Neck pickup tone woes, it's the guitar's fault...

No really, it's all the guitar's fault!

I was looking for a "fun" shredder type guitar. I've been having fun with some of that stuff lately, mostly 80's and early 90's rock and metal. Not in any of my bands, just on my own time for giggles.

I got a smoking deal on an MIJ Jackson, and it's a killer guitar. Came with EMG's, way too hot for me. I couldn't stand them. So I went with the old standby SD combo of a JB bridge and Jazz neck from out of my parts drawer. The neck pickup sounds awful. I love the Jazz model neck, so this was weird to me...

Then I figured it out... The 24 fret neck has put the pickup cavity in the wrong spot. It just doesn't sound right.

Is there a neck hummy that will sound like it's supposed to, in a spot where it's not supposed to be?

Yes I agree I have had the same neck/bridge combo in Les Pauls and they sound great, but everytime I have had it on a 24 fret guitar it sounds different. Most recently on a Schecter C1 classic. I think and I have heard others talk about this that 24 fret guitars sound completely different than 22 or 21 because of pickup position.

don't mean to hijack but can you guys give me an idea of what the JB/Jazz combo sounds like? like maybe name a well known tune that has something close to that tone? I've been hearing about this combo for awhile and am intrigued.

I'm sure it's on a LOT of well known tunes, it's one of the most popular hummy combos of all time. Lots of rock guys use it, but it's great for blues, jazz, and other stuff too. Seymour himself says this is all time favorite neck and bridge combo.

The JB is HOT. Not super duper metal mayhem hot, but hotter than a standard bridge hummy, with big low end and very present highs, not scooped though. It will overdrive a low wattage amp. You need watts to get decent headroom out of this pickup. The guys I know who tried it with little low wattage amps did not like it. Too muddy, splatty low end, etc. are some fo the complaints it gets. With a bigger amp with some wattage behind it, it sounds divine, and LOVES OD pedals. Just big, huge, creamy smooth tone for days, with a very present and defined high end. It's actually a little too hot for most of the stuff I do, but for what I bought this particular guitar for, it's great.

The Jazz is moderate output, and bright for neck hummy. This makes it very clear and articulate, very unforgiving. If you fudge stuff with it, you'll hear it. It will not muddy up and get murky with tone controls like other hummys, it will maintain a very balanced sound across the spectrum, even when played dark. But it will give you a very fat, yet extremely well defined and articulate neck lead tone. It also helps you to really have chord voicings come out strongly (as in you can hear all your notes) when using a darker tone from your amp or when rolling the tone off. Great pickup.

Edited to ad- A JB in a Les Paul, plugged in a cranked up NMV Marshall is one of the sweetest tones on earth. This is basically what the pickup was originally designed for, and good lawdy, nothing does it better to my ears.

thanks Jakedog!

Supposedly, the single-coil sized humbuckers sound better on a 24 fret neck as the pole pieces are all up closer to the neck.

Supposedly, the single-coil sized humbuckers sound better on a 24 fret neck as the pole pieces are all up closer to the neck.


Well, it's a rear routed guitar (no pickguard) so I don't know how I'd go about mounting one of those without it looking totally stupid.:sad:

I'm thinking I'll just have to live with it.

It's weird, I've had 24 fret guitars before, and don't remember this being a problem. Maybe I have better ears now...

I hear EMGs work real well in 24 fret necks... :razz:

I hear EMGs work real well in 24 fret necks... :razz:


Wise guy eh? Why I oughtta...:lol:

Most people with 24 fret, pointy head guitars never use the neck pickup, IME. :lol:

How do the Gibson Ceramic 496R and 500T compare with the EMGs or "dirty fingers" pickups?

What about the pots??? I think EMG's use 25K pots???

Cheers

What about the pots??? I think EMG's use 25K pots???

Cheers


I have standard 500K CTS pots in it. The EMG's were actually the passive HZ models, and were using these pots as well.

Most people with 24 fret, pointy head guitars never use the neck pickup, IME. :lol:

I think you'd be surprised. IME, lots more of these guys use neck pickups than a lot of country guys. I can easily do an all night country or roots rock gig with a bridge pickup only guitar. I could never get away with that with hard rock or metal unless I was going to play strictly rhythm. The neck pickup solo tone is a staple of that music.

Most people with 24 fret, pointy head guitars never use the neck pickup, IME. :lol:

I think tonnes of them uses it, especially on the widdleedee arp arp arp pick pick pick solos. You got to hear all those Nordic Europeans. Their slayin' it as we speak.

The late Dimebag Darrell and Zakk Wylde uses it loads too.

*Woops just realized JDog had replied the same thing.

I hear EMGs work real well in 24 fret necks... :razz:

You mean, like in 24 fret Jackson/Ibanez Floyd Rose locking-tuner shredder guitars? I've heard that, too. :razz:

You mean, like in 24 fret Jackson/Ibanez Floyd Rose locking-tuner shredder guitars? I've heard that, too. :razz:

Well, this Jackson has no locking nut, and a Tune-o-matic bridge with string thru body setup.:grin:

Have you tried just turning the pickup around?I did that on a 24 fret guitar . It can make a huge difference and because they are facing the same way the N and B sound better together.Another more subtle sound change if you want to keep the screw coil forward is to ground the red wire, connect the black and green, and have the white go to hot. That keeps it in the same phase so it can be used in combo , but has the pole coil grounded instead of the screw coil.Whichever coil is grounded dominates the sound :oops: The Red goes to Hot the White to Ground. I put the pickup out of phase before. I'm very sorry,I should have drawn it instead of just visualizing it.Seymour's strange choice of lead colors always puts me off somewhat.

Have you tried just turning the pickup around?I did that on a 24 fret guitar . It can make a huge difference and because they are facing the same way the N and B sound better together.
Would this work for fixing a SD JB bridge that (has been wired up according to the SD schematic for "non-splitting" installation with the black wire to the switch) that has a very high-pitched "pinging/ringing" sound on the b-string? I'm guessing that the dominant coil is the one closest to the bridge with it wired this way. Can I just flip the pickup and make the pickup less high-harsh like it was with the original-reversed wiring?


Another more subtle sound change if you want to keep the screw coil forward is to ground the red wire, connect the black and green, and have the white go to hot. That keeps it in the same phase so it can be used in combo , but has the pole coil grounded instead of the screw coil.Whichever coil is grounded dominates the sound.

How do you know which pole being grounded sounds better?
Argh...this pickup is so darn confusing.

PM Sent...

Have you tried just turning the pickup around?I did that on a 24 fret guitar . It can make a huge difference and because they are facing the same way the N and B sound better together.Another more subtle sound change if you want to keep the screw coil forward is to ground the WHITE wire, connect the black and green, and have the RED go to hot. That keeps it in the same phase so it can be used in combo , but has the pole coil grounded instead of the screw coil.Whichever coil is grounded dominates the sound :oops: The Red goes to Hot the White to Ground. I put the pickup out of phase before. I'm very sorry,I should have drawn it instead of just visualizing it.Seymour's strange choice of lead colors always puts me off somewhat.

Okay, thank you for the correction.

Red = Switch
White = Ground
Green&Black = Taped off
Bare = Ground

This sounds more like it.
Time to get out the soldering iron.
And I can delete my other thread in the Tele-Technical area.
:smile: