80's JB magnet question?

D

DSM107

New member
Hey guys,
Has the JB bridge pickup always had an Alnico 5 magnet? I am just curious about the magnets in the late 70's to early 80's JB. Were the magnets in the early ones somewhat weaker giving less string pull like an A-2 giving a warmer tone. I remember installing a JB in the early 80's in my maple bodied Kramer and it was way too bright but that was with a 500K pot. I am going to retry the JB in a Alder bodied custom Kramer strat but I have just picked up a 250K pot to tame the highs somewhat. I really like Jake E Lee's tone period with the JB and I don't hear the ice pick highs like I experieced. I attribute that to the 500K pot I had and the maple body. I have a C/C with an A-2 in the alder strat now and I am satisfied but I want the rawness of the JB.
I tried the a-5 in the C/C and it was too bright and went back to the A-2. What can I expect with JB and a 250 K pot. I read that these were designed around a 250K strat pot anyway.

Thought I would throw this out there.
Thanks,
Mark :22:
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Far as I know the JB has always been an alnico 5 pickup. I've used them off and on since they first came out and haven't noticed a dramatic change in tone from the early ones to todays.

Evan has said that todays JB is exactly the same as the original.

The Telecaster that Seymour put the original JB in does have a pair of 250K pots. I thought the JB I had in my Strat sounded lousy with 250K pots: dull and muffled. Sounded much better after changing to all 500K.

YMMV...
 
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Re: 80's JB magnet question?

DSM107 said:
Hey guys,
Has the JB bridge pickup always had an Alnico 5 magnet? I am just curious about the magnets in the late 70's to early 80's JB. Were the magnets in the early ones somewhat weaker giving less string pull like an A-2 giving a warmer tone. I remember installing a JB in the early 80's in my maple bodied Kramer and it was way too bright but that was with a 500K pot. I am going to retry the JB in a Alder bodied custom Kramer strat but I have just picked up a 250K pot to tame the highs somewhat. I really like Jake E Lee's tone period with the JB and I don't hear the ice pick highs like I experieced. I attribute that to the 500K pot I had and the maple body. I have a C/C with an A-2 in the alder strat now and I am satisfied but I want the rawness of the JB.
I tried the a-5 in the C/C and it was too bright and went back to the A-2. What can I expect with JB and a 250 K pot. I read that these were designed around a 250K strat pot anyway.

Thought I would throw this out there.
Thanks,
Mark :22:
Click to expand...


This has been talked about before...ALL production JB's have and have had alnico 5 magnets, also the first JB/Jazz set went into a Telecaster for Jeff Beck and that guitar used the 250k pots...I prefer a JB with 250k pots, it tames out the highs just enough for me. Good luck
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Lewguitar said:
The JB has always been an alnico 5 pickup. The Telecaster that Seymour put the original JB in does have a pair of 250K pots. I thought the JB I had in my Strat sounded lousy with 250K pots: dull and muffled. Sounded much better after changing to all 500K.

YMMV...
Click to expand...

Strange...I never got a dull tone with the 250k pots...that guitar is long gone or I would try again...
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

the guy who invented fire said:
Strange...I never got a dull tone with the 250k pots...that guitar is long gone or I would try again...
Click to expand...

Just personal taste I guess...but mine really did sound lousy with 250K pots.

Just as I said: dull and muffled. No sparkle.

500K pots fixed it right up!

Lew
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

I had 300k pots in my JB Strat for about a day. Like Lew said, it was too muffled when clean. I changed 'em out for 500k.
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

I know some guys here swapped in an A-2 magnet into a JB with some success in taming the highs with a 500K pot. I know I like the C/C with an A-2 in this guitar.

I am really shooting for a Jake E. Lee(OZZY and early Badlands) tone since most of my guitar are running C/C's more or less. Just looking for something a little different. But I think it is the uncompressed sound of the JB that I like so much. I guess I have to stick it in and try it then go from there.

Does any one know if Ampage is still selling magnets?

