JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

[h3r3t1k]

I got a ESP custom japanese made Eclipse with 2 vols and 1 tone plus toggle that I got without pups. It's not a traditional LP because it has a basswood body, maple top, all maple neck, 14" radius and 24 exta jumbo frets. It'll be strung with 10-52s in drop D. I need pups for maximum versatility for all styles from blues to metal. I want to use a push/pull tone (which I use less than the vol pots) to split both buckers for even more versatility. So the DC resistance shouldn't be too low. I got this diagram: https://docs.google.com/gview?embed...-content/uploads/2016/05/2H_3G_2V_1TppSPL.pdf

Which buckers should I choose? I'm leaning towards JB and Jazz bridge or demon in the neck. Could also imagine CC or full shred in the bridge or even dual screamin demons but I don't know if they work split because of low output.

Also which coils does this wiring split to? I want the neck coils to be active. I'm guessing I'll have to swap magnets in order for them to be quiet with the switch in the middle position?

 

[Adieu]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Maple board Eclipse? With basswood body? Sold without pups?

Pretty unusual... Pics?

Are you sure it's real? Basswood with a maple venveer sounds like a typical Chibson formula, and would also explain the lack of pups (since they ship with obviously fake EMGs that would out it)

Is the routing reaaaaally clean and neat? If so, might be real... Is the finish reaaally bright? Then it probably isn't

 

[blueman335]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Instead of coil split, I use spin-a-split on neck humbuckers. IT's FAR more versatile. It gives all the unbalanced coil tones in between full humbucker and coil split. So instead of having only one coil or two, all or nothing, You can blend them in any increment. For me coil split is too bright & thin, and pretty weak, plus you get the noise that comes with a single coil. But with spin-a-split as soon as you add a little of the 2nd coil, you get a more useful tone, that's not as loud or warm as full humbucker.

You don't need any parts for spin-a-split, it's just converting the neck tone pot to a 2nd volume pot for the neck, but for one coil only. Very simple to wire, diagram is on this site. It makes coil split obsolete.

 

[h3r3t1k]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Maple board Eclipse? With basswood body? Sold without pups?

Pretty unusual... Pics?

Are you sure it's real? Basswood with a maple venveer sounds like a typical Chibson formula, and would also explain the lack of pups (since they ship with obviously fake EMGs that would out it)

Is the routing reaaaaally clean and neat? If so, might be real... Is the finish reaaally bright? Then it probably isn't

The routing is spot on as you would expect and it's a thick maple cap, not veneer.

I can't post pics right now but I got it from a studio owner from Munich. An artist that's been working with him for years left it with him. He took the pickups because they were custom wound Duncans which he didn't wanna part with. He asked him to give it to young aspiring musician. The artist went back to super strats. Certificate of authenticity is included. Owner said the maple plus basswood gave the artist what he wanted tonally. He was also against mahogany/rosewood/ebony in his custom guitars for political reasons.

I was studying at college in Augsburg, half an hour from Munich at the time and helped out in the studio. Owner gave it to me after I got my master's and left southern Germany.

So I decided to leave the coil split out and just leave the V/V/T and toggle as is. What I'm pondering is:

JB/Jazz
JB/SD
SD/SD
CC/Jazz
CC/SD

 

[Adieu]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Hey, if they GAVE it to you... nice! And probably very real

Dang I've always had a stiffy for maple-board eclipses since they're so few and far beteeen.... post pics!!!

 

[Despair]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

In 24 fret guitars, I tend to like hotter, warmer neck pickups, but with a bit of sparkle, so a Screamin' Demon would be my choice in the neck. But the JB/Jazz are a classic pairing, and CC/Jazz is known to work well for neck+bridge tones as well.

I'm generally not a fan of the JB in basswood, but given it's a maple cap, the problems I have run into are quite unlikely to crop up.

JB has screaming upper mids that are pretty amazing for rock and metal. CC is very warm and may lack some attack for metal, depending on tastes. Would be my preference out of the 2 for blues.

Either have some interesting magnet swap options. JB with A2 or unoriented A5 is a much more balanced pickup, gives up a bit of metal bite for metal in exchange for smoother bluesy tones. Warren de Martini has been known to use JB2s in some of his guitars.

