Review

Nothing comes close to the pickups Curtis builds...

"Collaborating with Curtis on the development of the JM-25/90 was a real pleasure. He was very open to suggestion and ultimately produced a pickup that has allowed me to finally get the tones out of my Jazzmasters that I had previously only dreamed of being possible. Additionally, our communications led to Curtis developing the JM-CC which again is another killer creation. Having both of these pickups, along with the JM-90 to swap in and out of my Jazzmasters has been a true blessing. I've been playing Jazzmasters for over a dozen years and have been through many stock, reissue, and after-market replacement pickups. Nothing comes close to the pickups Curtis builds. All of his pickups impart a vintage tone with a tinge of modern flare and ingenuity. To break it down simply, here is my take on each of Curtis' original Jazzmaster pickup designs."

Bryan VanDivier

JM-90

This pickup bridges the gap between a stock vintage Jazzmaster pickup and a P-90. It still retains the clear bell-like articulation of an original Jazzmaster pickup but his use of the P-90 magnets imparts more harmonic content. This pickup sounds killer when run through an amp with natural overdrive. Not overwound or overhyped in output, think smooth with some P-90 grind behind it.

JM-25/90

Similar to above with perceived higher output due to the oversized rods which ultimately really just give you better string coverage. I'd say this pickup has a little more punch and bell like sustain though not quite as much P-90 mojo as the JM-90. If you're looking for something closer to the modified after-market Jazzmaster pickups made by a certain manufacturer in California without the harshness they impart then the JM-25/90 is the ticket.

JM-CC

What can I say about the JM-CC. Curtis truly hit it out of the park with this one. There is something magical about this pickup. Woody in tone, yet articulate and punchy. The larger gauge wire brings out a fat warmth with this pickup that has to be heard to understand. Plus, with the string coverage you get from the 5/15 blade you can't hope for better definition. An inspiring pickup to say the least.

On the whole, Curtis is a joy to work with and has gone to great lengths to insure that I received the pickups I was looking for. The hard part is deciding which pickup to leave in the guitar because they all sound so damn good. I plan on continuing to order pickups from Curtis for future guitar projects. You just can't hope to find someone else out there that will work with you to achieve the sound you're looking for when it comes to vintage inspired pickups.