Duncan JB vs Suhr Aldrich

When looking for something that has some of the darkness of the Suhr Aldritch and some of the midrange character of the JB, I latched onto the Alternative 8 pickup a while back and have been quite happy with it. It's been a good balance of the two and then some.
While I think the Suhr and the JB are both great pickups, I find both of them to be pretty "guitar dependent" i.e. they don't always work for me depending on what guitar I've got them in. I'm actually finding the Alt-8 to be more versatile and usable lately than many others. I'm surprised more people aren't giving that pickup a bit more attention.

As for which pickup has the most output between the Aldritch, JB, and Afwayu, the Afwayu has the most to my knowledge.
 
Subsonic73 said:
When looking for something that has some of the darkness of the Suhr Aldritch and some of the midrange character of the JB, I latched onto the Alternative 8 pickup a while back and have been quite happy with it. It's been a good balance of the two and then some.
While I think the Suhr and the JB are both great pickups, I find both of them to be pretty "guitar dependent" i.e. they don't always work for me depending on what guitar I've got them in. I'm actually finding the Alt-8 to be more versatile and usable lately than many others. I'm surprised more people aren't giving that pickup a bit more attention.

As for which pickup has the most output between the Aldritch, JB, and Afwayu, the Afwayu has the most to my knowledge.
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I have a Jackson T-1000 That i'm putting an Afwayu in. I'm always looking for a Backup option should i hate the Afwayu. I Like the JB but not entirely crazy with the Mid Hump. The Alt8 sounds like a good choice should i need to replace the Afwayu at anytime. I've Also considered the PATB-1.
 
I have both JB and Aldrich. JB I've always been a fan of for mixes either live or studio. Home wankers probably won't like this pickup due to its mid prominent tone, but that's what those EQ dials on the front of the amp are for. It's consistent in tone and is a standard for most rock/metal guitarists for a reason. They sound great and cut like a knife in a mix.

Like with any pickup, height adjustment makes or breaks the pickup. So before giving up on any pickup, spend time making adjustments. Don't just crank it up near the strings and call it good just because that's how you do all your pickups. They all have their own character.

When I first got the Aldrich for one of my Suhr Classic HSS guitars, it had a Nickle cover. I found it dark, compressed, and gainy. Uninstalled it and went with an uncovered SSH+ and threw the Aldrich in the drawer where it sat for a couple of years. Fast forward to this past 2021 year. Talked to John Suhr and he suggested I remove the cover. I brought the Aldrich back out and this time removed the cover and installed it in a Suhr Modern of mine. Wow...what a huge positive difference that made. One of my favorite pickups to date now. Later bought a Suhr Classic Thornley Roughneck that came with a set of uncovered Aldrich bridge and neck (and ML for single) and again wow, such a crunchy and clear-sounding guitar. For my preference, I love the Aldrich uncovered.
 
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DanTravis62 said:
Resistance and output aren't the same thing, as @scottosan will tell you.

I would guess the Aldrich is lowest, then the jb then the afwayu but I have no idea.
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I think they’re all pretty close. All likely using 44awg wire and A5 magnets. The afwayu being handwound, the Suhr and JB being CNC.

To Dans point, output cannot be determined by resistance alone. The wind count (inductance) and magnet determine the output. I have my Roxy @ 7150 winds of 44awg and and A5 mag that comes in at 17K~ and a Wicked 8 that’s @ 6850 winds of 43awg and an A8 magnet. The Wicked 8 has more output. There’s enough room on a bobbin to do the same 7150 winds of 43awg and use the same magnet as the Roxy and the output would be the same but by 15k~ vs 17k<. The high resistance/impedance 44awg pickup will have a little more lows and less highs though
 
scottosan said:
I think they’re all pretty close. All likely using 44awg wire and A5 magnets. The afwayu being handwound, the Suhr and JB being CNC.

To Dans point, output cannot be determined by resistance alone. The wind count (inductance) and magnet determine the output. I have my Roxy @ 7150 winds of 44awg and and A5 mag that comes in at 17K~ and a Wicked 8 that’s @ 6850 winds of 43awg and an A8 magnet. The Wicked 8 has more output. There’s enough room on a bobbin to do the same 7150 winds of 43awg and use the same magnet as the Roxy and the output would be the same but by 15k~ vs 17k<. The high resistance/impedance 44awg pickup will have a little more lows and less highs though
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Thank you for Explaining that. I appreciate it.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Aldrich is one of the best consistently good bridge pickups around. Tighter bass than the JB, a little fatter on the high strings when you get into the doodles up top. Awesome crunch to drive Marshall type circuits. Love it.
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Sounds like how I would describe the DiMarzio Norton.
Has awesome crunch and harmonics, tighter than a JB, just a tad less output, but more balanced and while bright, it doesn't have those harsh qualities that a JB can have in the wrong guitar.
In the right guitar, a JB is very nice.
Had a Korean made Hammer Californian Slammer series back in the day; originally came with Duncan Designed pickups and I put a Chopper neck and a JB in it. That was one shredtastic guitar.

Right now, I only have a JB in my Kramer SM-1...still contemplating whether I should throw in an A8 magnet, that I have lying around.
 
