The Authentic Jazzmaster Sound: Northern Pickups Early 60s Vintage Spec Pickup Set Demo
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2024
- Did you know that Fender doesn't make production model Jazzmasters with Jazzmaster pickups? Today I'm checking out this amazing set of vintage-correct Jazzmaster pickups by Dave at Northern Pickups. These flat and wide 3mm high coils are wound to the edge of the pickup bobbin, with AlNiCo 5 magnets and a DC resistance of 8.54k in the bridge and 7.76k in the neck for authentic early 60s Jazzmaster tones. These pickups are awesome and give you those early Jazzmaster tones in spades!
TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro Playing (Bridge Pickup JCM 800)
01:23 TL;DW (Too Long; Didn't Watch)
02:43 What is (and isn't) a Jazzmaster Pickup
03:48 What Do Jazzmaster Pickups Sound Like?
05:52 What Pickups is Fender Using on its Modern Squier, MIM, MIJ & USA Jazzmasters Then Instead?
08:35 Northern Pickups Early 60s Jazzmaster Set Specs
09:35 Bridge Pickup: Clean
10:29 Bridge Pickup: Pushed Clean
11:27 Bridge Pickup: Crunchy Plexi Overdrive
12:29 Bridge Pickup: JCM 800 High Gain
14:34 Middle Position: Clean
16:20 Middle Position: Crunchy Plexi Overdrive
17:44 Middle Position: JCM 800 High Gain
18:25 Neck Pickup: Clean
20:35 Neck Pickup: Crunchy Plexi Overdrive
22:10 Neck Pickup: JCM 800 High Gain
Check Out Northern Pickups Here: www.northernpickups.co.uk/
northernpickups...
/ northernpickups
JAZZMASTER PICKUP RESOURCES:
🔍Demystifying Jazzmaster Pickups
mmguitarbar.wordpress.com/201...
🔍V-Mod Pickups
mmguitarbar.wordpress.com/201...
🔍MIJ and Vintage Jazzmaster Pickups
offset.guitars/the-goodies/ja...
🔍Yosemite, V-Mod and Vintage Jazzmaster Pickups
www.offsetguitars.com/forums/...
🔍 Curtis Novak on the history and evolution of Jazzmaster Pickups
www.curtisnovak.com/shop/jm-h...
JAZZMASTER PICKUP DEMOS & COMPARISONS
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📺 Overdrive Squier Jazzmaster vs Fender PV65 vs P90: • Jazzmaster Pickups vs ...
📺 Distortion Squier Jazzmaster vs Fender PV65 vs P90: • Jazzmaster Pickups vs ...
📺 Fuzz Squier Jazzmaster vs Fender PV65 vs P90: • Jazzmaster Pickups vs ...
📺 Northern Pickups Modern Hot Jazzmaster Pickup Demo: • Northern Pickups Moder...
📺 Northern Pickups Early 60s Vintage Jazzmaster Bridge Pickup Demo: • Can Vintage Fender Jaz...
GEAR USED:
💀 Northern Pickups Early 60s Vintage Correct Jazzmaster Pickups
💀 Squier 40th Anniversary Classic Vibe Jazzmaster Gold Edition
💀 Bluguitar AMP1 Mercury
💀 TC Electronic Flashback 2
💀 BBE Sonic Stomp SS-92
💀 Marshall 4x12 Cab with Celestion G12M 25w Greenbacks, mic'ed with... through Two Notes Cab M+
💀 Behringer UMC204HD
💀 Ardour 6 on Linux AV
💀 Elixir Optiweb 10-52
💀 Everly Star Picks .73 - เพลง
For me, the sound of vintage Jazzmasters is the lead guitar on the Ventures' 1960 recording of Walk, Don't Run.
I really should listen to that album properly! I feel a little culturally disconnected from surf music living in the UK - the weather's too miserable here and we have very few beaches with surfable waves 😂 I should power through the disconnect because I'm sure it's great playing, compositions and guitar tone! I'll have to try it again and listen out particularly for the lead playing. Thanks! 🏄🏼♂️🎸
@@MarkB.Guitar if it is the album, then yes the whole of The Ventures debut is important listening to know the sounds of a very clean Jazzmaster.
