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Larry,

Which type of jaguar? The way I installed mine in my JG-90 was with a standard Blacktop Jaguar pickguard cut for P90s, with P90 adapter rings.

The bridge cutout should work both for standard thimbles as well as your favourite, the TOM.



I did get a guy from the UK on eBay to cut me a new one with room for the upper control plate, he can do any permutation of jag routes and it cost about $40 shipped. I assume his online business is still open, I could send you the link if interested.

I guess that would make the most sense to just adapt a P90 pickguard. I always thought that Firebird pickups had different dimensions to mini-humbuckers, though?

The Gibson mini-humbucker that survives as a pickup option today has the same external case dimensions as a Firebird pickup. The difference is that the mini-HB typically has tabs that stick straight out for the height adjustment screw holes, and a traditional Firebird has bent tabs that reach down further into the body.

Are you planning to use a mini-HB or firebird pickup? Several pickup winders make FBs with mini-HB style tabs for easier swaps (all of mine were made that way).

These are the mini-HB tabs:

And these are the deep, traditional FB ones:

This doesnt affectthe pickguard requirements but does impact the routing you need underneath for clearance.

I would use a Firebird pickup if I go this route.

I have a '67 Jag I need to start working on, and figuring out what to do with the routes is a big part of it. But, the routes already accommodated full sized humbuckers, so they would work for Firebird pickups I imagine.

Yeah, those would fit FBs just fine. You can just get your FB pickups made with the straight instead of bent tabs. For a cleaner look you can just get a guard routed for FBs themselves, but since this is a modified vintage jag you might want to measure route locations and get a guard custom made (I've always used Pickguardian for this), to make sure they line up with the positioning of those particular routs.

Edit to add: if you want to measure your HB routs relative to the start of the neck pocket for the neck and from the centre of the thimbles for the bridge, I could check that against the P90 locations on my blacktop guard if you like.

Tim Presley from white fence has a that sorta configuration.

Thank you gentlemen. It also occurs to me that I bought a Fralin hum cancelling P90 in the Alnico magnet configuration for some reason, and I don't really have a plan for where to use it. I kind of won it on eBay without really wanting to.

Maybe I'll get a Jaguar P90 pickup pickguard and thrown that in there for a while, maybe get another one.

danbind wrote: ↑

Tue May 16, 2017 9:51 am

Read Curtis Novak's description of Firebird pickup configuration on his site. A completely different animal than a minihum.

I can't find this- anyone have a link?

I have been thinking about putting a firebird pickup in the bridge of my Mascis project...

Maybe Jason Lollar was the source?

The internal constructions of these little guys are also a huge part of the tone. A Mini-humbucker is made like a miniature PAF pickup, with one bar magnet positioned under each coil with adjustable pole pieces made out of a ferrous alloy and the other coil containing a ferrous metal bar that is not adjustable. This corresponds to a PAF with adjustable poles in one coil and a series of metal slugs in the other coil.

A Firebird on the other hand, has a bar magnet in each coil. Each coil is wound around the bar magnet, one coil is south up and the other is north up. The inductance properties of steel and alnico magnet grades are very different. Also the magnetic field shape and strength are different between the Mini-Humbucker and the Firebird which gives them different characteristics.

Steel cores tend to have a higher inductance- you get more bass and more output verses an alnico magnet core. That gives Mini-Humbucker a smoother attack with more sustain and you’ll get more of a grind to the tone when you push your amp into distortion. Traditional Firebird pickups have a tighter, “spankier” tone that stays more defined when you really crank up your amp.

i remember a legendary jag that pacafeliz had once upon a time - and maybe still does? can’t find pictures. lpb, mini hum(s)? been dreaming about that one for years

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 26, 2020 5:16 am

Thank you gentlemen. It also occurs to me that I bought a Fralin hum cancelling P90 in the Alnico magnet configuration for some reason, and I don't really have a plan for where to use it. I kind of won it on eBay without really wanting to.

Maybe I'll get a Jaguar P90 pickup pickguard and thrown that in there for a while, maybe get another one.

Curtis Novak has made a FB pickup in P90 casing. If you got the pickguard, you could use your P90 and get Curtis to make you a FB that would fit in along with what you've got

I used to have a set of Antiquity Firebird pickups in my Jag. Should have kept them in there. You can get Pickguardian to cut you a guard. I can’t find a photo of it right now. I do have a photo of a modified Squier Jag I put Firebird pickups in. I no longer have the guitar though.

That looks fantastic.