Pickups for a JP6?

[RobZero]

hi there, i'm thinking about changing the pickups in my musicman jp6...definitely a great instrument, well built and with outstanding playability, but i don't like the pickups in it, they make the guitar sound good, but sterile, lifeless.
Now i'ts got D-sonic in the bridge and the petrucci custom in the neck.
For the bridge i kinda like the d-sonic for its crunchiness and tightness, but it's fairly thin, especially for lead lines.
The neck pickup sounds awful to my ears, it's thin and totally lacks that tubular, warm vocal quality i search in a neck pickup...
i want a set that can give me a bigger and lively sound, with nice versatility...good split tone is a plus, cause the middle position is the inner coils only (altough i'm curious to hear the outside coils sound)!

[darkbluemurder]

For a fat sound I recommend the Holydiver bridge and the Cold Sweat neck. I use this combination in my PRS Custom with the original rotary switch. They split well, too.

The inside coils on will give you a strat-like sound whereas the outside coils on will give you a sound more like both pickups together on a Telecaster. Both are valid tones but only one can be accessed by using the JP style switch elements. If you want to access both of these tones you will need to replace your pots with push-pull pots. One push-pull will split the pickups, the other one will assign the in-between connection (green and white together with the BKPs) between ground and hot, thereby changing the active coil(s).

Another option would be to replace the 4P3T toggle switch with a PRS-style rotary but this is not as easy to use IMHO. The virtue of the JP switching to me is that you can quickly change from a light sound with both single coils simultaneously to a flat out bark from the bridge pickup. That to me is worth more than having a whole array of different sounds but YMMV.

Cheers Stephan

[Alex]

I completely agree on the Holy Diver for the bridge!

[Telerocker]

The HD/CS is a great combo for this guitar.

[RobZero]

For a fat sound I recommend the Holydiver bridge and the Cold Sweat neck. I use this combination in my PRS Custom with the original rotary switch. They split well, too.

The inside coils on will give you a strat-like sound whereas the outside coils on will give you a sound more like both pickups together on a Telecaster. Both are valid tones but only one can be accessed by using the JP style switch elements. If you want to access both of these tones you will need to replace your pots with push-pull pots. One push-pull will split the pickups, the other one will assign the in-between connection (green and white together with the BKPs) between ground and hot, thereby changing the active coil(s).

Another option would be to replace the 4P3T toggle switch with a PRS-style rotary but this is not as easy to use IMHO. The virtue of the JP switching to me is that you can quickly change from a light sound with both single coils simultaneously to a flat out bark from the bridge pickup. That to me is worth more than having a whole array of different sounds but YMMV.

Cheers Stephan

thanks for the advice,if the outside coils sound is more tele-like, i'll definitely go for that, i really love tele's in-between sound! I know i can have only one split sound, since the inside coils mode is thin for my tastes i'll change that to the outside coils!
it's exactly as you say, the split in the middle position is sooo useful and quick, you can go from a powerful humbucker sound to a brighter single with just a flip of a switch, instead of having to do two movements (changing position and then the push pull to split)...

i was already thinking about the cold sweat for the neck, i really liked the overdriven clips i heard, but what about clean sounds?

about the holy diver, i read it's based on the jb, unfortunately it's a pickup i had 2 times and i always changed it. Good sound but it's not my own...
i aim for a balanced tone with decent tightness and smooth highs, big and fluid single notes, i don't care for cleans, i never use the bridge pickup for that anyway, i just want something that is versatile enough to go from classic rock crunch to high gain.
I'm waiting to install my new c-bomb on my 7 string, let's see if i like that  :P

also, will covers fit in the guitar? i really like the look, but i don't want to do an irreversible mod to such a expensive guitar...

[nytkrow]

 

For a fat sound I recommend the Holydiver bridge and the Cold Sweat neck. I use this combination in my PRS Custom with the original rotary switch. They split well, too.

The inside coils on will give you a strat-like sound whereas the outside coils on will give you a sound more like both pickups together on a Telecaster. Both are valid tones but only one can be accessed by using the JP style switch elements. If you want to access both of these tones you will need to replace your pots with push-pull pots. One push-pull will split the pickups, the other one will assign the in-between connection (green and white together with the BKPs) between ground and hot, thereby changing the active coil(s).

Another option would be to replace the 4P3T toggle switch with a PRS-style rotary but this is not as easy to use IMHO. The virtue of the JP switching to me is that you can quickly change from a light sound with both single coils simultaneously to a flat out bark from the bridge pickup. That to me is worth more than having a whole array of different sounds but YMMV.

Cheers Stephan

Can anyone explain what kind of sound i can have from a bridge HD and neck CS on ibanez rg 7321 basswood guitar? there is a split option too.
which pair suits the best for basswood 7 string for exactly same kind of sound mentioned above?

[JamesHealey]

I asked Tim this question years ago when i had a Jp with the old Steve special air Norton combo
He suggested a miracle man and cold sweat.

I think this is a good choice!
I personally  prefer the miracle man neck.