-=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

For help with setups and other technical issues.
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planningtojazz
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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by planningtojazz » Sun Apr 28, 2013 6:44 am

i dont know if this has been mentioned on this thread but it seems a lot of people are modding their cij guitars to sound better. i did this before completely gutting the electronics and it sounded MUCH better.(i know people are saying the switches are good and what not but to be honest the ones i had were terrible, very noisy, they had to go).

ok so one thing you can do before changing pickups was lowering the potentiometer value from 1mohm to 250k. yes, a huge part of the jazzmaster sound is 1m pots but your cij or mij doesnt have jazzmaster pickups, it has a stratty looking pickup with a probably strat output.

to do this with the stock potentiometers you already have(so you dont have to buy any) run 2 1m resistors parallel on the opposite lugs of your potentiometers like this. its supposed to simulate a 250k pot, which will match your stock Japanese electronics much better and sound much better. the pickups are definitely the reason this instument gets such a shitty rep, whoever designed the electronics wasnt really thinking about it, because when i first plugged that guitar in it was hardly playable. but this simple mod will get you to a playable pickup sound(not ideal and you should def upgrade, go with novak).

Image

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Do_You_Compute
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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by Do_You_Compute » Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:05 am

It kills me to do this but i really think i need to get new pick ups for my thinline jag. I LOVE the clean sound of the stock Japanese pickups. They are very vintage sounding but sadly the squealing is just tooo much when trying to use distortion. Anyone have suggestions on what pickups to look into that will help me keep some of that vintage twang but eliminate the squeal? Anyone know if the Seymour Duncan SJAG-2s or 3s are potted?

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by dcsollows » Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:00 am

I just placed my order for the Curtis Novak JM-V (Neck) and P-180 (Bridge) w/passive distortion circuit mod.

These will be going in my Fender J Mascis MIJ JM. They are set to arrive tomorrow according the tracking number. His service was impeccable! I can't wait to try this setup out!

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by dcsollows » Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:03 am

Do_You_Compute wrote:It kills me to do this but i really think i need to get new pick ups for my thinline jag. I LOVE the clean sound of the stock Japanese pickups. They are very vintage sounding but sadly the squealing is just tooo much when trying to use distortion. Anyone have suggestions on what pickups to look into that will help me keep some of that vintage twang but eliminate the squeal? Anyone know if the Seymour Duncan SJAG-2s or 3s are potted?
Not that it's an ideal solution but have you tried a noise gate stomp box?

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by blyss » Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:57 pm

I have a Duncan Antiquity II on one of my Jags and they sound really good. Far better than the stock ones. But recently I wanted to go boutique for my thinline. I found that the Novaks and the Lollars intersting but they are very expensive. Then I stumbled upon bullock guitar pickups ( http://www.bullockguitarpickups.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). He makes custom pickups at a reasonable price. I told him I wanted a vintage jag tone, but a little angier, with a bell-like glassy tones of a strat. After installation, the pickups exceeded my expectations. Good string to string clarity with jangly surf tone. I could say that these are better than my duncans, especially that they are customised. The owner Matt Bullock is also great to deal with. Quick responses to emails and constant updates. His pickups are definitely worth more than how much he gives them for. I'd most likely be getting the rest of my pickups from this dude!

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by Fuseball » Mon Dec 16, 2013 2:19 pm

I got a great pair of custom pickups for my '86 MIJ Jaguar from Jaime at The Creamery.

http://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/custo ... q969qVtdFQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I had them made especially to give a similar output level to my '65 Jazzmaster but still retain the Jaguar character. Excellent service and good for anyone UK based not wanting the hassle of importing.

I'd love to know how his JM Classic '58 pickups compare to the Antiquity IIs.

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by AVRI-OZ » Sun Dec 22, 2013 4:34 pm

I've ordered a set of Barden JM pickups for my 62 AVRI, as I've decided to go down the noiseless path on my guitars. There's not a lot of info out there on these pups yet, so I'm hoping they are OK. I'll post a review when they arrive.

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by tdbajus » Sun Dec 22, 2013 8:11 pm

AVRI-OZ wrote:I've ordered a set of Barden JM pickups for my 62 AVRI, as I've decided to go down the noiseless path on my guitars. There's not a lot of info out there on these pups yet, so I'm hoping they are OK. I'll post a review when they arrive.
I have a set of them. Hard to quantify- to my ear, they sound almost exactly like Duncan Antiquity II pickups, but they feel... humbuckery? I would up taking them out and replacing them with Lollar P90s in a Jazzmaster form, which helps my Drop D excursions sound a bit more like Neil Young's ¡KUH-CHUNG!

