ShortScale.org

Hi guys!

After lurking here for a week or two I finally decided to create an account. I'm Dan, and I've been on some other forums (UG, Jemsite, etc; RG_FANMAN was my username there), and I've been the owner of a CIJ Fender Jaguar '66 Reissue for nearly two months. It's my first short scale guitar, and I love it to death. Hopefully more short scales will follow.

However, I'm finding the stock pickups to be a little lackluster; the low end is muddy and undefined, and my high end completely lacks sustain. Right now my amp is a Mesa Boogie DC-5 head into a Marshall JCM 800 4x12, but if all goes well I'll have an Ampeg VT-22 combo at my disposal in a couple of weeks. I've also got a Big Muff that I like using in addition to a Boss DS-1, and I plan on getting a ProCo Rat if I come into possession of the aforementioned Ampeg. I play a lot of alternative rock and indie, and really want more definition from my Jaguar.

I'm really in love with the Jaguar tones in these youtube vids:




I've done a bit of research into it, and it seems a lot of people like Jason Lollar and Curtis Novak Jaguar pickups, and Seymour Duncans are also regarded well. However, I'm really green when it comes to pickup, so I don't know what's the best option for me. Can anyone help me decide on a set of Jaguar pickups that'll fit my needs? Price isn't too much of a concern since the Jaguar is my main guitar, but I really don't want to spend over 300 bucks on pickups.

Thanks for reading!
- Dan

good first post! got any pics?
i put the sd jag-3 pup in the bridge of my jap jag, i guess its ok. its not what i thought it was going to be at all, i thought it would be a bit more ballsy but its not.
its still better than the og bridge pup.
i actually kinda like the neck pup on the jap jag, i think it works nicely, and the rythm section really gets it middy and warm sounding to me.

The only picture i have of it is on my family's PC, so since I'm at college right now I don't have access to it.

Actually, the two options I was looking at were a matching set of Seymour Duncan SJAG1 or a set of Novak JAG-V pickups. There's a 10 dollar disparity between the two, so I was wondering which sounded better?

If you are using a RAT, Big Muff and DS-1 you could stick anything in there really, i doubt you will notice

Only jesting Dan. It seems you like high gain situations so i'd promote Duncan QP's. They handle gain well, they are low noise and they keep the Jaguars tonal character intact. I get the impression Lollar are for the purists, maybe players seeking that old surfy vibe. Novaks seem a variation on this and Duncan have the 'Antiquities'.
For the record- I have the original pups in my 64 Jag and they are good, but very mellow (aged magnets). Unless you plan to play on clean settings a lot in my opinion you would be wasting your money on vintage spec.

Fran wrote:If you are using a RAT, Big Muff and DS-1 you could stick anything in there really, i doubt you will notice

Only jesting Dan. It seems you like high gain situations so i'd promote Duncan QP's. They handle gain well, they are low noise and they keep the Jaguars tonal character intact. I get the impression Lollar are for the purists, maybe players seeking that old surfy vibe. Novaks seem a variation on this and Duncan have the 'Antiquities'.
For the record- I have the original pups in my 64 Jag and they are good, but very mellow (aged magnets). Unless you plan to play on clean settings a lot in my opinion you would be wasting your money on vintage spec.

I honestly don't use that much gain. I know my rig kinda gives a different impression, but honest, I don't use that much gain!

My main dirty tone is somewhere between Radiohead, Circa Survive, Blur, At the Drive-In and Queens of the Stone Age; big and meaty, but with lots of dynamics and touch sensitivity available to me. I also use cleans quite a lot, and half dirty tones (which is where my DS-1 comes in surprisingly).

Space_Expert wrote:

Fran wrote:If you are using a RAT, Big Muff and DS-1 you could stick anything in there really, i doubt you will notice

Only jesting Dan. It seems you like high gain situations so i'd promote Duncan QP's. They handle gain well, they are low noise and they keep the Jaguars tonal character intact. I get the impression Lollar are for the purists, maybe players seeking that old surfy vibe. Novaks seem a variation on this and Duncan have the 'Antiquities'.
For the record- I have the original pups in my 64 Jag and they are good, but very mellow (aged magnets). Unless you plan to play on clean settings a lot in my opinion you would be wasting your money on vintage spec.

I honestly don't use that much gain. I know my rig kinda gives a different impression, but honest, I don't use that much gain!

My main dirty tone is somewhere between Radiohead, Circa Survive, Blur, At the Drive-In and Queens of the Stone Age; big and meaty, but with lots of dynamics and touch sensitivity available to me. I also use cleans quite a lot, and half dirty tones (which is where my DS-1 comes in surprisingly).

You may like the Antiquities then, the aged magnets give a mellow clean sound as oppose to the brittle spikey CIJ pups. But be aware, your guitar wont sound instantly Vintage, the wood and neck are nor aged. A lot of people fall into this trap which is why i think all these 'scatterwound 300 year old magnet pickups' are more suited as vintage replacements. In fact, i have no doubt that is the intention of these companies that build them.

