Question that I cannot find on the web...

I have a RI/Classic Player Jaguar made from Parts.

My question Is on the Chromed Steel pickup claws that are mounted on
the Pickups?

I see the Bridge pickup has the larger claws on the Big E string

And the narrower on the small E string.

But im finding various pictures showing the Neck Pickups claws

On the big E string and some reversed too ! Which way is correct

and Are the opposite for phasing ? I ask because my Shields are already

installed from the factory to the pickups.

Please Bear with me If they are not called claws...Covers..Shields ????

Im looking for a techinical answer...Im sure everybody can tell me which

way their's are positioned.

Pete Analog-Surf

Last edited: Jan 04, 2012 18:33:24

BJB wrote:

Unfortunately, you will get different answers on this
one.

The two 'short' tabs, or teeth or whatever you call
them go beneath the two plain strings, the B and high
E. This assumes you are using a wound G string, which
was what Fender and everyone else used back when the
Jaguar was designed.

However, I have seen pre-CBS Jaguars with the shields
reversed. I have even seen a pre-CBS Jaguar with the
shield installed correctly on one pickup but not on the
other.

My Japanese Jaguar, a blond LE from 1994, also came
with shields that were installed at random. I saw a
Jaguar from the Fender custom shop with the shields
installed reversed; the short tabs were installed
beneath the wound low E and A strings. I asked the
builder about this and he said that I should ask Dave
Wronski about it. Maybe Dave will show up and answer
this question.

In reality, the position doesn't affect the sound of
the pickups. I corrected the claws on my Japanese
Jaguar and it didn't make any difference (it did make a
difference when I recharged the pickup magnets, but
that's another story). You'll have to desolder the
ground to the shield, flip it around, then resolder the
ground to the shield. The only benefit to installing
them correctly is that you can say that the shield are
installed 'technically correct', which, as we all know,
is the best kind of correct there is.

Thanks BJB
Currently the RI Pickups are both mounted with the wider slots on the
Big E string...The guitar sounds fine to me...Im running #10
Dunlop round wounds right now...I was thinking of going #11 flats
like on my Jazzmaster.

Seeing they were already soldered to the pickups my mind started to think
if I reverse the neck pickup would the coil now going in to opposite direction have any effect when both pickups are selected and the
3000pf capacitor is now active on the switch plate...

Just had to ask ...

Pete Analog-Surf

The idea when these "claws" were conceived, was to have the two plain strings run over the shorter tines. Back then strings used a wound G. However, Fender assembled them haphazardly. Nowadays, people seem to use an unwound G most often but I still stand by a wound G for a Jaguar. Likewise for a heavier-than-fashionable gauge of 12 or better. Also, the sonic differences with claws on or off is negligible, so one might assert that the worrying about the correct orientation is fairly pointless.

SSIV

Oh, the Claws on my really original '65 Jag have the lower section on the big 'E' and 'A'

I don't think it makes much of a difference, and I doubt they do much shielding either.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

I guess the first picture is from Jim Shines website - good eye. The second one is mine

The AVRI pickup leads look like the vintage one above.

And you are correct BJB, the MIJ pickups I've seen had the leads coming out of one end. I haven't seen a Classic Player Jag that close.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Sonichris wrote:

Oh, the Claws on my really original '65 Jag have the
lower section on the big 'E' and 'A'

I don't think it makes much of a difference, and I
doubt they do much shielding either.

Beautiful tort on that one.

http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk

SlacktoneDave wrote:

BJB wrote:

My Japanese Jaguar, a blond LE from 1994, also came
with shields that were installed at random. I saw a
Jaguar from the Fender custom shop with the shields
installed reversed; the short tabs were installed
beneath the wound low E and A strings. I asked the
builder about this and he said that I should ask
Dave
Wronski about it. Maybe Dave will show up and
answer
this question.

Here's my opinion... the low side should be under the
low "E" and "A" strings.

☛ The catalog picture from 1963 that shows the new Twin
Reverb and three Jaguars clearly shows the low side on
the E and A side of the pickups.

☛ My unmolested 1963 Jaguar has the low side of the
combs on the bass side.

☛ The comb thing is technically called a "keeper". It
kicks up the induction much like a Telecaster elevator
plate found on Tele bridge pickups. It also re-directs
the magnetic field back into the pickup, and, I think
is supposed to lower the noise, somehow.

☛ Perhaps Leo, and the guys thought that the induction
sound has a little bit better balanced if they lessened
it under the thicker strings which have more mass.

opinions are mine, not speaking for anyone else on
this....
~ dave

I know what your saying Dave.
On another Topic they are Ooooing and Ahhhing over the Johnny Marr
Jaguar but when I look at the picture the front Pickup "Keeper" is
in the opposite direction of the Bridge "Keeper" ??????

Hey my parts Jaguar is working fine but when you see more and more pictures of them with the Neck pickup the other way you start to question yourself,,,Am I Wrong...Would it sound better ?

To Clarify my jaguar body is the Classic player MIM but the Neck is
an ALL Parts made in Japan with all RI parts ordered...I question the
chrome plates though...they seem like Chinese knock off's ...
Hey it was built for 1/2 what a real one goes for.

Pete Analog-Surf

On my Jaguar, the short claws are are both on the treble side. When I "hid" jaguar pickups under the covers on one of my Jazzmasters, to use in really noisy places, I left the claws intact.

ed

Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?