Strat pickups in a jazzmaster

[SadFuzz]

An idea...
Since the jazzmaster pickup covers are so big, could you install a strat bridge and neck without much difficulty?
Does the pole-peice spacing match?
Would you need to rout into the body because of the taller windings?

[Danley]

Yes, you can do it. Pole spacing is variable (some MIJ/import pickups may not perfectly fit the holes but most American Strat pickups will fit an American Jazzmaster cover.) Typically you just stuff them between the cover and the foam; I've never had to route to do this but apparently some people do, it might depend on your specific body and setup (I'm assuming that's not normal.) I would suggest using a Strat bridge and middle pickup for RWRP.

[Embenny]

If you need extra clearance for tall pickups, it's a lot easier in my opinion to shim the neck and raise the bridge than to rout the body. That's what I've done a couple of times.

[SadFuzz]

I read that the middle and neck on strats are basically the same pickup and its just the spacing that changes the sound, is that true?

[Danley]

I read that the middle and neck on strats are basically the same pickup and its just the spacing that changes the sound, is that true?

Depends, some winders wind them differently than neck (or bridge) pickups even apart from the polarity/direction - but *most* are wired RWRP to provide hum-cancelling combinations. Then again, vintage Strats had all three pickups identical (at least in theory, since there were no 'combined' settings on vintage Strats.

That said most of the difference is from where it's located physically.

[SadFuzz]

So I'd want it middle pickup in neck position yeah?

[Embenny]

So I'd want it middle pickup in neck position yeah?

Yes, if it's from a set with a RW/RP middle pickup, and you're putting the bridge pickup in the bridge. That way, you'd get a hum canceling middle position.

[soul1]

Anyone know if a Lace Sensor single coil would fit under a JM cover?

[kick_the_reverb]

I have a set of handwound JM pickups that I bought long ago, and when it was time to install them, my buddy pointed out they were wound like a strat, so I ended up having him install real JM pickups instead. I don't remember the name of the guy who wound those, I will look it up later.

Ran

[solfege]

The argument has always been that MIJ JM pickups are more like strat pickups, (deep, narrow windings).

[kick_the_reverb]

Benson Custom are the ones I bought and never installed ( so I wouldn't know what they sound like). And yes, MIJ are supposed to be Strat-like as well...

Ran

[BarnyardCoral]

Benson Custom are the ones I bought and never installed ( so I wouldn't know what they sound like). And yes, MIJ are supposed to be Strat-like as well...

Ran

I bought a set of those too. I liked them well enough but was a bit annoyed when I got them at first because there weren't any side profile pics and nothing in the description about the taller bobbin and wind. They certainly sound like a Strat/JM blend. I've got them for sale on Reverb if anyone is interested. Just look up "benson custom Jazzmaster".

[Embenny]

The MIJ pickups in my new-to-me purple Mascis are very stratty-sounding with strat-ish morphology (but still a bit wider and shorter of a coil). Not gonna lie, I'm having a hard time making friends with them.

In the neck position it's ok, but the bridge is pretty brutally thin. And even the neck feels wrong to me, since the JM neck pickup is one of the most wonderful tones in all of guitar-land in my books, and giving it up feels so very wrong.

[Jaguar018]

I'm going to have to talk to the mods about this thread and the OP's idea so you all get banned. This should be totally illegal, and everybody who has been in OSG for a while knows that this is one of the main strikes against Japanese Jazzmasters. FOR SHAME!

[Danley]

Good thing I have a Jaguar pickup (and not a Strat pickup) in the neck of my beater Jazzmaster