Bob Bogle at the time was the lead guitarist. And used the Jazzmaster. Rhythm Guitarist Don Wilson used a strat.
Here in the Philippines The Ventures are huge!
@@bpabustan Oh wow, awesome. That's so cool! Clearly, I need to educate myself. Thank you! 😊
Yes!!!
10 years ago i bought a pair of NOS 62 fender jazzmaster PUPS never looked back, before was a similar kind of sound but with a blanquet over the speakers
Wow, that's amazing! What a cool opportunity. I bet they sound absolutely awesome!
it reminds me the sound of Incubus on their album "a crow left of a murder" and "light greanade", Einzinger used to play an awesome CS sherwood green Jazzmaster on a Marshall, amazing and unique tone.
Oh sweet, I'll have to check out those albums! I've never listened to Incubus very much actually. I often get an urge to listen to albums just for the guitar tone, so I imagine I'll enjoy them! Thanks!
@@MarkB.Guitar Anna Molly or Megalomaniac are good examples of a JM + Marshall. You've got the live at red rocks in 2004 too.
@@Jazzmaster11 I'm just listening to Megalomaniac now, great guitar tone and a really cool song! I would've been just a little bit young to appreciate it when it came out, being born in 1995. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@MarkB.Guitar you're welcome bro, it's a pleasure to look at your channel.
@@Jazzmaster11 Ah cheers mate, that's really kind! I really appreciate it 😊
Superb ! Many thanks 👍
Ah thanks so much mate! Glad you enjoyed it!
Super informative video and I really like your playing. Great video!
Hey Jack, thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it 😊
Glad to have discovered your channel. Also glad you mentioned the wide-range, I replaced my bridge pickup with Creamery Baby ´71 (wide range) and felt it has some Fender DNA, and from what you said somewhat more related to standard JM's too, in their spectrum.... But now want a second one with these traditional JM pickups and 1meg pots!
Awesome, cheers mate! Wide Range Humbuckers are great on Jazzmasters, they're kind of like a Jazzmaster pickup crossed with a PAF. There's definitely some crossover 😊 There's something really special about old school Jazzmaster pickups and wiring though - I hope you get to try it one day! 😉
I learned a lot from this video. Thanks for the detailed info on the different JM pickups in each guitar!
Thanks Richard! Glad you enjoyed it 😊
For me, switching pickups is more about output and attack than it is the core “sound” per se. Most modern factory stock pickups are higher output than I prefer, and they aren’t bright enough and have the attack I prefer. People saying to just use an eq pedal or whatever, that doesn’t address the attack and dynamics of pickups.
I absolutely agree! A pickup swap is about way more than EQ; Feel, dynamics, clarity, and attack all play a really big role 😊
I own a MIJ J Mascis Jazzmaster in Purple Sparkle. The MIJ pickups are snarly Strats pickups and were awful. I swapped them out for Curtis Novak JM-V in the neck and JM-Fat in the bridge. It took the guitar from bleh to amazing.
Those purple sparkle models are absolutely beautiful! 😍 I'd love to try some of Curtis' pickups but US made stuff gets quite pricey over here. That set sounds great in Puisheen's JM, I bet they sound awesome in yours too!
I did the same thing. I bought a J Mascis blonde Jazzmaster and replaced the stock pickups with Curtis Novak JM-V and JM Fat. It sounds fantastic now. Like something costing 10 times as much.
@@brianbeebe3957 Awesome! Novak's pickups are so cool and he has such interesting designs. Mojo Pickups in the UK have a similar kind of vibe of putting all different pickup designs in Jazzmaster covers 😊 I'd love to try the JM-FAT/JM-V set!
Thank you for the great video Mark! I have a set of the Mojotone '59 Clone Jazzmaster pickups installed in my Jazzmaster. What is your opinion on them compared to Fender vintage spec?
