Pickup suggestions for new AO Jazzmaster

[aquietdisaster]

Hey guys, I've had a new AO JM for about a week now & after much neck tweaking (it traveled from Nevada to Alabama over 4 days in the middle of summer, the fretboard was dry as hell & it took almost a half turn in total on the truss rod) it plays great & looks stunning. The problem now are the pickups. I do not like them much at all & that's coming from someone who thinks the JM neck pup is the end-all be-all of tone.

If I lower the neck pup to balance it with the bridge it becomes muddy, not to mention with the bridge pup raised as high up as I can get it there's still a noticeable difference in output. Add that to the shrill high end & lack of low end of the bridge & you have one disappointing set of pickups in a $2k instrument. So now the question is what to replace them with?

-I've had Curtis' JMV/JM90 combo & loved it, so that's one option.
-Never had the Duncan Antiquity I's but I've heard so many good things. Do they suffer from weak bridge output since they're vintage style?
-Pickup Wizard are also on my radar. They make a set similar to the JMV/JM90, anybody try them?
-Lastly I've seen Sunday Pickups on Reverb, anyone familiar with them?

I'm open to any other suggestions anyone may have. Basically I like a warm, early, black bobbin JM-style in the neck & something a little fatter & snarly in the bridge. Thanks y'all!

[Igorilla]

... So now the question is what to replace them with?

-I've had Curtis' JMV/JM90 combo & loved it, so that's one option.
-Never had the Duncan Antiquity I's but I've heard so many good things. Do they suffer from weak bridge output since they're vintage style?
-Pickup Wizard are also on my radar. They make a set similar to the JMV/JM90, anybody try them?
-Lastly I've seen Sunday Pickups on Reverb, anyone familiar with them?

I'm open to any other suggestions anyone may have. Basically I like a warm, early, black bobbin JM-style in the neck & something a little fatter & snarly in the bridge. Thanks y'all!

I have a set of Fat 52s Sundays JM pickups and I like them a lot. They are pretty warm as the bridge is wound to higher DC value of 8.7 KOhm, in the ball park 62 spec bridge pickup. The neck has around 7.2 KOhm, which rougly corresponds to the neck PU specs of the AV 65 set. In a sense they give you the best of both worlds.
Additionally, Fat 52s come with Alnico 2 magnets under the plain strings which tames the brightness of the plain strings.
Tim of Sunday Handwound Pickups is willing to discuss your needs and will wind you a custom set at a reasonable price.

I have no experience with JMV/JMP90 style set by Pickup Wizard but his 50s style JM PU set sounds good. I have one but it turned out that I prefer early 60s style PUs in general and he does not ship to Europe anymore

Some board members like JM sets by Q_Pickups who apparently custom winds PUs at reasonable prices. As far as I remember he has some P90 offerings for JMs.

[aquietdisaster]

Thanks for the input Igorilla, it's much appreciated. I'll check out Q_Pickups, I've seen others mention him but totally forgot they are an option.

[aquietdisaster]

So I've ordered a set of pickups from Tim @Sunday Handwound Pickups. Super-friendly & knowledgeable, I told him what I was going for & he was happy to work with me & tailor the pickups to suit my needs. I ended up ordering a Woodchime for the neck & a JM/P90 hybrid for the bridge. Once I get them I'll work on some audio samples so you guys can hear what he has to offer.

One thing that has already impressed me: Tim responds very quickly when you message him. I really appreciate good communication when ordering a custom piece of kit. It definitely calms the nerves.

[Igorilla]

So I've ordered a set of pickups from Tim @Sunday Handwound Pickups. Super-friendly & knowledgeable, I told him what I was going for & he was happy to work with me & tailor the pickups to suit my needs. I ended up ordering a Woodchime for the neck & a JM/P90 hybrid for the bridge. Once I get them I'll work on some audio samples so you guys can hear what he has to offer.

One thing that has already impressed me: Tim responds very quickly when you message him. I really appreciate good communication when ordering a custom piece of kit. It definitely calms the nerves.

Great! Tim is great to work/ deal with. I am sure you will love his pickups.