Re: 59A4 and JB2. How would these work together?
1) not saying you are wrong blueman but it's one of the best selling humbuckers of all time and one of the most used with guitar builders (would it be my first choice) not in most cases but I can't deny that it's a good pickup. I doubt that it would be such a big seller and such a commonly used pickup if it were half as bad as you claim it to be
2) I have used them in numerous guitars and I don't find it obnoxious and stuff at least in respect to playing with a band (I find that it cuts in a mix quite nicely, which is the point of the pickup) it's a hot rodded humbucker with a very forward sound. It's not soft and cuddly it's abrasive and in your face.
3) But there is a reason why so many players (including Seymour) and so many builders (some very big companies like Washburn, ESP, etc not to mention the smaller operations) choose the 59/JB pairing. It's a very versatile setup that can tackle a lot of styles with ease.
1) People tend to follow the crowd as it releives them of making decisions or having to take responsibility for them,
'Hey, everybody else it doing it.' Following the crowd is not how you excel. Never make the assumption that the masses know what they're doing. High sales
do not translate to quality, people respond to marketing, promotions, and low pricing. LP Jrs
far outsold LP Bursts in the 1950's, that's makes them the far better guitar? Look at how many albums Brittany Spears has sold, or Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, and MC Hammer. Good music huh? The public really knows talent! Has nothing to do with promotion and behind-the-scenes deals, right? The highest quality products usually have the
lowest sales. People aren't all that discerning. Say 'best selling' and you're convinced? My first reaction is 'hype.' Now, JB's are good-quality PU's but they're fairly specialized and not the kind of thing to put in every kind of guitar. They're all over the map in mahogany. You don't know what sounds you'll get. I've seen JB's come stock in LP types, so I
know that there's not a lot of thought being put into this. You call JB's
'in your face and abrasive.' And in your mind that's a versatile PU for
'many styles of music'? Whew.
2) You're new here. I've seen
many posts, some by JB fans, that have told horror stories of how that PU has crashed and burned in their mahogany guitars. Terms like 'atrocious', 'ice pick spike', 'flabby low end', and 'blaring like a cheap old trumpet.' Stick around and hear some real life stories. It simply is not a universal PU that can sound good in many guitars for many genres. If a number of forum members have had this happen, it's not an isolated thing. The average player that buys an aftermarket PU is pretty much clueless, unfortunately. He likes the cool PU name or the phrases and slogans on the box. He has no idea what any specs mean, like resistance, resonant peak, manget type (
'There's moe than one?'), wire gauge, and windings.
Way over his head. It's purchases made by these guys that impress you? He buys it because it has a cool name or he sees the PU advertised somewhere.
'Oh, it says here it's Seymour's favorite set'. Does this guy know what kind of music Seymour plays, or what guitars and gear he uses? He's probably not playing what Seymour does. Odds are there's a Duncan PU better suited for him than a JB. And that's one of my beefs. Duncan makes
so many great PU's, and one of the pickiest and most tempermental is the one that gets the fanfare. Give the other ones a shot and I think many players would be impressed. Duncan is a whole product line, not one PU.
3) Seymour likes that PU, it's his identity, it started his company, and he's promoted the hell out of it, so that's what big guitar manufacturers often buy. They want to be able to say 'they have Duncan's' in a model of theirs. And JB's get the lion's share of the advertising. Bingo! JB's it is! They want name recognition by adding that PU; tone quality and versatility may not come up in the conversation. Everybody's heard of the JB. They could buy a much less-known PU, or even one from an unknown brand, that sounds better and is more versatile, but that won't sell as many of their guitars. They want the 'Duncan/JB' bling. This is a marketing decision made by guys in suits at the guitar manufacturer's office, probably not guitar players. JB's are good for certain things in certain guitars. Many of us don't have those guitars or play those genres and JB's don't work that well for us. Handle many genres 'with ease?' Hardly. A quirky 16K PU doesn't work well for many genres. Always lots of used JB's for sale.
Put aside the assumptions and the crowd mentality, and look at what else Duncan has to offer. There's
so much more. Get into them, you may just forget about JB's.
Happy New Year to you Rick!
