The Cure 1979, Jazzmaster middle pickup?!

Jump to 6:45 for Killing An Arab. What is this awesome sound coming from Robert Smith's Jazzmaster? I've read that he took an old Silvertone pickup and stuck it in the middle. That must be what we are hearing in this clip? Any Cure experts know what amps and effects he used at that time?

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I did some more googling and found that he used a WEM amp originally. I've never heard of that. After they got the first advance he bought a JC120 and he now says he regrets it. He later switched to a Fender Twin and says he should have done that sooner. The middle pickup came off a super cheap plywood guitar. He also used a Storm Distortion pedal. The tone on this song is so instantly recognizable.

that was great!

He had at least three matching Jazzmasters all fitted with Middle pickups from Woolworths Top 20 guitars (Cheap POS guitars but with a sound all their own) and a self made buzz bar. Originally all white, one was stripped and another was later refinished black
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/4951304298_e0e7fcff49.jpg

http://www.newwavephotos.com/Cure/02374Cure.jpg
Robert playing the stripped one in the cure's early days with his white one as back up. Note also his Roland amp.

The stripped one was later terribly abused as he turned it into THIS.
http://picturesofyou.us/photos/83-84/84-gold-guitar-2.jpg

And although he has since used Gretsch Black Falcon and tennesian models and a whole lot of Gibson ES guitars and not forgetting his Schecter Siggy models, he has remained faithful to his old Fenders and pulls them out every once in a while.
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n314/the55thbeatle/2002Berlin.jpg

He had at least three matching Jazzmasters all fitted with Middle pickups from Woolworths Top 20 guitars (Cheap POS guitars but with a sound all their own) and a self made buzz bar. Originally all white, one was stripped and another was later refinished black

In the UK they were known as Woolworth's Top 20 guitars.

On the sleeve notes to Blue Sunshine by The Glove (a side project for Smith and Steven Severin from Siouxsie & The Banshees) it refers to the guitars as "Custom Fish Jazzmasters" IIRC.

"The third pickup is from a Woolworth's Top 20 guitar, my very first electric. I took it in to record our first album, along with a little WEM combo amp. [Manager/producer] Chris Parry, who was paying for the record, said," you can't use that!" We went out and bought a Fender Jazzmaster, and I immediately had the Top 20 pickup installed in it, which really upset Chris. I played the entire Three Imaginary Boys album [reissued as Boy's Don't Cry] through a Top 20 pickup. It's a brilliant guitar, though I actually bought it because of how it looked. Same with the map-shaped Nationals I used on the last tour."

The full interview is here http://www.musicfanclubs.org/cure/press/I10.html

Lots of cool info. Thanks for sharing guys!

WEM was an English PA manufacturer who also made guitar amps. they were probably most famously known for being what Pink Floyd used as their personal PA system back in the day. if you watch the 'Live At Pompeii' DVD, most of their backline is WEM stuff. it was high quality, on par with Hiwatt (and their guitar amps sounded similar.)

WEM stuff is virtually unknown here in the States, but i did come across a (really) used guitar cab once. played a Marshall head through it and i liked the way it sounded, much different than your typical Marshall cab, but that's as close as i ever got to one. if you look at David Gilmour's backline in his more recent solo DVD's, you'll see a WEM cab in there amongst the Hiwatt cabs.