New found love for the JB.........

[troublehead]

Ever since I got my V, I have been struggling to find the right pickup. I spent last weekend swapping pups that I had laying around and almost gave up.

Here is what I went through (to my ears of course

500T - Too grainy, harsh, "quacky" pick attack

Dimarzio Super Distortion - better, but still a bit harsh and not enough high mids

Duncan Custom Custom - MUCH better, but had a mushy/soft attack on the low E (all other strings great), a bit overbearing in the mids (ie "honky")

Duncan Custom 5 - Very scooped and flat sounding, no "attitude", not enough high mids but too much low mids

BKP Holy Diver - Didn't like it at all, very "stiff", sounded way different than it did in my old strat

So I walked into GC today to get some strings and saw a JB and thought what the hell I have tried the JB many times in the past in alder superstrats and Les Pauls and never left it in there very long. Never even sounded close to decent IMO in those guitars.

However, it works excellent with the V Not too dark/not too bright with perfect high mids. This V really needs high mids because it emphasizes the lows/low mids and gets muddy real quick with most of the pups listed above. I never thought I would be a user of the JB, but it is never coming out of this guitar

 

[guitarslinger]

I like the JB

 

[grunge782]

Another fan of the JB here.

You just gotta know what to put it in.

 

[jerrydyer]

yep + 1

 

[badger71]

I've always loved a good BJ..... .......JB.....

 

[guitarslinger]

worked for:

Marty Friedman
Steve Stevens
Warren DiMartini
Jerry Cantrell
Mave Mustaine
Jason Becker
Ty Tabor
Steve Marker
mike ammott
adam jones
George Lynch
James Iha
Paul Stanley
Tim mahoney
rivers cuomo?
scott ian

 

[guitarslinger]

worked for:

Marty Friedman
Steve Stevens
Warren DiMartini
Jerry Cantrell
Mave Mustaine
Jason Becker
Ty Tabor
Steve Marker
mike ammott
adam jones
George Lynch
James Iha
Paul Stanley
Tim mahoney
rivers cuomo?
scott ian

Many more as well but then then the "high dollar is better" mentality came into play (I'm guilty as well), back to Duncans for me, they just work!

The '59 just sounds "right" for so much stuff.

The Jazz is also wicked underrated too. It sounds unreal in a semi hollow with 11's.

 

[redrol]

worked for:

Marty Friedman
Steve Stevens
Warren DiMartini
Jerry Cantrell
Mave Mustaine
Jason Becker
Ty Tabor
Steve Marker
mike ammott
adam jones
George Lynch
James Iha
Paul Stanley
Tim mahoney
rivers cuomo?
scott ian

Thats quite a list. And I use the JB in my Jackson JJ1 as well. Love it. Another good metal pup is the SD Distortion. Its not really like the JB but man does it have a lot of depth and grind. Make sure you use a 500k pot with either pup.

 

[thiswaythatway]

worked for:

Marty Friedman
Steve Stevens
Warren DiMartini
Jerry Cantrell
Mave Mustaine
Jason Becker
Ty Tabor
Steve Marker
mike ammott
adam jones
George Lynch
James Iha
Paul Stanley
Tim mahoney
rivers cuomo?
scott ian

Many more as well but then then the "high dollar is better" mentality came into play (I'm guilty as well), back to Duncans for me, they just work!

And yet you fail to acknowledge Mr. Stanley making that list.

 

[lolzgreg]

worked for:

Marty Friedman
Steve Stevens
Warren DiMartini
Jerry Cantrell
Mave Mustaine
Jason Becker
Ty Tabor
Steve Marker
mike ammott
adam jones
George Lynch
James Iha
Paul Stanley
Tim mahoney
rivers cuomo?
scott ian

Many more as well but then then the "high dollar is better" mentality came into play (I'm guilty as well), back to Duncans for me, they just work!

Absolutely. Duncans for the rock and EMGs for tha br00talz.

 

[smdb]

What do you guys think about a JB in a PRS cust 24?

 

[mraajr]

Shit....any maple/mahogany combo has sounded god awful with a JB IMO

 

[redrol]

Shit....any maple/mahogany combo has sounded god awful with a JB IMO

BS, Mahogany sounds great with a JB?!

 

[projectx102]

In V's I've always used the SH5 Custom.Schenker did too and there's nothing wrong with his tone.

 

[K-Bizzle]

Was a jb user, have switched to rio grande bbq.

Its like a jb, except better for my purposes.

 

[mraajr]

Shit....any maple/mahogany combo has sounded god awful with a JB IMO

BS, Mahogany sounds great with a JB?!

Not if that mahogany happens to have a piece of maple on top of it

 

[K-Bizzle]

Shit....any maple/mahogany combo has sounded god awful with a JB IMO

BS, Mahogany sounds great with a JB?!

Not if that mahogany happens to have a piece of maple on top of it

I'd say it depends on the guitar.
The JB sounded great in the bridge of my old C-1+.

 

[RockStarNick]

JB + 59 is incredibly in certain guitars. And abysmal in others.

The 59N is perhaps one of the most versatile pickups, in the sense that it sounds different in every guitar you put it in, but always sounds incredible.

The JB is unique in the fact that it sounds WAY different depending on the guitar, but can sound either awesome or, well, not awesome.

When it works, it works REALLY well.

 

[loudgtr]

I dig the JB. Have it in a very warm sounding Gibby-scale strat. With a 250k vol pot and it sounds great. From Lynch to the Scorpions etc

 

[K-Bizzle]

Shit....any maple/mahogany combo has sounded god awful with a JB IMO

BS, Mahogany sounds great with a JB?!

Not if that mahogany happens to have a piece of maple on top of it

I'd say it depends on the guitar.
The JB sounded great in the bridge of my old C-1+.

Forgot to mention this was a Mahogany with maple top guitar.