Q pickups '58 spec Jazzmaster

Pickups, pedals, amps, cabs, combos

Moderated By: mods

User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Q pickups '58 spec Jazzmaster

Post by kim »

Getting this thread started and updating as i get to a before and after demo of a squier classic vibe jazzmaster.

Had been looking at fender pure vintage '65 jazzmaster pickups and then came across a good demo of the q pickups '58 spec jazzmaster ones and it made me smile how they sounded and the price was decent.
The pure vintage ones weren't my thing, too tame. Which is personal of course.

Image

When i'm up for it i'll record some things with the stock pickups and then the replacements.
I've gotten the neck pickup out of the cover, was glued in there like crazy. Not looking forward to removing the bridge pickup from the cover. haha.


Look
This is after i'd already removed a big part of the glue...
Image
Image

wanted to have a look at very slanted magnets pushing against the cover magnet holes
Image
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

That's funny, I just posted yesterday about getting some 50s Strat pickups from Q :lol:
Interested to hear what you think about the Jazzmaster pups. The strat ones sound great.
Weird that the old ones are glued in! What a pain.
User avatar
Bacchus
Whatever's handiest
Posts: 23433
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:10 am
Location: wandering

Post by Bacchus »

Are you two both in on this in some way?......
Image
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

yes, q pickups only sells to lefties


;)

just kidding


i saw your thread after i posted this one, taking my time to install them with all the glue that needs to be removed and the cats being very interested in guitar strings moving about etc, not for today haha
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

Bacchus wrote:Are you two both in on this in some way?......
kim wrote:yes, q pickups only sells to lefties
:lol: :lol:
User avatar
Doog
mid-century modem
Posts: 23024
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:49 pm
Location: London

Post by Doog »

Reverse electricity, innit.

How much were they, Kim?
sunshiner wrote: You don't understand my kindness, drown in shit
User avatar
Bacchus
Whatever's handiest
Posts: 23433
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:10 am
Location: wandering

Post by Bacchus »

I do think it would be funny if they said their pickups where left handed, and charged a tenner more for right handed versions. Or that the only right handed pickups they sell are a basic paf and a basic strat pickup.
Image
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

Haha that would be brilliant!
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

hahaha

+10% for a right handed version like our good buddies at fender did with lefties...ohwait...now it's whatever they decide to make in both versions or..you know..pay the custom shop a lefty fee, just a couple of 1k's..


i think i paid a little more because of exchange rate, €115/$131 :roll: :wink:

Image
User avatar
Hurb
Peanut the Kidnapper
Posts: 7176
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:47 pm

Post by Hurb »

Looking forward to the results! Q pickups are great quality!
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

had a look


neck
Image


bridge
Image


neck
Image

bridge
Image



stock:

Image
Image
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

Well i've installed them. Not sure if i want to bother with a proper demo, it's a lot of work.

Needs some adjustments too.


Did some recordings of the stock and q pickups '58 jm, this is just clean..

Order is stock clean bridge, bridge and neck, neck, neck rythm circuit

Q's at 1:33 in

Stock squier JM - Q pickups '58 JM

This is all the Q's

http://drive.google.com/file/d/1VRWx3JAOJd9iSgzen0zzApm2B65v8Hxx/view?usp=sharing
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

Cool. The Qs do sound a lot more detailed and brighter to my ears.
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

I absolutely love the neck pickup in both lead and rythm, idd very detailed and full.
The bridge pickup i'll have to play with a bit to get it doing what i want, it's very twangy but a bit too sharp the way it sits now.
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

That sounds similar to my strat pups. I raised the bridge pup quite a lot and now it sounds full and more in line with the neck/middle.
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Post by kim »

tried a number of options, think i'm pretty good where it is now until i become unhappy with it haha

I tried to counter harshness by lowering the bridge pickup and raising the neck but went for something more subtle in the end, the neck being much closer was nice on its own but lacking in the middle position because of the contrast.
This is super reverb simulation which sounds pretty trebly as is, figured that was a good emulated amp to test on, it's very sensitive to little changes in pickup height.

User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Post by Thom »

How are you liking the pickups now you’ve had them a while Kim?
User avatar
Doog
mid-century modem
Posts: 23024
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:49 pm
Location: London

Re: Q pickups '58 spec Jazzmaster

Post by Doog »

RISE FROM YR GRAVE

Last week, I plugged in my CV Jaguar for the first time in a while, and was surprised how good the overwound bridge pickup sounded with the medium-high gain distortion I'd just been playing with my Jazzmaster - shocker, I know.

So it turns out Q Pickups offer coil-taps on their JM pickups, so you can get vintage AND beefy tones at the flick of a switch. Totally gonna modd!

http://www.qpickups.com/guitar-pickups/jazzmaster
sunshiner wrote: You don't understand my kindness, drown in shit
User avatar
kim
[='±'=]
Posts: 12832
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:30 am
Location: BE

Re: Q pickups '58 spec Jazzmaster

Post by kim »

ooof !


Sorry for the very late response Thom, for what it's worth; yes, i've absolutely fallen in love with the Q 58's in the squier jm.

Andy, these ?

http://reverb.com/item/8331125-jazzmaster-pickups-set-coil-tapped-a5-hand-wound-guitar-fits-fender-hot-vintage-by-q-pickups




Seems like a versatile route, i love the pricepoint of Q's too and what you get in return.
Very nice stuff and not too much of a wait for shipping either, am considering vintage spec mustang pickups for the 69RI (65-68 Q's) :oops:

Prices never lower, they only go up on things like this, ha (not a very good moment now though, but maybe later this year).
User avatar
Doog
mid-century modem
Posts: 23024
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:49 pm
Location: London

Re: Q pickups '58 spec Jazzmaster

Post by Doog »

Yeah, looking at them this very second!

I only really want the bridge unt (I don't want a chunkier neck pickup at all), but do I like the idea of trying both in the bridge position, seeing as they're slightly different outputs - I already have 2 neck pickups in my JM :lol:

Plus, I've got that surf green project JM; it'll need pickups some day..
sunshiner wrote: You don't understand my kindness, drown in shit