ON THE BENCH #2: Lollar/Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickups Installation & Demo

[@VelcorHF]

You are absolutely doing the right thing here. I've always wondered why you haven't been on youtube as your content is so suitable for it. There is a lot of room in the offset guitar niche here and you have a good blend of good guitar maintenance, playing and wholesome attitude that will keep people coming back.

[@Puisheen]

Hey thank you so much, this means a lot. There are so many reasons I didn't do this earlier, and maybe I'll talk more about them down the road. Doing it finally has been great!

[@Aniki82]

@@Puisheen Yes yes and yes !! We need you ahaha Damn If only I could send you some of my guitar for maintenance xD But i'm in france v_v

[@andy_watt]

I really felt it when Mike yelled “My Aesthetics!”

[@KristofferPaulsen]

Three things..1. Foaming over foam! 2. Man the look and feel of the vids is getting better and better!! Love the bench cam! 3. Crazy what a difference recording with an actual amp and pedals makes. Sound is greaaat. Oh and fourth.. that midrange on the BB’s is gorgeous. Right up my alley. Viva la Michael!

[@Puisheen]

omg Kris I love u so much

[@KristofferPaulsen]

@@Puisheen ILU2

[@poetryofbeing]

The ocd talk about the pickup covers is super relatable. I shouldn't be so attached to a piece of plastic (or resistant to it being changed!), but these things matter to that buzzer in our heads. Glad that you are able to manage it and thanks for sharing (makes it feel less isolating).

[@Puisheen]

Heyyyyy thank you for saying so. I think I've learned to manage it well enough, and even use it to my advantage in music and guitar repair, but sometimes it's just a LOT

[@hollymartins6913]

Thank you for your wonderful positive attitude and your sense of social responsibility and tolerance. And, the luscious Jazzmasters.

[@davepuxley7387]

DS9 theme right off the bat?!?!? Glory to you - and your house!

[@ernststavroblofeld2109]

Every jazz master with a matching headstock is beautiful

[@Updog89]

I’m so hoping one day to see these directly compared with Fralins, Novaks, Seymour Duncans, and Fender pickups. It’s so confusing and overwhelming to consider all these options! Edit: Oh and apparently there are also Kinmans and Brandonwounds!

[@coleashmore]

We could only hope, but everyone has friends, endorsements, product money etc. I love this channel but I’d doubt he’d or anyone else would do it.

[@Updog89]

@@coleashmore I hear you, but even getting a biased overview of the specs, price points, and side-by-side comparisons would be more information than nothing. As long as it’s clear there is an endorsement it can be taken with the appropriate grain of salt.

[@coleashmore]

@@Updog89 agreed!

[@joshuahek4564]

I have a set of Fralins in my tele. Stock output, the call them vintage hot nowadays. I have a bit of a Frankenstein guitar that currently has tele style neck pups in both the neck and bridge. I want to put TV Jones starwood tele in the neck, but am thinking about a P90 in the bridge position. I'm debating between Fralin and Lollar for the P90. I'm going for more of a rockabilly/surf rock tone out of this one. A comparison video might help...

[@WillHeritage]

The single best intro to any video ever.

[@gnosismonkey]

Star Trek DS9 Theme sounded great through those pickups.

[@gnosismonkey]

Crap, or is that Voyager?

[@Puisheen]

DS9! You nailed it!

[@Kaiceratops27]

17:44 just a dude feelin rad. love it mike!

[@Puisheen]

Just a guy bein a guitar dude

[@PaulBoudreau]

First timer on your channel and holy cow am I glad I tuned in : DEEP SPACE NINE FTW

[@MinivanMegafun100]

Aaaawww yeah DS9 theme on a Jazzmaster!

[@johnog8358]

I like the original bridge pick up you had and the new neck one... Thanks! was a very useful video for me as I have a Squier thinline carbonita, I'm going to change pick ups in.

[@jazzblasterrr]

Pancake on the bench? You're like the parent who mixes up their kids names!

[@Puisheen]

Lol absolutely!

[@scottjua]

There's a mid range thing with the Black Bobbins that make a very large difference to me. Top notch!

[@shckltnebay]

Soak those in coffee overnight, thanks so much for the string tip when working on the gtar

[@alexcorona]

I have A2 in my P90s and I love them. They have plenty of output, I’ve never felt like I needed a stronger magnet.

