Customizing an Old Univox

[FET]

My girlfriend bought a Univox, Jaguar copy off ebay and I am fixing it up and customizing it for/with her. I don't really know much about pickups though.

It has three spaces for single coil pickups, tremelo bridge, maple neck and I'm not sure about the body. She is looking for a sound very similar to a Jazzmaster/Jaguar. It needs to be a clean Vintage sound (obviously low output) but I am not entirely against intelligent alternatives. The most important thing is to acheive a Vinatge Jazzmaster/Jaguar sound.

Price is not an issue, sound is. So don't hold back. It looks awesome and now I want it to sound awesome.

Biggest influence is probably Sonic Youth. Think of the clean sound when comparing. It's that rich, warm, round, twangy sound. Not the country kind of twangy though.

She's buying a new amp soon which will of course be a tube amp. So she will have some nice warm tubes to compliment the pickups. Just imagine what a tube amp can do for your sound but try to get that from a pickup upgrade. That's the best way I can think to explain it the way I hear it.

So with all that in mind, any ideas? Anything at all would be great. Links and just general information as I know little about pickups.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

welcome to the forum!!

duncan makes a few different jaguar pickups in the regular line plus two antiquity models. for a warmer sound try the antiquity I series, for a brighter tone the antiquity II line. both NAIL vintage jaguar tone

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

welcome to the forum!!

duncan makes a few different jaguar pickups in the regular line plus two antiquity models. for a warmer sound try the antiquity I series, for a brighter tone the antiquity II line. both NAIL vintage jaguar tone

I was told that I couldn't use actual Jaguar pickups for two reasons, physical design and because this guitar has three pickup spaces and a Jaguar only has two, which would mean that the "middle" pickup would not be designed for the middle. Which seems like quite a problem to me.

Would that "warm" sound come at the price of losing the vintage tone? I was thinking about it and I need to seperate the sound that I hear on recordings from what the guitar itself is supposed to sound like because the amp and recording have alot to do with the sound that I am after.

Though I can't really take them into consideration when trying to simulate the sound of the (Jazzmaster/Jaguar) guitar itself. Otherwise I would find myself with a very different sound once it's plugged in.

Does that make sense to you?

Thanks.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

Is the guitar using regular Jag pickups, or are they strat pickups? BTW, you can use any pickup in any position you want, as long as it sounds good to you.

 

[gripweed]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

I was told that I couldn't use actual Jaguar pickups for two reasons, physical design and because this guitar has three pickup spaces and a Jaguar only has two, which would mean that the "middle" pickup would not be designed for the middle. Which seems like quite a problem to me.

Would that "warm" sound come at the price of losing the vintage tone? I was thinking about it and I need to seperate the sound that I hear on recordings from what the guitar itself is supposed to sound like because the amp and recording have alot to do with the sound that I am after.

Though I can't really take them into consideration when trying to simulate the sound of the (Jazzmaster/Jaguar) guitar itself. Otherwise I would find myself with a very different sound once it's plugged in.

Does that make sense to you?

Thanks.

Welcome to the forum!

You might want to talk with someone at the custom shop. There are a couple of options as I see it if what you say about the pickup problem is true.

1) Do you still have the original pickups? They could be rewound by the custom shop to achieve the sound you want.

2) The custom shop could make a set of pickups built to your specs.

3) You could buy an original set of pickups. You could have them rewound if they don't meet your qualifications. This might be difficult to impossible.

I'm sure there are other options that I haven't thought of.

Good luck, it sounds like a cool project!

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

Is the guitar using regular Jag pickups, or are they strat pickups? BTW, you can use any pickup in any position you want, as long as it sounds good to you.

The guitar came in pieces with broken pickups that I doubt were the originals. So the guitar is not currently using any pickups. This guitar was made by Univox between 1965 and 1967 i think so I don't have much info to go on. If you're interested though you can go to www.univox.org This is a UCB 03.

I'm sure you can use any pickup but it's not something I am ready to experiment with. I also won't know whether or not I like it until they are paid for and in the guitar. A little late to get picky by then.

Also in most three pickup arrangements it is assumed that I am looking to replace strat pickups and that I want a Strat sound but I don't. How do I get around this?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

The guitar came in pieces with broken pickups that I doubt were the originals. So the guitar is not currently using any pickups. This guitar was made by Univox between 1965 and 1967 i think so I don't have much info to go on. If you're interested though you can go to www.univox.org This is a UCB 03.

I meant to ask what the pickup dimensions are. Will a standard strat pickup fit into the body and pickguard without any mods?

I'm sure you can use any pickup but it's not something I am ready to experiment with. I also won't know whether or not I like it until they are paid for and in the guitar. A little late to get picky by then.

Not necessarily. duncan offers a 21 day return policy. If you don't like the pickup you just installed, send it back and get a replacement.

Also in most three pickup arrangements it is assumed that I am looking to replace strat pickups and that I want a Strat sound but I don't. How do I get around this?

Again, not necessarily. Have you ever played a 3 pickup Lester? Nothing like a strat. Neither is an ES-5 Switchmaster.

I ask if the pickup dimensions are close to a strat's pickup dimensions because that would give you the most options. Everything from vintage strat replica sounds, to fatter, almost P-90-like options, to PAF or high-output humbucking sounds would be available.

