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I dug out the strat and set it up. I need to grab some strings because the ones on it are microscopic and bend if you look at them funny. Im planning to set it up with roundwounds lighter than my Archtop but not silly light. Im in no hurry to change the pickup. I think I can sqeeze a good sound from them. If nothing else I can plink at night with headphones and not make noise next door and keep my wife awake.
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I spent the day playing my Strat and found, as always, it's a versatile guitar that sounds nice and feels good to play. Can I make it sound exactly like my ES-175? No. Can I make it sound really good for jazz? Yes. On mine, it takes rolling back a lot of the tone knob to get into what I think of as a jazz sound and a little futzing with the EQ on the amp.
Guitars that I have found that work well for jazz include: my ES-175, my archtop with a floating pickup, my Strat, my Tele, my semihollow Tele with humbuckers, my Ibanez GB10, my nylon string, my flattop... my friend's Ibanez AS180, his PRS Hollowbody SE, his Epiphone Casino, his Les Paul Studio... another friend's GJS, my old teacher's GJS and prewar L-7...
I have found a few guitars that don't work for jazz. I think it's mostly what you play and what tone you can get out of your fingers. Compare Jim Hall, Grant Green and Lenny Breau: they all sounded great playing jazz and sounded really different from each other.
Strats can sound really good for jazz. Riverside | Oz Noy, Ugonna Okegwo, Ray Marchica | Outside in Music
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I fully agree. And yes, if you are trying to make a strat sound like an archtop you will be sorely disappointed. If you are happy to let it be the guitar it is and dial up a nice tone you are in luck. I have an archtop (or two). I really dont need a solid body to sound the same.
My approach is to follow the guitar. Let it be what it is and find a way to make music you enjoy with it. If you cant dig that sound put it away or sell it. I was thinking of dropping in a different pickup but I will probably just leave it alone and play it.
Eventually I want a CC pickup in a guitar (at least I think I do). I have an aria archtop that gets no love. It plays well but right now it has a humbucker in it. Ive yet to be inspired by any humbucker. I may put one in that guitar.
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Gross generalisation.
Historically, the most commonly used pickups for Jazz guitar are Gibson P90's and Humbuckers.
The single coil Fender pickups have a different sound than Gibson pickups, they have more treble, that will cut thru in a loud band.
An exception is the Fender Jazzmaster pickup, it sounds very different than most Fender single coil pickups.
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And those magnets in strat pickups are powerful. I had to drop my heights to stop high e string warble.
Ive got to say Im pretty tempted to try a CC by Dreamsongs that drops in a strat. They are here in the EU so thats convienient. I cant find anything about the pickup. There is plenty of info on a CC in a tele neck position. Im going to make a broad assumption that it would be reasonably close. Of course one can only go so far with videos any since everyone has a different approach, setup and different ears when dialing things in.
Either way, the cost of a pickup isnt going to break me and putting it in a strat that I own keeps me from having to purchase the whole guitar plus a PU. LIfe has a cover charge 
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Sigmund451, you are full of wisdom today:
"My approach is to follow the guitar. Let it be what it is and find a way to make music you enjoy with it. If you cant dig that sound put it away or sell it."
"LIfe has a cover charge"
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