I love Aldrich's playing. HUGE Dead Daisies fan!!! So, I bought an Aldrich Bridge last year and had it installed in my Aria Les Paul Custom knock-off (Set neck). 500K volume pot.
I really wanted to love it. But I didn't. It sounded somewhat 'flat' in that guitar. It didn't have the lively harmonics I was expecting it to have. And it didn't have the amount of top end I wanted. The voice was kinda 'garbled' for lack of a better adjective.
I replaced it with a Wilde L500XL. And the guitar came to life. Maybe in an intrinsically brighter guitar it would work better.
Which reinforces the ideas that
• You have to find the right pickup for you and your guitar.
• A lot of a player's tone really is in how he plays. Pick attack, left-right hand coordination, etc.

And I have never liked the JB. It's just not my think. The Q of the midrange of the JB is in what I perceive as the wrong place. But that's me. YMMV.
 
Noel's Destroyer said:
I love Aldrich's playing. HUGE Dead Daisies fan!!! So, I bought an Aldrich Bridge last year and had it installed in my Aria Les Paul Custom knock-off (Set neck). 500K volume pot.
I really wanted to love it. But I didn't. It sounded somewhat 'flat' in that guitar. It didn't have the lively harmonics I was expecting it to have. And it didn't have the amount of top end I wanted. The voice was kinda 'garbled' for lack of a better adjective.
I replaced it with a Wilde L500XL. And the guitar came to life. Maybe in an intrinsically brighter guitar it would work better.
Which reinforces the ideas that
• You have to find the right pickup for you and your guitar.
• A lot of a player's tone really is in how he plays. Pick attack, left-right hand coordination, etc.

And I have never liked the JB. It's just not my think. The Q of the midrange of the JB is in what I perceive as the wrong place. But that's me. YMMV.
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Yeah I think you hit it right on the head about pickup choices and preferences. It's so much more than just watching some YT videos and reading the spec sheets and deciding it'll be right for you. I love the Suhr Aldrich but I have tried it in guitars where it just didn't work for me. Thankfully at this point I realize not to just write off something like that based on one guitar experience, unless it's just so overwhelmingly bad and not right for me that I just instinctively know it's not for me, which is more the exception than the rule. And so many players don't take those things into account you like mentioned, i.e. pick attack, personal touch etc. I've handed off a guitar to another player that sounded one way when I played it and then responded so different tone-wise when the other guy was playing it. It's always best to get the gear in your own hands and under your own fingers to really make a decision whenever that's a possible option.
I'd be curious to know what you'd end up thinking about the JB pickup with the Alnico 8 magnet swap like mentioned earlier in this thread. LIke I said before I've had issues with that pickup at times myself especially in certain guitars but I was pleasantly surprised with how the A8 rectified much of the issues I had with it. If you ever get a chance to try one out like that, definitely give it a shot.
 
Subsonic73: Never tried an AlNiCo8 JB, but I have put A8 magnets in both a Custom (fantastic!) and a 59/Custom Hybrid. I have a '76 Sen body Destroyer with the 59/Custom/A8 magnet. I absolutely LOVE it! It seems more even in its EQ than the 59/Custom; the Midrange is in the 'right' place (my perception), and harmonic absolutely jump off! I don't use a pick, so that's important to me. That pickup for some reason sometimes gives me harmonics in places that other pickups just don't seem to have sensitivity to them (my explanation). The Custom 8 is also somewhat like that too. The Custom 8 has a different treble response. A little thicker top end than the 59/Custom, or maybe the treble 'Q' is slightly lower.

Although, like you said, some pickups just work in one ride and not another.
 
I've had all three and currently favor the Afwayu. It has sounded good, albeit different, in every guitar I've tried it in. I currently have a set in my Suhr Modern and it is a rock and metal machine. It splits well too for other stuff.

The JB probably has the best lead tone, although the Afwayu is close. The JB just sings like almost no other pick up. The problem with the JB is the bottom end. It is a bit loose and can get lost for heavy palm mutes and fast percussive stuff.

The Aldrich was almost the opposite of the JB. I loved it for all kinds of rock and metal rhythm, but could not jive with it for leads. It just lacked top end sparkle and chime.

The Afwayu, seems to be the best of both worlds. Nice beefy low end that compresses well with high gain and stays tight for palm mutes. It has a great lead tone too that has just enough high end without being shrill and sings fantastically. It is truly and amazing pick up.

I actually like all three and wouldn't hesitate to put an Aldrich or JB in a guitar again.

My experience anyway!
 
Sorry I'm so late on this post. Interesting you guys mention the AFWAYU. That and the BK Steve Stevens Rebel Yell are two pickups I've been seriously looking at lately. After a few months with the L500XL, I find the output so high it feels almost like an active pickup. Cuts through wonderfully, but seems like there is an unusual midrange frequency that is always there. I can see how it would be an awesome nu-metal pickup, but now I'm thinking of replacing it with something more like a Duncan Custom, AFWAYU, or Rebel Yell. Since I don't use a pick, I'm thinking something more neutral is where I want to go. And I need to have the top end more 'open' I think. BTW, thanks for all the opinions! Although I also visit the Duncan forum frequently, I get what guess are more unbiased opinions here.
 
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