Mods • Pickup Dimensions • Wiring Harnesses • DC Resistance & Inductance
Wiring Instructions • Sound Clips • FAQs • Pickup Height Adjustments
Need to know how to wire your Hot Rod? Wondering if the TV Classic will fit in your Les Paul? These and many other questions are answered here in the TV Jones Tech Specs section. Modifications, wiring instructions, sound clips of all the pickups models, tips, tricks and frequently asked questions.
Brand new FORUM! We encourage everyone to go to our new online forum created for tone-enthusiasts everywhere. We want to read your questions and
see your guitars! CLICK HERE to sign up and post. There's a growing community
of over 200 people so far!
Need to know DC Resistance & Inductance of all our pickups?
Click here to download a PDF chart.
Mods
Every so often we will add new modification techniques & tips on how to improve your pickup performance & sound.
Replacing the factory wood shims under your pickups with compression rubber:
Factory Gretsch guitars come equipped with wooden "shims" under the pickups. This couples the pickup with the guitar body and can sometimes move the pickup too close to the strings, which is not desirable. You can replace these shims with compression rubber. You can order a set of compression rubber here or use computer mouse pad material. Filter'Tron style pickups are extremely sensitive, so having this compression rubber underneath allows for much more control over the height of the pickup.
- Carefully pop the shims out with a small chisel or screwdriver.
- Take a computer mouse pad and cut two strips roughly the same size as the shims. Or use TV Jones compression rubber.
- Replace the old wooden shims with your new rubber shims.
- Screw the pickups back onto the guitar.
You will now have much more flexiblity on the height of your pickup and will be able to get the height "just right".
Click Here for an instructional video.
| Electromatic Pro Jet Mod Installing TV Jones pickups in your Pro Jet is a semi-complex modification. Click Here for a step-by-step guide to help you with this mod.
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Pickup Dimensions
(three views of each pickup)
Wiring Harnesses
Click on links for technical photo & text of each harness
- Hot Rod
One three-way pickup selector switch • One 500K volume pot • One 1/4" jack
- Tone Pot
One three-way pickup selector switch • Three 500K volume pots (bridge PU, neck PU, master) • One 500K tone pot (master) • One 1/4" jack
- Tone Switch
One three-way pickup selector switch • One three-way tone selector switch • Three 500K volume pots (bridge PU, neck PU, master) • One 1/4" jack
- Tone Switch Setzer
Same as Tone Switch, but has pickup and tone selector positions reversed. This configuration is used by Brian Setzer, and is standard on the Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature model guitar.
- Standby Switch
One three-way pickup selector switch • One three-way tone selector switch • One three-way standby switch • Three 500K volume pots (bridge PU, neck PU, master) • One 1/4" jack
Wiring Instructions
for most pickup configurations
4 Conductor Wiring Instructions
for pickups with 4 conconductor wiring
Sound Clips with Pickup Information
TV Classic
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Sound Clips Recorded
Using the VOX AC-30  |
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TV Classic Plus
More output and midrange than our TV Classic, with a trade-off of slightly less clarity. This pickup is popular among rock and blues musicians. A typical mini humbucker tone with classic Filter'Tron-style sensitivity and presence.
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TV-HT1
A single coil pickup with spankin' twangy response on the wound strings and crisp, bright response on the plain strings. Lower output and brighter than the TV Classic, but with a unique midrange tone. With both pickups on at the same time you will experience no hum. The bridge pickup is wound in reverse with an opposite magnetic polarity
Hear the TV-HT1:
 Bridge |
Neck |
Both |
| Bridge2 |
Both 2 |
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Super'Tron
Like a TV Classic, but slightly bigger and bolder.
Hear the Super'Tron:
| Bridge |
Neck |
Both |
| Bridge2 |
Both 2 |
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Power'Tron
Big sound in a small package. Similar tone to a fifties PAF humbucker, but with Filter'Tron-style twang and clarity. Lots of fatness on single notes, but still retains lots of sparkle. Fits in a Filter'Tron cavity.
