Squier Mascis s squier paranormal pickups?

[daz]

I have a squier paranormal thinline tele with those P90 type pickups fender calls jazzmasters. Obviously referring to the dress, not the content.In any case, i see the Mascis JM pickups are more P90 due to the taller coil and metal baseplate. Has anyone used both and can tell me how they differ as far as tone and touch dynamics? he paranormals aren't very dynamic and rather hot and middy sounding and don't clean up as well as a vintage fender or even a P90. I tried fender 65 JM pickups in it only to find i don't like them even tho i'm a fan of vintage winds for start and tele. I DO also find P90s to be quite touch sensitive so i'm wondering is the mascis pickups would be more dynamic a les congested than the paranormal version. Even tho i didn't care for real JM pickups because they were too tinny, i wish the paranormals were *just a bit* more in that direction or more along the lines of a P90 as far as touch and cleanup.
So how do the Mascis "jazzmaster" pickups sound compared to the paranormals ?

[Lost In Autumn]

I can't comment on how the paranormals sound, but the pickups on the J Mascis Jazzmaster are wound really hot and sound like mud. People who play with a lot of gain seem to like them, but I could never get on with them and they were the first thing I changed. I'm currently using a pair of Lindy Fralin hum-cancelling Jazzmaster pickups and am quite pleased with them.

[daz]

Thanks, thats what i was afraid of. The paranormal ones are similar tho maybe not a shot but i like low vintage output. So much for those.

[daz]

Anyone have suggestions for some pickups that 1-are not real hot and are much more balanced without the congested excessive low mids, 2-also not as scooped a bright as typical JM pickups, (tried the fender 65's, hated the scooped thin tone) and 3- are very cheap. I was looking at the GFS which are rod magnets like real JM pickups but I worry they will have a similar thin bright scooped sound like the fenders. Already lost $ spending $110 on the 65 set and i just wanna be sure this time whatever i get is balanced and not too hot. Never had a guitar with JM pickups in it and i guess I just don't like them. So i need a fatter mid variation. Gotta be something out there cheap. So while getting suggestions isn't usually very productive i figured can't hurt to ask.

[Lost In Autumn]

Anyone have suggestions for some pickups that 1-are not real hot and are much more balanced without the congested excessive low mids, 2-also not as scooped a bright as typical JM pickups, (tried the fender 65's, hated the scooped thin tone) and 3- are very cheap. I was looking at the GFS which are rod magnets like real JM pickups but I worry they will have a similar thin bright scooped sound like the fenders. Already lost $ spending $110 on the 65 set and i just wanna be sure this time whatever i get is balanced and not too hot. Never had a guitar with JM pickups in it and i guess I just don't like them. So i need a fatter mid variation. Gotta be something out there cheap. So while getting suggestions isn't usually very productive i figured can't hurt to ask.

Perhaps Bootstrap pickups? they're hand made in ohio, for about $60 a pair. They're pretty bright, but that comes with the design, I'm afraid. They are pretty balanced, though; also I've found the secret for coaxing a good tone out of both Jazzmasters and Jaguars, is to attenuate the treble on your amp. with a stratocaster, running into a Deluxe Reverb, I ordinarily dime the bass and set the treble around 8. With my Jazzmaster and Jaguar, i set it around 7.5 and am much more pleased with the tone. When I'm switching between multiple guitars, I'll set an eq pedal with the high end muted and use that when I switch to an offset.

[vistavision]

Perhaps Bootstrap pickups? they're hand made in ohio, for about $60 a pair. They're pretty bright, but that comes with the design, I'm afraid. They are pretty balanced, though; also I've found the secret for coaxing a good tone out of both Jazzmasters and Jaguars, is to attenuate the treble on your amp. with a stratocaster, running into a Deluxe Reverb, I ordinarily dime the bass and set the treble around 8. With my Jazzmaster and Jaguar, i set it around 7.5 and am much more pleased with the tone. When I'm switching between multiple guitars, I'll set an eq pedal with the high end muted and use that when I switch to an offset.

I second Bootstrap pickups. I have 3 guitars with them, but not the Jazzmaster ones I'm afraid. The JMs are called Lakesurfers and they're $59 a set, $10 extra for covers. Also, you can contact the Bootstrap guy and let him know what you're after. He can wind a set to order, too, for extra $.

PS One thing I recommend is get a multiband EQ pedal also. That would help a lot.

https://bootstrappickups.com/products/b ... jazzmaster

[Lost In Autumn]

Anyone have suggestions for some pickups that 1-are not real hot and are much more balanced without the congested excessive low mids, 2-also not as scooped a bright as typical JM pickups, (tried the fender 65's, hated the scooped thin tone) and 3- are very cheap. I was looking at the GFS which are rod magnets like real JM pickups but I worry they will have a similar thin bright scooped sound like the fenders. Already lost $ spending $110 on the 65 set and i just wanna be sure this time whatever i get is balanced and not too hot. Never had a guitar with JM pickups in it and i guess I just don't like them. So i need a fatter mid variation. Gotta be something out there cheap. So while getting suggestions isn't usually very productive i figured can't hurt to ask.