[@eternallearner8185]

Pick up covers, gentle going over with fine white scotchbrite pad, soak in cold black coffee overnight, instant patina and your aesthetics are back.

[@ryanmoss2128]

I love that symbol on the pickguard

[@mralgebro]

I was debating putting P90s in my new Jazzmaster build but after hearing 16:50 I am convinced it must have JM pickups. Wow. Great tones man!

[@DavidGarcia-pi9wn]

Ordered some black bobbins to replace the ear fatiguing pure vintage 65’s Using this as a guide to do the swap myself

[@kevinseth]

Can you make a comparison between 250k pot and 1 meg pot using the lollar pickup?

[@Scrimshaw_DuBois42]

Wow they both sound amazing but the black bobbin ones sound so warm without being muddy, they still got the jangle. Also great playing and overall great video

[@tflo8669]

Long shot that you’ll see this on a 3 year old video…. But. I just installed black bobbins on the black bobbin 920d wiring harness and I’m getting some grounding issues. Particularly in the neck and middle positions. I just have the one ground wire from the volume pot to the trem cavity which is sandwiched between the body and trem. This is how the previous wiring harness was grounded when I removed it. The wiring diagram from 920d has a body ground coming from the rythm selector tone roller and another from the tone pot. Could the lack of body grounds from those two locations lead to grounding problems in the neck and middle positions? Also. What’s a body ground? How is that different from the ground that is sandwiched between the body and the trem? I’ll buy you a coffee. Thanks!

[@the_old_desperado]

My black bobbin set just arrived! Stoked to put them in the JM Pro 2 right now!

[@joesimsmusic]

Did you put these in your Am Pro II? I have one and I’ve been tempted to put these in. What are your impressions compared to the Vmod 2?

[@davidwtsai]

Looking to do the same

[@Tanikaze2]

hell yes DS9, best Trek

[@jfinester]

Don’t worry about the pickup covers! I’ve seen ‘60s custom-color Jazzmasters with mint-green guards and white pickup covers like you’ve got. I’m partial to tortoise guards, but not on Surf Green! Clean, I couldn’t hear any difference between the Black Bobbins and the standard Lollars, but when you switched in the drive, I could sure hear it, and I like the Black Bobbins better.

[@JonnyJin]

Nice video mate, can you do a video comparing late 50s / mid 60s Jazzmaster pickups? Always wondered what the differences in tone is

[@locky828]

Believe the fifties had black bobbin pickups which are much darker in sound than the grey bobbins in the 60s

[@viccolfari8341]

Saw some guy put new guitar knobs in coffee over night and they got a nice vintage look. You can try that with your new pickup covers.

[@Puisheen]

Oh I know, I just wasn't going to go to the trouble

[@TheDotyboy]

If you really can’t deal with the bright white new covers, you can always stain them using coffee. Another option is that black covers might look very good on that guitar. Lovely guitar, no matter what you decide to do. Love the video.

[@Puisheen]

[@richardhenrickson6711]

Hey Mike! Don't mean to trap you in a corner, but for closest, early JM sound quality: Novak Historic '58 (w/ FAT bridge) OR Lollar Black Bobbin? Perhaps a preposterous query, but there it is. 😀

[@cmdredstrakerofshado1159]

Awesome DS9 theme in the opening👍

[@michael_crean]

Thanks Mike this was fantastic. Your content is so much fun to watch. Keep it coming!

[@chriskoch2465]

Always enjoy your content. Pickups sound great and so do you. Never subscribed to a channel and found myself watching every past video like I have with your. 👍

[@ryanwhite5482]

Merry Christmas Mike! I love my loller jazzmaster pickups. They completely changed my Jazzmaster. The first jazzmaster I ever played (a Nash JM-63) had lollars and I loved it

[@RomoNosky]

I installed the Lollar/Black Bobbin pickups in my American Original 60's Jazzmaster and like them a lot more than the stock Pure Vintage 65's. More mids and less harsh tone on the high end. I used the Fender pickup covers because I accidentally put a nice scratch on one of the Lollar covers and the pole pieces fit perfectly!

[@Puisheen]

I agree, these are superior to those stock units!

[@DonThorvund]

I love that we chat about Lollar Pickups and then you posted a video on them. Its not like you had this in your queue or anything. Clearly I influenced your video production choices. ;). Haha

[@bretolson8484]

I hope Dennis McCarthy watches this and enjoys your fantastic playing. Impression: smile, gleeful, heart swelling, small tear 🥲

[@matt_ess153]

As always a pleasure to see how you are doing and get to be in your work shop for a few minutes. Thank you for putting a video out today. Makes the day a little more special.

