'59 or JB trembucker?

[devilfish]

hey,

im just deciding before i buy either a JB or '59 trembucker for the highway strat. they are both £40, brand new, with warranty from ebay.

i play stuff varying from jimi hendrix to new punk/rock & indie stuff.

are there any points which you would suggest to NOT get either the Jb or '59?

or any points that you could tell me as to which you tihkn would suit better?

my strat is routed for humbucker, single, single, so i cant get both haha

any advice/info would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks

 

[mirrormind]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

They'd need 500k pots, and more than likely your strat has 250k pots.

I'd say the JB as it's what a lot of bands use (Green Day, Nirvana just to name a couple). Jimi Hendrix used strat single coils however, so you can't get his sound with either the JB or PAF.

The JB can be a bit too bright, you Duncan Distortion is identical to the JB but with a ceramic magnet instead of an AlNiCo 5 magnet. You might want to try that instead.

By the way, where are you getting the pickups for £40? Are you buying them from the US or the UK (unlikely at that price).

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

they are from america, why? does that make a difference?

alos, i know notihng about 500k /250k pots? whats the difference, is it possible to put a JB trembucker in my strat or not?

(its a left handed highway 1 strat)

thanks

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

Your Strat probably does have 250K pots...but the JB sounds great with 250K pots. Seymour uses 250K pots with the JB in the TeleGib.

The JB is Duncan's #1 selling bridge humbucker...but I get the impression that between the 59B and JB, most people here on the forum would pick the 59B.

Still...for your application and with the 250K pots in your guitar, the JB might be the best choice.

I use the 59B...but I use it with 500K pots.

Lew

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

thanks, so if my strat does have 250k pots, the Jb will still work and sound the same?

also, what would the sound difference be if i had 500k pots?

and what are pots? haha, i have no idea, could you please give me some insight for someoen who knows notihng about this sort of thing.

does it matter they are from USA? and am i ok to install standard ones into a left handed guitar, will the wiring be different, and will it have to be turned around or anytihng?

thanks

 

[Artie]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

They'd need 500k pots, and more than likely your strat has 250k pots.

The JB can be a bit too bright . . .

One of the things that makes a JB work so well in a Strat bridge is that the 250k pots help tame the JB's brightness. I'd say, if he goes with a JB, keep the 250k pots. IMHO.

Edit: Wow . . . three people posted while I was composing.

 

[Artie]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

and what are pots? haha, i have no idea, could you please give me some insight for someoen who knows notihng about this sort of thing.

The volume and tone controls are potentiometers.

Having a volume pot of 500k will make the pickup a bit brighter than 250k. Thats why singles usually use 250k and humbuckers use 500k. But, you can use whatever sounds best to you. Its not a hard rule.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

One of the things that makes a JB work so well in a Strat bridge is that the 250k pots help tame the JB's brightness. I'd say, if he goes with a JB, keep the 250k pots. IMHO.

Edit: Wow . . . three people posted while I was composing.

Did you hear about the weird music that was heard coming out of Beethoven's grave? People kept hearing this strange sound like music being played backwards! Turned out is was Beethoven de-composing....


Lew

 

[mirrormind]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

Pots are short for Potentiometer (like a variable resistor but with an extra connection to them, so they alter voltage instead of current).

They come in two varieties, A (audio taper, a logarithmic scale that reflects to the human hearing scale) and B (which is linear)

Type A is used as volume controls and type B is used as tone controls.

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

thanks, i think thats definitely help me make up my mind aboutt he JB, if the 250k pots make it a bit less bright, thats a Plus, right? haha

refferign to a diff. question i posted above

''does it matter they are from USA? and am i ok to install standard ones into a left handed guitar, will the wiring be different, and will it have to be turned around or anytihng?''

thanks

 

[John Wymore]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

Keep in mind when buying from the USA you will have some import taxes and possibly handling fees. You are probably still bucks ahead buying from the US but be aware you will be paying more than the US cost plus shipping in the long run.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

''am i ok to install standard ones into a left handed guitar, will the wiring be different, and will it have to be turned around or anytihng?''

thanks

Nope...you'll be just fine. Just adjust the polepieces for your guitar. You might want to adjust them to match the arch of your fingerboard and then if the B string seems to loud back that polepiece down a little to bring it into balance volume wise with the other strings. Or it might sound just fine...

Lew

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

i have no idea about polepiecesor anytihng,

ill probably get a shop to fit it for me. but if i just ask them to adjust them for a left handed guitar im sure they will know what their doing.

but i am curious as to what they are, how they are adjusted and how you would have to adjust them to fit my guitar?

thanks

 

[Artie]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

Did you hear about the weird music that was heard coming out of Beethoven's grave? People kept hearing this strange sound like music being played backwards! Turned out is was Beethoven de-composing....


Lew

Nyuk, nyuk . . . (in my best "Curly" voice.)

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

i have no idea about polepiecesor anytihng,

ill probably get a shop to fit it for me. but if i just ask them to adjust them for a left handed guitar im sure they will know what their doing.

but i am curious as to what they are, how they are adjusted and how you would have to adjust them to fit my guitar?

thanks

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

Pole piecesare the screws or studs that you see on the pickup on ur JB u would have six screws and six studs.. so u can adjust them...

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

ahh, i see, so would i just have to make the pole pieces the same heigt as my other 2 single coil pups?

im definitely going to get it done by a shop now but jsut incase i need to adjust these myself afterwards i want to know.

is there no 'danger' in doing this? can i break them by adjusting thema tall, or is it just a case of me turning a few screws?

also, are the screws on tyhe botom of the pickup? or on the top?

thanks

 

[BRHGM]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

I like both, but the JB will get the sound you want. You may or may not need to adjust the pole pieces, its a matter of taste. It depends on the set up of your guitar. If one or more strings sound too weak, you may need to adjust the pole pieces. The height of the pickup is also variable. Lowered height means a more open sound and quieter sound and raised height means a more aggressive and louder sound. So what everyone means is that you need to tweak you new JB to fit your playing style and needs.

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

thanks, thats brilliant i think ill go ahead and order the JB from the states, (hopefully not paying alot of import tax etc.)

il get my local shop to fit it for me, then ill just adjust it accordingly,

how exactly do i adjust it for when i do have it installed?
do i just tweak the screws on the top of the pickup? and that raises the polepieces, or is it underneath i have to change the height of the pole pieces?

thanks

 

[devilfish]

Re: '59 or JB trembucker?

hi,

thanks, thats brilliant i think ill go ahead and order the JB from the states, (hopefully not paying alot of import tax etc.)

il get my local shop to fit it for me, then ill just adjust it accordingly,

how exactly do i adjust it for when i do have it installed?
do i just tweak the screws on the top of the pickup? and that raises the polepieces, or is it underneath i have to change the height of the pole pieces?

thanks