Calling Jake E Lee Owners

[GodWentPUNK]

I've owned my JELee for about 2 years and I really love the feel of the neck and how easy it is to play.

My biggest complaint is the neck and middle pickups, they sound very bassey, dull to me unlike some of my other Jackson/Charvel stuff. It's missing that "spanky" sound.

My question is: Is what I am hearing typical for this guitar? Are others experiencing the same thing? And if so, have any of you replaced the pickups?

thanks!

joe...

[Grandturk]

Yeah the SDS definitely are not spanky pickups. They are pretty fat and almost p90/humbucker-ish.

[Number Of The Priest]

https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/standard-strat/sds-1

It might look like a Strat® guitar pickup, but the SDS-1™ adds punch, gain, and warmth reminiscent of the best old soapbar pickups. The adjustable pole pieces don't pull as hard as regular rod magnets, so you can get the pickup closer to the strings for stronger output. The highs are less exaggerated and the bottom is deeper than most singles for a rounder, darker tone. If your guitar's bridge position sound is too edgy, without the push needed to drive your amp, remedy the situation with an SDS-1™. Add a pair of True Velvet™ pickups for sparkle, or a True Velvet™ in the neck and an FS-1™ in the middle for balanced tone choices.

[GodWentPUNK]

^^^ I read that... I might try going down this road.

joe...

[GodWentPUNK]

So I went with their recommendations on pickup selection to brighten things up (FS-1 middle and Red Velvet neck). The pickups are custom made so it will take a couple weeks before I get them. I update everyone once it's all done.

joe...

[metalhobo]

one thing you can try with the SDS while you wait is to adjust the pole pieces. try raising them so they mimic the positions of a standard staggered strat pickup. the staggered pole pieces is one of the keys to the classic strat spank.