Questions about '80's SD Jazz & JB set in my newly acquired guitar

Great, reading this makes me want to put a JB back into my Jackson DXMG.

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JB is definitely a heavy rock pickup. It's hot and compressed and it doesn't clean up well.
That's the core of its character & magic though, central to its unique voice & great feel.

I'd consider having your tech replace the wiring and use a push-pull to split the JB.
And a partial split (with 1.1K resistor) for the Jazz too.

That would make the guitar eminently usable for blues and lighter stuff, while retaining the tone you love for the harder stuff.


I really like this idea a lot ES.

The best split tones I have for any of the the 2 humbucker guitars in my collection is my '09 PRS DGT

The DGT's from the 1st few years all suffered from weak thin tones and low volume when the tone knob was engaged for the split tones.

The remedy to correct both issues, was to inst. a 1.1K resistor on the neck and a 2.2K resistor on the bridge.

After these mods were made, then the split tones sounded rounder and less anemic, and the volume drop was gone.
 
I really like this idea a lot ES.

The best split tones I have for any of the the 2 humbucker guitars in my collection is my '09 PRS DGT

The DGT's from the 1st few years all suffered from weak thin tones and low volume when the tone knob was engaged for the split tones.

The remedy to correct both issues, was to inst. a 1.1K resistor on the neck and a 2.2K resistor on the bridge.

After these mods were made, then the split tones sounded rounder and less anemic, and the volume drop was gone.
Resistor splits are absolutely genius. Bill Lawrence pioneered the idea back in the 70s when splits were a new thing.
PRS deserves a lot of credit for bringing it into broader general awareness in the 21st century.

Paul has always been very open to innovative ideas.
AFAIK he was the first to offer outside and inside coil combinations on a two-humbucker model.
Not the first ever to use that wiring, of course, but I think probably the first to include it as a standard design feature.

The other way is an actual partial split, using a humbucker wound with a tap partway through one coil.
Slightly better tonewise perhaps but obviously not practical with regular pickups.

Zhangbucker offers this on custom wound humbuckers; he calls it the "splat" option.
I have one of those and it's great. Of course David's pickups are pretty awesome to begin with.
 
I really like this idea a lot ES.

The best split tones I have for any of the the 2 humbucker guitars in my collection is my '09 PRS DGT

The DGT's from the 1st few years all suffered from weak thin tones and low volume when the tone knob was engaged for the split tones.

The remedy to correct both issues, was to inst. a 1.1K resistor on the neck and a 2.2K resistor on the bridge.

After these mods were made, then the split tones sounded rounder and less anemic, and the volume drop was gone.

One thing to think about for your Epi is maybe splitting the neck to mostly-screw-coil rather than to the slugs as would be usual.
Richer neck position sound, plus middle-position noise rejection when split - without having to flip one of the magnets.
 
One thing to think about for your Epi is maybe splitting the neck to mostly-screw-coil rather than to the slugs as would be usual.
Richer neck position sound, plus middle-position noise rejection when split - without having to flip one of the magnets.

WOW!

Thanks for all your help ES.


I think you've hit on the option I'd consider if I ever decided to do anything to this Sheraton.
 
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