Seymour Dunca JB is Great BUT........

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the4thlast1

the4thlast1

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Does anyone really make a slightly tweaked version of it ? I have tried the BK Holy Diver and the Motor City Garuda. Both in several guitars. The Bare Knuckle is closer than the MotorCity IMO. However still both are pretty different from the JB.

For me the JB is amazing in Alder body with bolt on Maple neck guitars. It works well in some other cases aslo. I could live with it as is just fine but it would be nice to have some tweaks while keeping the tone pretty much the same. I would only change it slightly, a bit tighter faster and clearer response on the lows, maybe a little better note separation. I notice Duncan makes a 35th anniversary and the antiquity version...Any thoughts on those or a different winder all together, Ive heard some good things about the murkat by WCR .

JB Lovers Unite :rock: :lol: :LOL:
 
To me the Duncan Distortion sounds extremely close to the JB, but slightly tighter on the low end.
 
For me the Distortion may have some similarities but its still pretty different. I like the Distortion too but its a different vibe.
 
I thought the Aldrich was going to be the answer for me. Used it for about 2 years. Switched to a guitar that had the JB in it and it was like an untamed animal.
Really mean little more low end and is my one and only pickup I use. :thumbsup:
 
Yeah Ive tried the Aldrich, pretty cool didnt last for me though. Also pretty different than the JB, somehwere in the same camp but under a different tent for sure haha
 
Doesnt seem worth it ... I have tried the Custom, Custom 5, Custom Custom, Alternative 8 ... All the same pickup with different magnets from what I understand
 
I swapped the JB I had in the bridge of my strat from an Anderson h2+. The Anderson is not as sweet, but cleared and a little less mid pushed....
 
This is essentially the question we all ask ourselves.. I too love the things you do about the JB, BUT it is a bit of a wild beast, loose in the lows, in your face with the cutting mids, and the highs that sometimes feel like they could use some dialing back.

I just put an Aldrich in an alder strat with rosewood board tonight. Holy hell this thing is hot, not unlike a JB I suppose but it feels like maybe it is a little too hyped eq wise low and high and def tight in the ass end. We'll see if it stays after a few months. Definitely isn't lacking in cut that's for sure.

As for replacement, you could try a dimarzio AT-1. It is the JB with tighter lows and softer highs. Of course though, you sacrifice some of the cut when you dial out those highs so it is a trade off. I guess it really does sound like a JB might sound with a 250k pot in one of those charvels with a single vol knob but with a tighter low end. It also has good string definition.

Oddly enough though, I might cycle a JB back in after all this time to see if I still like it better when boosted with a TS-9. That always did the trick but the highs.... the Duncan custom shop once suggested to me that I should consider a custom pup from them for this reason but who has the $ for that. Wasted cash if it sucks. Another route you could go is trying the new Jason becker sig. pup which is based off a JB as well. Or pop an A2 magnet in a JB. Problem here is that it is great for highs but the low end will be even softer. If you find it though, let us know!
 
the4thlast1":l37s61zs said:
Does anyone really make a slightly tweaked version of it ? I have tried the BK Holy Diver and the Motor City Garuda. Both in several guitars. The Bare Knuckle is closer than the MotorCity IMO. However still both are pretty different from the JB.

For me the JB is amazing in Alder body with bolt on Maple neck guitars. It works well in some other cases aslo. I could live with it as is just fine but it would be nice to have some tweaks while keeping the tone pretty much the same. I would only change it slightly, a bit tighter faster and clearer response on the lows, maybe a little better note separation. I notice Duncan makes a 35th anniversary and the antiquity version...Any thoughts on those or a different winder all together, Ive heard some good things about the murkat by WCR .

JB Lovers Unite :rock: :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

The JB Ant is the one that sound's the best.
It has the rough cast A5 mag like they used in the 80's for super strats and they sound so much more musical to my ears.
I will be getting a Ant JB soon for my custom built Warmoth/Performance tele that has two humbuckers and a Floyd. :rock:
 
Kapo_Polenton":2sa7lz4x said:
This is essentially the question we all ask ourselves.. I too love the things you do about the JB, BUT it is a bit of a wild beast, loose in the lows, in your face with the cutting mids, and the highs that sometimes feel like they could use some dialing back.