The string to string on them is really nice, and they have a very sweet sound, but there's something about them I could never get used to. My #1 Jazzmaster (1964) came with SDA2s in it, I have felt no need to replace them. Maybe I'll give them another shot sometime.

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by AVRI-OZ » Mon Dec 23, 2013 8:12 pm

I'll see how the Bardens go. I mainly use the JM for cleaner tones in standard tuning- a lot of reverb drenched chord stuff.

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by AVRI-OZ » Fri Jan 03, 2014 1:45 am

Got the Bardens in today. Just wired them for single coil and will go the full humbucker option when I get some push-pull pots. I'm doing a gig tomorrow night and this will be the acid test, but so far my impression is that they have a big clear sound across the range with welcome low noise. Definately a Jazzmaster, but at the same time slighty different? I'm still experimenting with pickup height under the strings as it seems to have a big effect on the sound- especially when both pups are on. The Bardens come with caps for the tone pots which I'm yet to experiment with, as the stock AVRI caps don't seem to work as evenly when the tone is backed off- more of a sudden wah effect on tone. Let's see how we go at the gig tomorrow- more later ;)

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by tdbajus » Fri Jan 03, 2014 12:34 pm

AVRI-OZ wrote:Got the Bardens in today. Just wired them for single coil and will go the full humbucker option when I get some push-pull pots.
Just FYI- there is no single coil mode on these pickups. What you have is a coil tap- the outer windings on both pickups can be grounded out. More windings= more mids and more output, fewer windings means brighter and clearer. The pickups are humcancelling in both configurations. I wired mine to that the default wiring was tapped neck (for more clarity) and full-on bridge. Your milage my vary.

AVRI-OZ wrote:The Bardens come with caps for the tone pots which I'm yet to experiment with, as the stock AVRI caps don't seem to work as evenly when the tone is backed off- more of a sudden wah effect on tone. Let's see how we go at the gig tomorrow- more later
By the pots from Barden, and use his caps. Mine came as a full set, and worked wonderfully. You are making me think I should drop them back in now, except the guitar I bought them for had a black pickguard, so I bought a black set. Since they are glued into the PU covers, I don,t think it'd be easy to switch them...

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by AVRI-OZ » Sun Jan 05, 2014 3:24 pm

Well, I've done two gigs with the Bardens and they didn't do it for me in full or coil tap mode- low noise and clean, but too clinical and not enough twang on the low strings...a little too humbucker-ish for the JM. Just popped the old pups back in- AVRI '62 neck, SD hot jazzmaster bridge and realised those pups are the real deal for what I do, and I'll wear the noise. Still, if I was using high gain pedals and rocking out at higher volumes, then the Bardens would be the better choice, but my JM is a laid-back surfy, sometimes country axe, so it's single coils for me.

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by tdbajus » Sun Jan 05, 2014 3:45 pm

AVRI-OZ wrote:Well, I've done two gigs with the Bardens and they didn't do it for me in full or coil tap mode- low noise and clean, but too clinical... I'll wear the noise.
Pretty much what I found. Though I wondered if I was just reacting negatively to the absence of hum...

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by ingcokevin » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:07 am

Been searching the forums and I haven't found an answer to this:

I'm in the process of upgrading my CIJ Jaguar and got most of the parts already, except for the Capacitor on the Bass cut Switch (correct me if I'm wrong in calling it that ). It's in detail C, part Number 24 on the following pdf (not the exact same schematic of my CIJ, I know, but the cap's value is the same):

http://support.fender.com/service_diagr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... A_SISD.pdf

I pretty much always have that switch set to the 'down' position, away from the strings, such that the capacitor is in the circuit. All other service diagrams also have its specs as .003uF 20%, but I'm curious as to what the effects would be if I changed the value of that capacitor. What'll it sound like with a .001 cap, or if I go higher and use a .01 orange drop for example.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks

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Re: -=Jazzmaster and Jaguar Pickups and Electronics FAQ=-

Post by cyclopean » Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:08 pm

how do the other jaguar options compare with the mim stock pickups?

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