PUP recommendations for a three pickup hardtail jazzmaster

[Rick]

I'm looking to build a three pickup hardtail jazzmaster and would love some pickup recommendations. My preferred pickups are passive high output humbuckers, P90's and minihumbuckers. Right now, I've got one configuration: Railhammer, B Anvil, M Chisel B, N Chisel N. Any other suggestions welcome. It'll have some sort of strat type switching plus extra options.
Thanks,
Rick

 

[supertruper1988]

If this will be a pickguard then why not load up a couple and try some out? I have often longed for a WRHB Jazzmaster.

 

[Rick]

Yep, it will have a pickguard. On my VIP I had, for about a year, Dimarzio Hums (found that they didn't have enough balls, though I like DiMarzio vintage minihumbuckers) and I've swapped the Dimarzios out for railhammer 90p's. So yeah, I can try various sets, just wondering what you guys would do as the first set. Thanks!

For WRHB it looks like you'd recommend the Fralin's? Just wondering why WRHBs?

 

[supertruper1988]

I bought a set of the Fender CuNiFe reissues but yeah there are several folks out there making cool takes on WRHBs.

I have never played "real" WRHBs being the CuNiFe vintage ones or others that use the magnet pole pieces but on paper Wide Range pickups are described as sounding "fat" but with improved clarity and detail over Gibson humbuckers. Which after watching a bunch of videos on them, I need to at least try them.

Plus the Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster always looked awesome to me.

 

[supertruper1988]

Also side note, I had emailed Warmoth's customer service and while they dont offer a route in the body, they can cut a pickguard for WRHBs for a small upcharge.

 

[Rick]

Ahh Sonic Youth. Now I have to listen to them.

 

[Cheery Zeery]

While I had a luthier do it for me, you could always go off the beaten path and drop the *other* kind of JB pickup in it!



The one you see above is a Kent Armstrong pickup, flanked by two SD Antiquities, that I got for a low price that I can't recall (cream cover sold separately). If I were able to procure it without having to buy the whole thing, I would have put the Epiphone Century reissue blade pickup (which is ALSO a Jazz Bass pickup) in there instead, but I'm quite happy with how it looks and sounds. It's wired like a 3PU Les Paul Custom, so the middle position uses the pickup in an out of phase kind of way. Bit of a Position 2 on a Strat, but on steroids. Or a very muscular duck.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Its hard to recommend without knowing what sound you are going for. Mini humbuckers can be have nice sounding cleans, but are sometimes too smooth with gain. It seems like that is what happened with the Dimarzio ones you tried. I like the Lollar Mini Humbucker in the neck as it is has a good balance of mids and brightness. However I found with higher levels of gain the Duncan Coolrails strat size neck pickup was clearer and more cutting than the Lollar mini humbucker and also has more output. Both using 500k volume and tone controls. I'd recommend the Lollar mini humbucker in the neck for blues and Jazz.

 

[Rick]

I play classic rock (Beach Boys, Neil Young and Beatles), country and folk (Dylan, Cash and Williams (and Neil Young)) and punk (Ramones, Clash and Green Day), plus a pot porri of other stuff. I'm not a jazzer nor a shredder, more like a flogger. Given the forgoing, I suppose I'm looking for a sound with balls and clear treble.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

For classic rock it seems possible to use normal humbuckers. Probably vintage PAF style ones for neck and middle position and something slightly hotter in the bridge.

I only have experience with one triple humbucker guitar, although the neck is a single sized rail pickup as shown in the pic. After some experimentation I settled on the Duncan Coolrails neck, Duncan '59B in middle position, and Dimarzio FRED in the bridge. I tried other pickups such as Suhr SSH (standard 14k wind) and PAF PRO in the bridge, but they didn't sound as well balanced as the FRED. PAF PRO was too bright, but it could be because I routed the location for the bridge humbucker closer to the bridge than where Warmoth normally place it. I tried some other neck pickups including Dimarzio Satch Track, but that was too warm for what I wanted. For middle position I found the Duncan '59b to be ideal and I haven't even considered changing it. It is bright enough to sound balanced yet clear, but I often use the tone control to fatten it slightly. Although the middle humbucker is mounted very low, the output is strong enough to combine well with the other pickups in the notch positions. I'd suggest to get the optional 4-conductor wiring so it can be coil split or switched to parallel connection.

