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JBJ vs. Distortion

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  • JBJ vs. Distortion

    Hello people, can anyone explain the difference between a JBJ and a regular Distortion to me? Is one of them tighter and where's the difference in tone? I'm mostly playing 80s thrash metal, heavy metal and some hard rock and I know both the JB and the Distortion are capable of producing a tone I'd like.
    My guitar is made out of poplar and has a maple neck with an amaranth fretboard. That affects the tone as well, right?
    Last edited by fabi_exodus; 03-01-2021, 02:03 AM. Reason: added guitar specs

  • #2
    Well the distortion and jb winds are thought to be very similar. The big difference being the magnet each uses. The jb uses an Alnico 5 while the distortion uses a ceramic magnet. The DD actually uses a thicker magnet, I believe double thick. The jb has a high midrange spike and a flubby low end while the dd has a much tighter response all around with more output. They are distinct sounds though. I never liked the distortion because I like good clean tones and it loses some clarity and I swear has a sort of buzzing quality. Actually I never liked the jb clean that much either. It doesn’t have much depth to me, like it’s always firm with little give. But for distorted metal tones, they are both good in ways. The jb remains relatively clear but the bass is not very tight. It has a singing quality that gets the job done. I think the definitive tones with that pickup come from megadeth circa Rust in Peace/ Countdown To Extinction era. The distortion, I think is the pickup of choice for Adam Jones of Tool. It sounds a lot more aggressive and is probably the humbucker you want if you’re looking for crushing metal tone right from the start.

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    • #3
      A Distortion Jr would actually be a cool pickup. I bet the Custom Shop could make it.
      Administrator of the SDUGF

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      • #4
        The Distortion is undeniably "tighter", but not as stiff and unforgiving as some "modern" winds.

        If you want fluid lead tones with good bite and full bodied harmonics, the JB is where it's at. It also has a wonderful split tone, one of the best among humbuckers.

        If you want a little more edge to your sound and a more articulate bottom end, the Distortion is the way to go. It's worth noting that they cover very similar ground in terms of thrash, hard rock, etc. and choosing between the 2 usually comes down to the characteristics of the particular guitar.

        In your case, you really shouldn't focus too heavily on the woods the guitar is made from, but what the guitar sounds like as a whole. That said, I would probably start with a Distortion to see if it does what you want and go from there.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Masta' C View Post
          That said, I would probably start with a Distortion to see if it does what you want and go from there.
          Thanks, I think I'll do that. Since my budget is small I'll look around on the used market in my area and start with the cheaper one

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          • #6
            both are similar but for thrash i'd go with the distortion. slightly more aggressive sounding, tighter low end. less mid spike and more top end. sounds surprisingly good for lower gain tones too.
            Quality riffs in about a minute...
            https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2B...Y3EewvQ/videos

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            • #7
              Originally posted by superpete View Post
              both are similar but for thrash i'd go with the distortion. slightly more aggressive sounding, tighter low end. less mid spike and more top end. sounds surprisingly good for lower gain tones too.
              I agree with all of that. I think that the Distortion is like someone sonically gave a JB a rough sanding, so it’s a little slimmer and a little more gritty.

              I like this video for a comparison.

               

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              • #8
                The magnet is the difference. Alnico 5 is weaker than a Ceramic 8 magnet. And it increases the inductance. So you get that flabby low end on the JB and a softer top end. Ceramic magnets have a “harder” field, so they sound quicker and tighter. They also don’t increase the inductance.

                I’ve converted these pickups back and forth for clients by swapping the magnets.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                • #9
                  adam jones actually used the jb in his silverburst not a distortion. for thrash, id go distortion

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                  • #10
                    Adam Jones is a little vague on exactly what the bridge pickup in his main guitar is:

                    Have they recreated the Seymour Duncan pickup from your original too?

                    “Yes, they were hand-wound and they only did them for about three or four years [Super Distortion model made in the 1990s]. I buy those on Ebay and they might recreate that for me [they now have since this interview]. I’m happy they’re willing and that’s what Gibson is; they’ll put someone else’s thing in there just to make it authentic. They’re a great company.”



                    He did choose Duncan Distortions for his Gibson signature models though.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by CaptainWhizz View Post

                      I agree with all of that. I think that the Distortion is like someone sonically gave a JB a rough sanding, so it’s a little slimmer and a little more gritty.

                      I like this video for a comparison.
                      Your description is spot on to me. Thanks for the video, that's what I needed! Especially Creeping Death and Mouth for War sounded better to me with the Distortion. I think I'll go for the Distortion first and if I want a warmer, thicker JB-type of tone I'll look for a trade offer or something.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by fabi_exodus View Post

                        Your description is spot on to me. Thanks for the video, that's what I needed! Especially Creeping Death and Mouth for War sounded better to me with the Distortion. I think I'll go for the Distortion first and if I want a warmer, thicker JB-type of tone I'll look for a trade offer or something.
                        Glad I could help. Do you have a neck pickup sorted, or is it a single-pickup guitar?

                        JBs seem to be readily available second-hand, and there’s always the option of performing a magnet swap on the Distortion to change the sound.

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                        • #13
                          Scott Ian from Anthrax has been using JB for ages so it's good for eighties thrash.

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                          • #14
                            Both the JB and the Distortion are good for thrash, in my opinion. I used the JB for extreme metal for years but nowadays I'd probably lean more towards the Distortion for thrash tones. I find myself favoring the ceramics for heavy extreme stuff these days, most of my guitars I use for that stuff either has an Invader, Distortion or a Black Winter in there now.
                            And like Captain Whizz said above, I too am curious about what you're going for regarding a neck pickup, if anything? Let us know!

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by CaptainWhizz View Post

                              Glad I could help. Do you have a neck pickup sorted, or is it a single-pickup guitar?

                              JBs seem to be readily available second-hand, and there’s always the option of performing a magnet swap on the Distortion to change the sound.
                              I'll stick with the stock Jackson neck pickup in my JS32 Rhoads for now since I almost never use it and I'm thinking about removing it. If I find myself using it more often in the future, I thought about going for a 59 or a Jazz.

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