Mojotone ‘59 Clone Neck Review
This review will be a quickie. Because i have already told you about Mojotone ’59 Clone series on my '59 Clone HOT review. This is the one that Mojotone recommends in the combination with ’59 Clone Hot. That’s why i can keep going without any fancy introduction :)
Thanks once again to the wonderful team at Mojotone, especially Keith, I had the opportunity to try out the set. I extend my respects to the entire team for their support of Tone Journey.
Installation
The '59 Clone neck I have still sits on its throne on my hand-made superstrat that has a Turkish alder body, a Q-sawn one-piece maple neck in a chunky Endur-Neck profile, Gotoh 510T-FE1 tremolo, 25.5” scale, steel frets, Bourns 500K pots, and 009-042 Elixir strings in E-standard tuning. The guitar has a Mojotone ’59 Clone Hot bridge and custom wound middle (true single with coil tapping 5,5K/6,5K windings) pickups. Its primary (unplugged) tone ranges from balanced to medium-bright.
Evaluation
Let’s read the desciption first;
“The 59' "Patent Applied For" Clones are for the tone purist. Authentic to every detail using all American made parts. 1959 spec butyrate bobbins, 1959 spec long leg frame, custom vintage spec plain enamel wire, custom alnico 4 cast magnets, maple spacer, vintage spec screws, and vintage spec slugs.
These are very clear and warm with lots of single note articulation. The upper frequency range has exceptional bloom and lots of airy tone with the un-potted coils. We meticulously wound each coil with our own pattern and offset to represent what we believe to be the best vintage P.A.F. examples out there.Stock with vintage braided single conductor leads, and vintage 49.2mm spacing. Unpotted coils just like the originals.”
Very basic explanation. All true. Anyway, first, my measurements;
Mojotone ‘59 Clone Neck
Magnet – Alnico 4
Advertised DCR: 7,4 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 7,24 K Ohm (Series)
Inductance @100Hz: 4,00H (Series)
Measured C: -40 nF (Series)
Output: Vintage/Moderate (according to Mojotone it’s “5” whatever it means)
EQ (B/M/T) – 4,5/5,5/6 (advertised)
Wire Gauge: 42 AWG
Gauss: 300G slug, 320G screw (measured at top center of pole pieces)
First of all, when we examine the pickups, we can see all the hallmarks of a typical PAF, as mentioned in the official description. There’s no need to repeat the same things again. You can immediately smell the distinctive scent of the typical butyrate bobbins as soon as you open the package. I don't have a PAF fetish, but I like that unpleasant smell :)
I want to enter my review with a quote;
"...if you want to get as close as possible to vintage Gibson humbucker tone, the ’59 PAF Clones are a great way to go." -Guitar Player Magazine, May 2014
That’s the spirit! Period. End of the review yet still you can go on for some details and suggestions maybe lol :)
The unpotted ’59 Clone neck has “almost” everything from a PAF variant for the neck positions of your guitars. Harmonical details? Check! 3D depth? Check! Warm yet clear tone? Check! Singing tone? Check! Classic yet sexy appearence? Check! EQ-Rich answers in the whole (at least in the area we care of) spectrum? Yep!
One of the biggest issues with neck humbuckers is muddiness. Check my Seymour Duncan ’59 review. Even thought i do like that pickup so much it has too strong in the lows it makes the tone too boomy or muddy. Mojotone solves that issue in the most elegant way it seems. My test guitar hasn’t got “neck mud” problem yet the tone on the neck is awesome. Not perfect but amazing.
I wouldn't expect a a PAF clone with 7.24K windings and AWG42 wires on to have compression, but in terms of dynamics, the '59 Clone is really at a sweet spot. It offers you a wide range both in terms of phrasing and its response to the volume pot.
Cleans are good to hear which i don’t say that often because i don’t enjoy the clean tones of neck humbuckers much. But with ’59 Clone you can get your favourite Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd arpeggios. When you push the drive a bit up, the '59 Clone also provides a very sweet tonal tool for your slide licks.
If you go for more in the route to “ultra hi-gain” zone what you will have is great shred neck humbucker. Brighter kindo shred pickup. If you are passionate fan of Air Norton type of neck humbuckers with relatively higher inductance, you may not like much. On the other hand, if you are in the Jazz or PAF Pro camp, you may enjoy.
I think the Mojotone '59 is most similar to the Pearly Gates Neck pickup. I haven't done an A/B test, nor have I compared them on the same guitar, so I'm not very assertive in this comment. However, as far as I remember, I felt a noticeable similarity to the Pearly Gates Neck. I should also mention that I found it to be a bit clearer than the PG. My measurements from both pickups are also very close.
Yet, despite everything i have told, i have three negative points for that PAF variant, too just as i have mentioned on ’59 Clone HOT. i) ’59 Clone does not have F spaced option, ii) There isn’t 4 conductor cable option and iii) There isn’t an option for shorter legs which may be too important for some modern guitars. Those three disadvantages clearly and definitely limits its role because ’59 Clone can absolutely find more symphathy in the modern guitar players world. In the end, this pickup shouldn't only be used by Les Paul players. From a broader perspective, users will find something for themselves in this pickup. Therefore, my suggestion to the good people at Mojotone would be to definitely work on these three points and offer options to us customers.
As mentioned in the second point above, the lack of a 4-conductor option made me dislike the tone in the 2nd and 4th positions of my HSH guitar. I kindo never liked Humbucker+Single tones, and this old opinion of mine remains unchanged after all it seems. Although I didn’t feel much of a deficiency in clean tones with my middle single coil, I often wished it had been 4-conductor in order to have more options for cleaner parts.
Additionally, if your guitas tone lies in the extremes (extremely bright or dark, i mean), the '59 Clone can be a real treasure. It is rich in dynamics, powerful, and has a lot to offer tonally.
Conclusion
As i have said before, this set was the first Mojotone pickup set I’ve tried so far. Such s a fantastic combo. I found everything I expected in terms of PAF-ish tone from this type of humbuckers. However, it would be truly beneficial if guitarists were given an option in the three points I mentioned above.
Southern Rock players, rock and blues players will find very fancy essences. Something spesific that they will particularly enjoy. But that doesn’t mean others may not. ’59 Clone is very well wound, constructed and tuned set along with ’59 Clone HOT if you are into PAF variants, you will assimilate its potantial very quickly and savour what you will hear on your musical journey.
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