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

"I meant to ask what the pickup dimensions are. Will a standard strat pickup fit into the body and pickguard without any mods? "

I believe they would. The pickguard spaces for pickups are "oversized" and I am pretty sure they would fit depth wise.


"Not necessarily. duncan offers a 21 day return policy. If you don't like the pickup you just installed, send it back and get a replacement. "

Well thats awesome but I would still like to limit the chances of having to send them back.


"Again, not necessarily. Have you ever played a 3 pickup Lester? Nothing like a strat. Neither is an ES-5 Switchmaster. "

No I haven't but what I mean is that when I am searching for pickups, I have to search indvidually which I am not capable of doing effectively yet. If I try to search for all of them in a predetermined set up they assume that I am looking for a strat sound, I know this because everything in the description includes the word "strat"

"I ask if the pickup dimensions are close to a strat's pickup dimensions because that would give you the most options. Everything from vintage strat replica sounds, to fatter, almost P-90-like options, to PAF or high-output humbucking sounds would be available."

Like I said above their is a good amount of space as far as what the pickgaurd will alow.

Though I have already mentioned that I don't want a high output pickup.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

"I meant to ask what the pickup dimensions are. Will a standard strat pickup fit into the body and pickguard without any mods? "

I believe they would. The pickguard spaces for pickups are "oversized" and I am pretty sure they would fit depth wise.


"Not necessarily. duncan offers a 21 day return policy. If you don't like the pickup you just installed, send it back and get a replacement. "

Well thats awesome but I would still like to limit the chances of having to send them back.


"Again, not necessarily. Have you ever played a 3 pickup Lester? Nothing like a strat. Neither is an ES-5 Switchmaster. "

No I haven't but what I mean is that when I am searching for pickups, I have to search indvidually which I am not capable of doing effectively yet. If I try to search for all of them in a predetermined set up they assume that I am looking for a strat sound, I know this because everything in the description includes the word "strat"

"I ask if the pickup dimensions are close to a strat's pickup dimensions because that would give you the most options. Everything from vintage strat replica sounds, to fatter, almost P-90-like options, to PAF or high-output humbucking sounds would be available."

Like I said above their is a good amount of space as far as what the pickgaurd will alow.

Though I have already mentioned that I don't want a high output pickup.

In that case, "roll your own" set. Have a ball. Good luck. :burnout:

 

[gripweed]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

I meant to ask what the pickup dimensions are. Will a standard strat pickup fit into the body and pickguard without any mods?




Not necessarily. duncan offers a 21 day return policy. If you don't like the pickup you just installed, send it back and get a replacement.



Again, not necessarily. Have you ever played a 3 pickup Lester? Nothing like a strat. Neither is an ES-5 Switchmaster.

I ask if the pickup dimensions are close to a strat's pickup dimensions because that would give you the most options. Everything from vintage strat replica sounds, to fatter, almost P-90-like options, to PAF or high-output humbucking sounds would be available.

I still think that the custom shop, especially because money is not a problem, would be the best option. Send them the pickups that came with the guitar, tell them what you want and they can take it from there. They can't rewind those pickup according to what you said, but they could build you a whole new set at your specs.

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

In that case, "roll your own" set. Have a ball. Good luck. :burnout:

What? Ok.. :question:

I still think that the custom shop, especially because money is not a problem, would be the best option. Send them the pickups that came with the guitar, tell them what you want and they can take it from there. They can't rewind those pickup according to what you said, but they could build you a whole new set at your specs.

That is an option but if it's not necessary then I would like to avoid it. How much do you think something like that would go for though?

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

Ok, I talked to the guitar tech at my local store and got him to check out the SD jag pickups. The design aspectthat would have originally stopped me from using them is non existant on the SD's.

So now I am thinking about two SJAG-1 Vintage pickups (Neck and Middle) with one SJAG-2 Hot in the bridge. What do you guys think of that?

Edit: I have heard that these don't come with covers? Am I terribly mistaken? If not where do I get covers?

 

[gripweed]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

What? Ok.. :question:



That is an option but if it's not necessary then I would like to avoid it. How much do you think something like that would go for though?

Based upon other things I''ve seen there, probably about $400-$600.

Good luck on the Duncan Jaguars. I really think you'll like them.

 

[Artie]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

I couldn't help notice, what appears to be a bottle of Tobasco sauce in your photo. You weren't, by any chance, trying to make those original pups "hotter" were you? :laugh2:

Welcome to the forum.

Artie

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

I couldn't help notice, what appears to be a bottle of Tobasco sauce in your photo. You weren't, by any chance, trying to make those original pups "hotter" were you? :laugh2:

Welcome to the forum.

Artie

That is a terrible, terrible joke. :laugh2: I'm laughing but man...

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

Well we've decided on Neck: SJAG-1 Vintage (neck specific) Middle: SJAG-1 Vintage (bridge specific) Bridge: SJAG-2 Hot (Bridge specific)

I'm not as sure as I would like to be about the bridge. That being that I am not sure if I should use a SJAG-2 (Bridge or Neck specific) I'm going with the idea that I generally want to start with low input and work my way up towards the bridge.

What do you people think of using a SJAG-2 Hot (neck specific) for the bridge? It's just that it's a little closer to the output of the Middle pickup.

 

[FET]

Re: Customizing an Old Univox

Anyone? ^^^^^^^^^^ I'm positive about the setup now just wondering what people think.