Pickups needed for MJT Jag

[Elessar [Sly]]

So I've had a custom MJT Jaguar made and I want to put humbuckers in it. The body is Ash (which is quite bright?). I want to have a decent clean sound, but I also want it to handle fuzz and hi gain. Can you help?

See pic below (It will have a white pick guard and chrome hardware).

[Kiichi]

YouŽll need to tell us more about what you need mate. Decent clean and being able to handle hi gain and fuzz still kinda describes most of BKPs.

What styles do you play?
What kind of qualities are you looking for in your tone?
What amp are you using?
etc...

[Elessar [Sly]]

I use a Laney IRT60H which has a really nice clean channel, and cool dirt. I now need it for the band rather than what I normally play, so that'd be a smaller range of styles: Punk, rock, pop, experimental, heavy rock/metal.

I need pups that compliment the ash body.

[Telerocker]

That's still quite a range, but I would look at something like the (midrangy) Abraxas, which has decent cleans and still enough PAF-pedigree, but has enough oomph to do heavier styles too. This one should work good in ash, since is has a chimey, but round topend and quite some mids.

[Elessar [Sly]]

Yeah it will have to be mid-rangy. Well it doesn't have to be calibrated. I have a SD '59 in my SG and I like that sound for the neck. So something that is along those lines for cleans (warm and middy for ash I guess though). For the bridge something that can handle dirt and is punchy (although being ash it'll probably be punchy anyway right?).

[Telerocker]

I have an ash and a swampash strat. Both are punchy, the swampash a bit more, perhaps due to the bigger neck and ebony board. But both are also quite full and balanced, not thin and only trebly at all. I have a VHII in the ash Fender and a Crawler in my MXG Custom strat ('handmade' by Patrick Eggle). The VHII works too, is balanced with good mids, enough bass and some good, but not razorblade, treble. Quite dry and punchy, open and litte compression. The Crawler is beefy and big, with a round, but not dull topend. There is enough treble in an (swamp)ash strat. This pickups really growls when pushed. Splits very well too. The Abraxas is close to the Crawler, just less mids and a bit more chime in the upperregister. I have Mules too and the Abraxas sits between Mules and the Crawler.

[Mr. Air]

I would say abraxas or black dog. Both have some muscle and are not too bright for your needs.

[Elessar [Sly]]

Okay so at the moment the contenders are VHII, Crawler, and the Abraxas.

It is difficult to choose without being able to find clips of any of them that do sounds I want to hear. The Jag will be coil tapped and I want a punchy bridge pup that works great with fuzz and high gain, and a tad of overdrive/grit. And I want the bridge to be able to get relatively articulate cleans that will sound great with chorus and that can also handle dirt.

[Telerocker]

I can't comment on the VHII split in the bridge, cause mine has a autocoil on fourth position and blends then with the Mother's Milk in the middle.
I can testify that the splitted Crawler sounds like a beefy strat pickup with all the jangle you need. I guess the Holy Diver will do that too, but that one sounds more modern and less PAF-ish then the Abraxas and Crawler.

[Elessar [Sly]]

The guitar is almost with me... hopefully I can pick it up today. So I need to make a decision.

Thoughts on VH2 Neck and Crawler bridge? or vice-versa? would this work as a combo for what I need?

[Telerocker]

The Crawler is gonna work in the bridge anyway, unless you want supertight lowend. For me it's tight enough though.
The VHII in the neck would work too, it's quite smooth what I understand from users here. That would be great if you like to play solo's on the neckpickup.
I can't comment on how both pickups in full hb-mode will blend, it''s not the obvious combo. As alternative you could look at the Mississippi Queen, if you like P90-tones.

[Elessar [Sly]]

The Crawler is gonna work in the bridge anyway, unless you want supertight lowend. For me it's tight enough though.
The VHII in the neck would work too, it's quite smooth what I understand from users here. That would be great if you like to play solo's on the neckpickup.
I can't comment on how both pickups in full hb-mode will blend, it''s not the obvious combo. As alternative you could look at the Mississippi Queen, if you like P90-tones.

Thanks for the tip on the Crawler. Tim originaly recommended Nailbombs, but I think that might be too much for what I need.

I'm not interested in P90's for the Jag, thanks though!

[Telerocker]

Thanks for the tip on the Crawler. Tim originaly recommended Nailbombs, but I think that might be too much for what I need.

I'm not interested in P90's for the Jag, thanks though!

A Nailbomb would work, if you like the agressive uppermids and topend sizzle that reminds me of 90's metal tones. Anyway, if it has to be a versatile 'metal'-pickup, then I would pick the Holy Diver for this one, but that's just my taste.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I think an Abraxas would work well here.

[Elessar [Sly]]

Thanks for the tip on the Crawler. Tim originaly recommended Nailbombs, but I think that might be too much for what I need.

I'm not interested in P90's for the Jag, thanks though!

A Nailbomb would work, if you like the agressive uppermids and topend sizzle that reminds me of 90's metal tones. Anyway, if it has to be a versatile 'metal'-pickup, then I would pick the Holy Diver for this one, but that's just my taste.

What are the cleans like on the Nailbomb?


I like what I hear from the Abraxas.