Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

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HorseyBoy
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Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by HorseyBoy »

I've had my Jazzmaster (it's an AV65) since around 2013 (I think), and in all that time I've never been entirely happy with the pickups. The bridge pickup, especially, is a problem: thin, brittle, way too much high end. Yes, it's a Jazzmaster and that's kind of what they do. And yes, I've tinkered with the height over and over and rolled off tone and volume until there was nowhere left to go - it still sucks. The workaround has been pretty much to never use the bridge pickup. The neck pickup is okay but the middle position is where it's at. So after playing nothing but the Greco Tele Thinline for weeks, I gave the Jazzmaster some love and care - checked the neck, adjusted the bridge height, yadda yadda. And when I plugged it in to check the pickup balance, the bridge pickup was like an icepick to the brain. "Fuck that noise," I said to myself. "That pickup has to go."

So what do I put in it, and do I need to replace the neck pickup as well? I've looked at all the usual suspects: Lollar, Curtis Novak, Duncan Antiquity IIs, etc. As well as traditional Jazzmaster pups, there are plenty of other options in Jazzmaster form, including P90s and humbuckers. The Fender pickups in there measure about 6.4K each (they'd probably be around 6.8K if I pulled them from the guitar). The Lollar and Novak bridge replacements seem like they have some extra winds and measure around 8.8K. I reckon I could make that work with the existing neck pup, but I guess if I'm going to fire up the soldering iron I may as well throw in a pair.

What I'd really, really love to do is try out Curtis Novak's JM-WR pickups - Wide Range Humbuckers in Jazzy form: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/jm-wr/
But they're hard to come by in Oz and they'd end up costing significantly more to ship in.

Anyone faced (and preferably solved) a similar dilemma?
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burgersalad14
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by burgersalad14 »

Brierley JazzDoctor Set - Had the same issues as what you are saying. Purchased and haven't looked back. Best thing I did to my JM. You should get in contact with Mick regarding your dilemma. 500k pots too!!

http://www.brierleyguitarpickups.com.au/special.html
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redeyeflight
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by redeyeflight »

Yea was going to also reccommend 500K pots as well they will tame the high end. My 1966 jazzmaster has a very bright bridge pickup as well it kinda part of the sound.
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innerflight
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by innerflight »

I have Lance Amplification pups in my Harvester and that was one of the things I mentioned to AP, he swears by them. Deffo worth checking them out, good ol Aussie pups :tu:

I’ve tagged you in an Insta post from @lanceamplification

He also makes damn good wine apparently
’brutish in character but not thug like’
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squarewave
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by squarewave »

innerflight wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:43 pm I have Lance Amplification pups in my Harvester and that was one of the things I mentioned to AP, he swears by them. Deffo worth checking them out, good ol Aussie pups :tu:

I’ve tagged you in an Insta post from @lanceamplification

He also makes damn good wine apparently
I’ve a set of lanceamps mini hums in my mk2 mosrite build, they sound ace.

And I can confirm he (jamie) does make some pretty amazing wine.
Insta @drewcifer01 @lavafangs @andrew_sings_solo
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HorseyBoy
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by HorseyBoy »

Great ideas, guys - and solid advice.

Yeah, I should probably bite the bullet on 500K pots. I don't mind rolling off volume or tone (on a P90, for example, it's a must), but on the Fender AV pups it just doesn't have a positive effect.

And burgersalad14, I can't believe I forgot about Mick Brierley! I did think about the Kinman Thickmasters, looking at Aussie options, but I'm not really a fan of the sound - feels like they're missing some of the sparkle to me and are a bit lifeless. But those JazzDoctors do sound really, really nice. They could be a great option. Just going off my ears, I'd be hard pressed to choose between those and the Lollars. The Lollars might be a bit more "traditional" but they're both great. Will definitely drop Mick a line. Thanks, man!

The Lance Amp pups are a great idea, too, inner. If they're good enough for AP, they're good enough for me.

Thanks, guys.
Last edited by HorseyBoy on Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:20 am, edited 2 times in total.
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HorseyBoy
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by HorseyBoy »

squarewave wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:52 pm I’ve a set of lanceamps mini hums in my mk2 mosrite build, they sound ace.

And I can confirm he (jamie) does make some pretty amazing wine.
Did you just contact him through Instagram? I wasn't sure if he only wound for AP.
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burgersalad14
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by burgersalad14 »

HorseyBoy wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:05 pm
squarewave wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:52 pm I’ve a set of lanceamps mini hums in my mk2 mosrite build, they sound ace.

And I can confirm he (jamie) does make some pretty amazing wine.
Did you just contact him through Instagram? I wasn't sure if he only wound for AP.
I could be wrong but pretty sure he only winds for Harvester Builds, no external sales.
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burgersalad14
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by burgersalad14 »

HorseyBoy wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:02 pm Great ideas, guys - and solid advice.

Yeah, I should probably bite the bullet on 500K pots. I don't mind rolling off volume or tone (on a P90, for example, it's a must), but on the Fender AV pups it just doesn't have a positive effect.

And burgersalad14, I can't believe I forgot about Mike Brierley! I did think about the Kinman Thickmasters, looking at Aussie options, but I'm not really a fan of the sound - feels like they're missing some of the sparkle to me and are a bit lifeless. But those JazzDoctors do sound really, really nice. They could be a great option. Just going off my ears, I'd be hard pressed to choose between those and the Lollars. The Lollars might be a bit more "traditional" but they're both great. Will definitely drop Mike a line. Thanks, man!

The Lance Amp pups are a great idea, too, inner. If they're good enough for AP, they're good enough for me.

Thanks, guys.
No worries! Also one thing to note about Mick, if you aren’t happy with the pickups send them back and he will make it work for you. He puts that option on the table from the get go. That’s extremely hard to beat, especially in Australia. I have trouble buying pickups elsewhere now.
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HorseyBoy
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Re: Replacement Jazzmaster pickups - experiences and recommendations?

Post by HorseyBoy »

burgersalad14 wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2020 1:49 am No worries! Also one thing to note about Mick, if you aren’t happy with the pickups send them back and he will make it work for you. He puts that option on the table from the get go. That’s extremely hard to beat, especially in Australia. I have trouble buying pickups elsewhere now.
Thanks, mate - really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction (although I still can't believe I didn't think of Mick myself). I've now dropped him a line. The JazzDoctor might be a little too hot and "modern" for what I have in mind, so maybe one of his other sets will do the job. Still love the idea of a WRHB that will fit the JM route, but another part of me figures I should keep it as "Jazzmaster-ish" as possible. Excited about the idea of a usable bridge pickup! :cheers:
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