Making a Jazzbox less woofy

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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thisisnickpaige
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Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by thisisnickpaige » Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:04 am

So i have this 1952 Epiphone Zephyr Regent, which i absolutely love to play, however, when i plug it in it's a different story.
I'm sure a jazz purist would be through the roof, it sounds the part to a T! Only problem is it's too muffled/woofy for me.

I was thinking of testing a Dearmond floating pickup in the bridge (less invasive), or maybe an EQ pedal for when i use it?
But then the thought came of just changing some caps or something internally?
What are you thinking? Any ideas or tips? You think that would work?

As for originality it's more or less intact, so drilling a bridge pickup seems out of the question.
I wanna keep the guitar but i need more clarity and brightness. Thoughts?

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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by i love sharin foo » Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:24 am

That is a beautiful guitar. I would try the EQ pedal first. Pulling out some lowend and boosting the upper midrange would probably make a big difference.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by Telliot » Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:36 am

i love sharin foo wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:24 am
That is a beautiful guitar. I would try the EQ pedal first. Pulling out some lowend and boosting the upper midrange would probably make a big difference.
This, on both counts. Fantastic guitar you’ve got, there.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by HarlowTheFish » Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:47 am

Brighter strings might do pretty well, but if you're already considering mounting a floating bridge pickup, maybe a piezo in the bridge would help? Not necessarily a ton brighter, but just having the extra snap and attack might help it sit in a mix a bit better.

My thoughts are either piezo, low cut (can be post-EQ, but could also be a bright cap ala Rick, a strangle switch ala Jag, or something variable like the G&L/Reverend solution, or just swap the pickup.

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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by JSett » Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:03 pm

My old 1938 Harmony was naturally a little 'woofy' and a luthier put a bone nut and bone bridge topper on it. Brightened it up noticeably.

Lovely old box you got there
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by Telliot » Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:32 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:03 pm
My old 1938 Harmony was naturally a little 'woofy' and a luthier put a bone nut and bone bridge topper on it. Brightened it up noticeably.
Good point, there. You could also replace the bridge with a Compton. It will change the tonal characteristics of the guitar, but I’d bet probably in a good way. (I’ve had good results with Compton bridges.)
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by Sauerkraut » Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:47 pm

How’s the pickup height? I can’t tell if it’s the case here, but pickups on archtops sometimes sit a bit too far from the strings, making them sound extra muffled and boomy. The way they’re mounted might mean raising them requires shims (like w dogear p90s). Another thing that might help a small amount would be to flip the humbucker over, so the polepieces are closer to the bridge.

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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by JSett » Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:56 pm

Is the bridge floating? It's invasive, but only mildly, but you could drill a tiny hole underneath for a wire and slide a piezo strip under the bridge. It'd be totally hidden.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by thisisnickpaige » Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:05 am

Thank you all, this has one of the best necks i have ever played on any guitar, and one of my favorite bursts next to those cherry MusicMaster bursts.

It was very obvious yet not until posting this how simply having a new EQ setting would open things up.
Once doing that the guitar blooms and sounds the part i'm looking for. I mean, obviously it's a neck pickup only archtop so i wasn't expecting hairmetal. But this really helped. I've always been one to keep my amp set and dial my guitars to it, so i never even thought to change that.

I thought piezo, but then i gotta rewire everything, so this is definitely the route i'm sticking with.

As for strings i have some Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds i might try, but not sure how roundwounds would sound on an archtop, feels kinda off to me. Like Gibson tophat knobs on a Fender.
I currently have some D'addario halfwounds on it but do not care for them. Have never been a flatwound kinda guy, the low E's tends to lose all percussiveness and becomes thumpy way too fast. I do have a set of Pyramid Golds i might try, now with this new amp setting.

Any experience with TI or Pyramids anyone, or alternatives for archtops?
I like my strings vintage yet percussive (have been really have as of late with Pyramid Maximum Performance (nickel wrapped round wounds) for just that.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:21 am

I bet there are replacement bridges like the Compton, or ones with bone saddles or you could even get an ABR bridge on there, all of that will not only brighten the sound up considerably but will let you use round wound strings on there.

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardw ... 2UQAvD_BwE

I wouldn't otherwise suggest using round wounds on that wooden saddle there as you'll cut right into it in no time. But it would be otherwise easy to really brighten that guitar up.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by thisisnickpaige » Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:09 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:21 am
I bet there are replacement bridges like the Compton...
Thanks Larry, forgot to mention the bridges.
I have heard of Compton before but forgot about them. They actually look really cool!
The problem with living in Norway is we're not in the EU. So no matter where i order from i pay shipping (USD30-70) plus 25% import tax on the total order (yes, including shipping). So a simple USD80 bridge quickly becomes USD150 or more.
When i'm back home stateside i'll maybe order one if i'm still not satisfied. But until then the EQ and some brighter strings will most likely do the trick 8).
Good tip on the roundwounds eating the bridge, i hadn't thought of that.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by øøøøøøø » Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:49 pm

I’ll put in a vote for “let the guitar be what it wants to be. If it’s a brighter guitar you want, consider using a different instrument”

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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by thisisnickpaige » Sun Sep 19, 2021 2:16 am

øøøøøøø wrote:
Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:49 pm
I’ll put in a vote for “let the guitar be what it wants to be. If it’s a brighter guitar you want, consider using a different instrument”
Agreed, and that’s what I’ve done.
Bit of an EQ tweak and it’s glorious.
Enjoying it for what it is. 👍🏼
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:04 am

All that being said, Nick, if there was a way I could help with shipping from the States let me know. I don't know if my sending something as a "gift" could avoid import duties or something.
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Re: Making a Jazzbox less woofy

Post by rhythmjones » Sun Sep 19, 2021 2:40 pm

thisisnickpaige wrote:
Sun Sep 19, 2021 2:16 am
øøøøøøø wrote:
Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:49 pm
I’ll put in a vote for “let the guitar be what it wants to be. If it’s a brighter guitar you want, consider using a different instrument”
Agreed, and that’s what I’ve done.
Bit of an EQ tweak and it’s glorious.
Enjoying it for what it is. 👍🏼
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