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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink “Turn a Strat into a Jazzmaster. . .”

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Has anyone here ever head of or done this modification? There is endless talk about pickups, their height and wiring but almost nothing about the lateral positioning of the pickups. I was googling something about Jazzmaster pickups and stumbled on this modification based on repositioning Stratocaster pickups relative to their typical distances from the bridge and neck. It is really interesting:

Your text to link here...

Please try not to turn this into another conversation about how much everyone hates Stratocasters.

The Vicissitones
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I've read a lot of things Stewart Ward has posted, but hadn't seen this before. I don't recall seeing that anyone else has done this mod, but it does seem interesting. Since he just relocated strat pickups into positions similar to those of a Jazzmaster, I'm not sure how close the sound actually is to a JM - somebody would have to do a direct comparison. If I was going to do that, I'd go ahead and use Jazzmaster pickups or something else to make it more distinct.

The idea of making a Strat sound like a JM is a neat idea but I accept that there are too many other factors at play for that to ever happen. However, if moving pickups in this manner can make a Strat a bit fuller sounding than that's pretty cool. If so than why is it not a more common modification? Even if requires routing, so what, people do it all the time.It seems so obvious.

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ElectricLimnology wrote:

Has anyone here ever head of or done this modification? There is endless talk about pickups, their height and wiring but almost nothing about the lateral positioning of the pickups. I was googling something about Jazzmaster pickups and stumbled on this modification based on repositioning Stratocaster pickups relative to their typical distances from the bridge and neck. It is really interesting:

Your text to link here...

Please try not to turn this into another conversation about how much everyone hates Stratocasters.

We love both Strats and Jazzmasters. So the question is not how, but why?)

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

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Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Pickup placement is a natural and neat idea to tweak tones for a Strat (or any guitar), but… Stratmaster has already been solved for. By Fender no less!

Fady

El Mirage @ ReverbNation

Last edited: Feb 05, 2023 09:54:25

A bit of an esoteric discussion for me. I love my strat the way it sounds and the way it plays and sits when I play. Like my Jazzmaster too, but completely different feel, tone and mood. Both have their own personality and purpose in my guitar world. When I was younger I tried to make my Les Paul sound like a Strat. Ended up losing the Les Paul's great tonal characteristics. In the end, I kept the Les Paul and just bought a strat.

So, I guess you could make a strat into a jzzz, but I agree with Samarai, why??

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Samurai wrote:

ElectricLimnology wrote:

Has anyone here ever head of or done this modification? There is endless talk about pickups, their height and wiring but almost nothing about the lateral positioning of the pickups. I was googling something about Jazzmaster pickups and stumbled on this modification based on repositioning Stratocaster pickups relative to their typical distances from the bridge and neck. It is really interesting:

Your text to link here...

Please try not to turn this into another conversation about how much everyone hates Stratocasters.

We love both Strats and Jazzmasters. So the question is not how, but why?)

Ironically I don’t love Jazzmasters. I just like how they sound sometimes and wonder if there isn’t some secret “essence of jazzmaster” I could drip into my Strat to make it less anemic sounding. Anyway, the death of Tom Verlaine sent me down a Jazzmaster rabbit hole that I usually do not venture down. I’m cool between my Strat and Gretsch.

The Vicissitones
Diesel Marine
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ElectricLimnology wrote:

Samurai wrote:

ElectricLimnology wrote:

Has anyone here ever head of or done this modification? There is endless talk about pickups, their height and wiring but almost nothing about the lateral positioning of the pickups. I was googling something about Jazzmaster pickups and stumbled on this modification based on repositioning Stratocaster pickups relative to their typical distances from the bridge and neck. It is really interesting:

Your text to link here...

Please try not to turn this into another conversation about how much everyone hates Stratocasters.

We love both Strats and Jazzmasters. So the question is not how, but why?)

Ironically I don’t love Jazzmasters. I just like how they sound sometimes and wonder if there isn’t some secret “essence of jazzmaster” I could drip into my Strat to make it less anemic sounding. Anyway, the death of Tom Verlaine sent me down a Jazzmaster rabbit hole that I usually do not venture down. I’m cool between my Strat and Gretsch.

I had a Jazz tele and it was mostLy a Jazzmaster in sound with Tele ergonomics. Maybe Strat tele may also be a variant to look at?
image

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

If your Strat has the swimming pool route in it, why not just put Jazzmaster pickups in it? Easy peasy conversion right there!

--
Project: MAYHEM -and- Moonbase Surficalus by Hypersonic Secret now available!

I don't have a strat but am i right in remembering the pickups mount on the pickguard, while Jazzmaster pickups mount into the body of the guitar?

Would that make a difference?

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

I like the idea. The slanted pickup has to affect timbre, although I would make no bold predictions regarding how great that effect is.

JMO, and please, no lynch mobs, but I prefer the Strat-style vibrato over the Offset-style vibrato. OTOH, I find the bridge pickup sound on a Strat a bit thin, for my tastes. I love the sound of a Jazzmaster, and I’ve wondered about wiring a Strat for the bridge and neck pickups together, as a Surf axe, so I see some sense in this approach. It’s unlikely that I’d ever do it. I have too many guitars, as it is, but the idea interests me.

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-

Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:57:06

da-ron wrote:

I don't have a strat but am i right in remembering the pickups mount on the pickguard, while Jazzmaster pickups mount into the body of the guitar?

Would that make a difference?

I had a Strat once I put 3 P-90s into - screwed them right into the body. Somebody mentioned JM pickups are wider than the swimming pool; the P-90s I used were not, because I didn't have to do any routing, just get a new pickguard from Warmoth.

--
Project: MAYHEM -and- Moonbase Surficalus by Hypersonic Secret now available!

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