Best neck pickup to pair with an Alnico II Pro in the bridge

[RobJGolde]

I’m trading my 2011 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster for a Vintage Modified Jaguar HH from the same year/factory.
I already know that I’m going to put in 2 CTS 500k stacked vol/tone pots and a Freeway 3x3-04 switch so I can run the outer coils in parallel, and the inner coils in series and parallel.

I want to put an Alnico II Pro in the bridge, but I want a vintage A5 magnet pickup in the neck. I was thinking for pairing it with the Jazz neck, but the body of the guitar is basswood and I’ve read that the combo of a Jazz neck and basswood makes the neck position sound a little too bright even by a Jazz neck’s standards.

My question is, which of the following neck pups do you all think would pair best with an AP II Pro that wouldn’t be too bright for the basswood body:
- 59
- Whole Lotta Humbucker
- Saturday Night Special (I know it’s an A4 pickup, but I have the bridge pickup in another guitar and absolutely love it so I’m open to that option)

or should I ignore what I read previously and go with the Jazz?

 

[uOpt]

I'd try the Jazz first.

 

[Artie]

I have a Vintage Modified Jaguar HH that came stock with the Duncan Designed JB/Jazz set, and it sounds great. The Jazz neck should be fine.

 

[RobJGolde]

I have a Vintage Modified Jaguar HH that came stock with the Duncan Designed JB/Jazz set, and it sounds great. The Jazz neck should be fine.

Oh I didn’t realize the Duncan Designed pups were modeled after the JB/Jazz. That’s good to know, thanks for the tip.

 

[Artie]

Yup. I've had the DD JB/Jazz set in an HH Tele too. Good set.

 

[Mincer]

I'd try a Jazz, but have an A2 magnet handy if it is actually too bright.

 

[Tubes]

If you want vintage sounding A5 then 59 is what comes to mind first. I don't think the Jazz sounds very vintage compared to the 59.

What makes you want to pair an A5 with the A2P bridge?

 

[jeremy]

i like the jazz but i agree it isnt overly vintage sounding. both pups take mag swaps well though

 

[eclecticsynergy]

JazzN is nice and chimey for a neck humbucker but not at all vintage in character.
I'd probably go with the 59N myself, since it's a known quantity.

However I bet the SNS neck has a more vintagey voice than the stock SH-1n.
And if you use a lot of gain I'd be leaning even more towards the SNS.
A4 never gets tubby; it handles gain like a champ.

 

[Teleplayer]

I tried the APH-1 set in a strat. The bridge APH-1 is fairly bright in that application, so in hindsight a A4 magnet in the neck would have helped. You can try a Jazz neck, but I think the output will be quite high.

Edit: is this going into a short scale guitar?

 

[RobJGolde]

I tried the APH-1 set in a strat. The bridge APH-1 is fairly bright in that application, so in hindsight a A4 magnet in the neck would have helped. You can try a Jazz neck, but I think the output will be quite high.

Edit: is this going into a short scale guitar?

That’s correct, the VM Jaguar is a true Jaguar 24 in. scale length.

 

[RobJGolde]

JazzN is nice and chimey for a neck humbucker but not at all vintage in character.
I'd probably go with the 59N myself, since it's a known quantity.

However I bet the SNS neck has a more vintagey voice than the stock SH-1n.
And if you use a lot of gain I'd be leaning even more towards the SNS.
A4 never gets tubby; it handles gain like a champ.

I wasn’t looking to play anything super high gain with it. I play stuff like The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me, The Menzingers, Taking Back Sunday, etc. Not a ton of gain happening there. Like I said in my post, I have the SNS bridge pup in an Epiphone Sheraton II, and I love it, so I’m sure the SNS neck is just as good.

 

[Teleplayer]

Although I wrote the APH-1b is bright in a strat, it seems to be the top end brightness. There isn't a lot of bite in the upper mids. I wonder if the pearly gates would a better match in a 24.0 inch scale guitar such as the Jaguar.

 

[RobJGolde]

If you want vintage sounding A5 then 59 is what comes to mind first. I don't think the Jazz sounds very vintage compared to the 59.

What makes you want to pair an A5 with the A2P bridge?

I know it seems kinda backwards, but I’ve always been interested in having the softer attack and increased sustain in the bridge paired with more clarity/less muddiness in the neck. I don’t think I’ve come across such a pairing on youtube before so I don’t have a frame of reference, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Plus from the EQ info I saw for both pickups, I thought the increased lows and mids for the AP II would balance nicely with the slightly scooped mids and the increased treble for the Jazz when played in the middle position

 

[RobJGolde]

Although I wrote the APH-1b is bright in a strat, it seems to be the top end brightness. There isn't a lot of bite in the upper mids. I wonder if the pearly gates would a better match in a 24.0 inch scale guitar such as the Jaguar.

I actually hadn’t considered the Pearly Gates, but I do recall seeing posts a while back saying that the Pearly Gates bridge and 59 neck actually pair nicely together. Definitely something to consider.

 

[Demanic]

I would go with the SNS in the neck. That wind and A4 magnet would accompany the A2Pro just fine. You'd get a very usable middle position and by itself in the bridge, you will get a very natural response, neither overly shrill nor boomy. Plenty of attack.

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