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Hey team!

I have had my Fender MIJ Jag for nearly 10 years now? And I love it a lot, will probably never sell it. Wanting to change the pickups, refinish and maybe mod it?

First thing I want to do is change the pickups. Almost always exclusively use the neck pup so maybe will not bother with a new bridge pickup at all? Not sure though.
My other guitar is a Ric 330 and I LOVE the hi gain pickups on there and the sound. Not sure if i should try and chase that kind of tone or go a completely different direction?
Any suggestions are welcome. Thinking about alumitones or creamery 'dark line' ones? but also open to other suggestions? playing indie rocky emoy kind of stuff but also looking for something that can maybe cover heavier/noisier/scramzy territory.

I'm also going to be refinishing it I think! and maybe getting a mastery or staytrem. also not sure what to do with the rhythm circuit? could leave as is but I never use it.

anyway sorry for the word vom i dont really know what im asking but if you have any pickup tips or general mod/refin/refurb tips it would be appreciated!

I really wanna recommend Curtis Novak pickups, Staytrem bridge (better than Mastery imo) and the Mastery vibrato unit, but it's really hard to get these things in Australia right now last couple of things I ordered from the US have been in mail limbo for a couple of months, and Staytrem straight up won't ship outside the UK now..

Deluxe Guitars has some Lollar jag pickups and Mastery M2 bridge in stock. Kinda spenno, though.

Hand-wound Jag pickups will probably be a huge upgrade from stock MIJ Fender ones, so it might be worth starting there before chasing something totally different, but they'll probably still be low output compared to the Ric.

edit: Jon at Shub Guitars in melbs winds pickups and has done Jag style ones before, maybe worth hitting him up?

Putting ric pups in a jag is an idea ive had for a while. I think it sound cool and you should do it

Or just move the bridge pickup closer to the neck and do some cool wiring so that you have the neck pickup but more options maybe? Just the neck pickup with a varitone. Fancy jag neck pickup with coil taps. Lots of funoptions

Staytrem is great that's what I have in my jaguar. Masterys also look good but less experience with them.

I've used a seymour duncan hot jaguar pickup for like 10 years and it's excellent. https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/hot-jaguar this one. If you're after a cheaper alternative to the handwound stuff, which is no doubt fantastic but I've not tried any of them. I have been considering getting some Creamerys for my jaguar for years but never done it.


As for the rhythm circuit, well it's easy to take it out - even just remove the wires and leave the switches and rollers in for aesthetics. Personally I find it's easy enough to avoid and every now and then it actually comes in handy. But you could tape over the switch if you find yourself knocking it.

The Pure Vintage Fender pickups are cheap and really really good. I feel like a lot of the other options (Lollar, for example) that I've heard try to "fix" Jaguar pickups, which just means they want the Jag to sound like a Strat or something. The Pure Vintage pickups sound like good Jaguar pickups.

Thanks so much for the tips everyone! much to think about

Pickups
- so many options! so many price points!
- i think i have decided to chase the 'good jaguar' tone rather than something completely different//comparable to the ric
- Shub is a great idea! Love his stuff so so much (have wanted something of his since he was doing 2012 guitars)!
- def don't feel confident installing ric pickups in the jag i think, probably gotta stick to normal single coils for now
- anyone had lipsticks in a jag before? old mate from A Place To Burt Strangers guitars always look sick.

Bridge/trem
- was definitely thinking about the staytrem bridge/mastery vibrato combo! seems like the best way to do it. maybe i can find someone to send me a staytrem

Rhythm circuit
- not just gonna disable it for no reason, i don't typically hit it and its nice to have the option, was more thinking like a series/parallel situation or different wiring options.

gonna have think and a plan and update the thread as i start to buy things!

oh shit also! pots! i think i might drop to a lower count pot? and put in something to stop treble bleed

goosekevin wrote:Thanks so much for the tips everyone! much to think about

Pickups
- so many options! so many price points!
- i think i have decided to chase the 'good jaguar' tone rather than something completely different//comparable to the ric
- Shub is a great idea! Love his stuff so so much (have wanted something of his since he was doing 2012 guitars)!
- def don't feel confident installing ric pickups in the jag i think, probably gotta stick to normal single coils for now
- anyone had lipsticks in a jag before? old mate from A Place To Burt Strangers guitars always look sick.

Bridge/trem
- was definitely thinking about the staytrem bridge/mastery vibrato combo! seems like the best way to do it. maybe i can find someone to send me a staytrem

Rhythm circuit
- not just gonna disable it for no reason, i don't typically hit it and its nice to have the option, was more thinking like a series/parallel situation or different wiring options.

gonna have think and a plan and update the thread as i start to buy things!

Oh yeah I've thought about doing mods to the rhythm circuit for a decade. And I... haven't done it yet but there's still time.

I'd send you a staytrem. I think I make this offer to people like every 6 months. I'm not endorsed by the brand I just like the product

I find the rhythm circuit pretty useful in a recording context, but the Am Pro layout seems neat too. No tone-cut switch kinda sucks but maybe the extra sounds are even better, idk.



Component-wise, this setup is a pretty good way to go if you're sticking to normal jaguar pickups https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fender-Jaguar-Wiring-Harness-Treble-Bleed-Upgrade/222565847955
(can DIY it for half the price obv)

I know bugger all about refinishing but am psyched to see how it turns out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfmXY3D8HMI

The American pro wiring seems really interesting

The Pure Vintage 65 Jaguar pickups are great (stock on the AV65 and American Original), you could probably pick up a used set.

Staytrem is great but if you can't find one the American Professional bridge is almost as good - it has springs instead of a screw set up for the saddles but other than that it's pretty close (and in the US at least, available for much less than a secondhand Staytrem).

I think I'm going to order one of the Descendant vibratos from Swope.

I put Novaks in my Jag like 10 years ago and I haven't ever wanted to try anything else.
If you don't really use the bridge pickup, maybe try a lipstick there. I like the airy sound of lipsticks in a bridge.

goosekevin wrote:Hey team!

I have had my Fender MIJ Jag for nearly 10 years now? And I love it a lot, will probably never sell it. Wanting to change the pickups, refinish and maybe mod it?

First thing I want to do is change the pickups. Almost always exclusively use the neck pup so maybe will not bother with a new bridge pickup at all? Not sure though.
My other guitar is a Ric 330 and I LOVE the hi gain pickups on there and the sound. Not sure if i should try and chase that kind of tone or go a completely different direction?
Any suggestions are welcome. Thinking about alumitones or creamery 'dark line' ones? but also open to other suggestions? playing indie rocky emoy kind of stuff but also looking for something that can maybe cover heavier/noisier/scramzy territory.

I'm also going to be refinishing it I think! and maybe getting a mastery or staytrem. also not sure what to do with the rhythm circuit? could leave as is but I never use it.

anyway sorry for the word vom i dont really know what im asking but if you have any pickup tips or general mod/refin/refurb tips it would be appreciated!

I have been thinking about modding my squier jag and i also only use the neck pickup basically. I think I might chuck a small super distortion in the bridge, maybe that solution would be interesting for you also

fcknoise wrote:I think I might chuck a small super distortion in the bridge

You can't "chuck a super distortion" in something and have it be small. It's gotta be full-size and an eyesore, preferably neon.