Sonic Bygone Jazzmaster Pickups.

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dune736
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Sonic Bygone Jazzmaster Pickups.

Post by dune736 » Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:09 am

So like so many in the beginning of the lockdown, I spent a lot of time surfing the Internet. Been looking to replace the pickups in my 60th Anniversary Jazzmaster. I owned or tried all the JM pickup options out there. Then one day, I stumbled a pond the Instagram account of Sonic Pickups. Saw he was a one man shop out of California. Browsing his account, I saw he makes a vintage repro of Jazzmaster pickups. After talking to him for a bit, I decided to pull the trigger and give them a try. I can say I was pleasantly surprised after trying them out.

They are modeled after vintage grey bobbin JM pickups, which can be a mix bag for some, but Mike from Sonic seems to of improved on the original pickup. As soon as I plugged in I noticed how musical and three dimensional they are. Bright without the treble being piercing. The neck sounds so pretty and articulate, clean or overdriven. the middle is just magic, like a jazzmaster should be. The bridge is just right for cutting through a mix. Through my Vox AC15, it just sounds perfect. I've had these in my guitar for 4 months now and I'm still digging these. I would easily suggest these to anyone looking to replace the stock pickups in their JM, or for a new build. If you are a fan of grey bobbins, or others on the market like seymour duncan antiquity II's, I would suggest you give these a look.

https://sonicpickups.com/collections/ja ... azzmaster1

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ohm-men
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Re: Sonic Bygone Jazzmaster Pickups.

Post by ohm-men » Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:39 am

I think this goes for all boutique pick up makers. Their product is just better then the run of the mill masproduced guitar pickups.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the current Fender product, but there is just more (perhaps better stuff out there)
I find that each pick up maker has his/her's own recipe what makes their procuct stand out. I believe it's all in the winding pattern, the magnets used, the way the pick ups are potted and what was used, etc...
For me, I got aquainted with Lollar, Novak, etc... when doing pick up swaps for musicians who like to leave it up to someone with a bit of soldering expirience. But everytime I installed and tested these "boutique" pickups, I was blown away with just how good they sounded... (when compared to what they replaced, and yes some where expensive well known brands)
We all have are favorites, but imho all these handwound pickups have something special going on with them.
I personally really like the Pickup Wizzard, The Creamery, Novak and Lollar (as with these I have expirience) I tried other hand made pick ups that I prefered less, but still good.

But if you're after a sowewhat "unique" sound, I'd say go with a small pick up builder...
Believe me, they spent a lot of time researching their stuff, trial and error before they found their formula. I'm just glad they are out there and taking their time for it. And if they can make it somewhat profitble, then why not :)

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