Bridge pickup: 57 classic vs Duncan Jazz

[VonBonfire]

Anyone have experience with a Duncan Jazz sh-2 in the bridge, especially on a semi hollow? I have a 335 style guitar I bought that came with a '59 in the neck and it is a really great pickup. Strangely they decided to use a Sh-14 in the bridge, which works, but is very much a rock guitar pickup. Seems a strange choice. It's harder to dial in both pickups together in the center selector position because it's so hot. It can be done but it causes me to miss the tone I'm shooting adjusting it quickly in between songs. It's requires too much fine tuning.

I have 57's in my other semi hollow, bridge and neck, and really like it in the bridge position for a good honking tone. I already own a spare set of 57's so it would be cheaper but I"m just considering some future options because I was so impressed with the '59. It's a bit hotter IME than the classics and drives the amp just a little more which is a benefit. It has just enough clarity to get the job done without being a mudbucker. I just wanted to know if anyone uses a jazz in the bridge and how they liked/didn't like and what kind of music you are playing with it. Probably just throw a classic back there unless someone can sell me on another pickup.

Bridge pickup alone=a good thin vintage radio-like honk
Both pickups together=a good nasal 60s-70's BB King like tone rolling the bridge pickup tone down.

 

[fenderchamp]

57’ classics are great sounding pickups.

 

[Peegoo]

Have you tried dropping the bridge pickup a little bit to reduce its power? A little adjustment up or down can make quite a difference.

 

[VonBonfire]

Have you tried dropping the bridge pickup a little bit to reduce its power? A little adjustment up or down can make quite a difference.

Yes definitely have done that as well as individual pole piece adjustments or it would've been completely unusable. It reminds me of a 498t Gibson, a lot of heat, has a good bite but it's more of a hard rock pickup and less useful for blues music.

A lot of guys say the '59 is very similar to the '57 classics but I found even lowered way down below '57 classic territory it was much hotter. Actually similar to an Epiphone probucker. But not too hot for hot blues!

 

[cousinpaul]

I'd stick with with Duncan. Sometimes you run into phase issues when mixing brands. There's a lot of fans here of the SD Seth Lovers. Might be worth a shot.

 

[VonBonfire]

I'd stick with with Duncan. Sometimes you run into phase issues when mixing brands. There's a lot of fans here of the SD Seth Lovers. Might be worth a shot.

I've never heard of phase issues mixing brands...but I've never mixed brands. I wanna keep the '59 in the neck for certain I just want something that is a little less butt-rock in the bridge. I own two sets of '57's, one of which is in another guitar, so it's cheaper. I don't want to buy a whole new set neck and bridge, that ain't happening. Thanks for your response. Hoping to get some additional feedback here of other's experiences and advice.

 

[uriah1]

That Jazzer pickup is great for neck.
Ya, 57 goes good with most. If you
were going to buy a bridge I might throw in
the Seth Lover.

 

[DisharmonicDark99]

I've used the SD Jazz set (neck and bridge) in a semi-hollow before, worked pretty well.
I definitely preferred the Jazz neck in that guitar over the bridge model.
For my tastes I just found the Jazz to be a bit too scooped for that particular guitar (which would likely be the case with the SH-14 too I'm sure).
But if you like that scooped mids tone with a glassier top end then that might be a good choice for you.
On that similar note, I like the suggestions of trying the SD Seth Lover in the bridge.
Great pickup for 335 style guitar from my experience.
Otherwise, yeah I think throwing that Gibson 57 in the bridge with the SD 59 could be a worthwhile thing to try quite honestly.

 

[takauya]

Mixing stock Gibson and Duncan pups often results out of phase in mix position, but you can solve it by flipping a magnet of either.

 

[VonBonfire]

For my tastes I just found the Jazz to be a bit too scooped for that particular guitar (which would likely be the case with the SH-14 too I'm sure).

My beef with the sh-14 is it's just too hot. It actually sounds good, but in a live setting it's too touchy when it comes to rolling the tone knob back when mixing both pickups in the middle position. So it's hard to get it set exactly how I like the sound to be on the fly between songs versus my 57 loaded ES which is quick to ballpark in the same middle selector position. I used the middle pickup on about a half dozen songs during a 3 hour gig and bridge pickup only on a few songs. It's decent just set to bridge, but quickly mixing them together is the problem.

Thanks for the replies, all!

 

[cousinpaul]

A Duncan 59 bridge is no slouch. I'm kind of curious why it hasn't been mentioned.

 

[TinkerSolderTry]

My beef with the sh-14 is it's just too hot. It actually sounds good, but in a live setting it's too touchy when it comes to rolling the tone knob back when mixing both pickups in the middle position. So it's hard to get it set exactly how I like the sound to be on the fly between songs versus my 57 loaded ES which is quick to ballpark in the same middle selector position. I used the middle pickup on about a half dozen songs during a 3 hour gig and bridge pickup only on a few songs. It's decent just set to bridge, but quickly mixing them together is the problem.

Thanks for the replies, all!

why then not just apply a cap and a resistor for just the middle position which simulates the tonepot at your prefered setting?

 

[Rockdog]

FWIW, a Duncan Alnico II Pro is probably closer to a ‘57 Classic. And if I’m not mistaken, the Jazz is essentially an A2 Pro with an A5 magnet.

 

[KokoTele]

The Duncan ‘59 is my go-to, so I know it very well. It’s not hotter than the ‘57. In fact, the output is similar. Any output differences are likely to be caused by distance from the strings.

The ‘57 does have that honk in the upper mids that’s not so prevalent in the ‘59, but find the highs are just loud, and without much character. The ‘59 has lots of sparkle and detail in the highs.

The Duncan Jazz has less highs than the ‘59 or ‘57 and more mids. In fact, it can be downright muddy in some guitars.

 

[Bruxist]

Here is a good rundown of the Seymour Duncan's PAF style pickups:

A Guide to Seymour Duncan PAF Pickups - Guitar Pickups, Bass Pickups, Pedals

With so many PAF pickups on the market, it can be hard to tell them apart.

www.seymourduncan.com

 

[takauya]

The Duncan Jazz has less highs than the ‘59 or ‘57 and more mids. In fact, it can be downright muddy in some guitars.

Hmmm, what you describe is the exact opposite of reality.

 

[KokoTele]

Well, one of us is a Duncan dealer…

 

[J. Bonkosky]

How about wiring the SH14 in parallel? It will reduce the output, brighten the pickup, won’t cost anything to try, and will still be humbucking.

 

[TinkerSolderTry]

Hmmm, what you describe is the exact opposite of reality.

i agree, the jazz is brighter than the 59. maybe he confused the jazz with the APH-1 which is just a magswap away from it…

 

[takauya]

Well, one of us is a Duncan dealer…

So, you told us the SH-2 can be muddy in some guitars, and which guitars?