Use this page to order a prewired Jazzmaster assembly with JM180 Wiring. Select from the options below and then add the assembly to your basket. You will find information about each option is at the bottom of the page. The initial price of every prewired assembly is $0, but after you add it your basket the actual price will be calculated. You can view the total price by viewing your basket contents.
Prewired Jazzmaster - JM-180 Two Zone Wiring
Code: JM180
Product Details
JM180 2-Zone Jazzmaster® Wiring
Introducing a totally cool mod for you Jazzmaster® that requires absolutely no visual changes to your instrument. Your pickup will have 2 modes: normal gain and high gain! No batteries, no preamps, just 2 version of a pickup in one. Curtis Novak's amazing JM180 pickup is built on his very popular JM-90 platform, but takes this great pickup to a whole new level. Like with his JM-90 this will fit in a standard Jazzmaster pickup route.
Here's the deal. I can't tell you how many serious Jazzmaster players have told me they NEVER use the upper rhythm, it is just too dark, or it sounds like someone stuffed cotton in your ears... So Curt got the idea of this tapped JM pickup and we worked together to redesign the wiring for the upper rhythm circuit converting it into a high gain lead circuit with its own separate volume and tone. So when you slide the switch to the upper circuit you will get the Full JM-180. Curt came up with the name JM-180 because it is 2 full JM-90's in one, but also it does a complete 180 on the dark rhythm circuit making it a over driven lead circuit, without the need of an overdrive pedal.
Special Pots
Please note we are using special pots and caps for this circuit not available from the usual guitar parts suppliers. Curt and I agreed to get the best tone out of the JM180 pickup, we should not use the standard 1M and 50K pots normally found in the upper circuit. After much testing we both agreed the optimal value would be 500K audio taper for the volume, and 500K linear taper for the tone but we needed these pots to fit the upper circuit's mounting bracket and have a solid shaft to take the roller knobs. Luckily we were able to score the perfect pots that have solid shafts are are the exact same size as your traditional jazzmaster mini-pots!!
Special Cap for the famous Clapton Woman Tone!
We are using a special value orange drop capacitor that will give you that highly sought after and famous Clapton Woman Tone that works perfectly for the high-gain circuit. The cap value is lower than normal. 022 uf and will enable you to rotate your roller tone knob fully counterclockwise and it will not sound muddy, but instead will give you a really creamy distortion when pushing the amp to overdrive. Please note the upper circuit is totally vintage and still uses a .033 uf capacitor.
Just like all our other assemblies, these prewired Jazzmaster® assemblies use only the finest electronic components, and are even 'period correct' with regards to the color coding of the vintage style cloth wire. All components are treated with Caig Deoxit for long trouble free use. They feature our custom made copper shields, only available at Rothstein Guitars. Fair warning, these will not be inexpensive but they will be of the highest quality you can find and worth every penny.
Enough with talking about it Here are 2 different sound files switching between the JM-90 and the JM-180. The first part is the JM-90 coil tap on the lower circuit, the second is the full JM-180 on the upper circuit.
High Gain Mode[ Rock Sample ] | [ Jangle Sample ]
Normal Mode (Medium Gain) [ Rock Sample ] | [ Jangle Sample ]
Expand any of the sections below to read important details about the various options we offer. You may use these links to Expand All and Collapse All to expand or collapse all sections with a single click
HOW TO USE THIS PAGE
All assemblies are custom built to your specs. This is an opportunity for you to select the options you want. You will notice, the base price of a prewired assembly is $0. You will then proceed to add attributes to customize your prewired assembly. Some of the attributes are mandatory, and some are optional. To determine the final price, simply add the product to your online shopping basket, and then click the "basket contents" link in the navigational header at the top of the page. Have no fear, you are not committed to purchasing it until you actually use the checkout feature.
Mandatory Attributes - the following attributes are required to place an order for a custom prewired Jazzmaster assembly:
- Top Quality Electronic Components & Professional Wiring including
- CTS Pots in vintage correct values- all treated with caig deoxit for long trouble free operation
- Genuine Switchcraft Switches (both toggle and slide)
- Switchcraft Jack
- SBE Orange Drop Capacitors are used (and upgrades are available as outlined below)
- Vintage style cloth wire in the 6 period correct colors (black, white, green, red, yellow and blue)
- Mounting bracket for the 2 roller pots
- Copper Shield - very high quality 2 mil thick copper pickguard shields specifically for the Jazzmaster
- Roller Knobs for the roller pots
- Accessories (Volume and Tone Knobs for the lead circuit + pickup covers) - select between white, black, cream and parchment
- Pickguard -Various color choices are outlined below. In addition, you will be asked to specify the fit, either USA/AVRI, Made in Japan, or Fender Blacktop.
- Note 1- if you want us to special order another color, we can do so if you indicate such in the comments field.
- Note 2- If you wish to send us your pickguard, select "customer supplied" and contact us via e-mail to arrange to send us your pickguard ([email protected])
Optional Attributes - In addition, you may add the following optional attributes:
- Volume Kit: a treble retention circuit will be added to the volume pot on the lead circuit, which will prevent the loss of highs experience when you lower your volume.
- Pickups: Select any model from Curtis Novak, Lindy Fralin, Arcane and McNelly Pickups.
- Tone Capacitor Upgrade for Lead Circuit: You may choose between Uptone Audio MusiCap, VH Audio V-CAP, and NOS John E. Fast PIO capacitors.
