SH-2B in neck?

[Inflames626]

Hey guys,
I'm looking for a brighter passive SD neck pup. My favorite neck pickup so far is the EMG 60 through a Roland JC120-bright, clean, kind of chorus-y. Most of us should know the sound if you like Metallica, especially Justice era.

As far as I know, the Jazz is considered Duncan's brightest neck pickup, but to me it still has a really warm PAF quality.

I've asked guys about a brighter neck pup. Some have suggested Pearly Gates, but I don't want too much bite.

The EMG 60 still has warm aspects--the lower strings still "plunk" on the upper registers like a PAF when played clean. But it sparkles and cuts through in a way that is unlike to Jazz to me, maybe because the 60 is ceramic. Or, maybe like most EMGs I've tried, the active voicing along with rolled off lows and highs make it sterile...erm, clean.

Anyway, I don't want a 60 because I'm always searching for new tones. But is there something in the passive SD line that's pretty close to it so I have a point of reference for trying new stuff?

Thanks.

[SJ318]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Hello, welcome! Kick yer shoes off, have a drink!
You said SH-2B, that is the bridge pickup that has more winds, a little more output and I have used and still use both in one of my guitars. The SH-2N-Neck pickup is brighter as it is a lower output version of the SH-2B pickup.
I love the SH-2N as my humbucker neck pickup of choice. At least in tha SD lineup. Has a beautiful high end in all my neck position guitars, mahogany(SG), mahogony/maple cap(L.Paul), and even in my chambered H-S-H Warmoth strat.
I don't know much about other brands except Gibson, and what I read here. So like I say, for me, The SH-2 is my fave bright neck pickup in the whole SD line up and Gibson.
There are many experts here who will gladly recommend other things, but as no one has jumped in just yet, thought I'd get my 2 cents in for you.
Steve Buffington EDIT: I turn my neck pickups 180 degrees so the poles are are just a little bit closer the bridge, and I keep the body of the pup a little low so the poles have a little more magnetic attraction than the covered slugs. HTH.

[JOEBACCA]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

I don't have any experience with the Jazz Bridge in the Neck position, I'm pretty sure Gearjoneser had/has one in the neck slot of one of his guitars though.

As for the Pearly Gates, it is definitely NOT brighter than the Jazz Neck. The Pearly is darker in comparison and has more of a wooly, spongy attack on the wound strings but the plain strings have some bite. I didn't care for it in my Schecter Ultra it sounded congested, the Jazz is great if you are looking for something brighter and more articulate in the Neck slot that still retains some warmth.

Another option I would through out there is the Full Shred Neck. It has nice articulation and is similar to the Jazz Neck. The big difference being the Double Row of hex poles changes the attack on the FSn, its tight and bright but is still very versatile...it can do much more than metal...especially if you play around with the tone knob.

[LtKojak]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

I don't have any experience with the Jazz Bridge in the Neck position, I'm pretty sure Gearjoneser had/has one in the neck slot of one of his guitars though.

Following Gearjoneser's advice, I got me a Jazz bridge which I used in the neck with a Custom 5 in the bridge on my #1.

For over two years I thought no other p'up could sound better than that one... until I've tried a Jazz neck in the neck. Then I've discovered the hard way that Seymour made neck-specific p'ups for a reason...

Now that Jazz set, modded with an A3 in the neck and an A2 in the bridge, resides in Gertrude, my Gibson L-5 CES copy.

My taste in music changed quite a bit since 2006...

[JOLLY]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

I've used it in the neck with great results.

[Archer250]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Swap the A5 in the JazzN for a ceramic.

[JOEBACCA]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Following Gearjoneser's advice, I got me a Jazz bridge which I used in the neck with a Custom 5 in the bridge on my #1.

For over two years I thought no other p'up could sound better than that one... until I've tried a Jazz neck in the neck. Then I've discovered the hard way that Seymour made neck-specific p'ups for a reason...

Now that Jazz set, modded with an A3 in the neck and an A2 in the bridge, resides in Gertrude, my Gibson L-5 CES copy.

My taste in music changed quite a bit since 2006...

