The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

[appar111]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

I just posted a thread today about duncan pickup recommendations for an SG. I pretty much knew the Jazz Neck would be a good choice, and I was curious about the Jazz Bridge. I want a brighter, tighter sounding SG tone that's not muddy. Sounds like the full Jazz set should do the trick.

If I could just find a place that sells the jazz Bridge, or a full Jazz set....

 

[Aceman]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

OK - you have convinced me. Should I stumble across the right LP copy, Double J's. First, I'm getting back a PG set. And I'm still replacing my ToneZone with a demon. If that sucks, maybe I try the Jazz....

Or better yet - How about if seymour has an "industrial" accident, whereby a large number of Jazz bridge pups are accidentally placed in JB boxes? If you don't like it, he'll replace them. But it might really boost business.

Did Frank put you up to this? are you getting some cool Duncan swag if sales for this go up?

 

[MattPete]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

What is the closest thing to a Jazz? A T-top?

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Without divulging any secrets, etc. The Jazz Bridge is made of the same materials as the Jazz neck. (but with more output) I wasn't here when they named it, but it's the most appropriate name I can think of. Not because it is good for Jazz, but because it's the DNA match to the Jazz neck. The 59B and N are DNA matches, as are the Seth, PG, etc. So to rename the Jazz Bridge would be to incinuate that the clearly iconic Jazz neck pickup is inappropriately named.

Hey, we play guitar through "Bassmans" right? Anyone ever seen a "Country Gentleman" played for rockabilly? Should we play Les Paul and Mary Ford tunes on our Les Pauls?

Also without divulging secrets I do believe there is nothing in Gibson's catalogue of pickups that would be a direct DNA match up to the Jazz.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Everyone knows what Bassmans and Les Pauls are -- they've each had 50 years or so to lay down their reputations. But even Seymour Duncan customers assume that Jazz pickups are only good as an auxiliary pickup for a JB or a Custom in the bridge position. And a lot of this is perpetuated by the description of the Jazz on the Duncan website. Why is it necessary to describe the Jazz in relation to another, higher output pickup? Everyone on this forum that has half an ear for tone and has tried out the Jazz knows that it can stand on its own (including Heavy Metal tones).

For what it's worth, I just ordered a Jazz bridge to replace my thin-sounding, nasally JB. Calling the JB a versatile pickup and then describing the Jazz as if it's just a simple clean-sounding pickup is very misleading. Seymour really needs to get someone on these descriptions...

 

[LtKojak]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

the Jazz set would probably get you the best clean tones out of a humbucking guitar. The surprise bonus is that it sounds great with gain too, because the pickup is just a tone shaper, and the Jazz's are balanced sounding from low to high.

+ 1

If I was SD, I'll sell'em as a new product sold only in sets calling it "The Anythingers Set", as you can really convincingly play ANYTHING with'em... and I'd even make an active set as well, (to the new metalhead market, Zakk Wilde/Dave Mustain and others using active pickups) to finally give'em a really good basic sound to start with (and make it harder to "ruin it" ...with all due respect and no offence intended to metalheads, of course!).



HTH,

Pepe aka Lt. Kojak
Millano, Italy

 

[mad dog]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

MattPete: I have the Duncan jazz neck and custom/custom in a Godin LG Signature ... and T tops of some type in a '66 ES 335. The jazz neck is just a bit brighter than the T top, not quite as smooth. The difference may be more due to construction and longer scale length of the Godin. It's twangy, somewhere between a tele and a LP.

Anyway, those two pickups are not worlds apart. Both sound great, excellent clarity and a rich overdrive sound.

 

[blueman335]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

all this time i thought the JB was the Jazz Bridge

"JB" stands for Jeff Beck.

 

[jimijames]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

"JB" stands for Jeff Beck.

not officially, but many people believe that it's a similar story to the '78 EVH pickup (JB = jazz/blues or jeff beck, EVH = Evenly Voiced Harmonics or Eddie Van Halen)

 

[theodie]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Without divulging any secrets, etc. The Jazz Bridge is made of the same materials as the Jazz neck. (but with more output) I wasn't here when they named it, but it's the most appropriate name I can think of. Not because it is good for Jazz, but because it's the DNA match to the Jazz neck. The 59B and N are DNA matches, as are the Seth, PG, etc. So to rename the Jazz Bridge would be to incinuate that the clearly iconic Jazz neck pickup is inappropriately named.

