Duncan JB vs Suhr Aldrich vs Super Distortion for PRS SC250

  • Thread starter Thread starter Caca_Spaniel_123
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Dimebag11 said:
Bro, trust me….you want to put a PRS \m/ in there. It’s like a perfected JB/Aldrich but scorching hot and more dynamic! I have an extra one lying around (it’s uncovered but not square bobbin bc I pulled the cover off of it a while back)
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Was going to post this too. I have guitars with Aldrich, JB and Super D’s but the PRS \m/ in my CU24 Floyd is my favorite by a good bit. Hot, clear and incredibly dynamic. It’s probably the most versatile bridge humbucker of any of my guitars.
 
Just to confuse things, I like the plain old production line JB’s the best. Best value and crunch. I have a custom shop JB and it’s slightly darker, and perhaps a bit more crunch, but the stock unit should meet your needs.
 
I have two PRS “pre-lawsuit single cuts” (2000 & 2001) and am running a set of BKP Rebel Yells in one and Abraxas in the other. Both sound great! I’m running a JB in my 82 Standard LP and gigged with a ESP LTD EC-1000 running a JB and neither were overly bright but it doesn’t have a mid hump in the EQ which not everyone likes. I find it makes the pickup more articulate. I did try a Aldrich in my PRS Custom 24 and really didn’t like it. Overly bloated and fizzy.
 
romanianreaper said:
Maybe I need a Wicked 8 in the Chubtone?
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The caveat is my Chubtone is one piece mahogany, maple neck with Ebony board. Maybe had it been Alder and rosewood board the JB would have worked but anyway with that wood combo it was just a bit thin sounding. The 8 beefed that up while keeping the dynamics of what I've always liked about the JB. Cool pickup.
 
anomaly said:
Honestly, the JB doesn't have much top end, it's mostly mids, so how can it be shrill? Is Marty Friedman's tone on Rust In Peace shrill to you? It sounds amazing to my ears. In the right guitar a JB is a great pickup. It's funny how everyone describes pickups differently.
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Hahaha right after I hit Post Reply I thought to myself “I should have distinguished that I wasn’t meaning the JB was shrill, just an overall statement of the Aldrich”, but I can be a lazy cunt sometimes and didn’t bother fixing it. I fully agree with ya, mang.
 
I've found the Aldrich to have plenty of high end but it doesn't have "take your head off" highs like the JB can have in some guitars. Lows and low mids are plenty tight.

Excellent mids. No midrange honk in that pickup but it cuts through very well. That pickup can both sing and scream depending on what you want to hear. I can't do installs anymore, but my friend who did the install said he couldn't stop playing my guitar, a maple bodied Kramer with a Floyd. (F-3000 model...NOT the Focus 3000) I've also played the Aldrich in a Les Paul and it was killer.

I tried a JB in my Alder bodied Floyd equipped BC Rich ST3 and it was ferocious AF but I liked the DiMarzio EVO 2 (DP215) it that guitar even more. The EVO 2 should get more love. Napalm distorted tones and sings like an angel when played clean. Steve Blucher should get a medal for designing it. Killer pickup!
 
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jabps said:
The caveat is my Chubtone is one piece mahogany, maple neck with Ebony board. Maybe had it been Alder and rosewood board the JB would have worked but anyway with that wood combo it was just a bit thin sounding. The 8 beefed that up while keeping the dynamics of what I've always liked about the JB. Cool pickup.
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Yeah mine is Alder
 
This thread is making me want to pull out the Duncan Distortion in my Ibanez and replace it with the JB I have. Thing I don't like about the Distortion is it seems to lack clarity and dynamics. It's tight though, and mean sounding, but that hazy, sizzly top end kinda covers up the fundamental notes a bit.

This guitar I have it in is a thinner body, cheap LP shaped guitar. It's not a really fat sounding guitar, but I remember the JB sounding really good in it. This Distortion I'm not so sure about?? I don't need super tight either, as I play thru a Mark IV, so I can tighten my tone up plenty by rolling the bass control back.
 
In your honest opinion, what pickup works better in a band situation for cutting through a mix... a Duncan distortion or a JB? That's exactly what I want, good clarity and those notes to ring out clearly at high gain with a band playing at loud volumes.
 
I don't think either has a problem, honestly. I would pick and choose. You could shape either to cut through without problems.

If you want a middle ground between both, you could swap a regular thickness ceramic magnet into a JB or a Distortion.
 
Update - I replaced my SC250 which I like with a Wolfetone Timbrewolf. I'm really liking it, but not getting rid of the SC250. It may go back in at some point or when I want to change it up.

I have the Tremonti bridge in my PRS CE-22 bolt neck, but curious if anyone tried the ToneNerd Wicked 8 and how it may compare to a Tremonti/SC250?
 
Anyone else think the Duncan distortion is very compressed and kinda has blurry mids? I never sounds solid or open to me when compared to a JB or something...
 
mchn13 said:
I wasnt a big fan of the aldrich. It wasn't bad just just light in the mids more like a custom. Eq-wise, I definitely like more mids than bass in a pickup.
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The Aldrich sounds almost exactly like a Duncan Custom, I heard a comparison of both and they were damn near identicle.
 
Caca_Spaniel_123 said:
Did anyone try a JB and find it was a tad dark?
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Some people say they sound congested in the low mids, some say they're shrill, some say they're too loose. To me it's a great sounding pickup but it certainly does have a bit of a top end roll off, it's not bright like a Duncan Distortion for example.
 
This may be less about voicing and more about output. Some amps just get dark with higher output pickups. Adding more highs could literally just compress those frequencies more. Since your original pickups are closer to PAF specs and working, I suspect that is the case. If you want more output and still some high end, look for something in the 13-14k range
 
anomaly said:
Anyone else think the Duncan distortion is very compressed and kinda has blurry mids? I never sounds solid or open to me when compared to a JB or something...
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I always liked the idea of the Duncan Distortion more than the pup itself. Every time I've had one in a guitar it gets pulled, "for my ear" it's just lacks something. But then I'll give it another go, same thing. Between the JB and DD, you get more dynamics out of the JB.

If you are intent on staying with a ceramic pup but with more all around than the DD, I'd look at the ToneNerd PSykes, PRS Tremonti or the Gibby 500T in that order. My PRS's have the Tremonti, and my LP's have the 500T and Pyskes. I dig them all.
 
I guess I’m an outlier.
I’d say even if you don’t go with it, you need to try a Super D.
It’s a lot more versatile than it’s getting credit for on here, it splits well and it cleans up quite well if you back off the volume knob.
It’s quite airy in parallel.
It’s been used by tons of great players for years and is still being used.
It’s a go to in many studios.
It’s an amazing pickup.
Def worth trying.
 
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