a Fender made thing) is a clanky old thing. Especially with 1meg pots.

With a touch more wind, the mids come up and the top end comes down, plus it matches the neck unit better. A5 is traditional, but I like A3 in Jazzmasters as this smoothes the attack.

But I’d avoid big overwinds like the (awful) Seymour Duncan hot or Quaterpounder (not sure if they still do the Quarterpounder... it’s not nice).

JerkMoans

Johnnyseven said:

When I had Jazzmasters the pickups I liked the most were Seymour Duncan Antiquity 2's and Creamery Extra Width Jazzmaster pickups. A mate has a set of Mojo pickups in his that he really likes. I liked a higher output, but it's a matter of personal taste.

+1 for the Creamery Extra Width.  Got one in the bridge of my #1 JM.  Adds that, er, extra width to the (admittedly already pretty decent) JM sound given by the stock AVRI 65 pups I had.

FWIW for more dark mystery I scored a Curtis Novak Gold Foil for the neck position which gives all the rich complexity a jazzer might desire, especially on the rhythm circuit.

Grocer_Jack

impmann said:

The bridge unit needs a touch of over wind for my ears - a standard JM bridge pickup (especially a Fender made thing) is a clanky old thing. Especially with 1meg pots.

With a touch more wind, the mids come up and the top end comes down, plus it matches the neck unit better. A5 is traditional, but I like A3 in Jazzmasters as this smoothes the attack.

But I’d avoid big overwinds like the (awful) Seymour Duncan hot or Quaterpounder (not sure if they still do the Quarterpounder... it’s not nice).

This is spot on and actually describes the Lollar JM pickups - slight overwind to give a bit more punch and woodyness. I've got them in my Jazzmaster.  

stimpsonslostson

I hate this place!

 I've spent the day watching Jazzmaster videos on YouTube! I now want one... Probably a Mascis Squier one, it seems the best balance between price and awesomeness. 

You guys are a terrible influence!

timhulio

AVRI Jazzmaster pickups. All you really need. Lots of dudes remove them from their guitars and install something else because of something they read on a forum, so they're available for not too much dosh.

meltedbuzzbox

I really do feel fender make the worst reproductions of their own pickups. 

GoldenEraGuitars

Mega info guys, thank you very much! Amazing what you can learn on one page here. And tbh, I now understand why I enjoy Grant Nicholas's tone so much. 

I think I’m going to need to get into proper dialogue with a winder about what I’m after. This has been a great starting point though. @TheGuitarWeasel I have a fuzz in the works just now to run through the Lonestar so I figured it would be rude not to build a JM   

OilCityPickups

lonestar said:

Mega info guys, thank you very much! Amazing what you can learn on one page here. And tbh, I now understand why I enjoy Grant Nicholas's tone so much. 

I think I’m going to need to get into proper dialogue with a winder about what I’m after. This has been a great starting point though. @TheGuitarWeasel I have a fuzz in the works just now to run through the Lonestar so I figured it would be rude not to build a JM   

its the clarity and bass response that makes a fuzz sit up and beg :-)

GavRichList

meltedbuzzbox said:

I really do feel fender make the worst reproductions of their own pickups. 

FWIW, I’ve owned both AVRI 62 and AV65 Jazzmasters. The 62 set were only ok really - neck was passable, but the bridge was really weedy and insipid. The 65s are markedly better; true to the originals, they’re brighter than the 62s (grey bobbin, not the earlier black) but actually sound nice and woody - a characteristic I really covet on a Jazzmaster. Again the neck is the better of the two. 

ive also owned Seymour Duncan Antiquity 1s, and was pretty disappointed by those. On paper they should be everything I like - darker voiced etc etc, but the reality was anything but - they were glass brakingly shrill with stock 1 meg pots. 

Preference (like many on here) are Mojo though. Have had two sets; A3 magnets with an overwound bridge, and A5s, again with the OW bridge. Both sets are exceptional - my slight preference would be the A3s on reflection (though sadly I no longer have that guitar) but we’re talking small margins; both are great. Very usable bridge, especially with chorus or dirt. 

You can’t go wrong with Mojos. 

Here’s a tiny little clip from rehearsal the other day; only posting as it really illustrates the woodiness I mentioned. These are the standard set Marc offers with the overwound bridge option. 

https://instagram.com/p/Bg_cUPjgDBc/