67 Jazzmaster - Bridge pickup help!

[kuras]

Hi all,

Here's my first post, and I’m glad to be part of the community.

Pickup/Magnet Advice
I’m hoping to get some advice regarding my 1967 Fender Jazzmaster. It’s an absolutely stunning guitar, and I was lucky enough to afford of a refin and it came with non-original pickups Mojo pickups. The neck pickup tone is incredible, and the middle position sounds fantastic, but I’ve always struggled when using the bridge pickup when playing in louder bands as it was much quieter.

To solve this, I fitted an overwound JM bridge pickup with an A3 magnet from Mojo Pickups. While it definitely helped with the volume, the tone now feels dull and lifeless—lacking the dynamics and punch I’d hoped for. I’ve heard that A3 magnets tend to be softer in terms of output and brightness, and I’m wondering if that could be behind the flat sound. The Mojo overwound pickups normally come with an A5 magnet, but I specifically requested A3 after a friend’s recommendation. Could the magnet choice be the issue?

I tried swapping in a Nocaster bridge pickup as a test, to emulate a Curtis Novak JM-T and it was fantastic—big, dynamic, and clear, even though it was too quiet. That’s the kind of tone I’m aiming for: something with twang and liveliness, but without being overly bright or harsh. Ventures and Shadows tones rather than Sonic Youth grind.

Jazzmaster Pickup Height
I’d also love to understand the impact of pickup height on Jazzmasters. I’ve heard Tom Bukovac say “the closer, the better” when it comes to height adjustment, but I’ve been hesitant to bring the pickup too close, fearing it might introduce too much treble. What effect does the distance from the strings have on the sound of Jazzmaster pickups?

Any advice on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[DrippyReverbTremolo]

I think most people roll off the tone pot when switching to the bridge pup.

I do not think 'the higher the better' applies. Most vintage JM I see in photos have the top of the neck pickup cover sitting just beneath the pickguard.

I would suggest setting the bridge pickup to your liking and adjust i.e. lower the neck pickup to balance their output (volume).

Other than that, swap out magnets or get another bridge pup. Would be cool to use a pup from the same period.

[zhivago]

I agree, it might be best to get the bridge pickup set height-wise, set the amp volume to where that sounds good, and then adjust the neck pickup down until everything is balanced.

I had to do that on my SG as the neck PAF is a lot hotter than the bridge one.

One more thing to make sure would be to make sure that the bridge pickup is angled to follow parallel to the strings...that may help a bit too.

[OffYourFace]

Yes to your question re: A3, it is the weakest magnet. You'd think A2 would be but it's A3.
Get the A5 version of that same bridge pickup and you'll be good. The opposite works better (A3 neck, A5 bridge).

Also, regarding the middle tone position, a pair of pickups that measure about the same will give you a better middle/parallel tone. The stronger A5 bridge pickup will still give you a great middle sound but it'll be different, more scooped and/or brighter.

[Guitarman555]

1. Bridge pickup highest as you can before it starts to sound distorted or decrease sustain, can be cca 4 mm from strings
2. After balance out the neck pu, as the other guys suggest
3. I am not sure but i think you gotta buy pickup with more resistance than for neck. So if you have 2 pickups which are same, and leť s say neck is 6 kOhms, bridge should be at least 7 kOhms? But this is the thing that others will know better than me
Enjoy!

[simonhpieman]

Can I just say the Mojo heavy formvar sound AMAZING. Not much use for your problem but I'm sure Mojo can provide you with what you need if you ask.

The guy I bought my 1970 from (which he had Mojos in) was big into overwound bridge and getting the g-string poles raised for "better string to string balance". Only one of the two Mojo pickups he'd fitted had that done and I can't say I was too concerned but ymmv.

[kuras]

Thanks for everyone’s input.

So the Mojo A3 overwound has gone and the Mojo overwound A5 is in. While it’s still not a bridge sound that I love, it’s much more usable. It’s more dynamic, the treble is back and it pairs for a nice middle sound. It’s a more open sounding pickup. Early days but I think it’s a winner.

I have an Antiquity II coming for the neck as I thought it give it ago. I like the Mojo in the JM at the mo but it can be too bassy in certain situations.