Should I changed From SD Jazz Neck to 59?

mixohoytian

Member
I have a Mojave Peacemaker and I use a SD 59 in the bridge.

I have a Jazz in the neck and something doesn't seem right, or maybe it's just too different in tone from the 59 bridge.

For a screaming organic rock tone, should I just stick with a 59 in the neck?

Any opinions?
 
I prefer the Jazz and Pearly Gates neck to the 59 neck as they are both a bit more articulate, but I like all three...no bad choice. I don't think that you'll notice a huge difference beyond a slightly rounder but less dynamic sound...and that's really splitting hairs.
 
personally, I would take a 59 in the neck over the jazz 100/100 times!! it sounds and feels better to me. for rock tones from the neck, I personally would think the 59 is better. that was my go to neck pick up for many years. recently when I got a suhr, it came with the ssh+ and the ssv neck. to me, it is like the 59, but even a little better, a bit more articulate, fretboard feel is great, tone is amazing, and is great for hi gain playing and then peeling the volume back. it cleans up superbly. the SD 59 is similar. so yeah, I would definitely use a 59 over a jazz for your amp and application. I think there is a pretty big difference in feel and touch sensitivity between the 59 and jazz. The 59 beats the jazz in those areas. Those Mojave's sound great. I saw one at a Marin County guitar show in around 06 I think. I played and heard the peacemaker, the scorpion ,and I was very impressed, even though they were very, very loud.
 
If you like a boomy/muddy pickup in the neck, go with the '59...at least in a Les Paul. Of course this is just my opinion.
 
fuzzyguitars":1qf4s4wi said:
i prefer a neck 59 over the jazz.

its got more bounce when playing with high gain

sweeps sound awesome.

It depends, the guitar makes a difference too.
My ESP has a '59 in the neck and it's nice, but the Jazz in the Schecter C1 neck is sweeter, tighter, and clearer and works awesome with light gain and high gain.
The C1 is a neck through and the ESP is set. Both have mahogany bodies and maple tops w/rosewood fret boards.
JB in both for bridge and in the C1 the JB sounds better, again tighter and clearer.
Point is the guitar makes a difference too.
For me it's not a definitive this one is better than the other, unless you try them in the same guitar and then of course you'll know.

OP, get one and try it, it's the only real way to know, considering we all have our own opinions. :)
 
esizer":lc5jerke said:
If you like a boomy/muddy pickup in the neck, go with the '59...at least in a Les Paul. Of course this is just my opinion.

That's kinda what I get in the ESP Eclipse, which is an ESP LP.
I can still make it work though by rolling back the tone control about half way.
Sounds better when I do that, clean or gained.
 
esizer":3931mmqo said:
If you like a boomy/muddy pickup in the neck, go with the '59...at least in a Les Paul. Of course this is just my opinion.
That is not my experience with a 59 in the neck. It is what a Jazz in the neck sounds like to me. The guitars I've had with 59's are always a little jangly and clear.
 
Never understood the point of the Jazz. It always seemed non-descript to me. Blah. I love 59s in the neck though. A little louder with a distinct tone - kinda chimey.
 
I agree with the others, I started with the jazz in the neck but have moved to the 59 now. Sounds great clean in lp style guitars.
 
Like C1-ocaster said, it'll depend on the guitar and your tuning as well (standard E?). To contrast with what others have said, I have the Jazz neck in 2 alder, floating trem, super Strats (25.5" scale) and I think it sounds great on the clean channel (split coil and series) and is sparkly without being too mid-heavy on the lead channel of my Rhodes. The Jazz sounds well balanced on my neck-through Horizon-III but thinner on my bolt-on Ibanez, and that's just because of the way the two guitars naturally sound.

The Jazz neck might be too clean if you want a grittier sound. I almost think you'd want something with the same EQ but with more output or with slightly more upper mids. It might help to know what guitar you're talking about.
 
All, thanks for all the feedback.

I have an ibanez bolt on, mahogany with maple top super strat.

I used to have JB in the bridge and that sounded great with the Jazz for heavier music (using Mesa gear).

Since getting the Mojave, however, I went with a 59 in the bridge to get a more organic vintage sound.

I recorded with the Jazz neck a while back and it sounded fine in the context of a mix, but when playing live, it somehow feels miss matched with the 59.

My theory is that maybe the 59 neck will be more like what I already dig in the bridge....hence more matched, but may have less character than the Jazz.
 
I like the 59 in neck position better than the Jazz, at least in the guitars I've compared them in. Lots of guits come with a Jazz neck as stock pup, but to me the 59 is more natural and just feels better to play. The Jazz sort of puts out an overly round and dull voicing to my ears.
 
Chris O":1tfp8i8q said:
Never understood the point of the Jazz. It always seemed non-descript to me. Blah. I love 59s in the neck though. A little louder with a distinct tone - kinda chimey.

The Jazz is clearer with more linear frequency response. I can see how that may seem blah or non descript
Depends on what you wanna play with it.
The 59 in the ESP isn't bad, but it ain't great either, it does get muddy with moderate high gain in that guitar.

I usually use the neck pup for cleaner tones are for lighter gained bluesy tones.
In my ESP the 59 doesn't like higher gain, that's when it gets "muddy".

I'm thinking of trying a different magnet in the 59, like an Alnico II like in the Pearly Gates pup.
Should clear it up a bit.
 
bulletproof_funk":3mon39k3 said:
Like C1-ocaster said, it'll depend on the guitar and your tuning as well (standard E?). To contrast with what others have said, I have the Jazz neck in 2 alder, floating trem, super Strats (25.5" scale) and I think it sounds great on the clean channel (split coil and series) and is sparkly without being too mid-heavy on the lead channel of my Rhodes. The Jazz sounds well balanced on my neck-through Horizon-III but thinner on my bolt-on Ibanez, and that's just because of the way the two guitars naturally sound.

The Jazz neck might be too clean if you want a grittier sound. I almost think you'd want something with the same EQ but with more output or with slightly more upper mids. It might help to know what guitar you're talking about.

Yes, the Jazz is in the C1 classic, which is also a neck-through and 25.5 scale, and it sounds great in that guitar.

The Jazz is a 4 conductor and can be split, I think the 59 is a single conductor, less versatile wiring options with the 59.
 
I prefer a '59 neck pickup over a Jazz.
I am not a fan of a '59 in the bridge. The scooped mids just don't do it for me.
 
+1 on the 59' in one of mine I use a JB in both positions and that works well too. It's a subtle effect...
 
The Jazz is designed to stay clear and articulate under heavy gain. With a more vintage flavored amp, it may seem a little bright, thin, or just blah, depending on the guitar.
Seems like for you're current needs, the 59 would be a much better choice.
Also, I believe there is a 4 conductor 59 available as well as the single conductor version.
 
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