59b vs jb-what are the differences???

[GOLDWING68NV]

hey guys.for those of you that have tried out both pickups,how do you compare them and/or what are their differences???...which one is brighter or darker? which one has better clarity under high gain? which one has a tighter bottom end? i'm thinking of trying one of them out in a basswood strat-style guitar with a maple neck/fretboard.my playing style is hark rock & metal...thanks!!!

 

[Rev Donzo]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

Hello GOLDWING68NV,
What your asking for is what teh JB was designed to acomplish. The 59 may also do it but first bet is the JB here.

Cheers
RD

 

[St-Jimmy]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

Hey Goldwing,
I use both pickups actually, and the JB is definitely much brighter because the mids and trebles are higher on it. The JB is great for metal, although you can use the 59 for metal too. The 59 has a vintage tone to it, and it has more bass and less treble than the JB. It really depends if you are a lead guitarist or rhythm player, and where you want to put it (bridge or neck). I have the JB in the Bridge and the 59 in the neck. The 59 is really nice for soloing in the neck because it has this smooth glowing sound for it, but if you're gonna shred with it or chug out chords, it'll sound muddy. Dave Mustaine uses the JB in the bridge of his guitars, so if you play that kind of metal, then perfect! Hope this helps.

 

[GOLDWING68NV]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

hey thanks alot St-Jimmy!!! that does help alot.i'm thinking the 59b might be the one for this guitar.definately love a smooth,alnico 5 tone without too much upper mids.as long as it's punchy & tight on the bottom!

 

[greendy123]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

The 59 should sound alot clearer with chords and solos in the bridge, not muddy at all there.

 

[motorboy29]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

What are you going to be playing? Cos if yur gonna play metal or even hard rock def dont use a JB (they aren't good for metal). But, use a '59 in the neck.

:rocket:

 

[walt]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

Hello GOLDWING68NV,
What your asking for is what teh JB was designed to acomplish. The 59 may also do it but first bet is the JB here.

Cheers
RD

Don, is that you??

 

[theodie]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

To my ears here how it is,

59 = good!!!!

JB = a huge steaming pile of dog poo!!!!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!

Those are just my ears though!!!!!!!!

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

I think the JB is meaner sounding.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

Don't forget about the Custom 5, which kind of sits right in between those two pickups. I love the natural EQ of the 59, but like the bottom a little bigger and tighter.....that's the C-5, and the mids and highs are very similar to a 59.

The JB does one thing I like....the lead tones on high notes are thick and singing. As for rhythm, it sounds too nasal on cleans, and sounds best on highgain only, which is probably why Mustaine uses it.

IMO, the 59, C-5, and JB are the best Duncan A5 pickups, and I tend to like the one that sounds closer to the 59, but has some nice output like the JB, that's the C-5.

 

[Chamorro]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

Don't forget about the Custom 5, which kind of sits right in between those two pickups. I love the natural EQ of the 59, but like the bottom a little bigger and tighter.....that's the C-5, and the mids and highs are very similar to a 59.

The JB does one thing I like....the lead tones on high notes are thick and singing. As for rhythm, it sounds too nasal on cleans, and sounds best on highgain only, which is probably why Mustaine uses it.

IMO, the 59, C-5, and JB are the best Duncan A5 pickups, and I tend to like the one that sounds closer to the 59, but has some nice output like the JB, that's the C-5.

+1. I had the 59/JB in my (basswood body/maple neck/rosewood FB) Ibanez JS470. Very happy with the 59n, not at all happy with the JB....it was too middy for my tastes and my amps. Replaced it with a C5 and I'm very happy with the 59/C5 combo.... the C5 does indeed sound like a hotter-output 59.

 

[ErikH]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

What are you going to be playing? Cos if yur gonna play metal or even hard rock def dont use a JB (they aren't good for metal). But, use a '59 in the neck.

:rocket:

What planet are you from?? The JB is a great pickup for metal. Lots and lots of artists have used it and still do for metal. Of course, if you're talking the new metal (dark, drop-C tuning) vs. classic metal (Judas Priest and the like), then yeah, something else may fit better but the JB is still a great pickup for metal.

And Dave, you need to go to the ear doctor....ROTFLMFAO :beerchug:

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

What planet are you from?? The JB is a great pickup for metal. Lots and lots of artists have used it and still do for metal. Of course, if you're talking the new metal (dark, drop-C tuning) vs. classic metal (Judas Priest and the like), then yeah, something else may fit better but the JB is still a great pickup for metal.

