Fatter Jag Pickups?

[Lost In Autumn]

So I’ve got this FSR Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar that I’ve given a few well considered mods, upgrading the pickups to AVRI Jaguar and the bridge to an Am Pro, as well as a new pickguard and a shim in the neck. It plays like a dream, but I just can’t get on with the tone; it’s too ice-picky, which is odd, because I love a bright guitar, but this is too much. I’ve half heartedly put it up for sale, but I’m wondering if it just needs the right pickup? Who makes a fat Jaguar pickup, something between the traditional tone and a P90? Because you're going to ask, yes, I have 1meg pots and yes, I've rolled off the tone; I find it makes the sound reedy, darker, yes, but thin. As such, changing the pot values isn't going to get me what I want. Also, I kinda have humbuckers, so that's not an option; it's a Jaguar and I wan to keep it with the proper style pickup. Additionally, I primarily play the neck pickup. It may be that I'm just not a Jag guy- I am 6'8" and the 24" scale is pushing the limits of what my hands will fit on, but I want to at least try.

[Zeus]

Because you're going to ask, yes, I have 1meg pots and yes, I've rolled off the tone; I find it makes the sound reedy, darker, yes, but thin. As such, changing the pot values isn't going to get me what I want.

In my experience, the sound of a 1meg pot in a Jaguar rolled off sounds very different to using a 500k (or 250k) pot.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I wonder if someone like Curtis Novak makes one, or could make one. He makes a fat pickup for the JM (JM-FAT). I don't see why a fat Jag pickup isn't possible.

Also, black with pink is HOT

[Lost In Autumn]

I see that Seymour Duncan makes a high output quarter pounder Jag pickup. I like the quarter pounders in my Jazz Bass V, but I tend to be leery of their pickups, if only because they’re so ubiquitous. Curtis Novak posted here about 8-10 years ago, that he has made, but doesn’t advertise a Fat Jag pickup and mentioned something about fitment issues with the cover and claw. I may reach out to him, Jason Lollar and Lindy Fralin to see what they can do. I have Lindy Fralin P90/P92‘s in 3 of my guitars and my current offset project is getting a pair of Lollar P90‘s. Im fully prepared to admit that I may just have a preference for boutique P90s.

[jvin248]

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Tip the pickups so you have lower treble sides. And lower them (turn up the amp volume to compensate).
See the close up shots of Hendrix's guitar, how the pickups are low and the pickups tipped to increase bass/reduce treble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw9JQC8nhhY

Get a fixed ~1Meg resistor and clip it across the outer lugs of your 1Meg pot which will convert it to 500k. Try that out. If you like it then either solder that in place or buy a stock 500k volume pot.

If the Jaguar pickup 'claws' metal stamping comes off easily you might try the pickup without those. It will reduce the pickup output to more like a Strat, which might give you enough change to like the guitar.

Whenever you are faced with a bad-tone guitar:
-adjust pickup heights (including screw poles if they have them)
-swap pots 'n caps
-lastly swap pickups, and start at the top again

Otherwise you'll spend a couple rounds of $200 boutique pickups that $20 in parts could have fixed - they are all a system so you can change any part to move tones around.

.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Yes to all the already mentioned little hacks such as pickup height (on one side especially) and the electronics.
If all these things should still not yield the desired effect. The Creamery happens to have various Jaguar pickup alternatives that could be to your liking. https://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/cust ... 2tZRS35wWo - but again, start with those 250k knobs!

Do you like their sound in the rhythm circuit?

[Embenny]

Many moons ago, I put JG90 pickups from Vintage Vibe Guitars into my MIJ Jag for exactly those reasons. They're built like a P90 with a Jag footprint and sound halfway in between.

It may be that I'm just not a Jag guy- I am 6'8" and the 24" scale is pushing the limits of what my hands will fit on, but I want to at least try.

I always discourage this line of thinking, as well as its opposite ("my hands are too small for X guitar"). It's always just a question of dexterity. Every guitar is very much a medium-sized instrument.

For example, no human being scales up to a 24" guitar the way an average person fits on a mandolin, and plenty of tall people absolutely shred on a 13" scale length.

[Gordon]

For example, no human being scales up to a 24" guitar the way an average person fits on a mandolin, and plenty of tall people absolutely shred on a 13" scale length.

Agree. One only needs to watch a video of Jake Shimabukuro playing the ukulele to realize it.

[Lost In Autumn]

I wrote to Lindy Fralin, Lollar Pickups and Curtis Novak and got quick responses from Jason and Curtis.

Lollar’s rep says:
“ Hi Lance,

We can make a set of our Strat Special pickups that using a Jaguar style baseplate, without the metal claw. The Metal claw is mainly where that extended top end comes from. Cost would be and additional $15 per pickup, and the pickups would not be returnable or exchangeable.

If you’re using 1 meg pots, you could also move down to 500k or 250k pots to help tame the extended top end of your pickups.