[@Puisheen]

Thank you, Matt! Happy holidays!

[@dougbostick2299]

I'm getting ready to install some J Mascis signature jazzmaster pickups on my squier 40th vintage jm. This is my first time soldering, and like you, I have OCD. Any tips on getting over the first time jitters?

[@dougbostick2299]

I DID IT!!!

[@TomCarmony]

Happy holidays Mike! Your videos are a joy and this one’s no exception. These pickups sound great!

[@Puisheen]

TOM thank you and happy holidays to you my friend! I hope you're well!

[@johnwilliams3142]

Checking you out for the first time... Opening with DS9?? Subscribed. I need no more convincing.

[@shawnadams1693]

Another killer and sugar-infused video! Thanks Mike, you're the best.

[@marcomelillo4590]

Merry Christmas!!!

[@JohnnyGuitarRosskopf]

The pickups you compare the black bobbins with - is it the lollar 58 or 63 set?

[@hkguitar1984]

I totally understand about the OCD, today it is pickup covers, tomorrow.....................who knows. Myself, I've finally been able to leave the vintage Greenbacks alone in my cab as I went through a phase where the era-correct doping of the speaker cone was a significant "issue" for myself. Nice JM and great review of the new Lollars. I've an older '66 RI JMB in sunburst that is using a pair of Antiquity IIs, the Lollar offerings have the win with the use of AlNiCo II. BTW, I've found that I much prefer the AlNiCo II magnets in all my pickups from PAF to Stratocaster/Telecaster. Also, the Mastery Bridge upgrade is a must for any Offset. And while costly I know of nobody who has regretted the upgrade. Thank You for your content, Merry Holidays to all. Awesome shout-out for your Mom's cookies.

[@Puisheen]

Yeah, it really can be set off by anything. I'm much better at managing it than I used to be but it's still rough sometimes! Merry Holidays and a Happy Decemberween to you!

[@essehindeed]

Thanks for the upload. Got to enjoy it Christmas morning before my kids woke up. Interestingly, the black bobbin pole pieces seem to fit in my original 61 pickup covers, so maybe the OG lollars are an outlier. As always, a great piece of content Mike

[@CraigHlavka]

you're a hilarious guy and good playing. Enjoyed the video :)

[@ronny8383able]

Enjoying your videos, very educational and helping me with my selection on the guitar I want.

[@ashrafimaduddin8162]

Great vid as always mike! Excited to see a comparison between the lollar black bobbins vs seymour duncan antiquity 1, since they both uses alnico 2 :)

[@sgriggl]

star trek DS9 theme! ok, you get a like for that

[@johndogwater]

Oh hell yeah, worth a like for the Trek theme alone!

[@parkerstang1342]

Surely you know this trick, I'm only halfway through while posting... but if you scuff those PU covers up with a sponge or steel wool and drop them in a container with very strong black tea or water with lots of coffee grinds and let them sit a few days they will stain in a very natural, smokey way. Loving this PA setup and content, much love from one OCD sufferer to another.

[@Puisheen]

Oh I'm sure I could do that Parker, and I may at some point. Honestly I'm looking at my old covers and thinking I may just alter the holes a little bit? Ah, but then I'd see that too. Ugh

[@jamesreyes4654]

I’ve been dreaming of a jazz master that looks like that 🤤🤤

[@davidkieltyka9]

Dunno if they’re the norm or even close to it, but the pickups in my ‘66 Jazzer measure 7.5 and 7.72KOhms respectively.

[@Puisheen]

That's pretty good for greys, slightly hotter than usual in my experience.

[@jesseasch-ortiz6136]

Came for pickup demo and stayed for OCD/resistance to change support group

[@davidwood351]

I’m OCD too. I just gotta put screws back in the original holes.

[@dezb1]

Nice DS9 - my favorite Star Trek series

[@Puisheen]

I re-watch TNG at least once per year, and DS9 and Voyager always get one.

[@Invixb1e]

Damn I was madly scrolling through, hoping I was the only one to have figured the song out. You beat me to it! . Lol. Got these black bobbins on my list.

[@firecrackerheart]

love your content.....LOVE your playing!

[@soyburglar77]

How does this guy only have 5k subs?! These offset videos are great!

