Pickup Alternatives for John Mayer Tone // 635JM, Lollar, Lindy Fralin

[@brandoh1717]

Dude you are the man. Thank you making this video. Great comparison and demo for Mayer fans to see. I agree with all of your opinions on the various pickups. They are all great in their own ways. I have lollars in my strat and love them so much. They nail the 2000s Mayer- Continuum/Where the Light Is tones perfectly

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I appreciate that! I just got this new Mike Lull guitar today with their own pickups. They do the Silver Sky thing really well.

[@jakechan4439]

Love that Lollar's voicing

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Great pickups!

[@stratboy82]

The PRS sounded more hi-fi and kind of harsh. The Lollars and Fralins sounded better for both clean and drive plus had more of a vintage warmth. Fralins had the most balance and their midrange was the best. PRS had the most scooped tons, but it lacked character. Strange that other pickups have a better Mayer tone than the PRS, but I’m sure there are other factors.

[@TheOtherOtherJoey]

Great comparison, super helpful. Also… I’m 99% sure our dads are friends and I knew you as a kid. Didn’t expect that when pickup hunting. Haha

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Oh wow! That’s crazy. I’m sure you don’t want to share your name here, so email me at [e-mail].

[@nemoridge84]

I got a PRS SE Silver Sky few weeks ago and compared it to my Fender FSR Player Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50's in it. I had the feeling that both pickups where relatively close to each other (soundwise). I know, the PRS SE has only the low budget 635JM in it - I just wanted to share my experience.

[@rsuazon]

Great comparison - thanks so much for this!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Of course!

[@musiccreation1198]

Interesting. I easily preferred the 635JM,

[@kjellodnebreitebakk]

Yeah, me too.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Once I got the Lollar Dirty Blonde-set . . ."my tone search" ended right there.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Yeah they’re amazing!

[@bluepencil99]

Loved the Lollars! Then Fralins and finally Mayer….but all great!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

They’re all pretty awesome!

[@Elmamariavarios]

Neck//Middle 635JM - 1:59 Fralin - 2:13 Lollar - 2:28 Neck 635JM - 2:42 Fralin - 3:07 Lollar - 3:31 Neck Lead 635JM - 3:55 Fralin - 4:46 Lollar - 5:38

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Thanks for indexing for me! Haha. Sorry, forgot to do that.

[@Elmamariavarios]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar lol

[@kjellodnebreitebakk]

The Silver sky has a 300k volume pot with a resistor to make it 260 something. Can’t remember the exact number. But it is another variable at least.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I forgot about that one. Good point!

[@alexcorll90]

All are actually fairly close to me. The 635JM has a thicker tone in general and seem to have more sustain somehow. The Fralin hots have more grit, the Lollars have a bit more high end and get slightly thinner sounding.

[@CharlySantosGuitarrista]

Lollar sounds delicious with drive, and 635JM sounds amazing clean

[@karlmartin849]

*Q Pickups* on Reverb make a great set of both the Big Dippers, and Silver Sky. They sound great, more affordable also.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Oh interesting! Maybe I’ll try to get a Squier and put those in. That would make a cool video.

[@karlmartin849]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar I've got them in Japanese Squier Silver Series and they sound great.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

@karlmartin849 that’s not a bad idea. A classic vibe 60s Squier and those silver sky copies would be a great pairing and a fun project!

[@karlmartin849]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar Here they are above, in case you're interested. Would what you think of them compared to the more expensive set's.

[@fernandoa.chinchillas6361]

En Argentina, Diliberto Pickups hace un modelo JM (John Mayer), yo las tengo en mi Stratocaster y son increíbles, saludos desde México.

[@nowhereman1402]

en cuanto te salieron ya puestas en Mexico? Saludos

[@finoroverato7640]

All great pickups Lollar and silver sky are closer in sound listening thru youtube.However i would take the Fralins as far as tone is concerned.i think fralin vintage hot would have been a closer comparison or his real 54s

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Yep, all great pickups. They all yield something a bit different. Playing the Fralin’s and 635s side by side feel similar more in the mids and top end. More lows in the 635s. Lollars are lower output and overall a bit more clear and scooped. I think they can both do the JM thing, but more so different eras.

