For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

[75lespaul]

Guitar is 1968 Epiphone Casino with the stock neck, lower horn hacked off for fret access (long story), new top and rosewood fretboard in 1992.

Pickup is an old Seymour Duncan Jazz bridge pickup I pulled from the neck of a 1981 Les Paul. Don't know how long it was in there, but the pickup has no logo stamped on the baseplate, and just a sticker stamped JMB which Jolly and others said stood for JAZZ MODEL BRIDGE. Ohms read right around 7.9. I'm using my Vox AD60VTX Valvetronix amp (blue one) with the stock Neodog speaker and a Hughes & Kettner Triamp 4X12 with Celestion G12H80 speakers. These are supposedly the old Line 6 modeling speakers and one of them actually came from Avatar with the Line 6 sticker on the magnet. I pulled it off and there was the G12H80 label, lol. Using mostly a UK 70s patch I made using my 1977 50 watt Marshall as a reference, a UK Modern patch, and the Mesa Boogie patch. Didn't try any cleans because I rarely use the bridge pickup clean.

Stock magnet--I assume the magnet is a stock A5 and with this magnet, the pickup is very clear and articulate. On the bright side, but not brittle or harsh at all. The lows are tight, the mids to me are perfect, and the highs are a bit more than I like, or should I say, I am used to. I'd have NO problem rocking this pickup live.

UOA5--surprisingly, I did not like this magnet in the Brobucker, and I don't like it in this pickup either. I've loved this magnet in everything else I've put it in, especially the Jazz neck and Custom 5, but in this pickup it made the highs harsh and the bottom a bit flubby. Hmmm....

A8--just tried it out now and WOW. Nice tight bottom, ripping mids and the highs are not as bright as the stock A5, but sound fine. Not quite as sweet for soloing as the stock A5, but more on the aggressive side. Power chords and drop D sound downright badazz imo. Still keeps the articulation and reacts very well to the tone knob. Wouldn't mind it being just a pinch brighter, but I am really liking this pickup with the A8.

Before I'm done, I'll try this pickup with an A2, and then the stock A5 again before I decide which magnet to keep in it.

 

[CTN]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

funny, the way you described the Jazz8 sounds very much like how I'd describe the Custom8.

Seriously, I'm starting to think that the A8 can do no wrong.

 

[Sun King]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

Yea I agree about the A8 magnet, I'm using a Custom-8, and Distortion-8, and they're both great. But I hated the Alnico 8 when I tried it in a Jazz neck... can't remember much about the sound now, just that I took it out ASAP. But I bet a Jazz-8 bridge would sound excellent!

 

[75lespaul]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

Okay, so I swapped in the A2 today. Mmmm, spongy classic goodness. The bottom end is still surprisingly tight, but not as tight as with the A8. Dropped D sounds more hard rock/metal than Metal, if you know what I mean. Kind of in the Unchained/Fat Bottomed Girls area. Shine from Collective Soul sounded great as well. The crunch is superb, and the highs are crisp and clear, and not too bright. This magnet definitely puts the Jazz bridge in the classic and a bit heavier rock mode, where the A8 has it in the "play almost anything you want, but it's going to be f'ing heavy" mode, lol. I'd say between the four magnets I've played it with, the A8 and A2 are my favorites, and which one to be used depends on what I'm going to play. Neither is better, they're just different. I may stick with the A2 for now since it's a hollowbody and with the bands, I don't get into the heavy, heavy realm much. Not that it couldn't do it with the A2, the A8 would just be better at it.

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

wow i would never tamper with my vintage seymour pups. why didnt that sell for like $75? is it beat up or something?

 

[75lespaul]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

wow i would never tamper with my vintage seymour pups. why didnt that sell for like $75? is it beat up or something?

No, it's in really nice shape! You saw the pics. I had it on this forum AND eBay for $60 and not a sniff. No problem, because I love it. As far as tampering, if it were a vintage JB or Custom or that Holdsworth 59 someone won in that other post, I wouldn't have touched it. But it's a Jazz bridge. There was no interest now, and probably will be none years from now. Besides, I stored the original magnet and labeled it, so I can put it back to stock in a jiffy.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

I've been playing with the A2 magnet in this pickup, but I may switch back to the A8. For high drive and distortion patches, the pickup works great with this guitar with any magnet. When I used it a band practice a few weeks ago though, it wouldn't drive the low gain sounds the way I would have liked. Kept them clean as a whistle. I don't think the A8 will change that much, but it will give it some more power and bite.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

have you tried or are you planning on trying the A4?


