OffsetGuitars.com

Have you seen those new Fender pickups. Sound nice.

Right around $160 for the set, it seems.

I love J and modeled my AVRI after his back-up (the one his Squier sig. is based on) and own one of his Big Muffs but this seems a bit excessive considering he uses Kinmans and used Antiquities and regular JM pickups mostly before.

Still, at least he seems to play his signature stuff decently often so I figure we'll see him using these soon.

I'm planning to throw a set into my Squier.

Are these P90s or a more traditional Jazzmaster pickup?
I'm not quite sure why Fender are pushing J so hard recently, at the recent Dino Jr gig I went to J was using his signature strap and cable and it made me cringe a little bit. This amount of merch is usually saved for kids and teens, but 90% of the people at a Dino gig are not kids or teens so I'm not really sure who's gonna buy it?

I say this as a big J fan and owner of a J signature Tele

same price as the pure vintage jazzmaster pickups it seems, not sure how different they really are though. J seems to be slapping his name on everything though nowadays.

Lobsterdeth wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 17, 2022 11:31 am

Still, at least he seems to play his signature stuff decently often so I figure we'll see him using these soon.

I'm not really sure you will. He doesn't use JMs in the studio, and has used Kinmans live for years because they're noiseless and he uses absurd amounts of muff gain live.

GreenKnee wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 17, 2022 12:43 pm

Are these P90s or a more traditional Jazzmaster pickup?
I'm not quite sure why Fender are pushing J so hard recently, at the recent Dino Jr gig I went to J was using his signature strap and cable and it made me cringe a little bit. This amount of merch is usually saved for kids and teens, but 90% of the people at a Dino gig are not kids or teens so I'm not really sure who's gonna buy it?

I say this as a big J fan and owner of a J signature Tele

Wait he does have a signature strap and cable? I thought you guys were being ironic about that.

mbene085 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 17, 2022 3:17 pm

Lobsterdeth wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 17, 2022 11:31 am

Still, at least he seems to play his signature stuff decently often so I figure we'll see him using these soon.

I'm not really sure you will. He doesn't use JMs in the studio, and has used Kinmans live for years because they're noiseless and he uses absurd amounts of muff gain live.

Yeah but he has used some of his signature stuff live before, so it's a toss-up whether this will be another "sure put my name on it" endeavor like the millions of boutique copies of his Ram's Head.

DCR: Neck 7.27K, Bridge 7.31K
(nominal DCR spec-ed to 2 decimal places is nonsense ... did they just send the work experience kid into the factory with a multimeter ?)
Inductance: Neck 3.6 Henries, Bridge 3.7 Henries
Alnico 2
https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/pick ... 63000.html

Compared to PV65s ...

DCR: Both 6.8k
Inductance: Both 3.2H
Alnico 5


The only comprehensive analysis of PV65's is by antigua. Is it too much to hope that one day we might get a bode plot from Fender and other pickup makers so that we can make a sensible comparison to other pickups ?
PV65 loaded resonant frequency: 3.76 kHz

https://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/threa ... sis-review

Fender's just-released demo of the Mascis pickups is devoid of any useful specifications, or comparison to their other jazzmaster pickups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fCu34wjDUw
The product page blurb implies that their sound is due to relative irrelevances like the enamel coated wire and alnico 2 magnets and "vintage-style cloth wire and fiber bobbin construction".
"The J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster Pickups are primed for fuzz-infused walls of sound or gentle vintage cleans. Constructed with alnico 2 magnets and wound to J’s specifications these pickups offer are a modern take on his signature Jazzmaster tone. The alnico 2 magnets lend to a warmer tonal palette than most Jazzmaster pickups and respond great to drive and fuzz pedals. "
https://www.fender.com/en-US/parts/pick ... 63000.html

Fender's AVRI 62 pickups 0054443000/0054444000) are still listed at Riley although they have been out of stock for ages. So it's uncertain if they are really still available. IIRC their DCR is typically around 8k and their inductance has never been reported.
https://darrenriley.com/homepage/fender ... 054443000/
https://darrenriley.com/homepage/fender ... 054444000/

And we're yet to get any useful information at all on the supposedly new (?) American Vintage II "Pure Vintage 66" pickups other than this meaningless verbiage:
"Specially voiced to reproduce the authentic sound and performance of individual model years, Pure Vintage pickups are constructed just like pickups from Fender’s golden years. Materials include cloth-covered wire, fiber bobbins and alnico magnets."
https://www.fender.com/en-AU/electric-g ... 40854.html
EDIT:
Puisheen suspects that they are just re-badged PV65's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9_sa_fsLo&t=516s

So all in all, these new Mascis pickups are perhaps somewhere between PV65 (AV65) and AVRI62 ?

It seems to me like he's padding his retirement account at the end of his career. Like Dean Wareham says "he's not selling out, he's cashing in"

I like the idea of J. Mascis. I like “In a Drawer” featuring him from Band of Horses. But, overall, I’m not the biggest J fan.

$130 not a bad price.

I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of customization is as minimal as what transpired with the EHX signature Muff. Same product in a new skin.

I've no insight into the matter. Grain of salt, etc.

I bet it prelude a new Mascis signature Jazzmaster.

When you know J doesn't record with Jazzmasters and his live sound comes from noiseless pickups + Muffs + cranked Marshalls who in their right mind would want to buy something like this because of the Mascis Tones?