Thoughts on JB/Jazz

[Blille]

Isn't that strange? It is probably the worst for Jazz, and the EQ is the exact opposite of traditional Jazz tone.

It is. Terrible branding IMHO.

In the jazz forum folks try it and think SD doesn’t know what it’s doing. Then we redirect them to the Seth Lover and it’s all good. But I’m sure many don’t give SD a second choice. And i would guess that the rock folks that could love it don’t want to install a “jazz” pickup. Good thing it comes preinstalled.

It may be too late for removing the name completely (it could just be “J”) but at least they could not make it worse:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/top-3-the-best-jazz-pickups-by-seymour-duncan

[solspirit]

I've got a JB jazz setup but like ascension said sometimes you win sometimes you lose with the JB. In this guitar it sounds full of mids and mushy, the jazz in the neck is a bit too shrill and I wish I could get a fatter sweeter sound out of it.

[Gtrjunior]

Put an A2 in that Jazz.

[Clint 55]

It is. Terrible branding IMHO.

In the jazz forum folks try it and think SD doesn’t know what it’s doing. Then we redirect them to the Seth Lover and it’s all good. But I’m sure many don’t give SD a second choice. And i would guess that the rock folks that could love it don’t want to install a “jazz” pickup. Good thing it comes preinstalled.

It may be too late for removing the name completely (it could just be “J”) but at least they could not make it worse:
https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/l...seymour-duncan

The fact that there are more suitable pickups for playing jazz doesn't mean the Jazz is somehow not suitable for jazz at all and 100% a rock pickup. Give me a break. It's still more of a jazz pickup than a rock pickup. All you need to play jazz is a bit of bass, and the amount of mid and top is a matter of the player's taste. Plus how do you say a super slick sound is by definition only justifiable in rock? Makes absolutely no sense.

[TVFV]

The Jazz works for me in a mid-heavy guitar. Outside of that, it is too trebly, without any mids. I can see how people use it with lots of distortion, but I don't think it does clean chords too well unless you are trying to get them through a dense mix.

Interesting that you don't think the Jazz doesn't do clean chords well. I think it's one its better strengths.

[solspirit]

Put an A2 in that Jazz.

Where do I get them?

[Hsb]

Amazon, Philadelphia Luthier, Ebay to name a few. The ones I bought on Amazon actually came from Phila Luthier

[Gtrjunior]

Where do I get them?

Hsb beat me to it. Super easy mod and you can get a mag for only a few bucks.
I’d recommend a rough cast A2.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Alnico-2-Humbucker-Bar-Magnet-Rough-2-50-Length-Magnetized-Qty-2-pieces-/323119629016?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

[Blille]

The fact that there are more suitable pickups for playing jazz doesn't mean the Jazz is somehow not suitable for jazz at all and 100% a rock pickup. Give me a break. It's still more of a jazz pickup than a rock pickup. All you need to play jazz is a bit of bass, and the amount of mid and top is a matter of the player's taste. Plus how do you say a super slick sound is by definition only justifiable in rock? Makes absolutely no sense.

I’m not giving you a break, Clint. This is the most important issue on the internet right now and it needs to be clear. Fo’ real.

The stereotypical jazz sound is mids heavy, not bass heavy and this is a scooped, bright pickup, so if you were to recommend a SD pickup for jazz and name a pickup after the genre, you would not choose a scooped pickup having things like the Seth Lover or A2Pro available.

So can you play whatever you want with any pickup, sure. You can play jazz with whatever you want. And I played fusion live with a SD Jazz in the neck for ten years on a maple guitar.

But endorsing the Jazz as a jazz pickup is a bad idea IMHO. That said, I don’t really care that much.

[Clint 55]

There are guidelines about getting jazz tone, but I'm not aware of any law where it has to be middy like the Seth. I could come up with endless examples of players' tone that could easily be a Jazz with the tone rolled back. The Benedetto has the exact scooped footprint like the Jazz and it has an A5 magnet. The idea that the 'Jazz' pickup can never be used for jazz is pure nonsense!

[Benjy_26]

Neither of those pickups are my bag, but I'm glad they're working out for you.

[Blille]

There are guidelines about getting jazz tone, but I'm not aware of any law where it has to be middy like the Seth. I could come up with endless examples of players' tone that could easily be a Jazz with the tone rolled back. The Benedetto has the exact scooped footprint like the Jazz and it has an A5 magnet. The idea that the 'Jazz' pickup can never be used for jazz is pure nonsense!

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[AdrianSD]

The stereotypical jazz sound is mids heavy, not bass heavy and this is a scooped, bright pickup

I have a Jazz in my alder body, ebony board, Floyd Rose MIM Jackson Dinky shred stick and I find it anything but scooped, it's definitely pushing more mids than I perhaps wished it did in this guitar and it's not extremely bright. But it does feel scooped in the mahogany LTD, so I totally get where you're coming from. Depends on the guitar it's installed in I guess.

[Gtrjunior]

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/top-3-the-best-jazz-pickups-by-seymour-duncan

[Blille]

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/l...seymour-duncan

I saw they resent it today. I’m commenting. Lol.