Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
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Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Hi all,
I have Curtis Novak's JM-V/Fat set in my Jazzmaster and while I'm generally impressed with the pickups, I'm not so happy with the bridge pickup. To me, it sounds too dark/honky and a bit nasal, with a midrange bump. This is especially apparent when played clean - my amp is a Fender Vibrolux. That makes perfect sense given that it's called 'FAT', but I hadn't really anticipated it'd be quite so pronounced. Now, the bridge unit is set quite high and the neck unit quite low to get a volume balance.
My favourite pickups are the G&L MFD soapbars in my ASAT Special. I find them very hi-fi and with a very balanced response. Perhaps a tiny bit scooped in the mids but with huge bass and biting treble and tons of output. I understand they use ceramic magnets.
So I'm looking for advice. Should I look for a lower output bridge pickup? Then it won't be able to compete with the Novak JM-V neck pickup, which I think sounds tremendous. Or should I try a completely different set? How about Wide Ranges? Goldfoils? Help me out!
I have Curtis Novak's JM-V/Fat set in my Jazzmaster and while I'm generally impressed with the pickups, I'm not so happy with the bridge pickup. To me, it sounds too dark/honky and a bit nasal, with a midrange bump. This is especially apparent when played clean - my amp is a Fender Vibrolux. That makes perfect sense given that it's called 'FAT', but I hadn't really anticipated it'd be quite so pronounced. Now, the bridge unit is set quite high and the neck unit quite low to get a volume balance.
My favourite pickups are the G&L MFD soapbars in my ASAT Special. I find them very hi-fi and with a very balanced response. Perhaps a tiny bit scooped in the mids but with huge bass and biting treble and tons of output. I understand they use ceramic magnets.
So I'm looking for advice. Should I look for a lower output bridge pickup? Then it won't be able to compete with the Novak JM-V neck pickup, which I think sounds tremendous. Or should I try a completely different set? How about Wide Ranges? Goldfoils? Help me out!
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- Expat
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
No-one replied? From what you wrote, my guess is you’d be happy with... a vintage-style Jazzmaster bridge pickup. Should be a pretty good match with the vintage-style neck pickup. Bright, but not nasal and with more meat to it than a Tele or a Strat bridge pickup, spank rather than honk. You might like it.
- Veitchy
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
The JM Fat IIRC uses a lightly taller coil with more windings for a somewhat higher output than a regular JM pickup. The hotter wind will lower the resonant peak of the pickup and make those mids more present. I'd say try and get a Novak JMV bridge pickup for a perfect match, or any other 'vintage output' JM bridge pickup will suffice. If you're particular about it, the JMVs are based off of a '63 pickup, so people winding pickups to the earlier black bobbin voicing will be in the ballpark.
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- Expat
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Q-pickups make nice pickups to spec. Cost about half what Novak or Lollar ask and they’re in the EU.
Last edited by Sauerkraut on Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Lost In Autumn
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
a lower output pickup will have a more hi-fi sound. I had a similar experience with Lollar P90's with a hot wind- they sounded terrible, "too dark/honky and a bit nasal, with a midrange bump" as you described. I'd imagine pickups like that sound fine for people who use a lot of gain in their sound, but I can't stand them for clean tones. For JM form-factor pickups, I've had great results with Novak's WR-Hum in the bridge, as well as Lindy Fralin's Hum-Cancelling Jazzmaster pickups.
- Tafarel
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
I put a pair of Sunday handwound pickups in one of my JMs that had an icepicky bridge but great combined sound. I specifically spoke to the seller about what I was looking for. After putting them in my black JM, I purchased another pair to go into my shell Pink JM.
I've been playing Jazzmasters for most of my adult life and have owned a fair dozen or more. With these pickups in two of my Jazzmasters I can say that I don't need to look any further. They've got magic in them.
No affiliation with the seller, but he is pretty responsive if you want to ask him direct questions/explain the type of sound you're looking for: https://reverb.com/brand/sunday-handwound-pickups
I've been playing Jazzmasters for most of my adult life and have owned a fair dozen or more. With these pickups in two of my Jazzmasters I can say that I don't need to look any further. They've got magic in them.
