Noiseless Jazzmaster Pickups / Alternative

[dodelson]

I'm agonizing over whether to get Jazzmaster or a Tele to replace my Strat, and the deciding factor between the two may be that I can't find any noiseless Jazzmaster pickups on the market. Are there noiseless JM pickups that I'm missing? Otherwise, is it possible to get P-90's to put in the Jazzmaster? What modifications, etc. would I have to do?

Thanks guys.

 

[Lolaviola]

No self-respecting Jazzmaster player is going to bother with that noiseless stuff. Why put up with all that 50's technology and kill it by ripping out the pickups?
If you play that loud, the thing to do is humbuckers as J. Mascis and Kurt Cobain done.

 

[Addicted toEF86]

Curtis Novak for JM pickups. Makes P-90s and humbuckers for JMs.

 

[Pale Rider]

I second Curtis Novak-
i have one humbucker and one PAF and they make such a great difference

 

[ROKY]

I have teles and strats so I when I bought my JM I really thought it
made more sense[for me] to stick with the recipe... JM spec'd pups, not
P-90s or PAFs.

Do you buy a Jazzmaster for it's singular tone(s) or for the [email protected]@k ???


Jason Lollar and Curtis Novak both make very nice-sounding JM pups
wound the way they use to wind them over in Fullerton

 

[starfish]

A Jazzmaster is noiseless and humbucking in the middle toggle position, i.e. both pickups on. The pickups were (are?) wired reverse polarity from each other, so when both are on they are noise canceling. I also prefer the tone of this position. So do many famous JM players, like Robert Smith, Adam Franklin, Kevin Shields, etc. ad naseum.

However, I never really find the noise of the other pickup positions to be too much of an issue. It's basically the same as any other single coil. Turn your body slightly and the noise goes down with your orientation to the earth's magnetic field. :AOK

 

[drolling]

A Jazzmaster is noiseless and humbucking in the middle toggle position, i.e. both pickups on. The pickups were (are?) wired reverse polarity from each other, so when both are on they are noise canceling. I also prefer the tone of this position. So do many famous JM players

and not so famous guys like me! Playing a JM's such a singular experience, I can't bring myself to mod anything on it - even the bridge.

Upgrades are OK, tho' - and as mine's a 90's MIJ, the p-ups really needed replacing (they're little 'strat-style' single coils hiding under those big plastic covers). At the time, the AV wasn't out yet, so Fender was not offering replacement p-ups. They're pretty good, IMO, and really cheap, too. Mine's loaded w/SeymourDuncans; a "hot" in the bridge & a "vintage" in the neck ~ as per the *experts* @ the surf guitar forum

 

[dodelson]

Thanks for all the input! Just to let you know, I went with a Novak P-90 in the bridge and a Novak Vintage Jazzmaster pickup in the neck.

Turn your body slightly and the noise goes down with your orientation to the earth's magnetic field.

That's good to hear, because that's exactly what I did with my Strat. I was just worried the JM pickups would be noisier.

Do you buy a Jazzmaster for it's singular tone(s) or for the [email protected]@k ???

Definitely the tone, although mine looks great... the reason I ordered a P-90 in the bridge position is that they're supposed to sound a lot like a JM pickup but with slightly mellower highs. I'm not into the whole surf thing so I don't need that vintage bright tone. P-90's supposedly work great for more modern indie rock rhythm playing, as well as fuzzed-out leads, which is exactly what I look for in a bridge pickup. To each his own, I guess.

 

[duende]

Modding a jazzmaster and throwing P-90's into it??? I thought that's what you buy a Tele for!

 

[starfish]

Thanks for all the input! Just to let you know, I went with a Novak P-90 in the bridge and a Novak Vintage Jazzmaster pickup in the neck.

You probably can't do the hum canceling middle position. The pickups must be reverse wound, one from the other to achieve this. Since both pickups are Novak, maybe you can find out if you can get one of the two custom wound reverse polarity?