[@Puisheen]

You are too kind!

[@soyburglar77]

Just keep up the videos! Your time will come, if that’s what you want.

[@Puisheen]

@@soyburglar77

[@jackgreenwood1817]

Merry Christmas Mike and family :)

[@Puisheen]

Same to you Jack!

[@stevepethel6843]

That's some good playing Mike

[@robwolfe6021]

really enjoyed the video! really informative and really like your style! The Jazzmaster is a great instrument. I've played strats and teles for years but just got my first Jazzmaster this year. Its great! Very unique and fun

[@ampman40]

Merry Christmas! Great video and those black bobbins do sound great. Could you soak those covers in tea or coffee for a bit?

[@Puisheen]

I could but it's more about that pick wear for me

[@christophergallagher531]

Hey 3 years back. I hope the covers blend now. I am new to this style of pick up, not to the off set body. I went for a '66 E XII 30 years ago. Recently I found Squire makes a Jazzmaster 12! Wow! Trouble is, I am having grief in string to string volume, largely over the mid range scoop. My thought is to look for PUs ( I already play JBLs) with adjustable pole pieces. The black bobbin set seems more articulate in your hands. Hey I came in for perspective, but hung out for your playing. Sugar or not, I dig it. Hey how is the new string spacing working out? 12 string is a night mare, right in the middle of the day, in that respect. One meg pots! I am a treb pass user. You may like a Fender Deluxe Reverb. A real one is easy to work on, but not the 'one hander' the Blues Junior is. I went Supro Delta 10, to fill in that blank. It is what it is. Be well. Chris

[@SIXX2772]

lol.....sorta funny the bobbin issue you had, on a bad day that could have been a trigger for me!...Thank you for the chuckle I needed it.

[@mattgalbraith3050]

Merry Christmas Mike!! I was just playing my T.V.L. Jazzmaster, and was thinking I may try a pickup swap on them. thanks for the video!

[@RadRumblings]

Do it - I put the lollar Jazzmasters in mine (thanks to Mike's suggestion actually) and they sound SO good

[@DestroyingAmpsGearDemos]

New pickups sound great Mike. Merry Christmas

[@ryanchilton4425]

Got a set today. I cannot wait to get them in my AV65!

[@musicmann1967]

Most noticeable change for me was the bridge pickup. Very nice sounding set. The new ones are a bit better to my ears. Watching you OCD out on the pickup covers made me laugh, because I could see me doing exactly the same thing! haha

[@Domino81]

OMG YOU'RE DRINKING #9!!! Sorry... had a moment there... This is making me miss the Jazzmaster I built... like, a lot.

[@joeb564]

My American Pro Jazzmaster, no rhythm circuit, aesthetics, aesthetics,,,😬, but switching out the pickups with Seymour Duncan Vintage for Jazzmaster, helps ease the pain.

[@MatthewSpringer]

I just put this set in my thin skin 58/62AVRI with 500k tone and vol. They sound insanely good.

[@popeyesailor9571]

I like the sound of the standard best.

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

Whatta b-b-b-b-beautiful intro ! 😭

[@angelvargaspartida1891]

Beautiful sound and color scheme on that guitar!

[@RayyanKesnan]

Wow! As usual you did a fantastic video AND I was blown away by these pickups. They might be my favorite Jazzmaster pickups at the moment, or at least a new set that I'm in love with. I liked both of them so much but the Black Bobbins are just extra special. Maybe I'll create a four pickup guitar so I can switch between them 😂

[@taylormoon3561]

Thanks for sharing about your ocd. I have adhd and I feel like it should be more common to acknowledge when your neuro divergence is causing you to react a particular way. That said I think the more aged covers really did look better. Hope the new ones (if they are still in there) age quickly

[@johnnyhayward2235]

i like the pickups I am new to the Jazzmaster and want to purchase one

[@michaelkemp5408]

The pups sounded exactly the same to me 🤦🏻‍♂️ maybe a *slight * difference with the bridge but for me it wouldn’t offset the visual difference with the covers, which I’m 100% on board with - have they aged to match the pick guard yet? Still, love watching your videos and you helped me get my CV Jag playing👌 thanks pal!

[@Gnoychenko]

RC sounds better with the new one, but i prefer the open sound of an old neck pickup, by the way, with new pickup covers your guitar looks even more attractive! Happy new year!