I put one in a Jazz today. played around on it a bit, but am going to let it continued to settle a few days before commenting one way or the other.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

You know, after I've tried the A2 Jazz set, I don't think there's a better mag for this particular set, even though it was DESIGNED for an A5. It REALLY gets the sound of the wood "in-yar-face", and then some.

For me, this is the most articulated p'up set known to mankind.

It can go in any guitar, but my experience indicates the one where it will shine the brightest, is in a big, 20 fretter Jazz box, like a Gibson L-5 CES or similar.

If somebody told me just a couple of years ago that I would say something like I'm saying now, I would've thought he/she was completely and absolutely out of his/her freaking mind!

Live and learn, folks!

HTH,

 

[75lespaul]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

have you tried or are you planning on trying the A4?


I put one in a Jazz today. played around on it a bit, but am going to let it continued to settle a few days before commenting one way or the other.

You know, I haven't done it yet. I've got a couple of A4s and completely forgot about them. I'll have to do it up this weekend.

You know, after I've tried the A2 Jazz set, I don't think there's a better mag for this particular set, even though it was DESIGNED for an A5. It REALLY gets the sound of the wood "in-yar-face", and then some.

For me, this is the most articulated p'up set known to mankind.

It can go in any guitar, but my experience indicates the one where it will shine the brightest, is in a big, 20 fretter Jazz box, like a Gibson L-5 CES or similar.

If somebody told me just a couple of years ago that I would say something like I'm saying now, I would've thought he/she was completely and absolutely out of his/her freaking mind!

Live and learn, folks!

HTH,

This guitar doesn't have much wood to begin with, ha ha. The main thing, besides the fact that the pickup sounds great in this guitar, and it really lets the notes shine through, is that it doesn't feedback as badly with higher gain. While I'm not going to overdrive a Fender Twin the way a Super Distortion does, this pickup sure has its place in my tone-shack. Never had a pickup that matched up so well with the Casino considering all aspects.

 

[jeremy]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

i sorta feel like i need to see this casino with its horn chopped off

 

[darthphineas]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

You know, I haven't done it yet. I've got a couple of A4s and completely forgot about them. I'll have to do it up this weekend.

I'll be looking forward to what you hear.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

I've had my Jazz set with my infamous A4/A8 mag combo and, while I liked a lot for a while, afterwards I got tired of the sharp attack, even from the neck one.

Changing to A2 really gets the best out of it, if you ask me. (Lt. Kojak liking an A2? The end of the world is near... )

EDIT: Another thing... the Jazz set is the only one I've experienced no lack of tightness, no flub at all when using an A2.

HTH,

 

[formula73]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

Recently, I've been shoving A2s in just about everything but my own orifices. A8s are too much everything, imho, A5s usually sound too scooped, ceramic is too compressed (never thought I'd say that) and too wild in an low wind pup. A2s seem to put that chewy midrange in everything I've tried, so far:

Custom
498T
59n
Custom wound PAF things (scatterwound and mismatched on the outside coils-originally A5s)

As soon as I come across a 53mm keeper, I'm throwing them in a 500T and I may try them in the 496R, a 16k (ish) Jon Hill pup, and maybe something from a friend of mine at KxK.

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

I'm seriously thinking of using jazz ceramic if I ever got lucky to have a baritone.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

The 490/498T hybrids I made are the tightest pickups I've ever put A2's in, even moreso than the Demon.

 

[blueman335]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

Changing to A2 really gets the best out of it, if you ask me. (Lt. Kojak liking an A2? The end of the world is near... )

You and me both. It took me a long time to warm up to A2's, and they certainly don't sound good in everything, but I do have a variety of A2 HB's now. Seth's really stand out as a great PU.

 

[jeremy]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

Recently, I've been shoving A2s in just about everything but my own orifices. A8s are too much everything, imho, A5s usually sound too scooped, ceramic is too compressed (never thought I'd say that) and too wild in an low wind pup. A2s seem to put that chewy midrange in everything I've tried, so far:

Custom
498T
59n
Custom wound PAF things (scatterwound and mismatched on the outside coils-originally A5s)

As soon as I come across a 53mm keeper, I'm throwing them in a 500T and I may try them in the 496R, a 16k (ish) Jon Hill pup, and maybe something from a friend of mine at KxK.

im such an a2 junkie its not funny. i keep trying other stuff but nothing flips my skirt like a2

 

[blueman335]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

im such an a2 junkie its not funny. i keep trying other stuff but nothing flips my skirt like a2

Don't be 'flipping your skirt' around here buster, what are you, Scottish? :14:

 

[jeremy]

Re: For those who are interested, magnets used in the Jazz Bridge so far...

i like scotch and have red in my beard so...