Re: Whats the deal with the JB Antiquity and the 35th anniversary?
Not marketing at all, and not "better" than any other JB because who's to say what better is? It's whatever you like. Some like fresh brand new pickups with fully charged magnets, some like old or aged pickups with degaussed magnets. Some (like me) like them all! It depends on the guitar.
All JB/Jazz pickups use the same wind as always. The difference is in the supporting materials.
The 35th Anniversary commemorative JB/Jazz are no longer made. It was only for 2011. It was a certain configuration which included butyrate bobbins, maple spacer, long legs, single conductor, and rough cast magnet. You could argue that the softer bobbin material adds a slight bit of warmth, but also isn't potted at "full temperature" because it would soften and deform the butyrate. This means it could be ever so slightly microphonic. Not in a bad way, though. It is potted so it shouldn't squeal, but there's a little more "mechanical noise" which some like, and feel it has a little more resonance.
Rough cast magnets are like snowflakes. They are like baking cookies. Unless otherwise stated, all other Seynour Duncan humbuckers use a "polished" magnet which is cast oversized, then ground down to a perfect dimension. Every polished magnet is identical. When a humbucker uses a rough cast magnet the general thought is that the magnetic field is slightly dithered and softer. The reality is they'll read the same gauss strength from the top of the pickup, but we all know that subtle changes that are not measurable on a bench can still affect the sound right?
The Antiquity JB/Jazz take that same recipe one step further, and age the magnet and the rest of the pickup. These are definitely different. You'll hear it. A degaussed magnet is probably >90% of the reason someone plays an old JB and thinks it sounds different or better than a new one. The Anyiquity comes with the aesthetics as well. If you want the aged sound with a new look, or vice versa, you'll have to call the Custom Shop.