And Dave, you need to go to the ear doctor....ROTFLMFAO :beerchug:

+1 too all off that Dave will never give up will he? But Ivae to agree on one thing the Jb doesnot sound all that great while playing chords, But for soloing it is GREAT

 

[theodie]

+1 too all off that Dave will never give up will he? But Ivae to agree on one thing the Jb doesnot sound all that great while playing chords, But for soloing it is GREAT

It is great for solo's on the top 3 strings! I am not disputing that!!!! It is the worst pickup ever for chords of any kind though! Pure garbage at best!!! I like solo's but, they are usually only about a minute of a song! The rest of it usually has Rhythm parts to it!!!

Erik, you are a sheep!!!!!!! The only reason you say its good is becasue the hype factor!!!! So what if alot of folks have used it? They could have had alot better tone with something else!!!:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

 

[TENAX]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

so, riddle me this..how do you think a JB would sound on the neck and C5 on the bridge (les paul with rosewood keyboard, maybe top) i have both of those on the way (along with the neck and bridge full shredders) and god help me, i'll likely buy a couple more SD models before i even get to trying combinations? playing classic rock, a bit of pop, some blues and maybe a bit o funk!

tanks!

 

[theodie]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

The JB sounds a hell of alot better in the neck than in the bridge!!!!!! It may over power the C5 though. It may not either. I have tried putting a higher wound pickup (wound hotter than the bridge) in the neck and the lower output pickup always dominates the sound. It may work.

 

[ErikH]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

It is great for solo's on the top 3 strings! I am not disputing that!!!! It is the worst pickup ever for chords of any kind though! Pure garbage at best!!! I like solo's but, they are usually only about a minute of a song! The rest of it usually has Rhythm parts to it!!!

Erik, you are a sheep!!!!!!! The only reason you say its good is becasue the hype factor!!!! So what if alot of folks have used it? They could have had alot better tone with something else!!!:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

BAHHHH!!!!! :dance: :lmao:

I've used the JB in LPs, Kramers, Strats, V's. It sounded good in all of them. The only one where it was a bit too bright was the Kramer because of the maple body. All the others were fine. And I'm not going by the hype, I'm going by experience so :nana: ROFLMAO.

My homemade probably sounded the best to me with it though. Once I got it adjusted to the right height and played with each pole piece, it was pretty well balanced.

 

[TENAX]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

thanks very much odie! appreciated!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

The JB is brighter than the 59B??? :smack: Sorry, I don't hear it that way.

Here's what I hear:

1. The JB is louder than 59B

2. The JB has more mids than the 59B

3. The JB has what I hear as an upper midrange or lower treble peak that is very penetrating when played loudly in your bedroom...thus the complaint that it is to bright

4. However: the JB cuts through a raging rock band like nobody's business and sounds great onstage

5. The JB has better split coil and parallel tones than the 59B because when you split a 16.6K pickup like the JB you get a 8.3K single coil...plenty of output

6. The 59B has brighter, spankier, splashier treble than the JB and plenty of mids but less mids than the JB

7. Plugged into a Marshall plexi or other cool British amp, the 59B sounds like Eric Clapton with Cream...my favorite '67 era humbucker tone

8. If you can play Freeway Jam or Cause We've Ended Like Lovers like Jeff Beck, the JB will let you nail that tone...because that's the pickup Jeff Beck used to record those songs

9. Jeff Beck, George Lynch and Robben Ford have all used the JB. They are all great players. Great players like those guys know good tone and would not have use the JB if it was not a great sounding pickup

10. The JB also Seymour's favorite bridge humbucker and he uses it in the Tele-Gib

'Nuff said?

 

[GOLDWING68NV]

Re: 59b vs jb-what are the differences???

hey,thanks much for that detailed clarification-Lew!!! i'm definately a huge george lynch fan and have caught him playing live while using a jb-loaded esp.sounded awesome through his plexi...love those creamy,singing mids for leads.i'll start with the jb,since the local guitar shop has a trembucker version of it already in stock.as long as the rhythm has ample chunk on the bottom end and the pickup has descent clarity overall-it should be a winner in my ibanez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks again to all who have posted replys. -Ned V.