The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #126

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    I see the light blue lace sensors seem to be the best for jazzy tones. does anyone know if there are any other lace sensor pickups that are particularly good for a jazz setting?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #127

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    Seymour Duncan mini humbuckers

    Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-untitled-jpg

  4. #128

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    help selecting a jazz oriented stratocaster?

    Check out this thread. FWIW, I've kept my American Std stock. This is what it sounds like, through a MicroCube and a cellphone (it's better through a better signal chain)
    Summertime in Ft. Tryon Park:


    John

  5. #129

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    Quote Originally Posted by blues442
    I see the light blue lace sensors seem to be the best for jazzy tones. does anyone know if there are any other lace sensor pickups that are particularly good for a jazz setting?
    I have Alumitones on my Strat (Deluxe). Good low end and very low noise.

    Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-jazz-strat-jpg

  6. #130

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    thanks for your answers guys.
    Does anyone know how one would go about getting a charlie christian pickup into a strat? I believe i've seen it somewhere. I just believe that modifications might have to be made.

  7. #131

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    I'd love to hear a strat with CC pickups !

    The lollar CC pickup sound amazing with a telecaster

    (maybe the amazing sound comes from this great player).

    They apparently also build the CC with a humbucker housing

  8. #132

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    Here's mine. It's a Mexi R Cray model, the only way to get a reasonably priced hardtail as far as I know. Guitar isn't my first instrument but I dig solid rhythm, like Freddie and Eldon Shamblin as well as Oscar Moore's take off and 2 part stuff.

    That said. I wanted my Strat to play like an Archtop. I rewired it to master Vol + Tone and plugged the extra hole. Just happened to have these little plastic plugs in light grey which blends nicely with the Inca Silver. I also used a bit longer wires on the switch and rotated it 180 so the switch was also out of my way. I mainly use the neck pup.
    The pups are Van Zandts.
    Strats are really comfortable and can do anything.
    Attached Images Attached Images Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-img_0421-jpg 

  9. #133

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    Very cool. I have little knowledge about the functions of certain things on a guitar. So what purpose does the new master and tone control serve?

  10. #134

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    Typical Strat wiring is master Vol and 2 tone controls over the 3 pups. I simply wired it to be 1 vol and 1 tone for all switch selections. It has a 5 way switch and uses a good '50's .05 cap on the tone control. I got the aftermarket knobs cause I didn't need glasses to see the settings! It gets a good Jazz tone, not typical but sweet.

  11. #135

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    It's odd the pups are the same age but the neck cover hasn't aged like the other two?

  12. #136

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    Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe Guitars also makes strat blade pickups which are single coil, and very quiet, and definitely the cure for anyone who thinks strats sometimes sound thin. This guitar previously had a toggle switch for a "bridge always on" option, but I ditched it, and rewired it conventionally, as the straight 5-way strat wiring setup sound plenty thick with these pickups.

    They're kind of a cross between single coils and humbuckers, but still have single coil definition Have them in a partcaster strat with a fat maple neck, and a hardtail. Picked them up 2nd hand for $125 or so. New they would be a bit more, probably $225 for the set.
    Last edited by goldenwave77; 08-05-2015 at 07:25 AM.

  13. #137

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    Strat mod with 3 p/u's and pots like this:

    Volume as master volume with treble bleed
    1st Tone as master tone
    2nd Tone as bridge p/u blend with neck p/u and all 3 pickups depending on p/u selector position.

    How about push pull pots:
    1st Tone engaged as tone bypass
    2nd Tone engaged as tone cut for reduced lows

    Forum member Oldane has the best jazz strat ever. It has a CC Rider h/b pickup only.

    If you go the single pickup route like Oldane then the pot mod would go like this:

    Volume as master volume
    1st Tone as bass frequency boost and cut
    2nd Tone as treble frequency boost and cut.

    Simple!
    Attached Images Attached Images Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-jazz-rats-jpg 
    Last edited by jazzbow; 08-05-2015 at 09:28 AM.

  14. #138

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigsbyguy

    That said. I wanted my Strat to play like an Archtop. I rewired it to master Vol + Tone and plugged the extra hole. Just happened to have these little plastic plugs in light grey which blends nicely with the Inca Silver. I also used a bit longer wires on the switch and rotated it 180 so the switch was also out of my way. I mainly use the neck pup.
    The pups are Van Zandts.
    Strats are really comfortable and can do anything.
    Interesting approach. I dont use the blended pickups although I have tried. A three way switch and controls like yours might be my solution. I wonder who makes a two hole pick guard? It would give me an excuse to start messing with pickups.

  15. #139

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    I don't like blade pickups in the neck position. I can't ever get a good string balance out of 'em. YMMV.

    OTOH, a p90 in the neck position is a thing of beauty

  16. #140

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    Man lots of awesome strats in this thread

    I´ve posted mine before on the forum, here it is again. Coolrails in the neck and that is pretty sweet for jazz. I´ve used this guitar alot since i modified it and use it for lots of projects right now, finishing recording a pop/soul/jazzy album and I mainly use the strat for that project and also use it for jazz-only gigs.
    Attached Images Attached Images Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-strat-jpg 

  17. #141

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    This is my poor old strat. I've had it for almost 25 years and it has been languishing in its case for as long as I can remember. I don't even know if the electronics are in working order.

    Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-2015-08-07-08-50-48-jpg

    But it was my first electric and I will never bring myself to sell it, so I plan to jazzify it... some day!

  18. #142

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    My current Jazz Strat is this Korean Squier that was redone in Daphne Blue over White, and is slightly road worn. I have ceramic single coils in her with CTS 250K pots.

    Fender Stratocaster for Jazz?-2015-08-06-20-54-20-jpgFender Stratocaster for Jazz?-2015-08-05-20-42-39-jpgFender Stratocaster for Jazz?-2015-08-05-20-43-25-jpg

  19. #143

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    Hopefully nobody will mind if I shift this thread from Charlie Christian Pickups to Partscasters? I've been shopping for a Jazz Strat a couple of weeks now (previous thread) -- played most of the decent ones in town. One that floated to the top is a relic'd partscaster that a local guy puts together & sells via a local shop. $800

    Money wise, it looks like a loser -- what is the resale value?, but it plays and sounds above or equal to American Standards that run $1200ish. I'm torn. I kinda want it, but I'd hate to take a big hit out of the box. . .

    How does one value a well done partscaster? the parts cost plenty-- I definitely don't want to start from scratch!

    I'm pretty sure I can search out a used American Standard for $800-900 locally, but this one could work for me. . .

  20. #144

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    I have an american and I've played mexicans. i believe the greatest difference lies in the stock pickups. someone told me the mexicans' stock pickups are a lot cheaper. So, if this guy put in some nice ones, then i say why not get it.
    Last edited by blues442; 08-08-2015 at 07:46 PM.

  21. #145

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    the shop clerk thought the pickups were texas specials, but he was just "the Saturday guy" and didn't know much. I'll go back next week to get a better story on the guitar from one of the guys I know better.

    The builder has a number of guitars there -- mainly tele's -- and they all play great.

    I agree pickups are a huge part of the equation, but doesn't strumming a strat unplugged tell a little something too? Dead pickups suck, dead guitar sucks too. I guess I'm getting spoiled in my old age.

    There was a day when a squire bullet strat rocked my world

  22. #146

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    I never expected neck pickups on a strat to sound as smooth and Jazzy as they do... Hate to Mention John Mayer... But he kills it with a strat!

  23. #147

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    There are so many pickup combinations on Strats its difficult to specify the "Strat" sound. Even when they have what look like identical singl coil pickups there can be different magnet specs and different winding resistence. My strat has the APS2 pus and they are low resistence like 1950s models and somewhat similar to an early Rickenbacker 330 I had - so they can be jangley and/or nail that Buddy Holly strat sound. And combine that with a guitar that has very good sustain from the maple neck and ash body and there you have the components to a good sounding strat.

    However a friend has one with the Tezus Fender pus that sounds very muddy as the pus ate overwoulnd to make them more powerful and bluesy. Sounds like a very different instrument. Strats are pretty modifiable - as the pus are bolted to the scratchplate and not the body it would be completely feasable to create a new scratchplate with one Charlie Christain in the neck position and go with that - any hacking of the body would be hidden by the scratchplate - in fact some strats have what is called the swimming pool underr the plate - a large rectangular routed out hole that could take any sort of combination of pus.

    I think a Lollar CC single pu Strat would be a very interesting instrument to play. Would depend on how radical you feel before you spent the money.

    Whether you play HBs or Single Coils has a lot to do with the context you play in. Soloing with HBs sounds classic and easy to listen to. However lots of players prefer P90s and single coils as they are more trebley and cut through the mix - i.e. county players who use the neck pu in bands - playing that without the rest of the band sounds incredibley edgey - but great with the band.
    Last edited by ChrisDowning; 10-17-2015 at 02:42 AM.

  24. #148

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    Somebody was talking about flatwounds in this thread. I seem to remeber that is was like everyone played flatwounds in the beginning of the 60s and so a Strat would arrive with flatwounds on. Then in the London Blues scene I was told my tone would be better if I used round wounds and I set iff to find some having used flats since I started playing at 11 years old 6 years earlier. The sounds of guitars in that era were from Chet Atkins, Hank Marvin, The Ventures, - now I think of it even blues players from the USA sounded like they used flats.

    So I would conclude that flats and overwound or humbuckers would make a Strat sound very jazzy. But I am beginning to think the real reason the Strat isn't played is just it's image. So many think it just looks wrong. And I completely understand that. A non cutaway f hole guitar looks the part in a way that abred strat doesn't. (Probably why I have never owned a painted guitar.)

    I think the Tele and the Strat are interchangeable once you have messed about with the electrics. But if Lady Gaga could sing great jazz, would you still buy a ticket?

  25. #149

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    Yep. The 60s were the years of the flat wound string. My first electric, a Hagstrom I, came from the factory with them. It was a '65. Say, have any of you played chord melody--like Johnny Smith --on a Strat? It sounds beautiful.

  26. #150

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    Pretty much the way I was taught to play the guitar back in 1959. I learn froma book called the McNeil Modern Method that after teaching you the single notes around the first position went straight into what we would now call the CAGED set of chords in each key.

    I think the Strat sounds good for chord melody because the single coils give it an airy tone that allows each note inthe chord to ring out - whereas the humbucker blurs the individual tones of a chord into a more round single sound. And it is also way easier to mellow the strat tone than to try to brighten up a humbucker. The bottom end is also far clearer on the Strat whereas a humbucker can be like a double bass if you are not careful - something you might get away with solo, but sounds all wrong in a mix with other bassy instruments like piano, bass, and tenor sax.

    Anyone tried a Strat with a Lollar CC in the neck?