I need a SERIOUS Jazz Pickup!

[Chaz]

Hi, I'm new here so bare with me; this is my first post (hence the strawweight classification!). Anyway, I'm a jazz guitarist myself; I mostly play straight-ahead jazz and solo jazz guitar (jazz chord progressions with voice leading). I'm also a proud owner of an Ibanez 2355m (Gibson ES-175 copy/Lawsuit model in natural wood finish) circa 1977. I love the guitar but I'm looking to replace the pickups, primarily the neck pickup since it's the only one I use (tone control turned all the way down of course) and I play with flatwound strings; all to achieve a warmer, more mellow tone. The guitar currently has the stock Ibanez Super 70 pickups which are ok but I feel that they lack clarity and separation on the low end.  I was thinking of the Stormy Monday but to be honest, I have never heard a Bare Knuckle pickup in an archtop guitar. I could use some advice from someone that actually plays jazz and knows what I'm looking for.

Bare Knuckle Jazz Pickup Name Recommendation:
 
To stick with tradition and give a hip and catchy name, I believe the best name for a jazz pickup would be "Round Midnight". I always loved the Miles Davis version of this song but Theloneous Monk...need I say more.

[Fourth Feline]

Mississippi Queens.

Warmer, fatter and more articulate on  the bass strings than the Stormy Mondays ( the 'usual' choice ) . 

More so ( on all counts ) than the Alnico II or Alnico IV Stormy Mondays, which are very clean sounding, but play with less warmth and authority than the M.Q. in a Jazz guitar. The  powerful and yet balanced nature of the M.Q. sounds better than Stormys or Mules at lower volumes too. If playing solo, comping,  or playing in an intimate setting - they dominate the amp and stay tight without losing warmth. with the pickups on my 335 copy set about 1/16" from the strings ( 1.6mm ) give or take half a turn or so of the pickup screws, I would even say they sound slightly compressed, which keeps it all tight whilst remaining sweet.

See also the other thread currently running on a suitable 'Jazz' pickup, where Jonathan from 'Feline Guitars' also comments on the use of M.Qs for such purposes.   :)

[WezV]

ask Tim for a manhattan.. its not a pickup listed on the website but is perfect for jazz.  it even has its own cover design as well which you can see here

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1732.0

here is the other recent jazz pickup thread:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13826.0

Lots of recommendations for the MQ but that maybe because not many people have tried a manhattan... i have one and love it.

personally i would go with the best of both worlds with an MQ bridge and Manhattan neck so that you have the MQ ready if you do want a bit more bite

[lulusg]

I would really like to hear, and read more about the Manhattan!!

[ericsabbath]

why so serious?
a stormy monday will surely put a smile on that face! :lol: