Best Johnny Smith style pickup?

**tomems** · 03-19-2014, 06:10 PM

My Greg Bennett JZ4 is a beautiful guitar with a meh pickup. I am considering these neck mounted pickups as a replacement. Cost is not an issue except where noted. Does anyone have any thoughts pro/con/other about these?

- Seymour Duncan - Johnny Smith from custom shop - $225 (too much...I think)

- Jason Lollar - Johnny Smith - $175

- Kent Armstrong - Jazzy Joe - $107

- Curtis Novak - Johnny Smith - $150

- Lindy Fralin - Johnny Smith - $154

Am I leaving anything out? Not that many custom companies make neck mounted pickups.

Thanks.

**Brianh** · 03-21-2014, 08:10 PM

If money were no object, I'd get the Lollar.

But for me money is an object so I got the Kent Armstrong Jazzy Joe.

BTW you don't have to buy KA from WD Music, they're much cheaper on eBay, in fact $69.95 shipped.
Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-lollar-johnny-smith-pickup-jpg

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-lollar-johnny-smith-pickup-jpg

**DRS** · 03-21-2014, 08:40 PM

Kent Armstrong makes a custom had-wound neck pick-up,too at $169 that is supposed to be better.

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-kent-armstrong-floating-paf-jpg

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-kent-armstrong-floating-paf-jpg

Kent Armstrong Adjustable Floating PAF (Handmade) - DjangoBooks.com

**tomems** · 03-21-2014, 08:50 PM

Thanks DRS. that looks nice, but I'm really looking for a neck mounted one…

**DRS** · 03-21-2014, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by tomems

Thanks DRS. that looks nice, but I'm really looking for a neck mounted one…

The picture is a pickguard mount but they have both options.

**vinlander** · 03-21-2014, 09:27 PM

There is the Bartolini 5J which gets some good reviews...

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-bartolini-5j-pickup-jpg

Jazz Guitar Humbucker - 5J - Bartolini Pickups & Electronics

It was not convincing enough for me however, after upgrading a Korean Kent Armstrong (not the American hand made) with it.
In my case I guess I just don't like the tone they give in a general way that's why I routed a classic 57 into the top of my Regent.
On the other hand maybe a Regent being laminated is not the right vehicule for a floater.

**tomems** · 03-21-2014, 09:33 PM

Interesting. The JZ4 is Korean made laminate with a Korean made "Duncan designed" floater. It's not horrible but I think a different pickup will make a big difference.

**DRS** · 03-22-2014, 12:17 PM

Djangobooks sells the handwound KS's for $20 cheaper than archtops.com
http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/kent...adjustable-paf

**NSJ** · 03-22-2014, 12:24 PM

How come the original Gibson JS HB's are not an option on the poll? That's what I have on my guitar. I guess one is assuming they are unobtainable now? But you can still get original Monkeys on a stick, still, no?

**2bornot2bop** · 03-22-2014, 01:15 PM

Having owned the Bartolini 5J and now the Benedetto S6.

Each of those are the most acoustic pickups I've ever owned. They each allow the woody tone to shine through. Darker than KA handwounds I've owned, and less electric sounding. That's been my personal experience.

**pingu** · 03-22-2014, 02:13 PM

Yeah and also ...

Why oh why can't you get
full size humbuckets in a jonny smith mount ?

Peter Bernsteins got one
but I think its a one off

**Chazmo** · 03-22-2014, 03:58 PM

I like the Bartolini 5J. It sounds better to me than an Armstrong hand wound I used to have. The Bartolini is warmer, but retains a nice acoustic tone. They also cost less and they're readily available through retailers like Musicians Friend.

**DRS** · 03-22-2014, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

Yeah and also ...

Why oh why can't you get
full size humbuckets in a jonny smith mount ?

Peter Bernsteins got one
but I think its a one off

One thing you have to watch is that a full size humbucker is thicker than a typical floating pickup. There may not be enough room between the top and the strings. I would love a Duncan SM1 Minibucker as a pickguard mounted floater but it's too thick.

**David B** · 03-22-2014, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

Yeah and also ...

Why oh why can't you get
full size humbuckets in a jonny smith mount ?

Peter Bernsteins got one
but I think its a one off

I believe it came from a Gibson Howard Roberts.

**kamlapati** · 03-22-2014, 05:39 PM

I took a Bartolini off of my '77 L-5C and replaced it with a Lollar. Now I have the Lollar on two guitars.

I love the Lollar. It is relatively low output and has beautiful crystallize highs. I hear the frequency response as quite flat, and it is able to do a fair acoustic guitar sound. I use the amp for tone shaping.

The Bartolini was a lot of people's idea of a great pickup, but not mine. It had big output, lots of mids, and little treble. I think you have to know what you like or want.

**DRS** · 03-28-2014, 03:05 PM

I notice that the Bartolini 5J isn't advertised anywhere with a pickguard mount. Is this an option?

**2bornot2bop** · 03-28-2014, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by DRS

I notice that the Bartolini 5J isn't advertised anywhere with a pickguard mount. Is this an option?

this 5J without the neck mount bracket is the only other 5J design I've found:

5JNB | Bartolini Pickups and Electronics

**DRS** · 03-28-2014, 07:08 PM

So how on earth would you mount it?

**Chazmo** · 03-28-2014, 07:52 PM

You could attach your own flat bracket to the pickup to mount it on the pick guard or you could mount it to the top of the guitar with some kind of removable adhesive.

If it's not mounted to the neck though, it's not really a Johnny Smith-style, is it?

**pingu** · 03-31-2014, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by David B

I believe it came from a Gibson Howard Roberts.

Yes , the Howard Roberts did have a Full Size Humbucket , good point David
although Peter's doesn't have the metal cover on it , does it ?

I wonder how the neck bracket fits to the PU ?

**Woody Sound** · 03-31-2014, 09:21 AM

I've never heard these in person, but they are supposed to sound nice. Bartolini, Atilla Zoller (by Shadow?)

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-guitar-bartolini-jpg

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-guitar-bartolini-jpg

Best Johnny Smith style pickup?-guitar-zoller-jpg

**mambosun** · 04-01-2014, 05:05 AM

I too own a JZ4 and replaced the stock PU with a Bartolini; this made a sensible change but not the one I expected.
I then went to a routed Classic 57 in order to get the tone I was after (ie:more electric than acoustic) and I'm happy since.
The Bartolini is a very good PU but never compared it to a KA.
Maybe it's just me or the acoustic property of the JZ4 which didn't convinced me? Anyway eventhough the JZ4 is really a very good archtop, it's cheap and you can't expect to get same acoustic tone from a real L5 (x10 more expensive), wether amplified or not.

**coolvinny** · 06-02-2014, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by kamlapati

I took a Bartolini off of my '77 L-5C and replaced it with a Lollar. Now I have the Lollar on two guitars.

I love the Lollar. It is relatively low output and has beautiful crystallize highs. I hear the frequency response as quite flat, and it is able to do a fair acoustic guitar sound. I use the amp for tone shaping.

The Bartolini was a lot of people's idea of a great pickup, but not mine. It had big output, lots of mids, and little treble. I think you have to know what you like or want.

I only have experience with the Lollar JS in the world of JS style pickups. I love the sound! It does sound slightly more acoustic than my Lollar Imperial mounted HB which is in a very similar guitar (both 16" archtops), but I can almost get the same tone out of the Lollar JS. It sounds nice and fat. I was worried that I might not like a JS style floating pickup given I am more of a mounted pickup guy, but so far I'm very happy into all kinds of amps (ZT, Mambo, tube). I do use flatwound strings and that probably gets me closer to my sound concept than if I'd used rounds. I also have a tone control on the JS equipped guitar which I roll off slightly.

**Woody Sound** · 06-02-2014, 12:27 PM

I think you need to be more specific when asking about a "Johnny Smith Style Pickup." Does that specifically mean a floating mini-humbucker? Or does it mean *any* floating pickup?