Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

gretsch6120

New member
I have a Heritage 575 (like Gibson 175) that I want to change up. Thinking about Jazz/JB combo for something totally different. How do you think this set up would work on a hollow body? I have two other hollow bodys that I have Seth Lovers and Pearly Gates, so looking for something different for my 575. Thanks.
 
Re: Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

Personally, I think the JB would be to strong for me to get the kind of tones that I would buy a ES-175 type guitar for in the first place. It's hard to turn up a semi hollowbody loud enough to take advantage of the tone a JB has...I'd get to much feedback. Are you trying to turn it into a guitar with a rock bridge pickup? Hardly anyone uses one that way although Steve Howe comes to mind. The pickups in his mid 60's ES-175 guitar would closely resemble the 59B. Not a 59N and 59B but a pair of 59B's. That'd be like what Wes Montgomery had too.

How about a Jazz neck and 59B? Or Jazz neck and Custom or Custom 5?
 
Re: Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

A hollowbody might mellow the JB a little, but the high midrange spike and output of the JB would probably be prone to microphonics in a hollowbody. You might be able to get away with a hollowbody with a high output pickup, in a studio setting where you are physically separated from the amplifier. But I would think the guitar would be unusable with stage volumes.
 
Re: Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

The JB has too many mids to work well in a semi or hollow body, at least, in my experience. If I were looking for a hot brige pickup for a guitar like that, I'd go with a C5.
 
Re: Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

ive heard that trey from phish used a jb and 59 in one of his small (true) hollowbody guitars so i think that it could work but it would be pretty rowdy and take some finesse to control
 
Re: Jazz/JB combo in Hollow Body

I have a Heritage 575 (like Gibson 175) that I want to change up. Thinking about Jazz/JB combo for something totally different. How do you think this set up would work on a hollow body? I have two other hollow bodys that I have Seth Lovers and Pearly Gates, so looking for something different for my 575. Thanks.

I have a pair of '59's in a Ibanez hollow body that sounds great. If you put a hot bridge PU in a hollow body, you'll lose some of the harmonics & overtones. Not to mention that you'll distort & feedback much easier. For a bidge HB on a hollow body, low output (PAF) to medium output PU's will give a tone that brings out the best qualities in the guitar. The Phat Cat suggestion is also very good. Or, a '59B & a Phat CatN.

If you've read many threads on the forum, you'll know out that while the JB is the best-selling HB, it's also the most hated. For every player that likes it, there's another that's been very disappointed.
 
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