jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

[extendedping]

well my bud was in the guitar center and called me to ask what pickups to put in his oscar schmidt which is a (I believe) a cheapo gibson 335 copy. well I said the jb/jazz because frankly I don't know that much....course he could return them for something else. music type is blues to hard rock with no metal. did I do ok would those work in a semi hollow? is the jb too hot for a guitar like this?

also he was going to get the jb split .... does it make sense to get the jazz split too or is it too low output to sound good as a single...

thanks forum

 

[blueman335]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

It's a great idea to upgrade PU's. Much better clarity, definition, and depth. The better the amp, the more you'll hear it. This is the single biggest improvement you can make in a guitar's tone. I do it to all my import guitars, which are decent quality, except for the PU's.

I play Chicago blues & classic rock. I've tried several JB's in several guitars, and it was consistently awful, same with the ceramic magnet PU's I've tried. The JazzN is very popular and has a high success rate. The JB on the other hand is very fickle about the guitars it likes; some guys love it, others don't. Lots of used ones sold on eBay. A bridge HB more likely to sound great would a '59B, JazzB, or PGB for a vintage PAF tone, or a Custom 5 for a high-powered rock sound.

Splitting a neck HB usually works well as that position has more volume from the string energy. For the bridge, the slug coil is warmer & louder than the screw coil (further from the bridge). The hotter the bridge HB, the better it will sound split (i.e. a 14,000 ohm C5 is 7,000 split, a 8,400 '59B is 4,200 split).

Check out some old threads on PU's & magnets on this forum, and ask some questions. We'll get you guys up to speed. We didn't know anything at first ourselves.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

It's a great idea to upgrade PU's. Much better clarity, definition, and depth. The better the amp, the more you'll hear it. This is the single biggest improvement you can make in a guitar's tone. I do it to all my import guitars, which are decent quality, except for the PU's.

I play Chicago blues & classic rock. I've tried several JB's in several guitars, and it was consistently awful, same with the ceramic magnet PU's I've tried. The JazzN is very popular and has a high success rate. The JB on the other hand is very fickle about the guitars it likes; some guys love it, others don't. Lots of used ones sold on eBay. A bridge HB more likely to sound great would a '59B, JazzB, or PGB for a vintage PAF tone, or a Custom 5 for a high-powered rock sound.

Splitting a neck HB usually works well as that position has more volume from the string energy. For the bridge, the slug coil is warmer & louder than the screw coil (further from the bridge). The hotter the bridge HB, the better it will sound split (i.e. a 14,000 ohm C5 is 7,000 split, a 8,400 '59B is 4,200 split).

Check out some old threads on PU's & magnets on this forum, and ask some questions. We'll get you guys up to speed. We didn't know anything at first ourselves.

so basically you are saying the jb will be a disaster in this guitar? I'd like a few more people to chime in because I believe he was going to have the work done tomorrow...

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

It will probably be fine. If it turns out to be a bit too much "rock n roll" for his tastes, it's easy to tame by just rolling back the tone knob a bit.

 

[micp33]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

It's a great idea to upgrade PU's. Much better clarity, definition, and depth. The better the amp, the more you'll hear it. This is the single biggest improvement you can make in a guitar's tone. I do it to all my import guitars, which are decent quality, except for the PU's.

I play Chicago blues & classic rock. I've tried several JB's in several guitars, and it was consistently awful, same with the ceramic magnet PU's I've tried. The JazzN is very popular and has a high success rate. The JB on the other hand is very fickle about the guitars it likes; some guys love it, others don't. Lots of used ones sold on eBay. A bridge HB more likely to sound great would a '59B, JazzB, or PGB for a vintage PAF tone, or a Custom 5 for a high-powered rock sound.

Splitting a neck HB usually works well as that position has more volume from the string energy. For the bridge, the slug coil is warmer & louder than the screw coil (further from the bridge). The hotter the bridge HB, the better it will sound split (i.e. a 14,000 ohm C5 is 7,000 split, a 8,400 '59B is 4,200 split).

Check out some old threads on PU's & magnets on this forum, and ask some questions. We'll get you guys up to speed. We didn't know anything at first ourselves.

Bluesman knows his pups and hasn't steered me wrong in my two most recent upgrades!!!

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Well if he doesn't like it in there, he can always use the SD 21-day exchange policy for something different to just exchange it for a different pickup. The JB may work for him, but it certainly wouldn't be nearly my first choice; some love it, but most hate it. It's VERY picky about the guitar it's in

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

It will probably be fine. If it turns out to be a bit too much "rock n roll" for his tastes, it's easy to tame by just rolling back the tone knob a bit.

thanks, I actually have that combo in my agile 3500 les paul copy and like it but was wondering if the semi hollow would be very different and thus would need different pups. I guess the upside even if the jb is not perfect could be that the hot humbucker split will have a nice single coil sound split?

 

[Markk]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

I have that setup in an Epiphone 'Les Paul' with both pick ups coils split. The jazz is a phenomenal pickup and I love it. The JB I have to roll back the tone from time to time because it's one of those pickups that you have to be in the mood for. But in general I like it most when they're playing 50/50.

Framus guitars seem to put the SH4 and SH2 in their Mayfield Guitars, an ES335 copy thing. I'm sure they did that for a reason.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

I have that setup in an Epiphone 'Les Paul' with both pick ups coils split. The jazz is a phenomenal pickup and I love it. The JB I have to roll back the tone from time to time because it's one of those pickups that you have to be in the mood for. But in general I like it most when they're playing 50/50.

