The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

[Aceman]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Hey - you guys are all welcome to show up test day with hot irons and do all this...

[Masta' C]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

"Hey man, what about a double-thick, degaussed A2-swapped, partially underwound, coil-tapped JBJ/JB hybrid with double rows of vintage hex poles?"

Seriously, peeps in this thread be trippin'.

If you want to capture the full spectrum and keep it simple:

1) '70s "The JB Model"
2) '80s "JBJ"
3) '80s non-JBJ (i.e. a JBL, JBP, JBM, etc)
4) Current production JB (non-TB4)
5) Roughcast A5 swap into the newer JB (to compare with "The JB Model", you don't even have to re-solder!)

Also, Aceman, do you have a guitar with the Liberator? Would make these swaps even easier

[Clint 55]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

+ Cobain era JB. = P

[Masta' C]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Cobain first used the JB in his black "Vandalism" Strat around 1990. The ~1989 "JBJ" I have covers that period and would be the same as most produced at the end of the '80s into the early '90s.

[Aceman]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

+ Cobain era JB. = P

Seriously? You expect me to find a JB made during the 90 days he was interesting?

[ErikH]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

I would be more interested in hearing the raw .wav files of the recording rather than a compressed YouTube video or MP3. Will that be possible?

[Clint 55]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

They'll probably use an sm57 which accurately captures like 1/3 of the sound in the room lol!

[MikeS]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

I'm saying a JB is a JB is a JB.

Top level hypothesis: You can't tell them apart

There's already a clip in this thread where differences could be heard. Subtle, but not indiscernible. Unless you're suggesting we're suffering from confirmation bias because the video tells us the pickups are different? Nonetheless, I'm stating that in that clip I could hear subtle differences, even under all that gain.

Second Hypothesis: Even if you can, you can't tell which is which.

This, I mostly agree with. A lot of listeners aren't going to be familiar enough with all three versions to consistently match the tone to the pickup. I'll count myself among that group.

I'll add that I don't think one batch of clips is a large enough sample size. You need to record the same riff on the same model multiple times.

Riff A
Pickup 1, Take 1
Pickup 2, Take 1
Pickup 3, Take 1

But then occasionally throw in some placebos and see if anyone catches that you included the same pickup in multiple takes. That's where you'll catch a listener's confirmation bias.

Riff B
Pickup 1, Take 1
Pickup 2, Take 1
Pickup 1, Take 2

Riff C
Pickup 2, Take 1
Pickup 2, Take 2
Pickup 2, Take 3.

[dystrust]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

They'll probably use an sm57 which accurately captures like 1/3 of the sound in the room lol!

Your not liking (or knowing how to properly use) a microphone doesn't make it bad. The SM57 is an industry standard for electric guitar for a reason after all. Besides, what useful, discerning sound will be contained in the room reflections it doesn't pick up? Since this probably won't be recorded in a treated space, I'd much rather have the amp closed-mic'd so the room doesn't become another variable.

[beaubrummels]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

They'll probably use an sm57 which accurately captures like 1/3 of the sound in the room lol!

But it will capture 140% of the sound a guitar puts out.

[Clint 55]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Your not liking (or knowing how to properly use) a microphone doesn't make it bad. The SM57 is an industry standard for electric guitar for a reason after all. Besides, what useful, discerning sound will be contained in the room reflections it doesn't pick up? Since this probably won't be recorded in a treated space, I'd much rather have the amp closed-mic'd so the room doesn't become another variable.

The sound it records isn't an accurate recreation of what comes directly out of the amp either. You're right, it's occurring to me that I might not know how to 'properly use an sm57'. I was positive that stick the thing right in front of the speaker meant put the thing in the next room. It might take me a few days or weeks of reading to figure out what stick the thing right in front of the amp could mean. This is some advanced ****.

[Cynical]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Yeah, that's all there is to it -- just put it in front of the speaker. Mic placement is so easy, that's why there's tons and tons of articles devoted to the subject, and guys who get good at it are able to command high prices for it, right?

Oh, and yeah, an SM57 totally isn't going to pick up changes to your precious "room sounds".... after all, the room sound is totally originating from something other than the speakers, and guitars have a ton of sonic information below 40Hz and above 15kHz.

Seriously, the lengths guitarists will go to in order to avoid blind testing, where they'd have to admit that they're at wine-tasting levels of "full of ****"...

[Masta' C]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

If mic type, settings, and placement are all held constant, then any differences heard are either due to the pickup or the player

[Clint 55]

Re: The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Yeah, that's all there is to it -- just put it in front of the speaker. Mic placement is so easy, that's why there's tons and tons of articles devoted to the subject, and guys who get good at it are able to command high prices for it, right?

Oh, and yeah, an SM57 totally isn't going to pick up changes to your precious "room sounds".... after all, the room sound is totally originating from something other than the speakers, and guitars have a ton of sonic information below 40Hz and above 15kHz.

Seriously, the lengths guitarists will go to in order to avoid blind testing, where they'd have to admit that they're at wine-tasting levels of "full of ****"...

There's the axis of the cone to the edge of the speaker and the axis of right next to the grill up to maybe a foot back at the most. Lol!! So complex!! Get help.

[beaubrummels]

The JB "I call BS on everyone" thread

Thus we have a new way to bias the test. If a 57 were aimed straight in to seam of the center cone right against the grill, all pickups will sound like Slash.