Thanks Jason! The 59 Clones look bang-on from the specs. Looks like they've got 3mm coils from the photos I can find, the DC resistance for bridge and neck are just right, Alnico 5 magnets - they should give you very authentic vintage Jazzmaster tone! 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar Thank you for your diligence and reply! ❤️🎸
@@jasongirard813 No worries! I hope you enjoy the pickups 😊
Hey dude great video! In your opinion in terms of sound, what is a readily available pickup that is closest to the sound of the old JM pickups? Thanks. Im also in the USA
Hey mate, thanks so much! You've got loads of good options is the US. Seymour Duncan SJM1s look like a decent mass-produced and reasonably priced option. You've got the SD Antiquities as well, which are likely a step up. In the UK, the mass proced SJM1s and the Antiquities are pretty similar in price but in the US there might be a bigger difference in price. Tone Hatch in Nebraska have a really cool selection of Jazzmaster pickups at very competitive prices! I'd personally recommend going down the small independent pickup maker route personally - you usually get a very high quality product that can be customised to your needs and cost the same or less than a mass produced pickup. Guitar gear is much cheaper in the US though so you should have a good amount of choice! 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar hey thanks for the response I appreciate it! Yeah I was planning on going independent since id rather support them I just dont know where to look but thanks for the advice and info! Ill look into 👍🤝
@@MCMSavedByGraceForever Ah nice one, yeah no probs! I'm not so familiar with US-based small pickup manufacturers but I thought Tone Hatch definitely looked worth checking out. I've heard good things about EP Customs too. Instagram is a good place to look for small pickup winders. Hope you find something that works really well for you - if you find something cool, let me know! 😊
In the US Adam at Tone Hatch has trad handwound sets for well under $100.
Try flatwound 12s with a wound G, (or at least pure nickel round cores.) Flats'll change everything and they last forever. Thomastik Infelds are coated, very slinky, dont know about others. They last for actual years.
I've been very intrigued to try flats... I play Elixirs normally, and they can last me 9 - 12 months of very sweaty playing before I start to have any issues with them. I don't bend too much, so don't think I'd have an issue with that. The bottom strings always look quite light? Do they light on the bottom compared to round wounds?
@@MarkB.Guitar No, their tension is much like round core strings: because they're wrapped with ribbon the cores are nearly as thick as the string gauge itself. D'Addario Chromes aren't terribly expensive. Thomastiks are spendy for several reasons but they do literally last forever.
@@oldasrocks9121 Sure, thanks the info! Maybe in the future I'll try some Thomastiks - longevity of tone and slinkiness are big selling points for me!
What do you think of the Tone Hatch pickups?
Tone Hatch look great! If I lived in the US I would've bought a set of pickups from them by now! It looks like they make very good quality pickups that are faithful to vintage designs at a very good price 😊
Is there corroborating evidence anywhere that the PV65s are not a traditional wide wind? I have never heard this before and it’d be kind of wild if true, as they are advertised and widely accepted as proper vintage spec.
At the very least I would think I’d have run into that note at some point on the offset guitars forum.
Hiya mate, at 07:55, I've got 2 photos of a PV65 bridge pickup which I took myself and took measurements from (I don't own the neck pickup, otherwise I would've included photos of both!)
You can see in the top picture of the PV65 there that the coil takes up maybe 2/3 of the width of the bobbin, rather than the traditional design of coil all the way to the edge of the bobbin like the pickups shown at 06:26 - 06:42 . If you compare the Fender Custom Shop 62 Pickup, the Vintage Jazzmaster pickup, the PV65, and the MIJ pickup, the PV65 look like it's in-between the Vintage/Custom Shop Jazzmaster pickup and the MIJ. The PV65 is also a bit taller than the vintage/custom shop pickups, too.
Some people have suggested that the PV65 is authentic to a CBS era Jazzmaster pickup but it's definitely not the same as the original thin, wide, Jazzmaster pickup design.
Hope that helps - let me know if you think I'm wrong!
THANKS for the great info........now I don't wonder why they changed them. They don't sound good.
You're welcome 😂
The vintera 60s pickups sound very close to traditional jm pickups to my ears
Awesome 😊 It's a shame Fender don't share any meaningful information about the pickups. I'll have to try one! The Vintera 60s is probably my favourite line Fender are putting out atm. If you ever have to go under the pickguard for any reason, you'll have to take a photo of the pickups 😉
@@MarkB.Guitar the DCRs/A5 on the Vintera pickups (as in the service manual) suggests they are MIM versions of the MIA Pure Vintage 65s.
