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I want a hollowbody (or semi) for jazz only.
Want this kind of sound
1:10 min in.
This is also cool
I guess I'll only use the neck pickup. So, any suggestions? Pros, cons, with single pickup guitar vs two pickups.
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10-17-2018 04:16 AM
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IMHO there is no real "pro" re an extra bridge-pickup in an archtop guitar if you are def. shooting for a more or less traditional jazz sound.
A few players like David T Walker and Eric Gale, who also played archtops (Byrdland/Super-400) sometimes used both pickups for a more biting/trebly tone but you could also achieve this with an EQ pedal .
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Unlike gitman I think having two pickups vastly improve the versatility of an archtop. It's true that you can get the job done on the neck pickup alone if all you want is an old school jazz sound. otoh, there are some very fine sounds to be had in the middle position, that will also sit well in a classic jazz combo. And if you ever want to play anything other than jazz on that instrument, or even more modern jazz or fusion styles, having a broader range of sounds will help you get there.
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Just dialled in a nice jazz tone with my Vintage V100 (LP style) through a Roland Micro Cube (Black Panel setting)
Hmm
Last edited by harrymason; 10-18-2018 at 02:46 AM.
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Get whatever you want. Probably a wider selection of hollowbody guitars to choose from with 2 pups.
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My feeling is that if you have a jazz guitar without a bridge pickup, you probably won't miss it.
But if you do have a bridge pickup, you'll definitely find a use for it.
(refer to Average Joe's reply)
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That second p/u can come in handy in the darker sounding single coil p/u guitars I prefer. Such as P-90s, P-13s. You can get a middle p/u sound that's weighted more toward the neck p/u. As a tonal variation. Also, noisy P-90s are often hum cancelling in the middle position.
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Budget?
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As others have said, if you are looking for a "one trick poney" in terms of sound and the neck pickup produces it, then that's a fine route to go. If you want your axe to be able to produce different sounds for different types of music, or if you play with different sets of people whose range of instruments varies, then the additional flexibility of the bridge pickup can help to cut through the mix. I occasionally get calls from the room for 1950s rock and roll, so I will automatically switch to bridge pickup to get the right vibe from my ES175 - think of Scotty Moore.
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Another pro for the bridge pickup is it helps with the feedback as it's installed in the more resonant regions of the guitar.
Though of course if you're never gonna use it, it seems silly to have a pickup there just to reduce the chance to get feedback. It also adds noticeable weight.
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I only want my pony to do one trick. I have some archtops with two pickups, but I only use one. On my 175, the bridge pickup doesn't work because the selector switch has been in the neck position so long that the reeds will no longer make a connection with the bridge pickup, and it's not important enough to me to fix it. Yes, a bridge pickup gives more versatility, but I don't want to be versatile.
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I would suggest either an Ibanez AFJ95 VSB or an Ibanez AFJ91 Artcore Expressionist. Either gets the sound you're looking for.
Originally Posted by harrymason
Assuming you only use the neck pickup, in instances where the same model guitar is available with either 1 or 2 pups, the two versions may sound different because of the fact that there's one more hole cut into and one more pickup weighting down the top. Pros and cons of this are entirely subjective. If you actually would like use the bridge pickup, then the pros and cons should be self explanatory.
John
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There aren't any major cons really. It'll weigh a bit more and make your guitar resonate less I suppose but how important those aspects are come down to you. As for pros, again not much if you only want to get that "neck pickup, tone rolled off" sound. I find that the middle or bridge position can help your rhythm cut through though you'd want to adjust your tone knob accordingly to not sound out of place or cut through too much
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I just like the idea with one pickup (neck). I really like that dark tone (like in the video I posted, AFJ95. But he has TWO pickups...
) Maybe I should just get a 335-style guitar. One of my favorites, Larry Carlton, use those from time to time... Guess you can get that dark, mellow tone from a 335 too, right?
Last edited by harrymason; 10-18-2018 at 05:30 AM.
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That tone basically amounts to neck pickup with the tone rolled off to taste, the amp does the rest of the work
Honestly if it's electric tone you're after get whatever guitar you like, don't worry too much what some guy in a video is playing, now days it's not too hard to get whatever sound you want
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I know, I have a tele with single coils and a LP with humbuckers. There some nice jazzy sounds you can get with these guitars. And I've been watching inspiring videos with players like Ed Bickert, Ulf Wakenius, Larry Carlton, Jack Pearson, who also uses tele and LP.
I guess it's mostly GAS, you see someone play something cool on a certain guitar, and you think "gotta have that".
Maybe sometimes less is more.
Maybe...
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For the music I like, a single pickup is all I need.
I haven’t used the bridge pickup in 10 years.
JD
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I have noticed, generally, among the guitars I own, those with just a neck pickup have louder, and even better, acoustic sound than those with two pickups. I think the top right around the bridge is critical for good acoustic resonance, whereas up at the neck, already the heel block is dampening a lot of the vibration, so a neck pickup routed in there doesn't hurt the acoustic sound. My ES165 and my Epiphone Zephyr Regent Re-Issue both have a really surprisingly nice acoustic tone. The tone of my 2-pickup archtops isn't really terrible, but those two stand out.
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Deffo 2 on a solid or centre block guitar please ....
But 2 isn't necessary for a clean sound on a jazz box
(but it doesn't hurt that much to have 2 on there tho)
and You can use the switch as a mute ....
(I used a bit of both pus the other day playing Green Onions .... don't ask)
Pat metheny went to the trouble to
actually take the bridge pu off his old 175
Maybe he wanted more acoustic in his sound ...
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If you care more about acoustic tone being a part of your sound and/or feel, get a single pickup axe. If you care more about tonal versatility when amplified, get a guitar equipped with two.
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You said that so much better than me ! Originally Posted by rpguitar
Spot on
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The packing material under the bridge in that first video raises my blood pressure.
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That appears in so many YouTube videos guitars, which clearly have been purchased and taken home, that I think many people don't realize it's supposed to be removed. Originally Posted by customxke
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guy in the red T shirt playing Ibanez AFJ95 should maybe remove the felt/plastic from underneath the bridge, ( normally sign of cheapo fake). not a good jazz tone, just a generic electric guitar sound of sorts.
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Sign of cheapo fake? More like sign of how every single Ibanez guitar ships from the factory. Originally Posted by Durban
Agreed, his tone and playing are...well...bad.
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