Adam Jones bridge pickup?
- Thread starter JTyson
- Start date
Rex Rocker
Well-known member
I thought it's just an old JB? I don't think there's much to it.
napalmdeath
Well-known member
Rex Rocker":2640jmy5 said:
That's what I've read for years. I've also read they he's had them wound different/modified too.
It's a age old mystery that is really overrated, beaten to death, and down right silly.
He could grab a stock Les Paul Custom, plug into his rig, and sound like Adam Jones. Nobody would be the wiser.
Years ago, when Ted Nugent wanted to try EVH's rig, there was a revelation... He sounded like Ted Nugent... Go figure.
stephen sawall
Well-known member
More than likely a JB SH-4. Some believe it is a Distortron SH-6.
Guitar World Sep19 (not Covid19)
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/too ... -pull-offs
Do you modify any of those guitars at all these days?
"I use the thickest frets possible because I pull off a lot and I also like to use kind of a sitar technique where if you push down really hard, the note will go sharp, and the big frets make that work.
"I still use just the original Seymour Duncan Super Distortion pickups. I buy those up whenever I see an old one from the '90s. Every guitar sounds different and every pickup sounds different; Joe has this guitar that someone basically gave him, just a cheap Japanese Les Paul knockoff that’s had wallpaper applied to it, and it’s amazing for clean sounds! It’s honestly an amazing, really cool-sounding guitar. So you never know!
That's his words. Could be trolling, has been known to in the past (the Silverburst with the mystical screw, and his '94' Silverburst), but it could also be true. Let suppose for your question it's accurate.
There isn't a Seymour Duncan model called a 'Super Distortion', there is a 'Super Distortion' model from Dimarzio, there is also a 'Distortion' model from Seymour Duncan the SH-6b.
Almost every pic I've seen of his bridge pickup has the Seymour Duncan label in white and the standard polepieces, not the Dimarzio style allen head poles.
I believe the pick up he meant to say was the Duncan Distortion SH-6b.
There isn't a huge difference in between that and a JB really, and you can just adjust amp or guitar eq to get closer to each other than fluffing around with new pickups. If you have access to SH-6b by all means give it a try.
It's true as most say, this element is the last 2% of the tone and will be a minute' difference to focus of after you master the precise playing feel and phrasing style (the classic 'its in his hands' comment) his amps, cabs, pedals he has, and are playing at the volume he does. If you had all those elements nailed and were in the studio recreating his EXACT tones... then maybe it would be worth the chase.
Some peeps get very defensive in all these forums when people ask about these tiny elements of nailing someones tone. Your question is a simple one and valid, but I agree that practically it makes very little audible effect for the most part... that said.... I hear he's coming out with a signature Duncan pick up called a SH-7empest that is 4degrees warmer than standard on his signature model Les Paul due out soon. [jks]
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/too ... -pull-offs
Do you modify any of those guitars at all these days?
"I use the thickest frets possible because I pull off a lot and I also like to use kind of a sitar technique where if you push down really hard, the note will go sharp, and the big frets make that work.
"I still use just the original Seymour Duncan Super Distortion pickups. I buy those up whenever I see an old one from the '90s. Every guitar sounds different and every pickup sounds different; Joe has this guitar that someone basically gave him, just a cheap Japanese Les Paul knockoff that’s had wallpaper applied to it, and it’s amazing for clean sounds! It’s honestly an amazing, really cool-sounding guitar. So you never know!
That's his words. Could be trolling, has been known to in the past (the Silverburst with the mystical screw, and his '94' Silverburst), but it could also be true. Let suppose for your question it's accurate.
There isn't a Seymour Duncan model called a 'Super Distortion', there is a 'Super Distortion' model from Dimarzio, there is also a 'Distortion' model from Seymour Duncan the SH-6b.
Almost every pic I've seen of his bridge pickup has the Seymour Duncan label in white and the standard polepieces, not the Dimarzio style allen head poles.
I believe the pick up he meant to say was the Duncan Distortion SH-6b.
