Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

[SavageRiffer]

Which Duncans are the same pickups but with different magnets? Has anyone tried a JB with A2 or A4?

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

A JB with an A2 would be very dark sounding. It's already a pretty muddy pickup when it's played clean. But try it with a ceramic magnet!

There are two pickups which seemed very similar, except the magnet. I think one was the Duncan Distortion, and I forget the other. Maybe a Custom?

A guitarist I used to play with had Duncans in his Brian Moore guitar. I ended up swapping the magnet in the bridge pickup between a ceramic and A5 (I don't recall which way I did the swap) to make it sound like the similar model Duncan in his PRS.


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[allstarrme]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

The JB is the same wind as the distortion but A5 vs ceramic. The invader bridge is the same as well but triple ceramic and cap head screws.

The custom, custom custom, custom 5 and full shred bridge are all the same wind and the distortion neck is an underwound custom.

The jazz neck, alnico 2 pro, full shred and invader neck are all the same winds other than magnets and pole pieces, also the invader neck has a cap across one coil to allow more treble through.

There's probably more, Like the dd102 and dd103 are the same bridge with different magnets.

I've never bothered with A2 in any bridge pickup, usually I put a ceramic or double thick ceramic in those.

[Silence Kid]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

I love how the internet can't decide if the JB is icepicky bright or muddy. A2 JBs are a "thing" though, you can get them (or something close) from the factory as the RTM or Concept set or whatever it's called.

[jeremy]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

i like my jb with an a2 magnet actually. warm mids but not as spikey

[gregory]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

Although it isn't dynamic enough for me, the JB2 is a great pickup!

[gregory]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

The jazz neck, alnico 2 pro, full shred and invader neck are all the same winds

With respect to the FS, how did you come about this information?

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

The JB is the same wind as the distortion but A5 vs ceramic. The invader bridge is the same as well but triple ceramic and cap head screws.

Despite popular mythology on this forum, I believe that the company has confirmed this to be false. The Invader is one of them, I believe.

The custom, custom custom, custom 5 and full shred bridge are all the same wind and the distortion neck is an underwound custom.

The customs yes, the other two, I have yet to find evidence for.

The jazz neck, alnico 2 pro, full shred and invader neck are all the same winds other than magnets and pole pieces, also the invader neck has a cap across one coil to allow more treble through.

Frank Falbo, a former Product VP has confirmed that the Jazz neck and the Full Shred necks are not the same winds. None of the PAF style winds are the same.

The Duncan Performer Series Detonator is a Duncan Distortion with caps screws.

[gregory]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

the invader neck has a cap across one coil to allow more treble through.

This results in less highs out of the pickup, BTW.

[Clint 55]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

A4 JB is class. I think a lot of the pickups that people say are the same are just people making stuff up. For example, I have the JB and Distortion and I'm pretty sure they're similar but different winds. I'm no expert though. I'd need someone from Duncan to tell me. The only ones that Duncan says have identical winds is the Custom family. And caps block lows, not highs.

[Demanic]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

JB with a UOA5 is also good.

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[frankfalbo]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

...the invader neck has a cap across one coil to allow more treble through.

This results in less highs out of the pickup, BTW.

No, the capacitor is located between the two coils, and results in less bass/more treble. If the capacitor had been wired between signal and ground, then it would reduce highs.

[frankfalbo]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

The JB is the same wind as the distortion but A5 vs ceramic. The invader bridge is the same as well but triple ceramic and cap head screws.

Despite popular mythology on this forum, I believe that the company has confirmed this to be false. The Invader is one of them, I believe.

The company has not confirmed this to be false, to my knowledge, anywhere on the internet. My only statements on the subject while working for SD were centered around my opinion that the company (any company) should be afforded the courtesy of having trade secrets. They don't owe you the revelation of secrets nor confirmation/denial of internet rumors. Lots of things can be figured out by reverse engineering for those so inclined. But that's different. That's "earning" your understanding of the situation. Just like Seymour reverse engineered real PAF's and Strat pickups, then he could develop his own recipes. But many things have already been confirmed by company employees already in the public setting such as the following:

Frank Falbo, a former Product VP has confirmed that the Jazz neck and the Full Shred necks are not the same winds. None of the PAF style winds are the same.

The first part of this, that the Full Shred is not the exact same coil as the Jazz, was confirmed by me while I worked for the company, because I felt it was important. I had heard that rumor a LOT. Even among people who worked in the company. So that rumor was causing more harm than good, in that it diminished the "cool factor" of the Full Shred Neck model.

The second part of this, however, was true about the PAF style winds, as in the ones using Plain Enamel wire. (the purply-brown colored wire) But what WAS confirmed by an employee (not me) is that the Jazz and Alnico II Pro are the same coils, neck and bridge. So a mag swap in either of those transforms them into the other.

Again, now that I don't work for Duncan anymore, you'll never get any NEW information out of me. I maintain that they have the right (ethically if not contractually) to their trade secrets. I can help clear confusion for you/them when possible but this thread in general is a hornet's nest for current and former employees LOL...

[frankfalbo]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

A JB with an A2 would be very dark sounding. It's already a pretty muddy pickup when it's played clean.

Nah it's pretty sweet sounding with good treble with an A2. Seymour uses it like that often, and although the Custom Shop JB Concept model can be ordered with either, in Seymour's guitars and the 35th it was Alnico II.

[beaubrummels]

Re: Which Duncans Are The Same Pickup But With Different Magnets?

I have a old production JB with an A2. One of the best sounding rock pickups I own. It 'sounds' something like my Whole Lotta Humbucker bridge but with the tone control permanently rolled off to about 6-7. It's a great 'produced' sound - great for heavy chords and sings for leads without harshness, but it's a very specific sound, not versatile, so you can't coax bright treble out of it if needed in a particular room/amp/band situation.