MIJ/CIJ pickups in a Squire VM Jaguar?

[tommycarlos]

I got some pickups from a Japanese Jaguar second hand. I was thinking of upgrading my Squire VM Jaguar with them... but I have been reading about microphonics and other issues with Japanese Jaguars... and that folks often replace the pickups in those...

Would I be better off with the Squire pickups? Or are the Japanese ones still usuallly a step up from them?

I realise the correct answer is "get Seymour Duncan Antiquities" or something like that, but these are the options I have in front of me at the moment...

[Embenny]

I personally don't feel the MIJ pickups are an upgrade over the VM, whaich are "Duncan designed". I pulled mine out of my jaguar and never looked back.

But there's no accounting for taste. Goldfoils were looked down upon as cheap junk for decades and now boutique tone snobs are all over them. Try them out and see what you think. But if what you think is similar to me, and many others, you probably won't find them to be an upgrade over anything. A lateral move at best, a downgrade if yours turn out to be microphonic like some of them...

[gunlak]

both are microphonic in high gain and volumes. keep what sounds best for you and wax pot them after

[sea]

I have no doubt in my mind that the Squier pickups are superior. You couldn't pay me to stick those Japanese pickups in another guitar.

[leokula]

One thing you should learn when posting at OSG is you do not say good things about japanese pickups. Never.

I like my stock CIJ pickups just fine, don't have any complaints.

Try them out and see how you like them. Tone is subjective as always.

[Embenny]

One thing you should learn when posting at OSG is you do not say good things about japanese pickups. Never.

I like my stock CIJ pickups just fine, don't have any complaints.

Try them out and see how you like them. Tone is subjective as always.

I liked mine fine until my first gig with them (in 2004 I think?) where they stared squealing like a pig in heat.

I didn't mean that the MIJs are bad, I actually think the Duncan designed pickups are good for the price point and that swapping them was a lateral move.

[tommycarlos]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like too lateral a move to bother with.

I think I'll just save up for some AVRI or SD antiquities instead.