[@finoroverato7640]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitarfralin blues special neck 6.3k middle 6.3k bridge 7.1k Thanks for the insightful review! Cheers

[@raulramirezguitar]

Great video!! But for a real opinion i need to hear the 3 pickups sets on the same guitar...

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I feel ya. I just didn’t want to be swapping them out on these guitars. Overall similar tone woods and such. But overall some subtle differences. More in the feel for me.

[@AngelLeppard]

Suhr V63 are a good option too.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I’ve only tried the MLs and V60lps. These were just ones I already had.

[@ShameinAnaheim]

635JM are Alnico 5 if I'm not mistaken? I'm pretty sure the Fralins are A2. The real 54 might be a closer match.

[@aznsensation44]

did you know there's pickup makers out there that specifically focus on the Mayer tone? Like Klein pickups Jazzy Cat / S-5 or Radioshop pickups Blk1 or D Allen Strat cats?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Yes of course. I’m not one to swap pickups in guitars so this video was made with all stock guitars I had at the time. There are great winders out there that do the Mayer thing for sure.

[@tomsandowtz]

If you actually want the SS tone, Genesis 635 would be the way to go as they are exact clones of pickups in a 2021 - present day Silver Sky, instead of looking at other brands options that aren’t very close. Also what year is your SS? The pickups do vary in the models the older years being higher output and the newer ones being a lot lower. Sounds like a newer one to my ear at least but that’s important info for SS pickups!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Yes, I do know of the Genesis ones and have heard they’re great. Just using the ones I’ve already had and can do the JM thing really well too. The SS is a 2022. Think it did mention it in the video with the specs. Oddly enough, even this SS pickups were slightly hotter than the other two. In the end they’re 60s style pickups that do the JM thing!

[@tyroil3078]

Sorry, I can't really pick out the name. What is the brand of the other guitars that you are playing? The blue one with turtle shell is beatiful!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

That one is a surf green although it appears to be more of a sonic blue. Hard to capture the color. That one and the shell pink one are Mike Lull SX Customs. They’re a builder here in the Seattle area. Very very high end guitars with the best feeling necks I’ve ever played.

[@altag1]

subjective preference: liked both the fralins and Lollars... could not bond with tthe PRS's.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

The SS pickups are great, but they have this pushed midrange and natural compression. To me, uncharacteristic of strat pickups. But still great!

[@martyfriedman86]

Hi! Thank you for posting all these demos & john mayer tone tutorials! how did the Suhr v60lp work for you? where you able to get mayer-esque tones with those? i find they work wonderful for overdrive but struggle a bit to get chimey clean sounds

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Of course! The Suhr was quite awhile ago so it’s hard to remember, but obviously it’s not here anymore😂 I found they lacked some character. Maybe too much high end roll off? I also really think their silent single coil system robs tone. Just my opinion. Sorry, wish I could give you a better opinion.

[@martyfriedman86]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar thank you for your reply! Did you have the same issue with the MLs?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

@martyfriedman86 I only had the Mateus sig for about a month before I sold it. To me those were the least stratty pickups I’ve tried. In between positions had very little quack to them and maybe too much in the lows.

[@jonaszdabrowski]

​@@JonKaneshiroGuitar I know this is old, but might help someone in the future - Because of the Suhr silent system the middle pickup is non-rwrp, which reduces the quack big time on the in between positions. I'm swapping the pickups in mine because of that, as I find the MLs too thick and not as stratty as I'd like them to be.

[@Snek03]

Have you compared any of these with the Fender Pure Vintage 57/62 pickups? Are they close?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Sorry, I haven’t tried yet.

[@Snek03]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar No worries. Thanks for responding!

[@kevinmackfurniture]

My personal opinion is the Vintage 57'-62 set are the Best strat pickups Fender makes. They are also about $150 Less than the 3 brands tested here.