It might also be worth trying our stock Jaguar offering over the Fender pickups. Our Jaguar pickups have a more natural sounding top end that isn’t as piercing as Fender’s modern take on those pickups."

Meanwhile Curtis Novak, himself, responded:

“ Hi Lance,
Thanks for the email. Mine have full dynamic tone with no icepick or
shrill. The do not sound like P-90s either. I offer a FUL (sic) refund if
for ANY reason you do not like them. Everyone is VERY pleased with my
Jags.
Curtis”

Since I own 3 guitars with Fralins & 1 with Lollars and the fact that Curtis responded to me personally, I've ordered a Novak Jaguar neck pickup; I'll install it and see if I like it. His guarantee is hard to beat, too. If I like it, I’ll buy another for the bridge and if I don’t, I’ll return it in exchange for something for one of my Jazzmasters and sell the Jag.

[Lost In Autumn]

I'll add that changing the pots, to me isn't the right answer. It will just make thin sounding pickups, darker, which isn't what I'm after. Changing pot values only attenuates frequencies that are present, while putting in a pickup with a more complete range, will get me the sound I want. I like sparking highs, this is why I'm drawn to single coils in the first place, but I also like a fuller low frequency response; changing pots will dull the highs and won't necessarily improve bass response. Similarly, lowering the treble end of the pickups will deemphasize the treble rather than attenuate it, which is better, I guess, but it will also reduce the overall signal output. that wouldn't be so bad if I only had one guitar, but switching between several and adjusting volume and tone settings becomes tiresome; I'd rather set the volume and not touch my amp, except to turn it on and off.

[papa_hotel_delta]

I "upgraded" my vm parts-guar to AVRI pickups and went back to the Duncans.

[PixMix]

I can't vouch enough for Buddha AlNiCo 4 pickups I put in my jag, replacing stock AVRI ones. 6.3ish neck 7ish bridge, very warm but still clear. Not plinky a Jag sound, just beautiful sounding clean tones. I got them a few years ago and the price was reasonable - though I don't remember it exactly.

[Lost In Autumn]

I can't vouch enough for Buddha AlNiCo 4 pickups I put in my jag, replacing stock AVRI ones. 6.3ish neck 7ish bridge, very warm but still clear. Not plinky a Jag sound, just beautiful sounding clean tones. I got them a few years ago and the price was reasonable - though I don't remember it exactly.

The price for the Buddha pickups is almost too reasonable, which keeps me from pulling the trigger on them. I've bought a couple pair of Bootstrap pickups, which are similarly priced- they sounded better than the stock pickups they replaced, but compared to my guitars with Lindy Fralins or Lollars, they're a little weak. faced with the prospect of spending money on inexpensive pickups, only to find that they're not as good as an established brand means that when I get the pickups I wanted in the first place, they're even more expensive because I also shelled out $75 for a pair from an emerging builder...

[Embenny]

The price for the Buddha pickups is almost too reasonable, which keeps me from pulling the trigger on them. I've bought a couple pair of Bootstrap pickups, which are similarly priced- they sounded better than the stock pickups they replaced, but compared to my guitars with Lindy Fralins or Lollars, they're a little weak. faced with the prospect of spending money on inexpensive pickups, only to find that they're not as good as an established brand means that when I get the pickups I wanted in the first place, they're even more expensive because I also shelled out $75 for a pair from an emerging builder...

Single coils are incredibly simple to build. There's nothing magic about winding them - the only magic is in matching the wire gauge, number of turns, and magnet type to the tone in the head of the player.

If the Bootstrap pickups sounded weak to you, it's not because they were inexpensive. It's because they were wound lighter than you like. Bootstrap could wind you something hotter, as could Buddha, Fralin, or Lollar. You have to know what you want, or be able to communicate it to the winder. Fralin's default Jaguar pickups are wound to 6.3k in the neck and 7k in the bridge with 42 AWG and Alnico 5. If you ask for a 10% overwind in the neck, you basically have a 3% overwound Fender Pure Vintage Jaguar set. If you get his stock neck and a 10% overwind in the bridge, you're at 6.3k/7.7k which will sound very significantly different from the stock Fenders. Choosing at random would likely disappoint you, but talking to him and letting him recommend what to do would likely yield something you like.

Avoiding the inexpensive custom winders because you're afraid that cheaper equals worse tone is a huge mistake. Talk to them, tell them what guitar you play, what tone you're looking for, the things about your current pickups you would want to change, and they'll wind you something great.

[PixMix]

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Avoiding the inexpensive custom winders because you're afraid that cheaper equals worse tone is a huge mistake. Talk to them, tell them what guitar you play, what tone you're looking for, the things about your current pickups you would want to change, and they'll wind you something great.

100 % agreed. Even the 'high end' pickup makers started in a modestly priced range. And yes, that's exactly what I did - send a message on reverb asking about options, and specifically describing what I need (medium output, slightly warmer etc.). I was suggested by them to go with A4, otherwise I wouldn't have known.