Seymour Duncan Jazz Model 7 String Neck

Seymour Duncan is a popular pickup maker. They are more known for their old school or classic pickups. So when they started making 7 string versions of these pickups I was quite surprised. I thought that these pickups would not sound too great because with their vintage voicing they are pretty much the opposite of what you want in a 7 string pickup. This is one of those pickups but it isnt as bad as some of the others. Since this is primarily a neck pickup the areas that let down the seven string JB for example arent normally used with this pickup. This pickup naturally has a bit of brightness to it so it is nice and clear in the neck position. The Jazz is based on the 59 but with a bit more high end. With the 7 string neck pickup you are going to mostly use it for leads and this is what this pickup excells at. Having slightly less low end than the 59 means the Jazz is less boomy and will have more clarity when it comes to playing. This also means the clean tones are very good. With less low end the high strings in the clean tones will really ring out and do not get overpowered by the bass end strings. This pickup is ideal for people with darker sounding guitars that want a smooth neck pickup but not so smooth it gets a muddy sound. For a 7 string I would strongly recommend active pickups because they can handle the low frequences better than passives since they have active preamps. If you are looking for a good neck pickup for your 7 string guitar and dont want to go with a set of active pickups this is probably the best passive 7 string neck pickup you can get.

The Seymour Duncan Jazz 7 is probably the second most popular neck pickup in the Duncan seven string lineup. It features slugs on one coil, adjustable screw heads on another, four conductor wiring and an Alnico 5 magnet.

This pickup is very similar to the ’59 7. The biggest difference is that the treble on this is extended, and it has more of a cleaner quality to it. This helps really keep those fast lines clear and precise sounding. The low end is fat enough to where it keeps things thick but isn’t too muddy. The midrange is fairly even to maybe being a little scooped. This allows it to stay clear and prevent overdriving the amp more than necessary. The treble on this is extended and fairly crisp. It can get a bit piercing in certain guitars, but it’s generally not too bad.

I find this pickup works best with clean tones. Under gain, it’s not too bad, but I think the ’59 7 sounds better under midgain and high gain. It’s just that this pickup sounds a bit more sterile than the ’59 7. However, some people love that quality. This pickup sounds awesome both split and in parallel.

I generally recommend this pickup if you have a fatter sounding guitar. Therefore, I find it to be better suited for mahogany or basswood. However, every piece of wood is different. Don’t assume that just because you have a certain wood, it’ll sound a certain way. They’re all just general characteristics.

If you’re not satisfied with the ’59 7 and find yourself wanting a clearer, brighter sound, I recommend this pickup. It’s a very nice pickup, and lead tones just sing when it’s installed in a darker sounding guitar. If you find yourself wanting something a bit more vintage, give the ’59 7 a look and see how that works out for you.