Jazzmaster Pickups Vs P90: Difference & Which One is Better?

Most people with efficient knowledge about pickups know that Jazzmaster pickups and P90 pickups are not the same at all. Even though they look similar to some great extent, you will be amazed to learn their hilarious internal differences.

Only the comparison between Jazzmaster pickups Vs P90 can lead you to the right answer. When we talk about pickups, there are two basics of them that we can follow – single coils and humbuckers. Both these types are effective.

However, there are numerous differences between Jazzmaster pickups and P90 pickups. They don’t even sound like each other. While the former helps your electric guitar sounds brighter, the latter helps to produce a less bright sound. To learn more about the differences, stay with us.

We’ve added a comparison table too.

Comparison Table:

Jazzmaster Pickups & P90 Pickup Reviews:

Before we jump into deciding which one excels the other, let us inform you that both Jazzmaster and P90 pickups have solid discreteness. Their development is evident in their uniqueness. Also, it is hard to find similarities between these two pickups as they come with different features. Let’s reveal their individualities by revealing them one by one.

About Jazzmaster Pickups:

Jazzmaster has been manufacturing pickups for your electric guitars and its progression is worth attention. These pickups are not only suitable for surf music but you can also play rock n’ roll or blues music with them to a great range.

Their different pickups come with different abilities to provide tones that suit all types of music genres. From crystal clear tone to sparkling and chime tone, Jazzmaster provides accurately featured pickups. However, these pickups are famous for their big and wide single coil.

The thin tone makes the Jazzmaster pickups popular among many famous music bands. Besides, the strong pole pieces are made with magnetized alnico rods. But as they are pre-adjusted, you cannot adjust them later. Getting noiseless Jazzmaster pickups means précising your music ability.

Things We Liked / Pros:

• Comes with the best internal feature as a single-coil pickup
• Great dimensions and placing of the strong pole pieces
• Pole pieces made with reliable material like alnico magnets
• Suitable Jazzmaster pickup height from 2.4-3.2 mm

Things We Didn’t Like / Cons:

• The pole pieces cannot be re-adjusted later

About P90 Pickups:

When you hear single-coil pickups, you definitely hear of P90 pickups too. Their coil is unanimously bigger than any other single-coil pickup. You will be amazed seeing the magnetic feature and use of a P90 pickup.

Magnets always assure the precision of the sound quality and in this term, P90 pickups carry two magnetic bars themselves. These bars are made with quality magnets – Alnico II. The wider and double-sized appearance of the pickup strengthens the sound quality of your electric guitar too.

P90 pickups are a great source for making a creamy or beefy tone with their mid-range sounding feature. Besides, the pole pieces a P90 pickup carries are adjustable as per the musician’s desire. However, the warm distortion and grounding of sound produced by a P90 pickup provide a twisted sense.

Things We Liked / Pros:

• A large single-coil pickup that has a very convenient look
• Comes with two Alnico II magnetic bars to provide precise sound quality and resistance
• Get the right tone of hard rock and heavy metals from a P90 pickup
• The adjustable pole pieces heighten the supremacy of those pickups

Things We Didn’t Like / Cons:

• Because of much lower mids, the loudness can make P90 pickups hum

Difference Between Jazzmaster Pickups Vs P90 –

We have already mentioned the fact that how a P90 pickup and a Jazzmaster pickup look almost the same from the outside. But the truth is revealed when we gave individual descriptions of these two magnificent branded pickups above. It shows how these two pickups are completely different from the inside. However, their dissimilarities will reveal more of the fact that they are not the same.

Single Coil –

Though it is true that both Jazzmaster pickups and P90 pickups are indeed single-coil devices, there are some differences in different ways. While the Jazzmaster pickup carries a wider coil, the P90 pickup carries a taller coil.

The width of a Jazzmaster coil is almost 1.4 inches. On the other hand, the coil of a P90 pickup is 1.1inch wide. Then again, if we measure from the height, the coil of Jazzmaster is 1/8 inches tall and in the case of P90, it is ¼ inches tall.

Pickup Wideness –

Even though you might think both Jazzmaster pickups and P90 pickups have almost the same size, there is a slight difference. Size matters as most electric guitars produce effective sound if you choose the accurate-sized pickup and it perfectly fits in your instrument too.

However, Jazzmaster pickups are wider and they are 3.5 inches long. Conversely, P90 pickups come with 3.2 inches in width. This precise measurement will help you to understand which pickup your guitar can carry more efficiently.

Magnetic Feature –

A guitar pickup without magnetic features is impossible to imagine. Magnetic features help to heighten the quality of the pickup big time. However, in this case, P90 pickups legit excel Jazzmaster pickups. They carry 4 times more magnetic features than the Jazzmaster pickups have.  As a result, P90 pickups have more horsepower than the Jazzmaster ones.

Magnetic Bar –

The magnetic bar in a pickup is a very significant feature, as it helps the guitar strings during their vibration. But this feature is not available in many quality pickups and Jazzmaster is one of them. On the other hand, P90 pickups are featured with two solid pieces of magnetic bars for a better-sounding system.

Pole Pieces –

Among other significant features, pole pieces are also included. On one hand, the pole pieces of P90 pickups are adjustable and on the other hand, they are pre-adjusted in the case of Jazzmaster pickups. So, you cannot re-adjust those pole pieces if you bring a Jazzmaster pickup.

But the game-changing fact is that Jazzmaster represents alnico magnetic pole pieces. As a result, they are very much strong and won’t be damaged soon. Conversely, the steel-made pole pieces of P90 pickups tend to damage a little earlier.

Tone Quality –

The narrow magnetic feature of Jazzmaster pickups helps them produce clear and sparkling sound. That makes them perfect for playing Blues and Jazz music genres. Conversely, P90 pickups produce more of a beefy and creamy tone perfect for hard rock and heavy metal genres. The former ones also have fewer mids while the latter has more mids.

So, which Pickup is better?

From the dissimilarities, it is evident that you cannot avoid any of the pickups. Both Jazzmaster and P90 are great and come with significant and distinct features. The rest is up to you actually. If you want a pickup with more magnetic features and mids, then pick P90 pickups. And if you want your electric guitar produces more of a clean and high sound, then Jazzmaster pickups are your true call.

Pickups are the savior of the carrier of musicians and Jazzmaster and P90 pickups are serving their jobs for many years. Jazzmaster Pickups Vs P90, these two very different types of pickups are honestly reliable.

FAQs:

Question-1. What are Jazzmaster pickups good for?

Answer: For blues, jazz, and tones of other music genres, you can easily rely on Jazzmaster pickups. Their feature soap-bar-like shape and magnetic feature allow you to experiment with new sounds with it.

Question-2. Why are P90 pickups so good?

Answer: P90 pickups are genuinely super good because of their alnico magnetic-made features. These features allow the pickup to control the sound of the strings and you can discover versatile tones with it.

Question-3. Are Jazzmaster pickups noisy?

Answer: Because the surface area of a Jazzmaster pickup is a little bit larger, you might experience some noise. But the noise can be alleviated by lowering the volume of the amp.

Question-4. What pickups are in a Jazzmaster?

Answer: Jazzmaster has pickups of both white and black color. The soap-bar shape is highly popular. Their Lollar ones are always on hype.

Question-5. Do P90 pickups hum?

Answer: P90 pickups produce a warmer tone. The tone grinds seamlessly too. But sometimes the mid-range feature of sounding makes them hum a bit.

Last Updated on October 13, 2023 by Perry Garner