Pickups for jazz

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Little Pigbacon

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I'm thinking a lot about the sounds I'd like to get out of a jazz guitar. We touched on it a little in the "Jazz boxes" thread, but I'd like to go into more depth here.

Jazz boxes thread

Kojak recommended an Epiphone Broadway with a mag-swapped set of '59s. (A3 neck, A2 bridge) What does that sound like?

How do different pickups do for jazz, and why? What makes a good jazz pickup, or a good jazz guitar tone?

If you were going to have a set of pickups rewound, what would you do to them?

 
Re: Pickups for jazz

Id probably just keep using the a2 jazz (doesnt that make it an APH?) or a 59 with a2.
Both real nice.
Probably any nice pickup would do, but i lean towards a2 pafs for that squishier feel.
Oh yeah...PG neck. That is an amazing pup. Just get one of those.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

The sooner I buy a Broadway (and a case!), the sooner I can start messing with this stuff.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

My jazz stylings suck. I find that any A2, or even generic PAF plus guitar tone/amp treble knobs gets me what I need.

The A3 neck would work very well, Seths, etc...
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

You might check out the Phat Staple and the Seth Lover too. If i was playing clean these are the two I'd get
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

You can use any pickup for jazz as long as it has some bass to it. Depends on how traditional of a jazz sound you want. The Benedettos were made for jazz. I think the A2P really shines for traditional sounding jazz because it has super round bass, is clear from bass to treble, and is mellow yet accurate. But you can use anything. The Phat Cat is awesome if you want P90 tones but it's still super warm. The Jazz is very bassy and glassy which I like. The 59, Slash, and Pearly Gates would all work too. Even the Sentient or SNS would work. The Seth and Antiquities are great pickups. They have a hint of grit in them so you won't get that all bass jazz tone, but you can get a nice jazz tone with them with a little jangle in there too.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

My thoughts are:
Any of the Benedettos: built for some of the world's finest archtops
Alnico II Pro: warmer sound to get an archtop sound out of a semi hollow or bright hollowbody
Seth Lovers: recreations of original PAFs when they were new- these would have been the pickups used in all the classic jazz recordings.
Antiquity: the sound of all of those 70 year old classic guitars today.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

Little Pigbacon said:
How do different pickups do for jazz, and why? What makes a good jazz pickup, or a good jazz guitar tone?
Click to expand...

You're wanting a traditional jazz guitar sound? Like Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery or George Benson or Joe Pass?


The Gibson L5 guitar Wes is playing in the two videos I posted had early 60's Gibson Alnico 5 humbuckers.

Duncan 59's are close enough for me. With Roughcast A5 magnets they get even closer.

Alnico 5 gets that "kiss" or "pluck" way up at the top of the treble. Like a whisper.

Alnico 2 Seth Lovers don't. Not in the same way.

Seth Lovers also have more mids and there's a raw quality to those mids. Sounds great, especially for rock, but it's not what Wes used. Neither is Alnico 3.

I think Alnico 5 gets the sound you're looking for and I'd be looking at a set of 59's.

Maybe the Duncan Jazz set. But I like the 59's more.
 
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Re: Pickups for jazz

And don't forget - just like the Blues - Most of the "classic/epic" jazz tones you love were just off the rack pickups.

Any old Seth, PAF, 59, 36th PAF, PG, Burst Bucker etc...Is pretty much in the zone.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

To me, Charlie Christian invented traditional electric jazz guitar tone. His tone and feel became the standard.

That Gibson Charlie Christian pickup (and Gibson amp...) was a big part of that tone. The rest was Charlie's musical genius.

I love Django Reinhardt, but he played more acoustic guitar than electric.

Here's some Charlie Christian from around 1940 or so.

 
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Re: Pickups for jazz

I was enjoying Charlie Christian's playing in that clip and then that darn piccolo (clarinet heh) busted in.
 
Re: Pickups for jazz

Noone can replicate CC's tone because of those amazing EH150 amps he used as well as the early gibson electrics. That is, unless you have an EH150 amp AND have the chops (which is pretty unlikely unless you play 8 gigs a week with the best musicians in the world like he did). He is the greatest tho.
+1 to lew's comment on Benny Goodman. One of my all time musical heroes.
While we are going on about gorgeous sounds and players..here is some grant green:
 
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