I need a jazz pickup - help!

gtrgrl

gtrgrl

New member
Not the Duncan Jazz model silly boys! I have one of those in an LTD EC1000.

I'm talking about a jazz pickup for a jazz guitar. That's my latest thing, or the latest thing since I was last around.

I got a Blue Ibanez AFJ91. It's one of those big body jazz guitars with a single pickup in the neck. I'm having trouble deciding between the Seth or the A2P ????????:?:

I'm playing finger style mostly, but sometimes with a pick. I also am working on (haha) chord-melody playing.

A little surfing and lurking suggests either of these might work, but honestly, I don't have either of them. Never seen or heard a Seth Lover that I know of, and the only A2P player I know is Slash!
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

Well, that narrows my choices down :lol:

I have never played with a compressor. Why do you say that?
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

benedetto makes some great jazz humbuckers, the b6 is great
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

gtrgrl said:
Well, that narrows my choices down :lol:

I have never played with a compressor. Why do you say that?
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A compressor can even out the projection of notes when playing finger style; help all notes sound near the same volume, so you don't have to focus so much on pulling more volume out of the strings by hitting them harder with your fingertips and modulating the volume of individual strings between each of your fingers, which are probably more irregular and less solid than a pick. Also, if you happen to really catch a string without really meaning to, it won't be so boomy relative to your other notes.

The same concept allows for quicker soloing under distortion; overdrive from an amp adds compression. Think of how much more sensitive the strings are when driven, and how the dynamic response of the strings is reduced. Much more forgiving, you don't have to play hard to make notes sound.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

A2P is a perfect jazz pickup for a hollowbody. You don't want the Seth or Antiquity, unless you want to play jazz with jangles.
 
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Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

As someone who plays jazz at school, I would personally go with a humbucker sized p90.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

Well - I always say go "Seth" when the wood of the guitar is exceptional and really speaks to you. So I'll vote A2P.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

gtrgrl said:
I'm talking about a jazz pickup for a jazz guitar. I got a Blue Ibanez AFJ91. I'm having trouble deciding between the Seth or the A2P
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This is Gertrude, my L-5 CES copy.

Having tried '59s, '57 Classics, Seth Lovers and Antiquities, my final choice is an A3/A2-modded APH1 set. The perfect mixture of clarity, body and articulation.

HTH,
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

I dig the Antiquities, the Benny B6, and the A2P, but lean more towards the Antiquity in plywood, and B6 in solid woods.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

Well, I have no idea where to get a Benedetto pickup, and it sounds expensive, so I'm not even going to look. A2P's are easy to find. I'll want one with a gold cover. Is that going to be a challenge?

If I don't like it I can always put it in the neck of my EC1000 and play Sweet Child of Mine. :18:
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

Jazz player here. You'd be shocked at how many jazzers use the Jazz pickup. People hear the 'jazz' tone and go 'that's dark and sweet, you want a dark and fat pickup'. What you really want is an even and clear pickup that with keep it's clarity when you roll off the tone knob. I think the Seth is almost unquestionably one of the best pickups for this as it's sweet sounding and quite bright, so it'll keep it's clarity and character even when rolled off.

You may not need a pickup change though. The key is to turn your guitar's volume to about 7 and pick a little harder. It gives your guitar sound a bit of breathing room and air, your pick attack wont be as pronounced and your sound will be softer. Roll off the tone no lower than 5 to start. The volume roll off does much more for your jazz tone than any change in tone knob will, I've played trad jazz gigs with the tone on 10 without compromising a warm, airy sound.

These days, I bring my HH Hardtail strat with Whole Lotta Humbuckers to most gigs, whether trad jazz, modern jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop etc. Sometimes I'll use a touch of compression or a bit of a simple boost pedal to warm up my sound a bit, Modern jazz is really shifting towards solid body guitars, guys like Nir Felder and Mark Lettieri are bringing solidbodies and single coils back into jazz. The Toronto jazz scene is super populated with PRS Guitars which get an amazing, responsive and airy tone. I'm just saying, jazz is 90% feel and pick attack, if you aren't getting a good jazz sound through a hollowbody guitar to start it's time to start working on one or both of those things!
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

You can get a Benedetto pickup at any Seymour Duncan dealer.
BTW, I always hated the Jazz pickup for actual Jazz. I hear way too much attack on the note. The Alnico II Pro is much better for this.
 
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Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

I love alumnitones, I don't have enough experience with what they can do for jazz though. Very big, crisp sounding.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

Not to hijack this thread but what would you guys recommend in place of a floating mini humbucker? I have an Epiphone Emperor Regent with a floating neck mini pickup and the tone is more acoustic-like than big box jazzy.

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and install some proper body-mounted humbuckers instead? The best jazz tone I've ever gotten was with a Gibson Masterbuilt L5 with body mounted PAF's. The tone was fat and warm while still being incredibly articulate. This Epiphone Emperor Regent is articulate but lacks everything else.
 
Re: I need a jazz pickup - help!

NotCardio said:
This is all very interesting. I too, would have assumed a Jazz.
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the jazz model got its name from originally being called the JM. when seymour moved into production he had to call it something (JM stood for john milner) so JM became jazz model
 
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