Hear the Power'Tron:
| Bridge |
Neck |
Both |
| Bridge2 |
Neck 2 |
Both 2 |
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Power'Tron Plus
A thicker sounding Power'tron. Wound with more magnet wire for more natural mid range, but still with a little Filter'Tron-style twang and clarity. Fits in a Filter'Tron cavity.
Hear the Power'Tron Plus:
| Bridge 1 |
Bridge 2 |
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Magna'Tron
Aggressive tone with supreme single-note clarity. Fits in a Filter'Tron cavity. The Magna'tron is a single coil sounding TV Classic.
Hear the Magna'Tron:
| Bridge |
Neck |
Both |
| Bridge2 |
Neck 2 |
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Thunder'Tron
A bass pickup with great clarity and punch. It has adjustable pole screws for string to string balance.
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TV'Tron Mount
Made to fit into guitars with standard humbucker cavities. A popular option for guitars with Gibson style humbuckers. The TV'Tron is essentially a TV Classic, Power'tron, or Magna'tron pickup in disguise.
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P'Tron Mount
Made to fit into guitars with a P-90 soapbar mount. The P'Tron is essentially a TV Classic, Power'tron, or Magna'tron pickup in disguise.
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Frequently Asked Questions
We get questions every day via email and the phone from guitarists worldwide who are looking to improve their sound by installing TV Jones pickups. TV Jones will answer as many of them as possible here in the FAQ section. If you don't see it here, please email us and we'll do our best to answer your questions (and then post them to the site).
| Q: | I just bought a Gretsch 6120 and the dealer told me that it came with TV Jones pickups, however the pickup covers are stamped PAT APPLIED FOR. I thought all TV Jones Pickups had TV Jones stamped on them. How can I tell if these are truly TV Jones pickups or not? |
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| A: | The easiest way to tell TV Jones pickups apart from stock Gretsch pickups is to look at the pole spacing (distance between the screws) on the neck pickups vs the bridge pickup. The pole spacing is wider on the bridge pickup (.406”) than on the neck pickup (.380”). (See photo below) This aids in centering the pole screws under the guitar strings, which are farther apart at the bridge. The result is optimum string separation and output.
Not all TV Jones pickups say “TV Jones” on the cover because on certain models Gretsch wants to maintain the look of the original guitar right down to the pickups, so in some cases you will see PAT APPLIED FOR others say U.S. PAT. 2892371 some have nothing stamped on the cover and some say TV Jones. |
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| Q: | I have a question on your Web site. The Magna'Tron Web page states, "The new TV Jones * Magna'Tron* blends DeArmond-style twang and single coil spank in a mini-humbucker that fits in a standard Filter'Tron™ cavity." Is this a mini-humbucker pickup? I don't want to modify the body on my Les Paul Deluxe. |
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| A: | Many people assume when the term "Humbucking" is used that it means the "size" of a "Gibson style" humbucker. When we say humbucker we mean a "hum-cancelling" pickup in the true sense of the word. To answer the question, no, you would not have to modify the body on your LP Deluxe to install a TV Jones Magnatron. You would however, have to order this pickup in the P'Tron "soapbar mount". | |
Pickup Height Adjustments (strings open)
Note: Measurements shown above are a good starting point. Your adjustments may be
different because of string gauge, playing style ot amplification.
Pickup Height Adjustments Thunder'Tron (strings open)
Note: Measurements shown above are a good starting point. Your adjustments may be
different because of string gauge, playing style ot amplification.
Pole to Pole Spacing
TV Jones makes a completely different pickup for the bridge position. Separate bridge and neck polepiece spacings allow proper alignment and string output separation: the bridge pickup has extra windings and 2-1/32" polepiece spread; the neck pickup has 1-29/32" spread.
Pole to Pole Spacing - Thunder'Tron Bass Pickups