[@Puisheen]

I can see liking that extra brightness for sure! I'll keep playing through my better amps and see where I land

[@SpaghettiBaby-NoodleBoy]

Mike, did you end up keeping these pickups in Artoo?

[@Puisheen]

Yep! I think right now I have the original neck and the BB in the bridge for a mix of early and later sounds that I don't have on other guitars

[@SpaghettiBaby-NoodleBoy]

@@Puisheen That sounds pretty cool. If you get a chance or feel like it, show off those sweet tones! Thanks Mike!

[@StayHomeEatGreat]

Cool pickup swap! Do you know if this Mastery model would also work on a Squire J Mascis?

[@jmacc9876]

They sound pretty close. The brand new covers look great!

[@simonfowler81]

Love your videos, I think I prefer standard Lollar Pick-ups, I have my answer, thanks ❤️

[@mattkilloran]

The black bobbin bridge definitely sounds fuller. I think I prefer the original Lollar neck.

[@Puisheen]

That standard neck does have just a *bit* more top end which I do like in neck pickups

[@paulchristiansen1966]

Been searching for the right pickups for a custom build for a bit now. I think the decision has just been made.

[@AM2PMReviews]

Maybe you could have dyed the new pickup covers to match? I know that OCD feeling

[@therealandrew185]

So hard to decide. I prefer the clean sounds of the BB, but the standard with drive is the ideal jazzmaster sound to me. Back to back really helped me though. Great demo, subscribed

[@surfysonic9847]

Great vid as always. Love your playing. From one OCD bro to another...well, now you'll have to get brighter/whiter knobs, control switch tip, and tremolo tip...or put back in your old pickups with the old covers and all will be right with the universe. :P

[@trunks828]

My question would be have you tired the new j mascis pickups? It seems to have very similar specs minus the black bobbins probably more closer to antiquity 1. I’ve been using them for a year and love them. Just looking around for something “better”

[@marcmistermarc]

Thanks for this review. I’m quite a fan of the mid to late sixties grey bobbin Jazzmaster pickups and I have yet to find someone who has matched the sound of the vintage pickups. I am thinking of ordering a set that are plain enamel wire rather than Formvar wire and use A2 magnets with a lowish output and see if I can get closer to the sound which is quite different to the Formvar A5 earlier black bobbin formula. I have a ‘65 reissue (Firemist silver with matching headstock - actually more of a blue colour) with Pure Vintage ‘65 pickups recipe.

[@BlingFreeJ]

Is that the Tri-Star theme?

[@bradthomas5184]

Such great videos! Thank you! Hey random question but have you done anything on the new Jazzmaster Ultra model and pickup swaps on those? I bought a Lollar JM P90 for bridge and a regular Lollar JM for neck and I told them the guitar I'm adding them to and they said there might be an issue with the RW / RP wiring in the Lollar pups (for hum cancelling) and the in-phase / out-of-phase switch on the JM Ultra. They also have an S-1 switch for changing to in-series and roller volume blend knobs. I'm just hoping the RW/RP setup on the Lollars doesn't cause an issue with all of that unique wiring / switching. Maybe there's already a video on that or perhaps you have insights?? I think the potential issue is with the phase switch (which they added in place of the "rhythm / lead" switch at the top). Thanks for all the great work and advice for guitarists!!

[@hkguitar1984]

+1 to 1M Ohm pots for Jazzmasters, it is part of what gives them their signature tone/sound.

[@shckltnebay]

Im using 250k and my overwound pickups are as bright as a strat

[@alexradsby]

That smile at 15:46 says it all. I'm trying to decide between Lollar Blackbobbins or the Novak JM-Fat & JM-V, impossible choice for me haha. Any thoughts on the subject? I don't think I've heard them through the same rig, so I can't really say how they differ from each other.

[@iuchilton]

Did you ever decide? I'm in the same boat.

[@alexradsby]

@@iuchilton I got the JM-FAT & JM-V. Perfect for rock tones for sure.

[@iuchilton]

Thanks for that. Reading the JM-Fat description was surprised to read reduced mids...when I think of fattening up a bridge I'd assume more mid Content like these black bobbin ones seem to have

[@AndreaAustoni]

Beautiful intro!

[@pikeysrock]

Okay, I love you twice as much now!

[@ronway6222]

Hey Mike, I love the look of R2. Is the pickguard mint or parchment color? Going to get to change out my pickguard to match.