V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

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nihilandvoid
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V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by nihilandvoid » Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:05 am

Hey everyone

Recently picked up a Mercury AM Pro II Jazzmaster from
my work after lusting after them for a while, we finally got one in and I had to grab it (especially since it was the last we would see until February). It’s a beautiful guitar!

I am planning on making a couple of changes however to suit my preferences a little more, I’ll be chucking a Hedad black anodised pickguard on (it’s handy having someone who makes these in Australia!) and I’m looking at “simplifying” the electronics.

I prefer the sound of the vintage/tapped output of the V-Mod Pickups and never see myself using the series mode. I’m quite Proficient in electronics and have wired up many guitars so I plan I having a more standard JM wiring but with the rhythm circuit being an alternate “lead” circuit with both 1M pots and both pickups available.

I had one enquiry though, considering Fenders recent history with JM pickups, by which I mean most just seem to be Strat pickups in a big ass bobbin, does anyone have any photos of the actual V-Mod II pickups out of the covers at all? Are they proper JM pickups or just another Strat pickup? If so I may end up swapping them out for some nice Lollars ;)

I would look myself but I won’t get a chance for a little while so I figure if anybody had snapped a photo of the guts of their AM Pro II I’d love to see it! If not I’ll report back later with some photos.

Cheers
Alex
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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by nihilandvoid » Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:38 pm

Decided to take the opportunity to crack mine open, the wiring is a bit of a mess and Lo and behold the V Mod pickups are not proper JM pickups. This seems to be the way they are going with everything that isn’t basically custom shop these days.

I will probably end up redoing all the wiring and installing some new pickups. Maybe even some wide ranges??

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by mauri » Sat Jul 31, 2021 6:19 am

Thanks for photos and info, this answers to my questions about V-Mod II Pickups. Something I was afraid of. I think I'll be replacing mine with set of SD Antiquity I.

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by Jazzmackster » Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:17 pm

Bummer. A proper Jazzmaster pickup is a must-have for me, at least for the neck position.

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by mauri » Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:39 am

Yes, a bummer. But I was kinda ready to change the pickups, since first V-Mods didn't get rave wave of positive comments. Now if I could just decide between Antiquity I and II. I'll propably go with the I's for the warmest tone.

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by nihilandvoid » Sun Aug 01, 2021 2:40 am

No problem! I'm glad I checked ;D We had an American Performer at work a while back that had some slight electronic issues, after I took it apart to fix it I took a peak at the pickups and discovered the same thing, basically Stratocaster pickups in Jazzmaster clothing. I hoped this time around with these new AM PRO II models that they would be at least authentic pickups! I guess they are just trying to make these appeal to a wider audience by making the pickups a little more conventional but that's not why people buy Jazzmasters :P They are definitely not bad sounding pickups (although IMO the series and non tapped bridge pick up sounds are not great) but they don't sound like JM Pickups.

Anyway, after listening to some comparisons I might order a set of the Fender 65 Pure Vintage Pickups and completely re-wire the guitar. Should make a big difference 8)
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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by Loobster » Sun Aug 01, 2021 11:41 am

Don't really get you guys. It's like you have to change it even though you like how it sounds. Just play the damn thing!

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by nihilandvoid » Sun Aug 01, 2021 5:51 pm

Loobster wrote:
Sun Aug 01, 2021 11:41 am
Don't really get you guys. It's like you have to change it even though you like how it sounds. Just play the damn thing!
For me I bought a jazzmaster cause I want the jazzmaster sound, which the pickups are a massive part of, so while these pickups sound ok they are not amazing and not the sound I want from this guitar because they are not authentic pickups. Some people would probably be fine with it but for me I would rather have the proper pickups and a simpler wiring scheme, the series mode and full bridge pickup sounds are not great to me, so might as well ditch them.
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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by mauri » Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:16 am

Doesn't seem to be as straight forward as I thought to just replace the pickups: Because of the push-pull -functtionality there is a third wire (blue mid-coil tap?) going from the bridge pickup to the selector (push-pull). And the aftermarket replacements (Antiquity) pickups come without the mid-coil cap (2 wires). Are Am Pro II stuck with V-Mod II pickups or do you just lose the push-pull -functionality?

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by Embenny » Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:09 pm

Loobster wrote:
Sun Aug 01, 2021 11:41 am
Don't really get you guys. It's like you have to change it even though you like how it sounds. Just play the damn thing!
I'm with you on this one.

Here's a fun thought experiment: if you like the way your Jazzmaster sounds, isn't that automatically a "great Jazzmaster tone" irrespective of its physical coil structure?

John Frusciante and his tech thought his all-original '58 strat sounded amazing. It did.

They popped off the guard one day and found stock Duncan SSL-1s in there.

I got a '62 Jaguar - my holy grail - and marveled at how thick but clear the pickups sounded compared to my '66 and my old '65. I thought, "the fabled flat-poled '62 pickups really do have even more magic in them than the later staggered ones!"

About a year after I got it, I found out the pickups were rewound by Jason Lollar. So, apparently modern Lollars apparently have the extra magic over '65 and '66 pickups.

My point is, judge the tone and not the specs. Maybe you'll actually hate how "proper" vintage pickups sound in your particular guitar with your particular amp and playstyle.
mauri wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:16 am
Doesn't seem to be as straight forward as I thought to just replace the pickups: Because of the push-pull -functtionality there is a third wire (blue mid-coil tap?) going from the bridge pickup to the selector (push-pull). And the aftermarket replacements (Antiquity) pickups come without the mid-coil cap (2 wires). Are Am Pro II stuck with V-Mod II pickups or do you just lose the push-pull -functionality?
Unless you get overwound pickups with a coil tap, you lose that function of the guitar. It's just a switch with nothing to switch between anymore. You can repurpose it, ignore it, or swap it out for a regular pot at your discretion.
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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by Loobster » Thu Aug 05, 2021 5:59 am

Exactly. People hear with their heads and wallets instead of their ears and hearts.

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Re: V-Mod II Jazzmaster pickups

Post by mauri » Sat Aug 07, 2021 10:35 am

I don't see there is is nothing wrong with tinkering with the setup if that is what you're in to it. Seems that lots of people on this forum are into it. Does my Am Pro II Jazzmaster sound good? Yes. Could it sound even better? Maybe, I don't know. And I'd like to find out with bit of tinkering and asking around. And I still play it every day head to head with my JM Jaguar with a happy grin on my face. Fun times. Speccing is always part of these kind of hobbies for me, so even playing with the ideas are part of the hobby; just like any other one.

And that's the point. It's not that I wouldn't appreciate what I have, otherwise I wouldn't bought it in the first place. But What still intrigues me is what if it could sound even better, or just something else I'd like more? I don't think with my wallet just to get the best specs. The "best" hasn't an ending. I try to think with my brain and heart and with my poor musical ears. Otherwise I wouldn't bought my JM Jaguar for example from the local outlet just because I felt like it needed to be taken home and it sounded wonderful. And what a great guitar it is proving to be, just surprises me every day. So I'd like to modify my Jazzmaster other ways if possible. Maybe. Nothing wrong with that.

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