@@vw9659 Ah cool, thanks so much for the info! Assuming they're in the 6.5k region then?
@@MarkB.Guitar the Vintera 60s DCR specification is 6.8k +/- 10% (6.1-7.5k). That's consistent with most of the mid-60s grey bobbin DCRs I've seen quoted on Reverb sales for example. I have not seen as many of the high 7k's that Novak asserts for that era, let alone 8k's.
Also, Fender's choice to wind the AV65s and Pure Vintage 65s to that DCR range would tend to suggest that's indeed the spec that they were wound to in the mid-60s. I haven't seen an original blueprint for any jazzmaster pickup, but that sort of detail is on vintage blueprints for other pickups like the WRHB.
So I don't really agree with the idea that Fender does not currently have a production model JM with "jazzmaster" pickups. That mid 60s DCR is on the American Vintage II, Vintera 60s, and until recently the American Original 60s.
Any vintage bobbin geometry variations are harder to nail down, as few people selling those pickups quote those measurements.
Thanks so much for the info@@vw9659 ! 😊
It's fair to say that I'm quoting specs for Late 50s - Early 60s pickups and I'm aware the DC resistance did drop in the Mid 60s.
The specs I've quoted come from a mix of sources including Novak, Mike Adams, Jason Lollar, Marc at Mojo Pickups, Ben Fletcher from Fletcher Pickups, and Jamie at The Creamery in the UK - most, if not all, of whom state their pickups are based on vintage models they have personal experience with.
They all seem to agree on a coil height of ⅛" / 3mm and DC resistance of 7.5k - 8k for neck and 8k - 8.5k for bridge. So I slightly misquoted them when I stated 8k - 9k. I've personally never had a vintage Jazzmaster pickup in front of me either, so I have to trust that they're reporting their findings accurately!
Looking at Novak's JM Historic 1965 - 1969 Grey Bobbin pickups, the coil is still ⅛" high and wound all the way to the edge of the bobbin, unlike the PV65 which is 3/16" and has a narrow coil, only slightly wider than a Strat pickup.
However, I know everything was made by hand and that there was a lot of variation in the parts Fender used in this period, so I'm aware it can be difficult to speak in absolutes rather than averages. Fender may have based the PV65s on a taller, narrower vintage set of pickups, but they would seem to be somewhat of an outlier...
But I know a lot of people really like the PV65s and I'm really happy for you if you're one of them 😊
💖⚘💖⚘💖⚘💖⚘💖⚘💖⚘
それはまったく素晴らしいです
どうもありがとう 😊
The average player couldn’t tell the difference in a blind test. The average audience listener can’t tell the difference & could care less. A good eq pedal can save the trouble of switching pickups & accomplish a ton of tone variations.
I appreciate your point of view and agree that an average audience member would be unlikely to be able tell the difference between a Jazzmaster that sounds like a Jazzmaster and a Jazzmaster that sounds like a Strat or P90 (my wife couldn't, for example). However, there are different reasons for changing pickups in a guitar and for me it's very rarely to do with the difference it'll make to someone else, rather than the difference it makes to me as the player chasing sound and looking for inspiration for writing music.
An EQ pedal can boost or cut frequencies but it can't change the attack, compression, dynamics, or nuances that a different pickup will have, and may not have the right fixed bands to truly match the frequencies a pickup puts out.
It'd be more trouble for me to have 7 different EQ pedals to improve the sound of the stock pickups in each of my guitars than to swap the pickups out! With a bit of practice soldering is very quick and simple 😊
Thanks for your contribution anyway, I know there's lots of people who agree with you more than me!
@MarkB.Guitar i agree with you. It's always the impact on playability, inspiration and joy to pick up the guitar. Not to impress anybody. Even wife - they are usually more worried about the stock growing than the sounds..
@@myyt4382 Haha, yeah that's exactly it! I'm obsessed with sound, it's all about the experience and the inspiration and the love of guitars and of tone. Plus I just want my guitars to sound how they "should" 😊
If you're gonna be that nitpicky about what they "should sound like" then you'd have to be using flatwound strings, surely?