Trust me... the Quarter Pounder for Jaguar is a good economical choice. But feel free to experiment, thats what we have all done, its costly but fun

Fran wrote:Trust me... the Quarter Pounder for Jaguar is a good economical choice. But feel free to experiment, thats what we have all done, its costly but fun

I'd second that recommendation.

Space_Expert wrote:... and my high end completely lacks sustain.

Not to rain on your parade, but Jags don't "do" sustain. The strings are attached to a hinged, moving plate, and they pass over a bridge which touches the body only at two tiny pivot points and is completely loose otherwise. Guitars which have a lot of sustain do so by having a set neck, bridge screwed tight into the body and a stop tailpiece, also screwed tight into the body.
If you want sustain you should probably go for a hard-tail guitar - enjoy the Jag for its own unique sound. I have a Jag and a Tele, both set up well, made of similar woods, - the Tele rings out loud acoustically, the Jag is muted and flat. But they are both great.

MatthewK wrote:

Space_Expert wrote:... and my high end completely lacks sustain.

Not to rain on your parade, but Jags don't "do" sustain. The strings are attached to a hinged, moving plate, and they pass over a bridge which touches the body only at two tiny pivot points and is completely loose otherwise. Guitars which have a lot of sustain do so by having a set neck, bridge screwed tight into the body and a stop tailpiece, also screwed tight into the body.
If you want sustain you should probably go for a hard-tail guitar - enjoy the Jag for its own unique sound. I have a Jag and a Tele, both set up well, made of similar woods, - the Tele rings out loud acoustically, the Jag is muted and flat. But they are both great.

True, that is one of the unique things about the jag. In the two videos I posted, those Jaguars have more sustain and the sam overall sound that I was going for, so they were the comparison I was drawing when I said my Jaguar lacked sustain.

Thanks for the input guys. I've still got awhile until I have enough time off to go home and replace the pickups, but I'll probably give the SJAG1s or Novaks a go. Thanks again, and I hope to see you guys around the forum!

The Tele has a longer scale, which I reckon has more to do with the sustain than the bridge construction. Jazzmasters don't lack sustain and they have the same term/bridge set up.

HI! I am an AMPEG VT-22 owner and AVRI 62 Jaguar owner! I love the stock pickups and wouldn't change them. Sounds very similar to the first youtube video posted in your post.

Let me know if you're looking for extra vt-22 parts, As I've just overhauled mine wiht new tubes and sich. I have an extra knob if you're missing one.

Sweet dude, thanks! My local craigslist has a VT-22 combo pop up every week or two, so I'm trying to trade a Mesa 2x12 I don't use for it. Definitely looking forward to owning an Ampeg.

Aren't the pickups in the AVRI issue Jaguars different than the CIJ/MIJ reissue Jaguars though?

Space_Expert wrote:
Aren't the pickups in the AVRI issue Jaguars different than the CIJ/MIJ reissue Jaguars though?

Oh, hell yes. They sound like jaguar pickups, as opposed to the japanese "pain coils"

aen wrote:

Space_Expert wrote:
Aren't the pickups in the AVRI issue Jaguars different than the CIJ/MIJ reissue Jaguars though?

Oh, hell yes. They sound like jaguar pickups, as opposed to the japanese "pain coils"

Is it possible to buy the AVRI pickups, or would the SDs or Novaks get the same general sound?

aen wrote: They sound like jaguar pickups, as opposed to the japanese "pain coils"

Nice one ... ! Although I kept my MIJ neck pickup, it sounds good to me. Swapped the bridge for an AVRI and the headaches went away.

Space_Expert wrote:Is it possible to buy the AVRI pickups, or would the SDs or Novaks get the same general sound?

The SD and Novak "standard" or "vintage" are made to the same spec as the AVRI. AVRIs are all over eBay and you can get them as Fender parts from places like Angela. Make sure you get a neck and a bridge - they are opposite wound to each other, so you get a vintage-correct hum cancel when both are switched on. By a fluke I got my AVRI bridge for $5, it was an eBay auction nobody bid on for some reason.

MatthewK wrote:

Space_Expert wrote:Is it possible to buy the AVRI pickups, or would the SDs or Novaks get the same general sound?

The SD and Novak "standard" or "vintage" are made to the same spec as the AVRI. AVRIs are all over eBay and you can get them as Fender parts from places like Angela. Make sure you get a neck and a bridge - they are opposite wound to each other, so you get a vintage-correct hum cancel when both are switched on. By a fluke I got my AVRI bridge for $5, it was an eBay auction nobody bid on for some reason.

+1

MatthewK wrote:

Space_Expert wrote:Is it possible to buy the AVRI pickups, or would the SDs or Novaks get the same general sound?

The SD and Novak "standard" or "vintage" are made to the same spec as the AVRI. AVRIs are all over eBay and you can get them as Fender parts from places like Angela. Make sure you get a neck and a bridge - they are opposite wound to each other, so you get a vintage-correct hum cancel when both are switched on. By a fluke I got my AVRI bridge for $5, it was an eBay auction nobody bid on for some reason.

so it's not really worth the money to spend on "boutique" pickups? AVRI ones are the same as novak and lollars?