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Fender musicmaster pickup12/4/2023 ![]() ![]() The shorter magnet has less power, so this softens up the treble response of the pickup. The Jazzmaster magnets are only ½” tall compared to typical Strat pole piece magnets at about 5/8” tall. Another factor that affects tone is pole piece magnet length. These pickups use a standard Jazzmaster pickup cover but underneath is hiding the equivalent of a Stratocaster pickup. Japanese made Jazzmasters (CIJ models) have pickups made like Stratocasters and do not sound the same as vintage or American made models. You’ll notice the amount of distortion the amp produces is similar to running a Strat at the same volume level, whereas a pickup like a humbucker or P-90 will drive an amp a lot harder at the same volume setting. The Jazzmaster seems somewhat louder than a Strat pickup due to the increased bass and mids, but the extra fatness is somewhat misleading as far as the actual voltage produced. The frequency response is quite different but the output is actually about the same. Wind a Jazzmaster and a Strat coil to the same amount of turns and the Jazzmaster will read about 8K ohms but the Strat will only read about 6.4K ohms. The Jazzmaster and Strat actually have a similar amount of turns and share a lot of similarities in design, yet they have quite different tone from each other. The Jazzmaster dc resistance (in K-Ohms) reads much higher than a Strat, even though the output is very similar between the two designs. This means the coil wire travels at a greater distance on the Jazzmaster bobbin, resulting in more feet of wire per turn. Wound to the same amount of turns, a Jazzmaster is 1.5” wide compared to a Strat at 9/16” wide. It takes a far wider coil for the same amount of turns on a more traditional design single coil like a Strat, Jaguar or Tele pickup. Having such a short coil limits the amount of wire you can get around the magnets. Vintage design Jazzmaster pickups have a coil only 1/8” tall, compared to the height of a strat at about 7/16” tall. In comparison, the much narrower Strat design senses a shorter length of string, resulting in a more focused, bell-like tone. The fuller bass and midrange is due partly to its large surface area that senses a longer portion of the string. The detailed treble of the Jazzmaster is partly due to its single coil design and its rod magnets used as individual pole pieces. In comparison, a Strat pickup has a surface area of approximately 9/16” X 2-9/16” inches. The fat tone is accomplished by the large surface area – approximately 1.5” X 3.5” inches. The Lollar Jazzmaster pickups have a tone that falls somewhere between a Strat (sparkle and chime) and a Les Paul (midrange and bass). The black pickup covers are not available anywhere else. Because I like the design so much I had ivory and black pickup covers made for sale with our Jazzmaster pickups in addition to the standard bright white finish. It’s really comfortable to sit or stand with, and I like the slower action of the whammy bar compared to the strat. According to the Fender custom shop this finish was available that year on a few instruments that were displayed at the 1959 NAMM show. I was fortunate to obtain an original 1959 model with the gold anodized pickguard and what appears to have been burgundy mist finish. The Jazzmaster is one of my favorite guitar designs. ![]()
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