There isn't a huge difference in between that and a JB really, and you can just adjust amp or guitar eq to get closer to each other than fluffing around with new pickups. If you have access to SH-6b by all means give it a try.
It's true as most say, this element is the last 2% of the tone and will be a minute' difference to focus of after you master the precise playing feel and phrasing style (the classic 'its in his hands' comment) his amps, cabs, pedals he has, and are playing at the volume he does. If you had all those elements nailed and were in the studio recreating his EXACT tones... then maybe it would be worth the chase.
Some peeps get very defensive in all these forums when people ask about these tiny elements of nailing someones tone. Your question is a simple one and valid, but I agree that practically it makes very little audible effect for the most part... that said.... I hear he's coming out with a signature Duncan pick up called a SH-7empest that is 4degrees warmer than standard on his signature model Les Paul due out soon. [jks]
JTyson
Well-known member
Thanks
I have an older JB in my box of pickups, I may give that a shot. Not really going for his tone, but I like the percussive attack he gets on a lot of their stuff. I actually took the JB out of a LP I had years ago and forgot I had it. It will probably go better with the amps Im recording with now than it did with what I had back then. I had an Anderson H3+ in there too, but something's wrong with it. It worked last time I used it and worked great, but one of the coils is open.. Go figure.. Sat in a box for years and I have an open coil
I appreciate it
I have an older JB in my box of pickups, I may give that a shot. Not really going for his tone, but I like the percussive attack he gets on a lot of their stuff. I actually took the JB out of a LP I had years ago and forgot I had it. It will probably go better with the amps Im recording with now than it did with what I had back then. I had an Anderson H3+ in there too, but something's wrong with it. It worked last time I used it and worked great, but one of the coils is open.. Go figure.. Sat in a box for years and I have an open coil
I appreciate it
stephen sawall
Well-known member
I can't remember where I saw it but the story was he switched from the JB to the Distortion about 10-15 years ago.
I don't take these accounts too serious.
The main difference in these pickups is the Distortion is ceramic and a double thickness.
I don't take these accounts too serious.
The main difference in these pickups is the Distortion is ceramic and a double thickness.
Pearly Gates
Member
I read somewhere that he uses a custom wound SD pickup based on JB or Distortion. Someone managed to get one from SD or at least close but they wouldn't say exactly what the specs were
Rex Rocker
Well-known member
The Distortion is based on the JB. There hasn't been confirmation on Duncan's part, but many speculate it to be the same wind with just the magnet swapped like the Custom, Custom 5, and Custom Custom are.Diezel123":2b2pbqkh said:
Regardless if they're not the exact same wind, they are pretty similar at the very least.
mnemonic
Active member
I’ve never actually had a real SD Distortion but I have swapped magnets on JB’s since I’ve accumulated a few as stock pickups in guitars, and I’ve never been a big fan of the JB.
I put an alnico 8 magnet (normal thickness) in one, and a ceramic (double thickness) in another.
The alnico 8 didn’t greatly change the sound but it did smooth out the spikes a bit and make it a bit clearer and tighter. More of a feel change, for the better in my opinion.
The double-thick ceramic made a much bigger difference. The pickup got a lot tighter, punchier, more aggressive, and higher output. I liked that change a lot. It’s like it went from a ‘rock’ pickup to a ‘metal’ pickup.
Both pickups are pretty accessible so might as well just buy both, try both, and keep the one you prefer.
I put an alnico 8 magnet (normal thickness) in one, and a ceramic (double thickness) in another.
The alnico 8 didn’t greatly change the sound but it did smooth out the spikes a bit and make it a bit clearer and tighter. More of a feel change, for the better in my opinion.
The double-thick ceramic made a much bigger difference. The pickup got a lot tighter, punchier, more aggressive, and higher output. I liked that change a lot. It’s like it went from a ‘rock’ pickup to a ‘metal’ pickup.
Both pickups are pretty accessible so might as well just buy both, try both, and keep the one you prefer.
stephen sawall
Well-known member
Maybe when Gibson comes out with his guitar we will get the actual answer ? Maybe not ?