I have been looking into trying flatwounds, but I'm one of those horrible sweaty monsters that can't play anything other than Elixirs (and I really have tried so many other strings!). I haven't tried flats, and I would like to, but they're just so expensive, especially here in the UK.
It's an interesting point that you've raised, but I'm not sure it's quite the same thing.
We all know what a Les Paul with PAFs or T-Tops sounds like (admittedly, not every LP player will want or like that sound, but it's the iconic sound of the instrument). The fact that LPs would have been originally used with flats or monel strings (because those were the popular strings of the day) doesn't change the fundamental design of the instrument.
However, if Gibson only offered modern production Les Pauls with Seymour Duncan Invaders (for example), or Strat pickups under humbucker covers, unless you were willing to pay custom shop prices for the original design, that would be quite a departure from the original design and sound of the guitar (regardless of the strings it was strung with), and people who love LPs would probably be upset or disgruntled.
It's not that I want to step in a time machine every time I pick up my guitar (although that would be cool 🌌), it's the deviation from the original design of the instrument and the fact the original design can only be found at custom shop prices - just the same as if Gibson only offered Les Pauls with super high output modern pickups or Strat pickups under vintage style covers.
If I really wanted to time machine tone, I'd also have to buy a vintage amp, and my wife would never agree to that! 😉
Hope that makes sense 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar you're making two points here
I'll address the second one first because it makes perfect sense and I quite understand where you're coming from now
The analogies you're using are much better than mine and I totally get where you're coming from… In fact it's even worse because your analogy is incomplete as, what would be more akin to the reality of the situation is if Gibson not only offered the Les Paul sound at custom shop prices but ALSO insisted that the cheaper offerings were no different when in fact they had strat pups under PAF covers!!
I apologise.
As for flatwounds, they work out cheaper because they last longer (even if you're sweaty!) Plus they're inherently darker sounding so maintain the low level of treble consistently unlike roundwounds also there is a chance (heresy heresy!) That if you use flats you might prefer the P90 under the JM cover concept?!
Because they last longer they work out pretty much the same or better price than buying round round strings all the time IMO (I live in the UK too)
@@BeesWaxMinder I'm glad my point made sense! I was trying to think of the best illustration to use and had come up with some bad ones before that 😂 Thanks for your input on it!
Hmm I am very tempted to try them, especially if they could challenge the longevity of Elixirs! Which flats do you use? And any advice on gauge compared with rounds? I normally play 10-52 on my Jazzmaster!
@@MarkB.Guitar theres LOTS but D'Addario's Chromes are always good
The FEEL is like going up 1&half gauges compared to roundwound IMO
Actually your claim that authentic JM pickups should be calibrated for their respective positions isn’t even remotely correct. The original JMs (+Strats and Jags) used identical units for all positions. Or sort of identical since there were tolerances.
I personally prefer calibrated sets BUT since you’re referring to what the intentions of the original JM designers were - it’s not “correct “.
Hey Harald, that's a fair enough comment. I probably overstated a couple of things in the video upon reflection. Calibrated certainly works better in my experience. I don't know when calibrated pickups became standard... The values I stated are in the video are generally what I've read but I know things could be pretty random in the 50s and 60s and I don't know when calibrated became standard 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar calibrated pickups never really became standard… it’s a quite recent invention.
And yes, you make some bold and IMHO questionable statements when claiming that most people haven’t experienced “real” jazzmaster pickups. That said I generally like your stuff.
@@haraldwestman6137 It certainly makes sense as an innovation; I'll have to look into it more and why people making reissue sets almost always have a higher dcr, sometimes significantly higher, for the bridge pickup.
Again, I would say that's another fair comment. At the time, I was very frustrated trying to find a set of aftermarket Jazzmaster pickups from UK/Europe (as USA made pickups are really expensive over here) that were wound with a wide, flat bobbin; I'd even got some that claimed to be vintage reissues that had very narrow bobbins, like an MIJ pickup; and I was frustrated about the pickups Fender was using in the Jazzmasters that were at a price point I could afford (i e., V Mod, Yosemite, etc).
