Problem with MM JP Pickups

[vexed73]

I agree that it is just a technique but they are definitely easier on certain pickups just like a overdriven tube amp using the bridge pickup is going to have stronger harmonics than a clean amp using the neck pickup. They work both ways but one is going to sound stronger than the other witj less effort.

 

[dan desy]

Like I said, the JP pickups are dark and a little muddy. But you should be able to setup any good amp to get the tone of your dream.

My "issue" with it was just getting it to sounf good with the same settings as my otyher guitars.

 

[SteveB]

You have to remeber that these pickups were designed for a certain person.

Yes, I always keep that in mind when discussing a signature guitar. That's why I was not the originator of this thread.

I agree with whoever took the time to separate the pinch harmonic issue from the pickup issue. They are separate issues, as you can most definitely pinch a harmonic with no amplification.

I think when playing the JP guitar, you have to dig a little more to pinch out the harmonic. I do, anyway, and this is certainly a matter of each player's technique. But again, I learned to adjust, and I have no problem pinching harmonics on it these days.

 

[louisgtr]

Guys -

You have to remeber that these pickups were designed for a certain person. As such, the characteristics of them reflect what he needs in playing. He plays real fast and needs lots of definition to AVOID muddiness. Now, I've played a boatload of pickups, and calling the JPs muddy, I think, is ridiculous. In fact, I would say they are some of the clearest pickups I've played - lots of definition. Play a chord - can you hear each individual string? Yeah you can - that's the way the PUs were designed. If you want them "smoother", give 'em more gain.

Your LP (and Axis) PUs sound smoother because they are more mushy (the frequencies from each strings are blending with each other causing the "smoothness" you hear from them. In actuality, from a sonic standpoint, this is in fact, more muddy.

I just have NEVER heard the JP PUs described as muddy by anybody I know, until I read this thread. I think that it is a terribly inapt description.

+1 I also think the JP PUs have a good amount of definition. They are clear even on high gain settings. As for pinch harmonics, I never really needed a period of adjustment with the JP, they were as easy to get with any other guitar I've played.

 

[Big Poppa]

I have been biting my tongue....thanks for pointing out that you should be able to get pinch harmonics Acoustically and start there with your techinique. I am sorry to say but jp can pinch harmonic his guitar to death with his eyes closed. Pinch harmonics are made easier with gain...AMPLIFIER GAIN>

Here is whats funny about these threads...JPs pu's are not dark or dull in any way...they have a little high mid bump thats it.
s
Please dont take this a condecending but some people can turn better times in a slolom in a miata raher than a carrera gt.

Really work on the pinch harms acoustically and I think that you will see that this is a high performance guitar and with the proper technique there isnt anything that you cant do on it.

 

[bluebullet]

the 24 fret neck might be messing with your pick position. try moving the pick up and down the string until you find the sweet spots. alot of these things become habits that you dont think about on a guitar that you have been playing for awhile and when you pick up a different one its enough to throw you off .

 

[seth]

Like I said, the JP pickups are dark and a little muddy. But you should be able to setup any good amp to get the tone of your dream.

My "issue" with it was just getting it to sounf good with the same settings as my otyher guitars.

I suppose this is my "issue" too.
Seems my impatience is my undoing, i'm not much of a tweeker.
I have my amp set up just where i like it for my LP & then when i plug in the JP...
Obviously i guess, it's going to need some time & effort on my part.
Pitty i'm a lazy b@stard

 

[Big Poppa]

Seth I think your unhappiness stems from you not tweaking the amp settings when playing a les paul and the JP. IS your thermostat diffferent in the winter than the summer? Use the amps tone controls to dial in the sound you want

 

[blackspy]

the 24 fret neck might be messing with your pick position. try moving the pick up and down the string until you find the sweet spots. alot of these things become habits that you dont think about on a guitar that you have been playing for awhile and when you pick up a different one its enough to throw you off .

Excellent point. 22 and 24 fret necks have different sweet spots for some harmonics.

As well, like BP said, every guitar/pickup/effect/room is going to sound different. That's why amps have EQ's. Tweak!!

 

[bluebullet]

you could try a eq pedal and set it to compensate for the difference in the two guitars then turn it on when you play one and turn it off when you play the other.

 

[rrhea]

I think it boils down to embracing the differences between the guitars in your collection. I used to put EMGs in everything I had when I was a kid so they'd all be nearly the same. I finally realized how boring that was.

Now that I am older and have a more varied (and premium) collection of instruments and I have thus far avoided EMGs, although I still love them. In certain cases I'll change out stock pickups, but never in sig models that already come with nice ones, such as my JP.

For distortion, I keep my amp dialed into one tone, and only one. The guitar I happen to plug into that will sound quite different from the next (say my Strat vs. my Jem)... but I like that difference and I almost choose the guitar I'll play for EQ instead of tweaking the amp.

Regardless of all that, I have no problems with sustain, pinch harmonics or tone on my JP. My weakest output pickup is most certainly on my Satriani (the Fred), and I am still able to play death metal, rock, blues, attempted shred or whatever on it without even touching the gain on my amp.

Sounds like your idea of a good guitar tone at the moment is your LP, much like me with my EMG outfitted guitars. It takes some getting used to, but different timbres from completely different guitars really help make playing more enjoyable by adding variety. One thing I do when I get a new one is to play it exclusively for a month or so. This achieves two things, ensures proper break-in and lets me bond with it. If you only hear/play your new one for several weeks you really get to know it's tone and are thus able to better compare it sonically to your other instruments.


Ryan

 

[glockaxis]

nice post, I agree.

 

[GHWelles]

I just got my Petrucci and those pickups ROCK.
They have a burning midrange, very solid and defined bass and excellent treble and harmonics. The eq is very well balanced among the three bands. I didn't change my amp settings at all, and I use Strats to Les Paul style guitars on the amp, only boosting treble for the Les Paul style guitar. I have changed out pickups in every guitar I have but one, and I have no plan to change these.

 

[dav2321]

Hello all, as a new owner of a GP JP 7 I wanted to put my .02 in there. First it is a very nice quality instrument, I'm happy I bought it (thanks to Jason at Drumcityguitarland). The pickups I havent made my mind up about yet. I like the sounds I'm getting except on the low E-B strings. First I'm going to A/B it against my other 7's (C7 with JB, IBZ with SD custom) and then tweak amp/ pickup poles to get what I'm looking for. My question to you guys is if I end up changing out the PU's does that void my warranty? The piezo sounds great by the way.

 

[Adwex]

What is the DC resistance of the volume pot on a JP? Swapping out the pot for a higher value will "brighten" up a dark pickup.

Adam

 

[GHWelles]

500K ohm. Care to go to 1 Meg? Might be a little shrill.

 

[Adwex]

500K ohm. Care to go to 1 Meg? Might be a little shrill.

Yeah, 1 Meg is a bit much. If they're already 500k, leave 'em.

 

[GHWelles]

You could try disconnecting the tone knob and take it out of the circuit. That will remove some resistance and brighten it up a bit. Like the one volume knob Axis guitars. If you don't like it, just reconnect.

 

[Adwex]

What type of magnets do the JP p'ups have? A p'up with a ceramic magnet, or an Alnico 5 will also brighten things up a bit (I betcha they're already ceramic though).

 

[GHWelles]

I have heard the bridge is ceramic and the neck is A5 but I have no idea if the source is reliable.