Keep or swap Japanese-made Jackson pickups?

[fred-adda]

Hi
I have a 1995 Jackson Kelly Professional (MIJ).
It came with a J50N on the neck and a JH-2 on the bridge.
A few years after buying it, I swapped the pickups for a Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro (neck) and a Di Marzio Tone Zone (bridge).
What do you think of the original Jackson pickups?
Is it worth putting them back, or do you think they can’t compare with the SD and Di Marzio?
thanks!

[toejam]

I had a JH2/J50N set I took out of a Kelly from the mid '90s. They were cool, but I wound up replacing them with Duncan Invaders. I then put the J50N in a Dinky with Tone Zone, awesome combo. The JH2 (aka J92) I sold last year to a member here who needed one and I just had it laying around forever.
I'd try swapping them back and compare to your SD/DiMarzio, or mix and match. Both sets are nice, and I thought the J50N was one of the nicest neck pickups ever.

[fred-adda]

Thanks for the feedback, very interesting!

[toejam]

You're welcome. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[fred-adda]

In the end I tried putting back both Jackson pickups but the JH-2 seemed to have an issue. It sounded a bit thin and way quieter than the neck pickup.
So I ended up keeping the J50N in the neck and the Tone Zone on the bridge. They are quite balanced (meaning, one as loud as the other), a very interesting mix.
Also, I installed a push-pull on the knob to split coils, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sound of the split J50N.
Thanks for your advices, much appreciated.