I just put an Aldrich in an alder strat with rosewood board tonight. Holy hell this thing is hot, not unlike a JB I suppose but it feels like maybe it is a little too hyped eq wise low and high and def tight in the ass end. We'll see if it stays after a few months. Definitely isn't lacking in cut that's for sure.

As for replacement, you could try a dimarzio AT-1. It is the JB with tighter lows and softer highs. Of course though, you sacrifice some of the cut when you dial out those highs so it is a trade off. I guess it really does sound like a JB might sound with a 250k pot in one of those charvels with a single vol knob but with a tighter low end. It also has good string definition.

Oddly enough though, I might cycle a JB back in after all this time to see if I still like it better when boosted with a TS-9. That always did the trick but the highs.... the Duncan custom shop once suggested to me that I should consider a custom pup from them for this reason but who has the $ for that. Wasted cash if it sucks. Another route you could go is trying the new Jason becker sig. pup which is based off a JB as well. Or pop an A2 magnet in a JB. Problem here is that it is great for highs but the low end will be even softer. If you find it though, let us know!
Click to expand...


Thanks for that .....I have tried the Dimarzio At-1 .It was a couple years ago I remember liking it in one guitar and no so much in another I ended up selling it but might be worth a revisit. In general I like Duncan's more than Dimarzio.

You mentioned AII magnet but I don't the bass response. Looser than A5
 
JB6464":33nf8fyr said:
the4thlast1":33nf8fyr said:
Does anyone really make a slightly tweaked version of it ? I have tried the BK Holy Diver and the Motor City Garuda. Both in several guitars. The Bare Knuckle is closer than the MotorCity IMO. However still both are pretty different from the JB.

For me the JB is amazing in Alder body with bolt on Maple neck guitars. It works well in some other cases aslo. I could live with it as is just fine but it would be nice to have some tweaks while keeping the tone pretty much the same. I would only change it slightly, a bit tighter faster and clearer response on the lows, maybe a little better note separation. I notice Duncan makes a 35th anniversary and the antiquity version...Any thoughts on those or a different winder all together, Ive heard some good things about the murkat by WCR .

JB Lovers Unite :rock: :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

The JB Ant is the one that sound's the best.
It has the rough cast A5 mag like they used in the 80's for super strats and they sound so much more musical to my ears.
I will be getting a Ant JB soon for my custom built Warmoth/Performance tele that has two humbuckers and a Floyd. :rock:
Click to expand...

I just looked on the Duncan website and it seems the antiquity and the 35th both have the roughcast magnet...maybe both models sound nearly identical
 
Agreed on the A2, don't really like it either EXCEPT in the Duncan alnico II. That's a great pup for a les paul. Nice and beefy and not too loose for some reason on the low end. Keep us posted on this thread, I am really interested if the various incarnations of the JB make that much diff..
 
Kapo_Polenton":hv621rf5 said:
the Duncan custom shop once suggested to me that I should consider a custom pup from them for this reason but who has the $ for that. Wasted cash if it sucks. Another route you could go is trying the new Jason becker sig. pup which is based off a JB as well. Or pop an A2 magnet in a JB. Problem here is that it is great for highs but the low end will be even softer. If you find it though, let us know!
Click to expand...

I've wondered how much that is to get a custom pickup created.
 
I haven't found a guitar I didn't enjoy a JB in. It's just "home" for me. That said, I haven't switched out anything for a JB in a looooong time. If I'm replacing a pickup, it's either for a JB or a Full Shred.
 
the4thlast1":17ojusia said:
Doesnt seem worth it ... I have tried the Custom, Custom 5, Custom Custom, Alternative 8 ... All the same pickup with different magnets from what I understand
Click to expand...


The Alternative8 is not the same as the various Customs.
 
Anyone try the DeMartini pickup? From what I remember reading it's like a tweaked JB
 
I tried the DeMartini pickup, its cool but once again I dont really like Alinco II all that much, its mostly a response thing and how it compresses at higher volumes. #1 for me is A5 followed by Ceramic.
 
GO OUT AND ORDER THE DUNCAN SUPER V!!! IT IS AWESOME!! TO ME THE BEST PUP DUNCAN HAS EVER MADE!
 
I have a demartini in a kramer voyager it sounds killer very fat !!
I think it is a very high output if I remember right ?
I have an old jb in one of my kramer focus 100's I will try a comparison when I get a chance .
 
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