[@Snek03]

@@kevinmackfurniture Awesome! Thanks

[@genesistotalhealth]

Have you tried out the Lambertone Triple shots?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Not extensively. I tried them in a friends guitar probably three years ago. Maybe someday!

[@genesistotalhealth]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar right on! Great video regardless. I liked the lollars but the fralins sounded great too. Couldn’t go wrong with any of the sets.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Thanks! They all kind of do their own thing. I used to not be a big believer in pickups. I used to think they make a small difference and could be worked around with just amp settings and such. After playing so many and also playing through amp modelers using studio headphones I can hear the differences. Hot pickups vs low output and even hearing the natural compression. Like I’m a firm believer that the Silver Sky pickups (SE and core) have this natural compression to them. I can really tell when I’m listening to JM playing his SS vs his strats. Not sure what it is. But in the end it’s what inspires!

[@genesistotalhealth]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar i agree 💯 for the $ and what you get in the SS SE its a phenomenal work horse. I just swapped the bridge pup for a SD lil 59 for my personal taste and i love the guitar. I had a 96 strat with CS 69s and it too was phenomenal. Anyway great playing! You are skilled!

[@joeysgear1419]

Why does the video say Blues Specials and the description Vintage Hots? I assume they are the latter because blue specials would be a bad match for John Mayer.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

The bridge pickup of the green one is a Blues Special and the neck and middle are the Vintage Hots. That’s the pairing they decided on for this build.

[@willcook1530]

What setting were you using on the fractal?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Oh geez! That was awhile ago but definitely one of my two rock and Dumble presets. I have quite a few different versions for Mayer tone on my website! Check them out. www.jonkaneshiroguitar.com

[@willcook1530]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar thanks!

[@jovanhalim8408]

does suhr v63 can do better job?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Honestly haven’t had a chance to try the V63s!

[@zhangke1350]

lollar is closer than lindy to my ears

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

In the end, there’s this feel that make them all different. The Fralin’s have a sweetened top end like the 635jm’s and similar output. The Lollar’s are very clear sounding which comes through well even on the iPhone speakers. They all sound great though.

[@daveandrew7014]

I think in the mix the Lollars would sound closest to JM

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I agree too especially that older JM thing. For the newer stuff probably the Fralin’s.

[@Markcio182]

What capacitors sre on the other 2 guitars?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Good question! No idea.

[@daveandrew7014]

Are the Lollars staggered or flat poled?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Flat

[@crispychips77]

Hi there, are the Lindy Fralins, the Blues special or vintages hots? In the video towards the end it comes up on the screen with “blue’s special”, and in the description it says vintage hots. Thank you!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Both! Neck and middle are vintage Hots and the bridge is a blues special

[@crispychips77]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar thanks so much for clearing that out, do you have a personal favorite strat set that you use currently?

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Right now I love the Lollar Blondes! Those are in my pink Lull. Unfortunately I had to sell that green one. Really didn’t want to. Had to pay some bills with that money or else I would have kept it.

[@BlackDotPatrick]

Lollars for me.

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

I wish I could reshoot this video because I have a new Lull SX with their own pickups that are 63-esque. They remind me a lot of 635jms but without the compression.

[@nickfanning]

Lollars

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

A certain pickup won’t give you someone’s tone no more than Picasso’s brushes making one paint like him

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

That’s not really the point of the video.

[@JHKNVY02]

@@JonKaneshiroGuitar Agreed!

[@alexlehneis5288]

Lindys crush this, 635JMs are just bad, Lollars are a but shrill in the high end with the dirt but still far better than the 635JM

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

Both are great. I honestly didn’t jive with the 635s as much as I hoped. Unfortunately I had to get rid of my Lull with the Lindys in them. Might try to swap out the Lollars at some point.

[@finoroverato7640]

Fralins are killer!

[@JonKaneshiroGuitar]

@finoroverato7640 they sure are!

[@ocelotl23]

I have the same lollars and they are everything but shrill, they sound sweet and soft and work very well with distortion,they have A2. The best strat pickup I have played.

[@joesaxon6566]

635JM all day long...