I know that a lot about Jag pickups has already been posted, but I did some searches and didn't find exactly what I'm looking for. So, since my question is multi-part, I'll start at the beginning.

I have an AVRI Jag built in 2002. This is my only guitar, but it's my 5th Jaguar and it plays fantastic; however, it's not nearly as wet as the other Jags that I've had. The weird thing is that the pickups seem just as strong. They're also very balanced and I can even get some nice melodic feedback with them. The Jag is just very dry, which is quite annoying.

Also, I've been playing a lot more rock n roll and, as is the case with all Jags, they're not that great -- too thin sounding -- for rock n roll. None of my Jags made the best use of distortion for playing Link Wray songs.

I know that one option is to buy a second guitar, but I'm already taking my bass with me when I go out to play. I really don't want to have to take 3 different guitars with me. Even when I play with my friends who only play surf, we still like to play Link Wray and other heavier-style instros.

So, Seymour Duncan makes an SJAG2 pickup that seems like it might work, but I don't know anything about them. SD also makes an SJAG3, but I think that's too much for what I want. Plus, they aren't intended to be used with the claw and cover. So, can anyone tell me if the SD SJAG2 pickups will make my Jag more suitable for rock, while still doing surf? Also, do you think this will increase the wet factor?

Finally, from postings that I've read, it sounds like the 1 M pots in Jaguars affect the sound. I read somewhere a suggestion to switch the tone pot to 500 K and the volume pot to 250 K? What do you think? Should I perhaps try this before looking at new pickups?

Any comments or additional suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks!

Tsunami_Tom
Also, I've been playing a lot more rock n roll and, as is the case with all Jags, they're not that great -- too thin sounding -- for rock n roll.

Have you tried rolling the tone pots down and re-equalizing your amp? Turning the bright switch off? It took me a couple years to figure this stuff out myself.

Hey! I swapped the pots and capacitor as Dave suggested and thought that I'd give a report. My Jag's tone is fuller and richer. I like it a lot. Overall, it's the nicest sounding Jag I've owned. The one thing that is missing is that, due to the added warmth, the 5th and 6th strings are just a bit on the dull or muddy side. I'm just wondering about the capacitor that I used (see above). It's a .022 cap, which is similar to a Strat and, from what I've read, is a good choice, but the capacitor itself is gigantic. I had to move things around just to get it to fit. I don't know if that makes any difference or if it's even a consideration?

I'm also wondering if perhaps changing the tone pot from 250K to 500K would help to put the twang back into these lower strings?

Thanks again for the help!

I never tried a 500K... I would guess that it would be a sound heading back to some of the traits of a 1Meg pot... more drastic change from bright to dark when the Volume pot is turned down. I guess you are woundering about just changing the Tone pot to 500k? That might be a good idea! Let us know how that works if you try it. ~ dave

That's great, Tom! I'm just glad you didn't say it's all Voodoo changing those parts. If you ever feel like taking it further, try a Mastery Bridge instead of the Mustang/Buzstop combo. The better sound, and much more stable tuning, I think, would be two reasons that make it worth a try. You got the RS Superpots, right? Those are great Volume pots. Let us know how the 500k work
~dave

What kind of 250K would you put in for tone control?

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SlacktoneDave
For Volume I've been using the RS Guitarworks Superpot, 280K.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm using, thanks to your initial suggestions.

Eddie, you make me not afraid to continue experimenting! That's great! The other night, I nearly burned down my house when my soldering iron fell off its holder and put a huge burn in the carpet in my den. Can't wait to see what further damage I can do!

Last night, I traded the 250k tone pot for a 500k pot. At the same time, I put the .022 Jensen paper/oil cap back in. With the 500 pot, the Jensen cap is not too warm for my taste anymore. In fact, there is quite a lot more treble. The good thing about this is that the muted low E string really pops with reverb, which was missing with the first two mods that I did, and the tone control has more gradiations of settings available.

So, I’m pretty happy with everything. Here’s a summary of the process:

With stock pots and capacitors:

A thinner sound with more treble than what I wanted.

With 280k volume pot (Super Pot from RS Guitar Works) / 250k tone pot / .022mfd paper and oil Jensen capacitor:

Much improved, richer and warmer highs and mids. The lows were a bit dull to my ears.

With 280k volume pot (Super Pot from RS Guitar Works) / 250k tone pot / .022mfd Orange Drop capacitor

Highs and mids not as rich, added more treble to the lows and they weren’t as dull, but still no reverb “pop” on the low strings.

With 280k volume pot (Super Pot from RS Guitar Works) / 500k tone pot / .022mfd paper and oil Jensen capacitor:

The Jensen cap has brought back more richness and warmth to the highs and mids. The 500k tone pot has added more treble to the lows, which has restored the reverb “pop” to the low strings. Mids and highs are not as rich and warm as they were with the same configuration, except for a 250k tone pot. It seems to be a trade-off. Another nice thing about this configuration is that the tone pot is much more sensitive than any of the above configurations. It enables subtle changes, beginning at “9” and going all the way down. It can add a bit more warmth without adding dullness.

Thanks again, Dave, for your help. And thanks to everybody else.