eclecticsynergy
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Jazz neck with a rough UA5 is great in a maple cap PRS. Still crisp but a little bit liquid.
Thoughts on JB/Jazz
- Thread starter alex1fly
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BluesMan335
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BluesMan335
New member
Definitely an odd couple. I've tried JB's several times and they didn't work for me. I prefer pickup sets that aren't so night & day. When I joined this forum 15 years ago, there were debates raging about the JB back then (& for years prior). Many members have said that it can sound very different depending on the guitar it's in, usually doing best in Strat-type guitars. When it bombs out, it seems to happen in mahogany, although there are JB's that work well in mahogany guitars.
That's why the debate will continue. If you use it in Strats and play metal, there's a good chance you love it and think critics don't know what they're talking about. If you play other genres in Gibson-type guitars, you may have had a bad experience with a JB and suspect proponents may have a hearing disorder.
That's why the debate will continue. If you use it in Strats and play metal, there's a good chance you love it and think critics don't know what they're talking about. If you play other genres in Gibson-type guitars, you may have had a bad experience with a JB and suspect proponents may have a hearing disorder.
weepingminotaur
Well-known member
I have the Jazz in an all-mahogany LTD. At first I didn't like it, but I have grown to appreciate what it can do with the tone knob at about 5. It's not warm to me at all, but bright without being icepicky. Very articulate.
Benjy_26
25's Nemesis
PGn is also better than the APHn at jazz.
It isn't that it can't be used for Jazz, there are just better choices. The Antiquity is a much better pickup for jazz than the Jazz.
I had a PRS S2 with JB/Jazz, and that’s exactly what I miss the most about it. I should’ve taken those pickups off before I sold it. Very versatile, they could take whatever I threw at it. Nice cleans, nice splits, high gain, low gain. No matter what, they always sounded good. Seller’s remorse for sure.
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alex1fly
Well-known member
Tone is certainly in the ear of the beholder. I'm finding the Jazz neck to provide classic round, warm, velvety, articulate jazz tones out of the box in the PRS SE Custom. Jazz voiced chords sound wonderful as well, very clear. I have some hex head polepieces in there which helps the articulation but it was very articulate with the regular screws too. High gain sounds great. Cleans sound great. Tons of mids and just enough treble to keep things clear, just like the guitar (could use more treble TBH). Full guitar volume gives it some nice body, guitar volume rolled down cleans up the low end and mids but keeps it very juicy. Just seems so musically useful and just there, ready to go for anything.
JB - interesting beast, for sure. The more I play it, the more it sounds like a piezo or just a microphone against the strings. Hardly any coloring of the acoustic sound except for the upper mid push - but then, microphones and piezos have EQ curves too. Threw in A4, A6, A8, and ceramic over the holiday and that changed the EQ but still it was very "natural" in this guitar. Then I thought hey, throw it in the neck position of my SG which needs a neck pickup anyways. Same effect - sounded incredibly honest, natural, just like the unplugged guitar strummed at that position. Just speculating but maybe that's why so many folks say it's guitar dependent - if it's giving you more or less what the guitar sounds like unplugged, then whether or not you like the JB's tone is dependent on whether or not you like the acoustic sound of the guitar or if you prefer more coloration from your pickups. My favorite magnets in the JB were A6 followed by A4. A6 gave it more low mids and a sweeter top end, both changes rounded the pickup out nicely. A4 had a similar effect, just "less" overall. And the JB in all scenarios I tried (neck of the SG, bridge of the SE Custom, all the mag swaps, height adjustments, control adjustments) had an almost single coil like response to my right hand in that it didn't "help" me like most other humbuckers do. I had to play perfectly or it didn't sound perfect. Also, because I like to practice ultra-articulate speed metal, the mush factor was real with high gain palm mutes in the bridge position. Ultimately for me that's a deal breaker but most everything else I threw at it worked well. I think the JB would make an awesome 1 pickup guitar.
JB - interesting beast, for sure. The more I play it, the more it sounds like a piezo or just a microphone against the strings. Hardly any coloring of the acoustic sound except for the upper mid push - but then, microphones and piezos have EQ curves too. Threw in A4, A6, A8, and ceramic over the holiday and that changed the EQ but still it was very "natural" in this guitar. Then I thought hey, throw it in the neck position of my SG which needs a neck pickup anyways. Same effect - sounded incredibly honest, natural, just like the unplugged guitar strummed at that position. Just speculating but maybe that's why so many folks say it's guitar dependent - if it's giving you more or less what the guitar sounds like unplugged, then whether or not you like the JB's tone is dependent on whether or not you like the acoustic sound of the guitar or if you prefer more coloration from your pickups. My favorite magnets in the JB were A6 followed by A4. A6 gave it more low mids and a sweeter top end, both changes rounded the pickup out nicely. A4 had a similar effect, just "less" overall. And the JB in all scenarios I tried (neck of the SG, bridge of the SE Custom, all the mag swaps, height adjustments, control adjustments) had an almost single coil like response to my right hand in that it didn't "help" me like most other humbuckers do. I had to play perfectly or it didn't sound perfect. Also, because I like to practice ultra-articulate speed metal, the mush factor was real with high gain palm mutes in the bridge position. Ultimately for me that's a deal breaker but most everything else I threw at it worked well. I think the JB would make an awesome 1 pickup guitar.
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ThreeChordWonder
New member
I like my Jazz in my SG.
Just saying....
Just saying....
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
This is true. I would pick the 59, A2P, Seth, Ant, or Phat Cat before the Jazz. However the Jazz will work just fine if you like the scooped and glossy sound. The Jazz was my first Duncan and I liked playing lots of jazz on it.
This is false.
It depends on the other choices. I *could* use it for jazz, but the lack of mids and bass cripple the sound from the outset.
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
It's a suitable bassy pickup for jazz. It just is scooped and doesn't have the authenticity of the Seth or Ant. Has a top to it that needs to be run off. 250k pots over 500k for sure. (I prefer a 100k volume.)
Have you tried the Benedettos? I got a Benedetto PAF which is built for jazz and that pup is basically a Jazz. It's scooped and has an A5 only they made it tighter.
Have you tried the Benedettos? I got a Benedetto PAF which is built for jazz and that pup is basically a Jazz. It's scooped and has an A5 only they made it tighter.
alex1fly
Well-known member
I see no issue playing the same kind of jazz I've been playing for years on this Jazz neck. But then, the guitar it's in is low and mid-heavy so maybe that fills out the sound more than it would on a brighter guitar. Doesn't have the chirp that the Seth and 57 Classic had in this guitar, but the chirp isn't really what makes a jazz guitar tone to me unless you're strictly trying to emulate a particular mid-century sound. Modern pros aren't sticking solely to PAFs for jazz guitar tone anymore.
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Blille
New member
Blille
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So, the key to traditional jazz tone (think Blue Note RVG) isn’t being bassy, is being mid-dy. And the characteristic of the jazz is its brightness (aka as articulation earlier in the thread).