Framus guitars seem to put the SH4 and SH2 in their Mayfield Guitars, an ES335 copy thing. I'm sure they did that for a reason.

thanks, when you day playing 50/50 you mean with the pickup selector in the middle? or you mean with both split? not sure what you mean. also if the jazz is low input, isn't that input cut in half when split? cause in that case it seems it would be lower output split then even the lowest tele or strat vintage pickups?

 

[blueman335]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

so basically you are saying the jb will be a disaster in this guitar?

No. I said it works for some guys, doesn't for others. Some love it, some hate it. It has what is sometimes described as an "ice pick" tone, and being similar to the whine of a dentist's drill.

There are PU's that have much higher success rates, and if you're not doing the wiring yourself and swapping magnets & pots, it makes a lot more sense to start with a PU that has more satisfied users. Most newbies seem to get streered into getting a JB, whereas most of us that have bought lots of aftermarket PU's, find that there are many other PU's that we like better than a JB. Just trying to save you guys some hassle.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

I'm not sure if it's too late now, but I would recommend a 500k linear taper pot, and a 0.022uf cap for the tone control of the JB. This will let you get as bright as you want, but also make the tone knob very useful for getting very warm and smooth tones as well, by preserving mids and upper-mids.

With higher value caps than 0.022uf (such as 0.047uf, 0.068uf, 0.01uf, ...) you cut down the clarity quite a bit when the tone knob is turned down (lower frequency cut-off point). As a result, using the tone control can make you sound more muffled/boomy than warm/clear.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

No. I said it works for some guys, doesn't for others. Some love it, some hate it. It has what is sometimes described as an "ice pick" tone, and being similar to the whine of a dentist's drill.

There are PU's that have much higher success rates, and if you're not doing the wiring yourself and swapping magnets & pots, it makes a lot more sense to start with a PU that has more satisfied users. Most newbies seem to get streered into getting a JB, whereas most of us that have bought lots of aftermarket PU's, find that there are many other PU's that we like better than a JB. Just trying to save you guys some hassle.

thanks for the heads up. ok so he is not looking to bring this to the tech till friday...so lets say he stayed with the jazz (good for a semi hollow?), what would you suggest with enough clarity and snap but that would not be icepicky for the bridge? is a 59/jazz combo good with a 335 copy? or if we start from scratch, would pickups would you recommend for this type of guitar for the neck and bridge.

oh his limit is $150 for the pair so this may mean no seth lovers (they are more expensive right?).

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Prediction: Blueman will recommend either a '59 or a C5 for the bridge, and suggest that you use 250k pots and 0.047uf or 0.01uf caps for the tone, to snuff out any bit of brightness and flexibility in the tone control.

Did I get it right? To be fair, I've only seen it a few hundred times.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

prediction awaited btw I did a search on the seymour site and the jb did sound nice but kinda sharp...but I have a feeling you these pickups sounds different in different guitars. the 59 sounded a bit muddier then the custom 5 which to me sounded a bit like a cross between the 59 and the jb if that makes sense.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Yeah, the fact is that the '59, C5, and JB aren't worlds different in brightness. In many guitars all three will sound bright. The key to working with any of these is in having decent tone controls (0.022uf caps, linear taper pots if possible), and using them.

As a general rule of thumb:
'59: Classic vintage output tone, fairly similar to a Jazz
C5: Beefed up '59, with more bass
JB: Has upper-mids for "singing" lead tones

Of these three, the '59 is probably the most fool-proof choice.

Edit: The JB does sound a bit aggressive under distortion, due to the upper-mids. The C5 has a bit of a sharp edge too, and is similarly compressed. I hear the '59 and C5 as having about the same amount of clarity, though.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Yeah, the fact is that the '59, C5, and JB aren't worlds different in brightness. In many guitars all three will sound bright. The key to working with any of these is in having decent tone controls (0.022uf caps, linear taper pots if possible), and using them.

As a general rule of thumb:
'59: Classic vintage output tone, fairly similar to a Jazz
C5: Beefed up '59, with more bass
JB: Has upper-mids for "singing" lead tones

Of these three, the '59 is probably the most fool-proof choice.

Edit: The JB does sound a bit aggressive under distortion, due to the upper-mids. The C5 has a bit of a sharp edge too, and is similarly compressed. I hear the '59 and C5 as having about the same amount of clarity, though.

thanks I wish guitar center had a 59 jazz set like the jb/jazz that they sell together for $129 cause I know my bud is strapped. I like the thought of "fool proof" and pending other opinions may recommend this to him.

 

[blueman335]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Prediction: Blueman will recommend either a '59 or a C5 for the bridge. Did I get it right? To be fair, I've only seen it a few hundred times.

And then you go and recommend the C5 and '59 yourself for this guy's bridge! Classic!

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

Meh, the JB is a perfectly good pickup, and it can be tamed with a decent tone control (0.022uf, linear taper if possible) to be quite warm and smooth. But if it is available, there is a "vintage blues" set of Duncans that also goes for $130, and that is a set of 59's.

The fact is that if you have the right tone controls in your guitar, and you know how to use them, either set can sound great.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

And then you go and recommend the C5 and '59 yourself for this guy's bridge! Classic!

Hey, I'm just trying to make fun of you. The 59's are great pickups, though.

 

[extendedping]

Re: jb jazz for an oscar schmidt semi hollow?

hmm vintage blues that may be the one but I dont see it on gc website...btw how is the 59 neck compared to the jazz?

this is his only guitar to I really want to nail this for him.