Mounting Humbuckers to Jazzmasters

[HNB]

I know you can rout and get a custom guard, but I want to just screw the pickups to the cavity kind of like how Gavin did on this Jazzy. The issue is with the neck pickup it feels like it sits to high. How have people done this? I am trying to avoid removing wood.

[RolandJC120]

Following

[marqueemoon]

https://www.shapeways.com/product/UWPJN ... cker-mount

?

I feel like there'd be some room to sand it down if you want the humbucker to sit proud of the ring or if you want the whole works to sit lower.

[HNB]

I just want to screw the legs to the body, but it seems like the legs are too long even with short leg humbuckers.

Not looking to use a Jazzy cover. Just a humbucker screwed to the body.

[NICQ]

Easiest option would be to remove some wood if you want to keep the humbuckers in original condition - you don't have to route, a drill or chisel would suffice
or you could buy a replacement humbucker baseplate and bend the legs of the baseplate to an angle so the humbucker will sit lower

I have used empyrean's shapeway open humbucker ring covers and they worked great - took the biggest drill bit I had and had to make holes to accomodate the the humbucker legs though but I don't mind doing that at all...

[kimson]

Do you want to use the exact PU you've got or any HB that fits?

I don't know much about HBs, but there seems to be at least three leg lengths and I'm guessing what you mean by "short legs" is the "normal" length (1cm or so?). Anyway, a while ago I bumped into one of these Kent Armstrong pickups with "no legs" that I think would do it for you:

https://www.wdmusic.com/VINTAGE_G.html

I've never tried these or any other KA pickups so I have no idea if they are any good, but I'm sure other manufacturers also make HBs like this. It would be easier to do a search if I knew what those kind of legs are called, but maybe someone else can chime in.

[HNB]

That is pretty awesome for the neck pickup. I wonder if other pu makers do no legs humbuckers.

[simonhpieman]

Sorry to necro-bump this thread but I'm also looking to get some humbuckers into a vintage Jazzmaster, therefore hoping not to remove wood.

I know the usual suspects now make JM sized humbuckers, both wide range and regular, but as I'm exceptionally shallow I think they look kind of weird. I think an open humbucker in a JM sized humbucker ring would look much better.

Is there any current thinking on this 5 years later? I've got no problems buying a pickup and messing with the legs if necessary, I just want to avoid harming the 1970 Jazzmaster!

[Embenny]

You can get one of those 3D-printed rings.

The non-invasive solution when the rout is too shallow is to simply shim the neck and raise the bridge. I did that on my Bass VI to allow for the extra height of some EMG pickups. When you've got a shallow rout and deep pickups, you either move the pickup away from the strings (by routing deeper) or the strings away from the pickup (by shimming the neck and raising the bridge).

[simonhpieman]

Thanks for that. There's definitely already a hefty shim in there - it's a good couple of mm thick, I can see it poking out of the underside of the neck! Perhaps I'm already in a good place for this...

So excited, I've never changed a pickup in a guitar before!

Though being an old JM I guess the next hurdle will likely be the 1m pots... The fun never stops with these things, does it?!

[Telliot]

Novak makes HBs that fit in the JM footprint, no mods necessary.

[doctor_capleson]

Revel makes HBs that fit in a JM. I'd put these up against anything from Novak or SD in a minute, and while Mr. Revel does business all over the world, the physical location is just a mile from me in MN, USA.

Here is a link to the JM pickups, including the JM HBs (I personally use a set of the JM WRHB with the underwound neck pup. 10/10 would recommend!)''
[url="https://revelcustompickups.com/re ... JM Pickups

[simonhpieman]

Thanks all. As I say, I know there are tons of JM sized options out there these days, I just think they look a bit odd and would prefer to see a couple of humbucker coils poking out. It's purely shallow aesthetic reasons for asking!

I'm also aware of the Seymour Duncans that are made to look like a normal JM pickup but at £400 they're a bit rich for my budget!

[JSett]

Sorry to necro-bump this thread but I'm also looking to get some humbuckers into a vintage Jazzmaster, therefore hoping not to remove wood.

I know the usual suspects now make JM sized humbuckers, both wide range and regular, but as I'm exceptionally shallow I think they look kind of weird. I think an open humbucker in a JM sized humbucker ring would look much better.

Is there any current thinking on this 5 years later? I've got no problems buying a pickup and messing with the legs if necessary, I just want to avoid harming the 1970 Jazzmaster!

Is this the refin one you're selling me this year?

[simonhpieman]

Haha, not this year, pal

But yes, it's the blue one with the enormo neck. Happy to give you some squids to do the jiggery-pokery with it once I get all the bits together? Let you both spend a little quality time together?