Perhaps Bootstrap pickups? they're hand made in ohio, for about $60 a pair. They're pretty bright, but that comes with the design, I'm afraid. They are pretty balanced, though; also I've found the secret for coaxing a good tone out of both Jazzmasters and Jaguars, is to attenuate the treble on your amp. with a stratocaster, running into a Deluxe Reverb, I ordinarily dime the bass and set the treble around 9. With my Jazzmaster and Jaguar, i set it around 7.5 and am much more pleased with the tone. When I'm switching between multiple guitars, I'll set an eq pedal with the high end muted and use that when I switch to an offset.

[daz]

Well, as far as EQ'ing JM pickups, as i said i tried the fender pure vintage 65s and i just could not make the bridge pickup sound usable w/o a crazy amount of EQ'ing. They're just way way crazy scooped and bright. So i'd rather not try another true JM design set. I would maybe consider it if they were wound for mids but thats a crap shoot and i've already thrown away $120 on the fenders. So whatever i get i have to go cheap. I've seen the bootstraps and if i go with true JM design with alnico rods those are on the list of possibilities.

[pikmin]

Well, as far as EQ'ing JM pickups, as i said i tried the fender pure vintage 65s and i just could not make the bridge pickup sound usable w/o a crazy amount of EQ'ing. They're just way way crazy scooped and bright. So i'd rather not try another true JM design set. I would maybe consider it if they were wound for mids but thats a crap shoot and i've already thrown away $120 on the fenders. So whatever i get i have to go cheap. I've seen the bootstraps and if i go with true JM design with alnico rods those are on the list of possibilities.

I think you will like the hybrid jazzzmaster pickups by Q pickups.
I got them in my J.Mascis and they sound awesome . Full and clear at the same time . Not to bright , and not muddy at all .
And they are not too expensive .

« Imagine a crossover between Jazzmaster pickup, P90 pickup and humbucker pickup. This is it.
Jazzmaster bobbin with humbucker steel slugs - powered by 2 magnet bars like P90s.
Instead of classic Alnico magnet rods each of these has 6pcs NICKEL PLATED STEEL SLUGS - 1215 alloy - coupled with 2pcs AlNiCo5 BAR MAGNETS.

Fat tone with tight bass and warm high freq. - the tone is classic for this type of design, kind of p90ish - but fuller and clearer due to the steel slugs being used instead of classic screws.

This would be a classic moderate output set - but we can build these any way you want - with more or less output or with different magnet alloys.

Hotter bridge at 8.1 kOhm for some extra bite and balls.
The neck at 7kOhm has all the power you might need - and if you turn down the volume down just a little bit these will sound clear and twangy. »

[Nick and the Noise]

What you describe sounds like the typical experience of using 1 meg pots when first using them. True JM pickups can be very warm and articulate, although I think the bridge is always a bit bass anemic. Play with the tone and volume controls and perhaps you discover you prefer 500k pots or perhaps even 250k as base setup.

An alternative is to try some Alnico II pickups. However, I'm not aware of a cheap option for those.

[daz]

Well, as far as EQ'ing JM pickups, as i said i tried the fender pure vintage 65s and i just could not make the bridge pickup sound usable w/o a crazy amount of EQ'ing. They're just way way crazy scooped and bright. So i'd rather not try another true JM design set. I would maybe consider it if they were wound for mids but thats a crap shoot and i've already thrown away $120 on the fenders. So whatever i get i have to go cheap. I've seen the bootstraps and if i go with true JM design with alnico rods those are on the list of possibilities.

I think you will like the hybrid jazzzmaster pickups by Q pickups.
I got them in my J.Mascis and they sound awesome . Full and clear at the same time . Not to bright , and not muddy at all .
And they are not too expensive .

« Imagine a crossover between Jazzmaster pickup, P90 pickup and humbucker pickup. This is it.
Jazzmaster bobbin with humbucker steel slugs - powered by 2 magnet bars like P90s.
Instead of classic Alnico magnet rods each of these has 6pcs NICKEL PLATED STEEL SLUGS - 1215 alloy - coupled with 2pcs AlNiCo5 BAR MAGNETS.

Fat tone with tight bass and warm high freq. - the tone is classic for this type of design, kind of p90ish - but fuller and clearer due to the steel slugs being used instead of classic screws.

This would be a classic moderate output set - but we can build these any way you want - with more or less output or with different magnet alloys.

