The Mojotone 59 Clone neck is one of the humbuckers I sampled while going through some options for neck pickups. It seems like a good reason to get a 59 Clone bridge and try them as a full set, wouldn’t you say? Not content to leave no stone unturned, I also grabbed a 59 Clone Hot bridge humbucker… so keep an eye out for an upcoming evaluation on that one as well.
A cool thing about the 59 Clone is that Mojotone sets out in pursuit of something as vintage spec as possible. There is a bit of conditioning on the pickup realm. A common aftermarket 59 humbucker can be overwound affair, garnished with a heavier tone than what was made in 1959. Let’s be happy that Mojotone makes a 59 Clone that is not common with that regard.
What you get is a nicely balanced tone. An open vibe that remains firmly grounded. The result is what I’ve been finding with many of Mojotone’s offerings: a really versatile humbucker.
Throwing down on a dirty amp setting, you’ll find a pickup with controlled authority. Plenty of life and lots of definition. The 59 Clone takes aggressive amp tones really well. For an unpotted humbucker, there were no issues with feedback. Clean amp settings help to reveal how well the 59 Clone responds to the volume knob.
The trust old test guitar is the test bed. So the 59 Clone is wired for series/split/parallel. Of course, the full series humbucker mode is a load of fun. Yet the split mode delivers all sorts of spanky goodness.
How about a listen to session guitarist Hanan Rubinstein playing a 59 Clone set:
Doesn’t it sound like pairing the 59 Clone neck with the bridge will get you a pretty darned good palette of tonal options? I know that I ran it through all my hurdles and it came out a winner.
59 Clone Bridge
Series – 8.119 k
Inductance – 4.633 H
Split N – 4.177 k
Split S – 3.931 k
Parallel – 2.025 k
Magnet – Alnico 4
If ordering online, you can choose open or covered bobbins. Covers include nickel, gold and aged nickel and aged gold. For something more customized, you can call in to ask for things like short mounting legs or 4-con lead wire.
For reference, this evaluation was conducted with my old trusty amp, as well a Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+. Cabs are a Peavey 6505 cab and a Marshall 1960B cab using 12″ Peavey Sheffield 1200s, 12″ Celestion G12-65s and 12″ Celestion G12Hs.
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Darth Phineas is a long time music industry insider who provides his readers with unbiased reviews on musical instrument and guitar gear. You can read more of his reviews and check out industry news on his Facebook community Darth Phineas, Twitter or his website is darthphineas.com
