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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Finally Found My Perfect Tone

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Ever since I returned to my surf and pre-surf roots after years focusing on blues and blues rock I've been looking for that perfect tone. -The one I hear in my head, influenced no doubt by memories of hours listening to and playing this music.

I started this "rerun" phase of my playing with a Classic Series `50s Strat. Nah, that wasn't it. Then a VM Jaguar. Closer but not quite. Then a VM Jazzmaster and that got me pretty darn close -- close enough to know that the JM was my instrument. The rest of what I was looking for I expected to find down stream via reverb, pedals and (of course) the amp.

I won't go through the many, many this and thats that I tried, but in the end I realized that for me the underlying issue was that both the VM JM's original Duncan Designed PUPS and the Rose Koronas -- as good as both sets were -- each shared what to me was an essential "flaw" -- one they seemed to share with many sets out there today. The bridge PUPS on both sets were over wound. Something desirable, it seems, for many players -- especially, it seems, younger ones -- but not for me. So I took the two PUP sets and built a combination based on using both their neck PUPS.

The Rose remained where it was, but instead of the Rose or DD bridge PUP I substituted the DD neck PUP in the bridge position.

Took a bit of work, but not a lot. The VM's PUPS come attched to their cases -- with a bead of plastic sealant along the long sides and wax between the bobbin and the case such as is often used on an HB with a metal casing, Why I know not. (There it is to combat microsonics -- not an issue with the JM's plastic case)

In any case with those seals broken the coils and covers become interchangeable.

Now to the sound... YES!!! Exactly what I was looking for! No need to roll off the volume knob. It is all just "there" -- from Bob Bogle's Walk Don't Run sound to a full and bright, reverb-filled, `60s surf sound. Wonderful drip. Clean attack. Whatever is needed just by a flick of the PUP selector or small changes in the amp and/or signal chain.

No, of course I can't say it'd be right for others, but if its a classic Jazzmaster sound you are looking for and have found it elusive, by all means gives this a try.

-don

Still rockin' after all these years!

Last edited: Apr 01, 2015 18:04:15

This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing your journey.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

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