PICKUPS
If you want killer Jazzmaster pickups, then you must check out Curtis Novak pickups. These are amazingly toneful pickups, and Curt offers a wide array of options. Rothstein Guitars is proud to be the only AUTHORIZED DEALER for Curtis Novak pickups. You are welcome to mix and match any neck pickups with the JM180 Bridge pickup, however we recommend only Curt's single coil options so those are the only one's you see in the list.
JM-V |
Jazzmaster® Replacement Pickup |
JM-90 |
Jazzmaster® / P-90 Replacement Pickup |
JMT |
Telecaster® Bridge pickup made for the Jazzmaster form factor. |
JM-Fat |
Jazzmaster® / with Strat magnets and fatter wire. |
JM-CC Rod |
Jazzmaster® / Charlie Christian-style P-90 |
TONE CAPACITOR (Lead Circuit)
A .033 MDF SBE Orange Drop capacitors will be used by default at no extra charge, or for an upcharge you may select between Sozo NextGen Blue Molded, VH Audio's V-CAP TONE series ultra high-end Paper in Oil, and NOS John E. Fast Paper in Oil. The price will vary depending upon which capacitor you select.
Read about our capacitor choices here. The capacitor upgrade option applies to the lead circuit only. A .022 MFD Orange Drop capacitor will be used in the rhythm circuit.
VOLUME KIT
A volume kit (also know as a treble bleed mod or treble retention circuit). This is a high-pass filter used to prevent the loss of highs associated with lowering the volume on your guitar. We use a 1000 pf Mallory 150 Series Metalized Polyester Tubular capacitor in parallel with a 150K resistor. Check out our article about the Treble Bleed mod here.
PICKGUARD
We get the majority of pickguard from WD Music Products. We have the most common colors listed in the ordering form, but you may choose from any of the many colors available and list it in the comments field.
NOTE: Anodized pickguards are NOT available at the moment, but WD Music makes a few high quality simulated anodized options
A Note About Fit: You must choose between the following shapes:
- USA / AVRI
- Fender Blacktop
- Fender Classic Player
- 1966-1968 Made in Japan
What about other models such as the Vintera, Squier J Mascis, and Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmasters?
- To level set a bit, fitting an aftermarket pickguard is never 100% exact for a variety of reasons. For starters, wood has a tendency to expand and contract, and pickguards do not. In addition, there are always subtle differences in manufacturing methods. That said, fitting an aftermarket pickguard always involves fussing and adjusting usually in the form of light sanding, and drilling additional pickguard holes. This is a very simple task for a qualified luthier or tech, but could seem like a daunting task to someone who doesn't routinely work on guitars. If you have any concerns, please bring your pre-wired pickguard to a qualified luthier for installation. Below is some general guidance in selecting the most appropriate pickguard.
- If you have a Fender Vintera, Road Worn, J Mascis, or Vintage Modified, the USA / AVRI is a pretty close, so that will be your best best.
- If you have a Fender Blacktop series, then please specify that as the shape when placing your order. That will require a special pickguard.
- If you have a Fender Classic Player series, then please specify that as the shape when placing your order. That will require a special pickguard.
- If you have a Made in Japan (MIJ) Jazzmaster, then please specify the 66-68 MIJ option. If your Jazzmaster is from a different year, you may still select 66-68, as it will be reasonably close.
What about Warmoth?
- Warmoth has their own unique shape, but no worries we work with Warmoth JM's all the time. If you are building a warmoth Jazzmaster and would like to get a prewired assembly from us, you then have 2 choices. 1). You can mail us your pickguard. 2). You can select "Special order" as the pickguard choice, and then clearly document all of the specs of the pickguard and we will special order it for you.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT CELLULOID PICKUARDS (this applies to Tortoise Pickguards)
Tortoise pickguards are made of real celluloid like you will see on vintage Fender guitars. This is the GENUINE stuff. Please be aware that celluloid is very flammable, so please keep it away from flames. Celluloid is a solvent based plastic and it tends to shrink over the years. Many vintage Fender guitars are plagued with this phenomenon. Very often the material cups slightly, so that when placed on a flat surface its edges may be raised 1/4" to 1/2" above the surface. Even if they're cupped when they come out of the package, they can easily be screwed flat onto the guitar.
COPPER SHIELD
We are the only company offering pre-wired harnesses with very high quality, noise canceling, THICK copper shielding. NOTE: If selecting the wooden template option, you will need to install the shield to your pickguard. Please refer to this youtube video for instruction on how to install the shield. You may read more about our shields here.
KNOBS AND COVERS
Available in white, black, cream and parchment.
WIRING STYLE (Original vs. JM180-X)
Recently we started offering a modification to our original JM180 wiring, which we call JM180-X. The only difference is that the upper circuit's tone pot is replaced with a bass-cut pot. As with the original JM180 wiring, the upper circuit controls are activated when the slide switch engages high-gain mode only.
The bass cut control is a high pass filter, which enables you to dial out some of the lows. It works really well with the JM180 bridge pickup in high-gain mode, and is extremely useful to help overdriven sounds “pop” and cut through a mix. Please note the bass cut control will not be very noticeable with clean tones.
BRANDING
The copper shield will be embossed with our logo as a method of branding and authenticating our wiring.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Each prewired assembly is hand wired and tested to your custom specifications. Our lead time on Jazzmaster assemblies is approximately 3 - 4 weeks. We will do our best to process your order as quickly as possible.
