Would a Jazz neck with DC resistance of 7.2k be considered under wound?

Mr Clean

New member
I bought a '94 Les Paul Standard from the original owner who told me he replaced the Gibson pickups within a few years of purchasing the guitar with the Jazz/JB set. I played the guitar through his Roland Cube amp, and it sounded alright but I find it kinda hard to evaluate pickups through low ball solid state amps (or even tube amps I'm not familiar with, so I'm not bashing the Cube - it is what it is). When I got home to my amps and pedal board, I was completely blown away! I really haven't met an A5 magnet that I liked in a 24.75 scale length, and always end up using A2 magnet pickups. But these pickups seem to be a little different. When I checked the DC resistance, the neck measured 7.2k, and the bridge 16.4k. My first thought was it wasn't a Jazz, so I checked to make sure they really were what he said they were. Labels underneath are small sticker types verifying they were indeed SH-2 and SH-4 pickups (JB is not a trembucker). The JB seems to sound better than the JB trembucker I have in a Jaguar. The newer one seems to have a "white noise" or "grain" in the background. It pushes the amp harder, and has a DC resistance over 17k. To my ears the earlier model is more refined and almost "sweet", which is a word I've never heard when someone is describing a JB. Being fair, the JB in the Jag was purchased off Ebay used, but it appears stock and unadulterated.

Anyway, back to the Jazz. I really like this pickup, and it might end up being my favorite neck pickup. All the other Jazz pickups I've owned we're Duncan Designed HB102 models that came in quality Asian made guitars, but always got replaced. None of them had a DC resistance under 7.6k, and to my ears none of them sounded nearly this good.

So my question is how much difference would the 500 ohms make??? If I go out and buy a new Jazz and it measures at the published 7.72k will I be disappointed???
 
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Re: Would a Jazz neck with DC resistance of 7.2k be considered under wound?

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...1986-to-2013&p=3426664&viewfull=1#post3426664

FWIW, here's a thread where somebody that has a collection of MJ-wound APH1s posted their readings: you'll be surprised in seeing the fluctuation in DC readings from 7K up to almost 8K in neck models alone.

Assuming the turns used to make the p'ups are the same, the different DC readings are due to different wire batches with different thickness of the wire and/or insulation.

It's all well-within specs, so just play and enjoy your p'ups in good health. You're even entitled to think that you've got an exceptionally good one.

For the record, I own a MJ '59n that measures 7.18K and in another guitar a stock one measuring the nominal 7.48K. I like the 7.18K better, but the other one's no slouch, mind you. Both deliver the tone I expect from them in spades, and then some.

HTH,
 
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Re: Would a Jazz neck with DC resistance of 7.2k be considered under wound?

Hi, 7.2k is normal.
For a modern measured @21 celscius its dead on.
As pointed out by Kojak the older could be higher.

But most are 7.1k-7.35k @21 Celsius
 
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