No affiliation with the seller, but he is pretty responsive if you want to ask him direct questions/explain the type of sound you're looking for: https://reverb.com/brand/sunday-handwound-pickups
"I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday. I've begun reminiscing events before they even occur. I'm reminiscing this right now. I can't go to the bar because I've already looked back on it in my memory, and I didn't have a good time."
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Thanks for the tip!
- Mondaysoutar
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Tafarel wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:04 amI put a pair of Sunday handwound pickups in one of my JMs that had an icepicky bridge but great combined sound. I specifically spoke to the seller about what I was looking for. After putting them in my black JM, I purchased another pair to go into my shell Pink JM.
I've been playing Jazzmasters for most of my adult life and have owned a fair dozen or more. With these pickups in two of my Jazzmasters I can say that I don't need to look any further. They've got magic in them.
No affiliation with the seller, but he is pretty responsive if you want to ask him direct questions/explain the type of sound you're looking for: https://reverb.com/brand/sunday-handwound-pickups
Sorry to awaken an old ish thread, but do you know which sets of his you went for man? I’ve been speaking to Tim at Sunday Handwound, he’s suggested the woody or 5859 sets respectively for what I’ve said I’m after man - a ‘better’ traditional Jazzmaster sound haha.
- GilmourD
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
I don't want to feel like Tim's pimp but he's also running a sale on Jazzmaster pickups for the grand opening of www.sundayhandwound.com with a coupon code ("openingday!" with the exclamation point).Mondaysoutar wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 3:12 pmTafarel wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:04 amI put a pair of Sunday handwound pickups in one of my JMs that had an icepicky bridge but great combined sound. I specifically spoke to the seller about what I was looking for. After putting them in my black JM, I purchased another pair to go into my shell Pink JM.
I've been playing Jazzmasters for most of my adult life and have owned a fair dozen or more. With these pickups in two of my Jazzmasters I can say that I don't need to look any further. They've got magic in them.
No affiliation with the seller, but he is pretty responsive if you want to ask him direct questions/explain the type of sound you're looking for: https://reverb.com/brand/sunday-handwound-pickups
Sorry to awaken an old ish thread, but do you know which sets of his you went for man? I’ve been speaking to Tim at Sunday Handwound, he’s suggested the woody or 5859 sets respectively for what I’ve said I’m after man - a ‘better’ traditional Jazzmaster sound haha.
- thegreatbigsby
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Thank you, I have now ordered new pickups for my Jazzmaster, which I was considering selling due to not knowing if I liked it anymore.
- Tafarel
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Re: Yet another JM pickup quandry/recommendations wanted/help needed
Sorry to be so late to reply. I did get a set of the Woodys -- Alnico 2 magnet pickups. Both of my Jazzmasters now have them. Here is a link to what I got: Sunday Woody Jazzmaster Pickups. One set replaced the CS set in one of my JMs, and I liked them so much I purchased another set for my other JM.Mondaysoutar wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 3:12 pmTafarel wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:04 amI put a pair of Sunday handwound pickups in one of my JMs that had an icepicky bridge but great combined sound. I specifically spoke to the seller about what I was looking for. After putting them in my black JM, I purchased another pair to go into my shell Pink JM.
I've been playing Jazzmasters for most of my adult life and have owned a fair dozen or more. With these pickups in two of my Jazzmasters I can say that I don't need to look any further. They've got magic in them.
No affiliation with the seller, but he is pretty responsive if you want to ask him direct questions/explain the type of sound you're looking for: https://reverb.com/brand/sunday-handwound-pickups
Sorry to awaken an old ish thread, but do you know which sets of his you went for man? I’ve been speaking to Tim at Sunday Handwound, he’s suggested the woody or 5859 sets respectively for what I’ve said I’m after man - a ‘better’ traditional Jazzmaster sound haha.
"I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday. I've begun reminiscing events before they even occur. I'm reminiscing this right now. I can't go to the bar because I've already looked back on it in my memory, and I didn't have a good time."