Hey, we play guitar through "Bassmans" right? Anyone ever seen a "Country Gentleman" played for rockabilly? Should we play Les Paul and Mary Ford tunes on our Les Pauls?

Also without divulging secrets I do believe there is nothing in Gibson's catalogue of pickups that would be a direct DNA match up to the Jazz.

Frank, regardless of the herritage and DNA to the Jazz neck, the name just does not do the Jazz bridge justice and it makes most players shy away from one of the BEST and most versatile pickups SD makes bar none. I bet with a good name, SD would sell a crap load more of them and there would be ALOT happy happy players out there.

 

[appar111]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Is there a place that sells the Jazz BRIDGE online? I'm having no luck...

 

[Simon_F]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

I recently put a Jazz neck in my '91 LP Classic and I love it. All the clear top end I want, but without the boomy bottom of the '59n. I agree that it's not what you'd think of as "jazz" tone (which is better served by the Seth or Ant IMO). Currently I have a Custom bridge in that guitar, but the Jazz set sounds like an interesting proposition.

This goes some way to explaining the name.....

In 1974, a twenty-something American blues guitarist named Seymour W. Duncan was burning it up in London’s bars and clubs by night. During days, he performed guitar repair for Ivor Arbiter at the Fender Sound House on Tottenham Court Road. It was during those days that Seymour struck up a friendship with his all-time guitar hero, Jeff Beck.

After sending his favorite Les Paul® to a shady repairman who switched out the P.A.F.’s for newer, squealing, pickups, Jeff came to Seymour for help and advice. Seymour repaired Jeff’s Les Paul, and then set about creating a special guitar for Jeff with a pair of pickups that would capture Jeff’s amazing ability to coax a wide range of tones out of his axe.

The result was a guitar that Seymour gave to Jeff as a gift. The body and neck were clearly Telecaster®. But the pickups were two re-wound humbuckers made from broken P.A.F.s Seymour rescued from Lonnie Mack’s Flying V®. Seymour called the guitar a “Tele-Gib,” and nicknamed the bridge pickup “JB” and the neck pickup “JM,” after the hot rod racer, “John Milner,” in the classic film, American Graffiti. (Eventually, “JM” would change to “Jazz Model,” which is what it’s called today.) Jeff used the Tele-Gib on his amazing 1975 release, Blow By Blow, where it gained notoriety for the haunting volume swells heard on “Cause We Ended As Lovers,” which Jeff dedicated to Roy Buchanon. Interestingly, it was Seymour who introduced Jeff to Roy a few months prior.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/news/newsletterwinter04.shtml

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

How exactly did either Jazz pickup get named "Jazz"? I like the Jazz neck, but I just don't see how a really bright pickup got that name.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Frank, regardless of the herritage and DNA to the Jazz neck, the name just does not do the Jazz bridge justice and it makes most players shy away from one of the BEST and most versatile pickups SD makes bar none. I bet with a good name, SD would sell a crap load more of them and there would be ALOT happy happy players out there.

Ok, we'll wire a 10k Jazz bridge and call it the "Fusion"

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Ok, we'll wire a 10k Jazz bridge and call it the "Fusion"

That sounds like the best idea you've had in quite awhile

Seriously, "Fusion" is a pretty sweet name for a pickup.

 

[jimijames]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Ok, we'll wire a 10k Jazz bridge and call it the "Fusion"

Wouldn't that be a close repeat of the brobucker? I know you're joking, but I just couldn't help myself :chairfall:wizard: <That second one is new on me, the only reason it's there is because it seems so unnecessarily elaborate. I can't imagine a single situation to use that.

 

[theodie]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Wouldn't that be a close repeat of the brobucker? I know you're joking, but I just couldn't help myself :chairfall:wizard: <That second one is new on me, the only reason it's there is because it seems so unnecessarily elaborate. I can't imagine a single situation to use that.

It will probally be a whole nother flavor than the BB.

 

[Pierre]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Yum... I'd love a hotter jazz. Though I'd go for around 14K myself...but I'm crazy and French so don't mind me.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Yum... I'd love a hotter jazz. Though I'd go for around 14K myself...but I'm crazy and French so don't mind me.

You can't. The bobins can take at most 10-10.50 K of #42 wire.

B

 

[Pierre]

Re: The great mystery of the unpopularity of the Jazz Bridge.

Ah didn't know what wire was in... ok...Well a hotter Jazz would do either way.