I thought I simply didn't like neck humbuckers…

[Sirion]

I have always liked neck humbuckers in other people's hands. In mine, I have always found them farty and lacking in definition. Then I tried the Jazz neck, one of the standard humbuckers that somehow has eluded me, and it was all right there. This is actually a viable tone for me. It also makes me want to try the Full Shred neck, as the bridge model has always served me well.

I just wanted to give a shout-out to SD with a job well done. That is all.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

LOL, I'm kinda like that in that I don't even know if I like neck pickups overall.

I like the Jazz matched with something like a Jazz Bridge or a '59 Bridge, just not with a JB, for example. Like at all. And honestly, I prefer the PAF 36th Anni as far as vintage output neck hums go. I'm just personally not in love with the "traditional" Duncan aproach of "a 7K-ish neck pickup pairs well with anything in the bridge".

I used to think I liked hotter neck pickups, but I'm finding the Distortion Neck a bit much too much right now. The output is fine, it's just kinda dark and uninteresting. I'm considering getting a 1 meg pot for it, because I do like it overal. I just wished it had a bit more bite.

The DiMarzio SDS-1 is kinda growing on me. I just wished it was a tad higher output.

 

[Securb]

There are a few neck pickups that blow me away. BW, Jazz, WLH, Pearly, and in the WTF category I have a TV Jones Classic + Bridge in the neck of my Tele, think Malcolm. My strat has a Lawrence ML250 in the neck to compliment my Dimebucker. I think the ML250 was designed as a bridge replacement I could be wrong.

 

[Mononoaware]

I hear ya; I've almost entirely given up on neck pickups. It's a really hard position to balance on most of my guitars.

JazzN and 59n always come so close to working for me in most situations, but seem to be missing a little beef. Love the 59b in the neck, though, so something tells me the JazzB might also work.

 

[Chistopher]

Most neck pickups I can take or leave, but my Wolfgang neck pickup (14k dcr, 44awg, a3) is pretty fire. Not nearly as dark or bassy as you'd assume.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Most neck pickups I can take or leave, but my Wolfgang neck pickup (14k dcr, 44awg, a3) is pretty fire. Not nearly as dark or bassy as you'd assume.

I've been wanting to give that one a try for a while. What is it like?

 

[weepingminotaur]

I love the Jazz. Great neck pickup. I don't typically spend a lot of time on the neck pickup, but that's because most of what I play is on the aggressive side of things, so it's bridge usually. But the Jazz does all styles well. I love its clarity.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Personally, I don't think a neck pickup will be "great" in isolation for me. A neck pickup, for me, is always judged in context of how good it compliments a bridge pickup. I guess I'm not the minority in saying that I'm a bridge pickup guy the majority of the time either, so that's where I'm coming from.

Like I said, I have nothing against the Jazz per se. It works great as a scoopy, low output neck pickup if you want that. But paired with a mid-forward, hot bridge pickup, I wouldn't call it my first choice. But people sometimes like that contrast. I personally don't, but I can see the appeal.

The thing is for me, I don't find it as much as a "universal" solution as many people claim it is. Like '59B/JazzN? I can totally see that working. Maybe even Custom or Custom 5/Jazz. DD-B/JazzN, though? Nah. Not a chance. That's just me, though.

 

[Bowtomecha]

The full shred neck is pretty amazing. It doesn’t have the bloat of most neck humbuckers and is articulate and speedy. And it responds very well to volume and tone control changes. I would like to have one with an Alnico 2. The charvel dk24 series has an Alnico 2 pro but with a double row of hex poles. The a2pro neck is the jazz neck with an a2. I’ve been told that the full shred neck and jazz aren’t the same although they have the same dcr. But I look at it like the a2pro on the charvels is basically two screw pole coils of a jazz with an alnico 2 magnet and short hex poles of a full shred. I think it’s better than the jazz, alnico 2 pro, and the full shred neck. As if the different elements offset each other enough to be an optimal balance.

 

[Mincer]

See, I thought I hated bridge pickups. I just had to find those I liked.

 

[Aceman]

Hot Take: People who want a Jazz, or especially a Demon or Full Shred, in the neck don't like neck pickups. They really want to use the bridge with the tone turned down a touch.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I personally dislike neck pickups that are so bright that end up being brighter than the bridge pickup itself, LOL. I once had a DiMarzio Dominion/PAF Pro combo that was like that.

Bright as though the Jazz may be, I don't think it's as bright as the PAF Pro, IIRC, though.

 

[Securb]

80% of the time I am using the neck it is for something clean, jazz, blues or ambient crap.

 

[Supernautilus]

There are a few neck pickups that blow me away. BW, Jazz, WLH, Pearly, and in the WTF category I have a TV Jones Classic + Bridge in the neck of my Tele, think Malcolm. My strat has a Lawrence ML250 in the neck to compliment my Dimebucker. I think the ML250 was designed as a bridge replacement I could be wrong.

+1 for WLH neck. Out of all the neck pickups I've tried, that's probably my favorite. It barks, but it a good way.

 

[Condemned soul]

Many, many years ago, a member suggested the Jazz B / Screaming Demon combination and I tried it in an Explorer I had at the time.

Eventually, I sold the Explorer to finance a new SG Standard.

The Jazz bridge worked nicely with the SD - neck smooth with some mids [ maybe not as much as a DMZ 36 Anniversary neck ] and the Screaming Demon bridge - badly misnamed pickup - some PAF attitude and a touch of mid scoop.

 

[Sirion]

Hot Take: People who want a Jazz, or especially a Demon or Full Shred, in the neck don't like neck pickups. They really want to use the bridge with the tone turned down a touch.

In my case you are absolutely right. Are people using the Demon in the neck? I thought that only existed as a decently-powered bridge humbucker.

 

[Aceman]

In my case you are absolutely right. Are people using the Demon in the neck? I thought that only existed as a decently-powered bridge humbucker.

Absolutely.

It's EQ is tilted towards less bass and more treble, IMO, more so than the PG. Fantastic cut through heavy distortion though. But - at 10k and with a lot of highs, with a pretty tight bass, people dig it in the neck too!, especially with sportier bridge pups, or very muddy neck.

Allen screws don't hurt to cut the flab either.

 

[tce44]

Just put Jazz B in neck spot for my custom strat just built,its awesome sounding!
Little more beef and really full sounding.
Used to use 59n,close but was always bassy sounding,jazz has more treble.
Have custom shop Jazz made for bridge.:yourock:

 

[GuitarDoc]

I hear ya; I've almost entirely given up on neck pickups. It's a really hard position to balance on most of my guitars.

JazzN and 59n always come so close to working for me in most situations, but seem to be missing a little beef. Love the 59b in the neck, though, so something tells me the JazzB might also work.

Have you tried a Jazz b in the neck? If you feel the Jazz n is missing s little beef, that might just be the ticket. Or perhaps a screamin Demon? Don't let the name scare you, it's probably my favorite neck pup (also love the Jazz b, and Pearly).

 

[GuitarDoc]

Hot Take: People who want a Jazz, or especially a Demon or Full Shred, in the neck don't like neck pickups. They really want to use the bridge with the tone turned down a touch.

I think that could be true a lot of times.But I find that the neck doesn't necessarily sound like a bridge with the tone (trebble) turned down, but rather it has a fuller tone.