Hotter bridge at 8.1 kOhm for some extra bite and balls.
The neck at 7kOhm has all the power you might need - and if you turn down the volume down just a little bit these will sound clear and twangy. »

That sounds really great, especially the part about cleaning up with the volume which is a big concern for me with any pickup. I will definitely look into those, thanks.

[daz]

What you describe sounds like the typical experience of using 1 meg pots when first using them. True JM pickups can be very warm and articulate, although I think the bridge is always a bit bass anemic. Play with the tone and volume controls and perhaps you discover you prefer 500k pots or perhaps even 250k as base setup.

An alternative is to try some Alnico II pickups. However, I'm not aware of a cheap option for those.

It camne with 250k but i tried 500k. No joy either way with the fenders. Even with 250k the fenders were thin and bright as hell with no mids.

[daz]

Ahh well, so much for the Q pickups. They are not only not cheap but well more then the fender were. If i KNEW i'd be real happy with them i would consider them but otherwise i'll end up with a $130+ set of bookends that no one will buy from me unless dirt cheap. It would be a double whammy trying to sell those....a type of pickups thats a fraction as popular as humbuckers, strat or tele pickups, and a little known brand with no rep to speak of. Can't go there w/o 100% proof i'd be thrilled.

[Lost In Autumn]

based on what you've said about traditional Jazzmaster tone, it's entirely possible that Jazzmasters just aren't for you. I don't mean to be condescending- I nearly reached that conclusion myself- I found my Jazzmasters and Jaguar to be overly thin in comparison to my stratocaster and P90 equipped guitars, even after investing a small fortune in boutique pickups from Lindy Fralin and Curtis Novak and I came close to offloading them. That said, it is entirely possible to dial in the tone that you're seeking by changing the settings on your amp or using an eq pedal, which is what I ultimately did.
Unfortunately, cheap pickups are probably going to sound cheap and thin. If you want a fuller, fatter tone from a Jazzmaster style pickup, there are lots of options, but they're not cheap:

Lindy Fralin makes, imo, the best P90 pickups and does a very nice version for Jazzmasters, his Steel Pole Jazzmaster Pickup. These have a similar architecture to the pickups in your guitar already, but they're much better made. Fralin uses AlNiCo IV bar magnets in his P90s and combined with his scatter-winding technique, produces a tone with a robust, but tight bottom end, full mid range and bell like top-end. I have Fralin P90's in 6 of my guitars, they're wonderful.


Curtis Novak makes a plethora of pickups for our offsets and lots of people swear by them, the sky's the limit from him for what you want- If Curtis doesn't wind a pickup that floats your boat, nobody does. of particular note are his JM-WR, a Wide Range Humbucker in Jazzmaster form: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/jm-wr/ I'm putting one in the bridge of my current project, I'll likely have it completed in May.

Also noteworthy is his JM PAF, a Les Paul PAF style pickup in a Jazzmaster body: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/jm-paf/


Jason Lollar also makes a number of pickups for offset guitars and he is highly regarded on this forum. The pickups that he makes in conjunction with Black Bobbin sound fantastic: https://blackbobbin.com/products/lollar ... pickup-set
Offset guru Puisheen does a demo of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtWmgXRFYPE it's worth noting that the secret to the tone he gets from his guitars is that he uses a REALLY dark amp tone- he rolls the treble almost entirely off. It's too dark for my taste, but he helped me dial in a tone I like and enabled me to better bond with my offsets. He goes on a rant about Treble on this video- I really disagree with him about treble in general, but he gives some pretty useful info here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpSONOlIOdk&t=1112s

I'd recommend reaching out to Bootstrap, Lindy Fralin, Curtis Novak or Jason Lollar to get their recommendations to dial in your tone.

[ohm-men]

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, check out the Chinese made Alnico 5 Jazzmaster pick ups from Ali express.
I have a set of these and they really sound quiet good. They are a steel at $ 20/25 for a pair...
They have vintage/low output (like the old P-90's) but wound on a Jazzmaster bobbin, they can be had with either black or white covers, screws and springs included.
These look a lot like the JM-JM pu's you find in the squiers (same construction), but the don't have the brass bottom shield attached to them.
But 2 Alnico 5 magnets on the bottom, adjustble pole piece screws and cloth wire.
The neck is wound arround 8.1 K and the bridge just a tad hotter 8.7 K

I put these in a Jazzmaster I pieced together and these pu's really surprised me ... They are much nicer sounding then the stock VM/CV Squier pu's and when compared to a set of expensive Jm pu's, they whitstand the test (let's say they don't sound as nice as my set of Pick up wizzard's or Creamery Jm pu's, but they really preform very well and sound good to my ears).
They have the typical P-90 bark/mids but still sound very Jazzmaster to me.
I paired them with a set of 500 K pots and didn't look back.