Custom with A8 is a lot like the ceramic Custom, only without as aggressive a high end. Sort of the vintage metal pickup that never was, but with good cleans and low to mid-gain.

If you have a gainy enough amp to not strictly need a high output pickup, you could also look at a Whole Lotta Humbucker set. Lower output tends to be more flexible, though it does change feel a bit for metal, but also gives better clean to midgain tones.

Particularly if it's a vibrato bridge, you might look at a PATB-3 Blues Saraceno. A hotter '59 bridge without the darker mid-focus of a standard hot pickup.

If you aren't comfortable with magnet swaps, or odd-looking pickups, either of your stock bridge pickup choices are classics in Seymour Duncan's lineup.

 

[audiocheck]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

I got a ESP custom japanese made Eclipse with 2 vols and 1 tone plus toggle that I got without pups. It's not a traditional LP because it has a basswood body, maple top, all maple neck, 14" radius and 24 exta jumbo frets. It'll be strung with 10-52s in drop D. I need pups for maximum versatility for all styles from blues to metal. I want to use a push/pull tone (which I use less than the vol pots) to split both buckers for even more versatility. So the DC resistance shouldn't be too low. I got this diagram: https://docs.google.com/gview?embed...-content/uploads/2016/05/2H_3G_2V_1TppSPL.pdf

Which buckers should I choose? I'm leaning towards JB and Jazz bridge or demon in the neck. Could also imagine CC or full shred in the bridge or even dual screamin demons but I don't know if they work split because of low output.

Also which coils does this wiring split to? I want the neck coils to be active. I'm guessing I'll have to swap magnets in order for them to be quiet with the switch in the middle position?

In the Neck I would go with a StagMag all day long. Splits into a real Strat pup. Pretty convincing Neck Humbucker too.

For the Bridge (in splitting situation) I have used the Duncan Distortion. (it's pretty chimey, when split)

Other Options for Bridge:
P-Rail?
JB (like you said)
59/Custom Hybrid (it's supposed to split well)

 

[h3r3t1k]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Amp wise I'm using the Palladium and Power stage 170 for all my tones now. From heavy blues to modern metal. I never play without some grit tho.

I'm inclined to go with double SDs and no splits just for the heck of it because you don't see it often and I like the idea of using them both in neck and bridge position. It's the only pup that'll go from blues to metal which I have seen used in both positions.

 

[solar365]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Laugh at me if you want, but for the bridge I'd use a Dimarzio Super 3 with Alnico 4, you'll thank me later.

It's the ultimate heavy blues pickup, but still grinds like mad and sings like a canary. Phil collen uses a Super 3 on his maple fretboard, maple neck guitars, and sounds great. Also I use the pickup with Alnico 4 on a basswood body super strat that is quite resonant. The attack of the pick on the strings is the best I've ever heard. Also as with all super distortions, it splits amazingly well.

You have to put a 1/16" plastic spacer between the A4 magnet and the baseplate to get the magnet up against the coils and screws, because the stock ceramic mag is so tall.

You owe it to yourself to try a non standard pickup on such a unique axe that will really fit the bill of what you are asking for.

 

[Mincer]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Versatility, to me, says lower output pickups than the JB. And the maple and 24 frets would have me decide against the Jazz. I'd go for the Alnico II Pro in the neck and a 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge. It will sound great at all gain levels and many different styles of music.

 

[h3r3t1k]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Will the Alnico 2 Pro hold up for high gain soloing in the neck?

 

[Mincer]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

Will the Alnico 2 Pro hold up for high gain soloing in the neck?

Yeah, absolutely. It will be rounder sounding than a Jazz. But will have more versatility. It sounds like it could be a fairly bright instrument, anyway.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: JB/Jazz for a basswood/maple Les Paul with coil splits geared towards vesatility?

I know it's shaped like a LP, but the construction is very similar to a shred stick, IMHO. Based on that, I'd skip the JB/Jazz and I'd go with a PATB-3 in the bridge and a PATB-1n in the neck.