I'd also read many articles/blog posts/forums that stated vintage Jazzmaster pickups fundamentally had a ⅛ inch bobbin wound right to the edge - and I took that as a very rigid framework.
After posting the video, I messaged Mike Adams about it, and he suggested I was being too narrow in my definition of a Jazzmaster pickup and that ⅛ inch coil height and being wound right to the edge of the bobbin. He said as long as the pickup is short, wide, and wound hot, that's enough in his opinion, and that pickups outside of the "quintessential spec" like the PV65s can still be meaningfully considered Jazzmaster pickups, even if they're not the type of that pickup he personally prefers. So I concede, I was wrong about the PV65s, and there may be previous pickups Fender used that I don't know about that weren't P90s or Strat style pickups, or humbuckers, too.
The other factor is that it's difficult trying to navigate making content that is both informative and educational on the one hand, but entices and encourages views and engagement on the other - whilst trying to be entertaining too! Bold claims or negative statements massively increase viewership, which makes it seem like making the video was more worthwhile, but I also don't want viewership to come at the cost of factuality and genuineness.
Thanks for your support and constructive criticism 😊 I'm still trying to find my way with this, and even the right format! It's all about learning and moving forwards better, so thanks!
@@MarkB.Guitar Actually the reason for aftermarket sets using pickups that are calibrated for their different positions is that it’s (admittedly subjectively) better than going the vintage correct route.
I think one thing to keep in mind is that they weren’t really obsessing over and optimizing parts, specs and details the way we do now back in the 50’s - 60’s. Of course they tried to make great guitars at Fender BUT production economics were very important too. So in terms of materials and components they didn’t really scour the earth to ensure everything was optimum but rather went for making a good product that could be sold at a profit. Leo Fender wasn’t a musician but rather a guy who was good at industrial design and production. But he was also good at taking in feedback from players and surrounding himself with takented designers.
@@haraldwestman6137 It's always fascinated me that the reason Leo went for a bolt on neck was so that when the frets wore out, or if some other damage occured, the whole neck could just be replaced - if I've understood correctly. A really great inventor and interesting man!
Why should guitarists, usually, of many years experience, be beholden to what a failed saxophonist thinks a jazzmaster "should" sound like?
I mean, he was wrong about it being a superior jazz instrument wasn't he!?
Leo's true genius was giving the public what they want at the price they can afford & a lot of the public like a choice of tones… Many of which aren't necessarily jazzmasterish
This was an interesting video and I've subscribed to you but I think it's misguided to care too much about what any particular guitar "should" sound like
IMHO YMMV
Hello mate, I appreciate your viewership and taking the time to share your opinion on this! Thanks for subscribing too 😊
I personally find the tone and response of Jazzmaster pickups very inspiring and enjoyable to play. I connect with the instrument so much more now than when it had any of the previous pickups in it and that's part of the reason I care - I want other people to realise how special and inspiring these pickups are and to give them a go 😊
Also I love the retro, space age, art deco, retro-futurism in the design of Fender's offset guitars - and with that love comes a sense of nostalgia as well, I guess. I love these guitars as pieces of art and relics from a certain time in history and popular culture.
And I guess, lastly, I care because the design is very unique and unlike any other pickup design, and that's interesting and has the potential for fairly original tones, as the design is largely neglected today.
Of course, you're right that Leo's vision for the guitar totally failed - but many guitars of the era failed initially and only grew in popularity later when they found the right market/niche, like the Les Paul, Flying V, Explorer, etc.
I think it's a shame that the public don't get a chance to try actual Jazzmaster pickups unless they're willing to pay for a custom shop guitar IMHO. It means that people who might love JM pickups but hate Strat pickups and P90s may never give Jazzmasters a chance.
I'm not saying every single Jazzmaster model must have Jazzmaster pickups in, but it would be nice if at least SOME did! 😊
Anyway, thank you for checking it out and sharing your thoughts on this. Hopefully see you in the next video 😊
@@MarkB.Guitar all good points and thank you for sharing
It's fair to say that if the 'true sound' of a jazzmaster was a humbucker you'd be telling everyone they should swap them out for flat wide pick ups with six little magnets and that being the case, there must be an alternate universe where the one jazzmaster aficionado is your counterpart 👍