PATB1 in a JS1000?

[Monsta-Tone]

I've been reading a lot of threads this morning about basswood guitars with Floyd type bridges.

I have a JS1000 from 1997. It is my number 1 guitar because it is just so comfortable to play.

I am really fond of the pickups in the guitar though, for the following reasons:
PAF Pro (in the neck)
Great sustain, could be better though I think.
Lots of harmonics (really important to me)
Controllable feedback is awesome (probably why Joe chose it)
Fat tone
Great clean tones that just shine for anything from blues to rock to Reggae!

Tone Zone (alnico 8 magnet)
Great harmonics
Great sustain
Really cuts through the mix

Here is what I do not like about these pickups in this particular guitar:
PAF Pro (in the neck)
Gets muddy with high gain
Feeds back with high gain when not playing (strings muted with hands)
A hair too dark for my liking with distortion

Tone Zone (alnico 8 magnet)
Upper mids seem too pronounced (or too bright)
Not as responsive to different pick attack as I would like
A little too high output
Just seems sterile sounding, no matter where I position it (maybe I should say that it sounds too focused?)
The alnico 8 magnet seemed to darken it up a bit, but made it sound a little bit more harsh to my ears

Here is what I would like out of this guitar, which is pretty much exactly what I read about the PATB1 in basswood
Lots of clarity
Sustain for days
Harmonics that leap off the fretboard
Fat tone
Lots of pick dynamics/touch sensitivity

I am most likely going to buy the PATB1 bridge, but need a neck pickup to go with it. This is the pickup that was suggested to me the last time I brought this up, and it seems to be what most guys with basswood guitars are really liking.
What would you guys suggest for a neck pickup?

My band plays all original music that ranges in style from Incubus - Rush (style not Rush tones) - Jimmie's Chicken Shack - Monster Magnet - Heart

I would say that I much prefer Santana (Supernatural, Brothers) tones and Monster Magnet or Incubus tones. I like darker distortion tones, not brighter.

We play lots of clean/dirty/clean/jazzy/crazy parts.
I am using a Rivera S120 combo and some other great gear.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've had this guitar for over a year and I love to play it, but it just sounds thin at times.

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: PATB1 in a JS1000?

I guess what I am really asking is.......
What SD pickup will sound fairly close to the DiMarzio PAF Pro, have the same (or better) sustain, dynamics, and harmonics......but......not get as muddy as the PAF Pro can?

Plus....
It needs to play really well with the PATB1 bridge.

[Despair]

Re: PATB1 in a JS1000?

I'd look at the PATB-1n. It seems to please both those who like the Jazz AND the '59, while covering a lot of the territory of both. Not an easy feat.

Good under any amount of distortion or clean, seems to be the general concensus. Sparkles clean, but smooths out under drive.

And like the PATB-1b, said to be very responsive to tone/volume manipulation, as well as pick articulation.

Screamin' Demon might be worth a look, too [in the neck, it's kind of like a growlier but tighter '59, hotter and darker than the '59n, but still good sparkle clean].

I have the PATB-1b in my '90 Ibanez RG570, so can vouch for it being great in a difficult basswood guitar. [My guitar had issues with weak deeper bass, but strong lower mids, so it was tough to find a pickup that worked. Hard to imagine something better than the PATB-1b, once I got the height adjusted right.]

Not surprised the Tone Zone 8 seems a bit upper mid focused, A8 often does that in dark or mid-focused pickups. PATB-1b is a pretty different beast, but amazing if you like a high output pickup but want versatility and dynamics.

[darthphineas]

Re: PATB1 in a JS1000?

for what you're talking about, the PATB-1 would be great. the only other option I can think of is the JB. the PATB-1 will clean up just a little bit better, if that's important to you.

I know you're asking about the bridge, but some ideas pop out about the neck as well, based on what you are talking about. a PATB-1n is a great match for the PATB-1b. another option is the DMZ Humbucker From Hell. or the DMT Nostalgia. or the '59nA4 or JazzA4n. all of these will clean up nicely, especially the DMZ and DMT, with the PATB-1n coming in 3rd and so on.

[Monsta-Tone]

Re: PATB1 in a JS1000?

Thank you guys!

I have the PATB-1b in my '90 Ibanez RG570, so can vouch for it being great in a difficult basswood guitar. [My guitar had issues with weak deeper bass, but strong lower mids, so it was tough to find a pickup that worked. Hard to imagine something better than the PATB-1b, once I got the height adjusted right.]

That's exactly where I'm at. The guitar sounds like a wah pedal is stuck in the middle. Pretty sure they used to advertise that as one of the guitar's attributes......

I love the guitar, just not in love with the tone.
I've even kicked the idea around of going with a mahogany body, but then I would need to finish it, etc...
I just wanna play it!

I think I'll pick up a set of PATB's today.

Just out of curiosity, how do the single stack PATB's sound? I also have a Nitefly (maple body) and a 540R (HSS - basswood body) that need some better tone.

[Despair]

Re: PATB1 in a JS1000?

A lot of people like the PA-STK1, it's not really a traditional single coil sound, but it has some similar qualities. Plus the reduced string pull of a Parallel Axis design.

I tend to lean more towards the Stack Plus series, myself, though. Tend to require less routing, for one thing... Though even there you can run into issues.