Giving the Jazz another chance

[marcello252]

I'm curious about trying A2 there if it softens the attack and fills out the mids a tad but keeps the clarity.

In case, you'll have the pickup I do prefer above any other, the APH-1, open but round, sweet, vocal, musical.

 

[Mincer]

In case, you'll have the pickup I do prefer above any other, the APH-1, open but round, sweet, vocal, musical.

Great description. It bumps up the mids and lowers the treble in a sweet, musical way that seems to really complement both clean and distorted sounds, especially in a 1-guitar band.

 

[weepingminotaur]

So dropped in the 1M resitor. Definitely helped.

Spent some time comparing the Jazz with the 490R in my other Les Paul.

In isolation, there's no doubt the Jazz sounds more impressive. It's sparklier, it's broader, it's cleaner, it's more open. Like I said, it has that "wow factor" that I got from the '59. Distorted, it's not bad either. It has that sort of shreddy vibe with lots of pick attack and clarity.

Matched with the JB? That's where it starts getting blurry to me. The 490R has a similar kind of high and low end rolloff that the JB also has. They feel like they "belong together" more. Flipping the switch mid playing feels more seamless. And with some tweaking, it's not hard to make it sound clear and sparkly too.

But then again, the JB/Jazz covers more ground. There's more contrast between positions if I needed that.

I like the Jazz, honestly. Do I love it? Do I like it more than the '59? Do I like it more than the 490R? I don't know yet. I at least don't immediately regret giving it another shot, so there's that.

Glad you're liking the Jazz! On the matching issue, I guess that's where people need different things. Personally, I love the versatility of having a neck pickup that can do cleans and has good articulation and sparkle. So I don't really worry to much about it needing to "match" the JB. Not matching is kind of a strength (unless the volume drop is too big). But if you're looking for something with a JB-type rolloff in the neck, then the Jazz is going to come up short.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Glad you're liking the Jazz! On the matching issue, I guess that's where people need different things. Personally, I love the versatility of having a neck pickup that can do cleans and has good articulation and sparkle. So I don't really worry to much about it needing to "match" the JB. Not matching is kind of a strength (unless the volume drop is too big). But if you're looking for something with a JB-type rolloff in the neck, then the Jazz is going to come up short.

Yeah, I suppose I "get" the Jazz more now. It's meant to contrast with the JB rather to blend in. It's meant to have it's own personality rather than being an extension. And that can be cool and useful too depending on the application.

I need to spend some more time with it still, but I'm liking it! It's nice to have a different-sounding pickup for when I need the ultra clean sparkle, and then bust out the other guitar with the 490R for the smoother leads.