Basswood? (JP6 Question)

[Jack5150]

Hi there,

I'm just about to receive shipment of my 2011 Music Man JP6 with roasted maple neck and ebony fingerboard.
It's essentially a BFR with the original basswood body. Gorgeous instrument.
I'm typically not a fan of basswood, but love the sound of these guitars. Ernie Ball must use top quality woods.
Anyhow, what pick-ups would you guys recommend to replace the stock Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo?

[James C]

I really like AlNiCo nailbombs in basswood (have them in an RG7321) but whether they are for you depends on what tones you are after

[shred-o-holic]

I had MM's in the JP6 I owned. Ultimately I traded it away. It sounded good/not great with the Miracle Man set.......very balanced........not overally exciting though......if I could have done a do over I think I would have went with something more aggressive for that particular guitar. To me the basswood JP6's always were a little weak on the tonal side of things. At least stock they are.......

[fltlll]

Hi there,

I'm just about to receive shipment of my 2011 Music Man JP6 with roasted maple neck and ebony fingerboard.
It's essentially a BFR with the original basswood body. Gorgeous instrument.
I'm typically not a fan of basswood, but love the sound of these guitars. Ernie Ball must use top quality woods.
Anyhow, what pick-ups would you guys recommend to replace the stock Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo?

Maybe you should give those pickups a shot. I have stock '03 JPM and I just kept those pickups in there; the guitar sounds intense as-is! I know they come with his "signature" set of pickups now, but they can't be half-bad to warrant an instant swap...

[Philly Q]

Maybe you should give those pickups a shot. I have stock '03 JPM and I just kept those pickups in there; the guitar sounds intense as-is! I know they come with his "signature" set of pickups now, but they can't be half-bad to warrant an instant swap...

I agree with this.  It seems to me it's best to live with a guitar a while to see what you like/don't like about the sound, rather than deciding in advance on a pickup change.

I had an EB/MM Axis Sport with the stock EVH/Axis DiMarzio pickups (just after he defected to Peavey).  I wouldn't have chosen those pickups if you'd shown me the specs - apparently the bridge model was similar to a Tone Zone, a pickup I hate - but they actually sounded great in that guitar.

Anyway, here's another thread on the Crunch Lab/Liquifire question:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26151.0

[Jack5150]

Ok, so I received the guitar yesterday.
Plays beautifully, tone is amazing... cuts through, nice and chunky.
One problem though, it seems as if they don't have enough gain/power while playing legato runs and tapping.
This could be due to the fact that the pickups are direct mount into the body, so they're pretty far from the strings.
Any suggestions?
I'll give it another week of playing before I decided to switch them out for some BKP.

[Bird]

I had a JP6 in Red Pearl burst with the older pickups, before they switched to the current cruch/liquid combo. I found the same thing. The guitar is phenomenal but the pickups were lacking ooomph,  great sound, but I found them a bit on the weak side as well.  I don't like the idea of spending all that big money on a guitar then ripping out the pickups, may as well get parts from Warmoth or something if that's the case.

That said though Tim recommended Nailbombs and I think I'd go that route. Sadly I sold my JP because we moved halfway across the country. But I've got my eye on the JPX next ;)

[Jack5150]

I'll have to try those out. So people seem to recommend nailbombs?
I'd like to retain the punchy razor tight sound, and chord definition when playing with plenty of gain.
It just annoyed me that such a beautiful guitar has such a flaw...
I was playing the solo in Gary Moore's "Walking By Myself", and the hammer ons were almost inaudible.
At first I thought it was my playing or amp, but as soon as I plugged my bolt-on jackson in I could hear them.

[Bird]

That irked me as well. I'd play the Yamaha SG with VH2s and it was night and day. I think it has to do with the pickups being farther from the strings because they're mounted to the body. It's not like the brand of pickups they're using are awful or anything. It's the only explanation that makes sense to me.

[Jack5150]

Could springs be placed under the screws to bring them closer to the strings?
Also, would the BKP have sufficient power to make legato and tapping come to life ? Even when direct mounted?
...And one more question, which BKP (other than Nailbombs) would be a good sonic match?
Roasted maple neck, Ebony Fingerboard, Basswood body.

[Cammi]

Don't forget the Cold Sweat in the neck to accompany the Nailbomb :)

[Shotgun]

I would go to Cold Sweat set.