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

[benduncan]

When I read the title I thought you meant The Jonas Brothers.

 

[stephen sawall]

The JB is my favorite.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

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

If I run a passive neck HB, it is the SD JAZZ, no alternative need apply. The best neck pup in existence.

But since I started running EMGs, well the passives have taken a back seat.

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

I used the JB in every guitar I have ever owned...

 

[droptrd]

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!

Guilty also. But my honeymoon is about over (for now )with the handwound boutique pups. Been switching back to duncans lately. My 2 main gits are sportin a JB and a Duncan Custom in da bridges. The JB kicks ass

 

[liamlw]

jb is my favourite

Never really rated the jazz but its still in my guitar

 

[Phrygian]

Gonna put one in my '89 LP Standard this weekend

 

[blackba]

I like the regular spaced JBs pretty well. Not a fan or the tremspaced JB's, they just sound thinner and not as sweet. I had a regular spaced JB and replaced it with a tremspaced JB in my fat strat. I felt it was a good comparison.

I also like the SD Jazz, nice pickup there.

 

[Loudness250]

Never tried the JB but I really like the Duncan Custom. Not the Custom Custom but it's alright too. The Custom does'nt mush like the custom custom. It cuts better in a mahogany guitar but still sounds ballsy.

 

[Digital Jams]

Listened to the pup shootout, watched everyone chase around all these pups......................I am with SD

I do like my Walker Alnico though

 

[fek]

I have an LP with a BB3 in it and kind of miss the JB tone I was getting with my old LP. The BB3 just doesn't seem to be as hot. The BB3 is a thick sounding pickup though.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

I like the old JB's. The new ones seem to sound a bit too thin and boomy.

I don't think SD changed the formula.

 

[ericsabbath]

I like the old JB's. The new ones seem to sound a bit too thin and boomy.

I don't think SD changed the formula.

they used to be handwound till late 80's
usually labeled as JBJ and wound by hand by the custom shop manager maricela juarez (yeah, a woman)

 

[glpg80]

i dont like the JB, or the '59 in the neck.

the JB emphasizes the wrong frequencies to my ear. i just dont like it at all, its not a bad sounding pickup though. just definately not something id ever use.

the 59 is the same way to me, after playing air nortons for so many years the 59's frequency is shifted to low and lacks a certain emphasis that air nortons have and wolfgang neck pickups have.

SH-6, tonezone, ESP brand neck pickups, jackson cheap ass neck pickups (they've got a kwirky clean thing going on that i love), dimarzio cruisers, wolfgang pup's, air nortons.

i always heard jason becker liked SD's in the bridge and dimarzio's in the neck. i tend to agree with him 9/10 of the time.

 

[ericsabbath]

i always heard jason becker liked SD's in the bridge and dimarzio's in the neck. i tend to agree with him 9/10 of the time.

I'm not a dimarzio guy, but I get what you mean
most duncan neck models are scooped and too low output, except the sh6n and sh8n that are the extreme opposite
the '59 was the worst and most sterile neck pickup I ever had, including most stock pups
I like the jb, screamin demon, custom, custom custom
distortion is fine, but gets muddy too easily

 

[rupe]

It's completely dependent on the guitar. I loved the JB in an old Soloist that I had (poplar), but it sounded like garbage IMO in any alder Strat bodied guitars that I've tried it in...a very nasty, harsh sounding high-mid/high sound...very unpleasent. Was ok but less than inspiring in my LP Custom. I typically prefer the Custom, but found it sounded even worse in my Les Paul than the JB. You just can't make a blanket statement that any pickup is great...it depends on the rest of the package.

When did Lynch use the JB? I only recall him using the Distortion prior to the Screamin Demon.

 

[Mudder]

I go back and forth about the JB. I've had them where they sound just killer (Jackson DK2) and other times they sounded terrible (Ibby S520), and right now I go back and forth with one in my Kramer (sometimes it's great, other times it sort of clanks, and don't roll the volume off or the bottom drops out).

I'm going to swap this one in the Kramer out for a Custom 5 and see how that goes.

 

[D-Rock]

Been using a 90's era zebra JB for a number of years. It sounds great in mahogany bodied guitars.
I prefer it when tuned to standard/drop D, & half step down.
I find any lower of a tuning and the 6th string gets somewhat unfocused and a little muddy.

 

[jack-2]

jb was an awesome pickup, but totally suprised you didnt like the bkp...

 

[johnny q]

I like the old JB's. The new ones seem to sound a bit too thin and boomy.

I just picked up a 1980's era JB and I am eager to find out if it's indeed true that the old ones sound better/different. I had "new" JB's in my Les Paul Custom w/ 300K pots and it sounded great. I also had the JB/Jazz in my PRS Custom 22 and it sounded great as well, but I ultimately went back to the Dragon II's (yes, you read that correctly)

JQ