I would probably favour having 3 full size humbuckers, especially if you want to do coil splits. With the cool rails neck, I have tried coil split wiring but I didn't think it was a useful tone.

 

[Strat Avenger]

PG-13™ Bridge | DiMarzio

The PG-13™ mini humbuckers were developed for Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big. Paul is well known for his amazing musicianship, killer speed, and awesome technical ability. The tone of a mini humbucker falls somewhere between a full-sized humbucker and a single-coil. Paul says the main characteristic of...

www.dimarzio.com

and

PG-13™ Neck | DiMarzio

The PG-13™ mini humbuckers were developed for Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big. Paul is well known for his amazing musicianship, killer speed, and awesome technical ability. The tone of a mini humbucker falls somewhere between a full-sized humbucker and a single-coil. Paul says the main characteristic of...

www.dimarzio.com

 

[stratamania]

There is also a PG-13 middle to go with the neck and bridge @Street Avenger suggested.

PG-13™ Middle | DiMarzio

The PG-13™ mini humbuckers were developed for Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big. Being on the road with Mr. Big can be challenging when it comes to tones because there are so many different styles the band plays — acoustic ballads, heavy songs, fast songs, bluesy songs — and Paul needs pickups that allow...

www.dimarzio.com

If PG can get things done with these, perhaps @Rick can too...

 

[Rick]

I have the vintage dp240 (?) n the neck in a nashville Tele and it is the best Tele neck pickup. Sounds like a Tele but harmonically richer.

 

[Spud]

I play classic rock (Beach Boys, Neil Young and Beatles), country and folk (Dylan, Cash and Williams (and Neil Young)) and punk (Ramones, Clash and Green Day), plus a pot porri of other stuff. I'm not a jazzer nor a shredder, more like a flogger. Given the forgoing, I suppose I'm looking for a sound with balls and clear treble.

Wilde XL-500

 

[Rick]

Love Bill Lawrence tele bridge PUPs. What would you recommend for the middle and neck if Wilde xl-500 goes in the bridge. I'm guessing two neck pickups with the middle higher output than the neck ... or maybe slightly less output bridge in the middle, and the rthym pup in the neck? Also, do they fit the warmoth humbucker cutouts in the pickguard? Or maybe, an xl500 in the bridge and middle, and a r in the neck. Then lower the r to match the m?

 

[stratamania]

Also, do they fit the warmoth humbucker cutouts in the pickguard?

They will go in, but there will be a gap as the L500 variant is smaller than a standard humbucker. Some people have fitted them and put the pickup ring under the pickguard to make the gap less obvious. But for me, I would cut a custom rout myself.

 

[Spud]

Love Bill Lawrence tele bridge PUPs. What would you recommend for the middle and neck if Wilde xl-500 goes in the bridge. I'm guessing two neck pickups with the middle higher output than the neck ... or maybe slightly less output bridge in the middle, and the rthym pup in the neck? Also, do they fit the warmoth humbucker cutouts in the pickguard?

I dunno? L-90's? However, you wanted a sound "with balls and clear treble" they have it.

 

[Spud]

BTW-They do come with a PU ring which will fit over cutout in pickguard.

 

[Rick]

Nah, L90's wouldn't look right. But I am intrigued by the L-500 series ... also the dimarzio mini humbuckers. Maybe do a dimarzio mini hum set, and if it doesn't work out then go with the Wildes? Maybe the Fred in the bridge, and the 59 in the middle, and maybe jazz in the neck ... I feel a plan forming ....

 

[TBurst Std]

If you email / call Becky, they will tell you exactly what SC goes with their HBs.