Good to know! Not that I've been chomping at the bit to try a Jazz Bridge in the Neck. I love the Jazz Neck enough to not want to try the Bridge version in the Neck. I trust Seymours ears, he labeled them for a reason

[chadd]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

If you have a neck-specific volume knob, you could try a 1meg pot.

[LatsMcGee]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Dude, Sentient 6 string...

[Inflames626]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Thanks guys.

Nice to see LtKojak, who always seems to bring much needed wisdom to my posts.

Well the recent launch of a Dime set got me thinking. He supposedly used a bridge 59 in the neck because he thought it cut through more and was hotter (Although, tbh, I'm not that interested in his gear post 1994 or so--which includes the switch to Seymour/Washburn/Warhead, etc.).

Following that logic, those who follow me know I switched out a Gibson 57 Classic with a 57 Classic + in the neck and loved the change. Even though hotter pups tend to sound darker, I thought perhaps a bridge pup's emphasis on the high frequencies, as well as a hotter, more compressed sound, would create more cut.

Joebacca, good call. I recently tried a FS set and I love, love, love it. Much more even and balanced than most SD sets I've tried. I like the FS neck because it squeals more than the Jazz, and it sounds good split.

Chadd, good idea. Does anyone make push/pull 1 meg pots? I have mine wired up J bass style with 2 push pulls.

Lats, the Sentient is supposed to be a cross between a 59 and a Jazz. I'm not convinced it would be brighter than a Jazz.

Lastly, has anyone ever tried a Jazz in the bridge for metal and used their signal chain to make up for the pickup's cleanness? It's so smooth and balanced relative to SD's other offerings that I can't help but think that a Jazz bridge trembucker might have promise as a metal pup.

[JOEBACCA]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Thanks guys.

Nice to see LtKojak, who always seems to bring much needed wisdom to my posts.

Well the recent launch of a Dime set got me thinking. He supposedly used a bridge 59 in the neck because he thought it cut through more and was hotter (Although, tbh, I'm not that interested in his gear post 1994 or so--which includes the switch to Seymour/Washburn/Warhead, etc.).

Following that logic, those who follow me know I switched out a Gibson 57 Classic with a 57 Classic + in the neck and loved the change. Even though hotter pups tend to sound darker, I thought perhaps a bridge pup's emphasis on the high frequencies, as well as a hotter, more compressed sound, would create more cut.

Joebacca, good call. I recently tried a FS set and I love, love, love it. Much more even and balanced than most SD sets I've tried. I like the FS neck because it squeals more than the Jazz, and it sounds good split.

Chadd, good idea. Does anyone make push/pull 1 meg pots? I have mine wired up J bass style with 2 push pulls.

Lats, the Sentient is supposed to be a cross between a 59 and a Jazz. I'm not convinced it would be brighter than a Jazz.

Lastly, has anyone ever tried a Jazz in the bridge for metal and used their signal chain to make up for the pickup's cleanness? It's so smooth and balanced relative to SD's other offerings that I can't help but think that a Jazz bridge trembucker might have promise as a metal pup.

Jolly uses the Jazz Set in some of his axes, I think he has some sound clips of it in action too...

[tubecrunch]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

The dimarzio humbucker from hell will get you some justice tones.

[Masta' C]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

Since you dig the EMG-60, try throwing a Ceramic mag into the FSn or Jazz Neck and back it away from the strings a bit...good stuff!

Also, if you want to blow your mind a little, swap the A5 mag in the FSn/Jazz Neck for an A8 and put it in the bridge. Does some cool stuff there.

[synzzzer]

Re: SH-2B in neck?

I tend to play a lot of bright humbuckers. My favorite is the Schaller Golden 50. It's bright with tons of tone. It's probably the most underrated pickup on the market, and they can be found for pretty cheap prices as far as pickups go.

If you like Bill Lawrence pickups, which always tend to be bright you could try the L-500-C or the L-500-R. The C version is very crisp, clean and jazzy. The R version is a cross between the Bill Lawrence sound and a PAF. The R version has a bit more bite than the C.

It's something to think about. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.