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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).

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?

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.

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.

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".