I thought I heard they were no longer around. That is where I picked up some magnets before. I also need some 3/4" black cloth tape for covering the windings on an old Screamin Demon. :)
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Didn't someone say that the magnets can become a little weaker over time? Wouldn't that cause a bit of a mellowing of the tone?
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

I put a lot of time into checking into this, see i play a older USA kramer that had a JB/jazz set stock from the get go.
and most of the players i have talked to agree the older JB's in the kramers have a "different" tone?
this is probably to to the natural ageing of the wire/magnet.
my old JB from that kramer is at 17.3K and the newer TB-4 is at 17.1K and they sound very different from one another.
the kramer JB is sweeter,warmer and the newer one is edgier,crisper and sounds a touch hotter in output
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Just so you know, if that's the TB-4 you got from me, I believe it came stock in my '95 Hamer Diablo. So, while newer, it's not current.
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

SABOTAGE said:
I put a lot of time into checking into this, see i play a older USA kramer that had a JB/jazz set stock from the get go.
and most of the players i have talked to agree the older JB's in the kramers have a "different" tone?
this is probably to to the natural ageing of the wire/magnet.
my old JB from that kramer is at 17.3K and the newer TB-4 is at 17.1K and they sound very different from one another.
the kramer JB is sweeter,warmer and the newer one is edgier,crisper and sounds a touch hotter in output
Click to expand...

So you've tried them both in the same guitar through the same amp? Otherwise: maybe/maybe not!

Lew
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Lewguitar said:
So you've tried them both in the same guitar through the same amp? Otherwise: maybe/maybe not!

Lew
Click to expand...

yes lew i put the TB-4 into the kramer,i bought it originally to have a trem spaced JB,see the kramer is a 1985 and back then duncan did not offer trem spaced pups so kramer put in a regular non logo (JBJ).
the TB-4 is like i said edgier,crisper and a touch hotter than the old JBJ in the same guitar and same amps
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

SABOTAGE said:
yes lew i put the TB-4 into the kramer,i bought it originally to have a trem spaced JB,see the kramer is a 1985 and back then duncan did not offer trem spaced pups so kramer put in a regular non logo (JBJ).
the TB-4 is like i said edgier,crisper and a touch hotter than the old JBJ in the same guitar and same amps
Click to expand...

That could be because the strings are centered over the polepieces for the first time though. Or you could be right! :smack: :) Lew
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Lewguitar said:
That could be because the strings are centered over the polepieces for the first time though. Or you could be right! :smack: :) Lew
Click to expand...

well the JBJ is from 1985 so we are talkin 20 years old now and it has been played and played and sweated on and beer spilt on it and blood got on it and some tears!LOL!!!
and is has been in hot/ cold enviorments, so I have NO trouble believing it sounds different form one from the late 90's? :laugh2:
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Fender spaced JB Trembuckers do sound brighter and more present in a Strat than Gibson spaced JB humbuckers though. When I had a standard spaced JB in my Strat the high E would actually get louder and brighter when I bent a note because I would pull it over the polepiece where it should have been in the first place. And the low E tone improved alot too...with the Trembucker. Lew
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

I agree with Sabotage 100%. Just yesterday I installed an 80s JB (JBJ sticker) into my warmoth tele-which had a new JB in it for a while as well. The pickup is without a doubt warmer. It sounds incredible, easily me best gear purchase this year ($51 on eBay). Previously, the guitar sounded too bright on the bridge pup alone with the tone cranked up, now it's just perfect.

The newer JB was, like Sabotage said, edgy and crispy. Not a bad sounding pup, but not nearly as sweet.
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Hacker,
Just out of curiosity, was your new JB that was in your tele Trembucker spaced?

I am sure magnet strength varies somewhat but Lew deifiniteley could be on to something with the pole alignment taking away form the ouput somewhat inducing a warmer tone to the ears giving a distinctness in sound that you might not get with the tembucker spacing. I may pick up a Gibson spaced JB and try it as well. My old Duncan in my old 84 Kramer that I love has the same qualities you guys mention.

Well some great points raised and idea, thanks guys. :cool3:

Mark
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

Lew,
I have been reading and it is suggested that it is imperative that the JB be used in conjunction with a 250 Tone pot with a 500 K volume to keep the pickup form being shrill. The guitar that I am putting this into has a single volume pot and a Floyd Rose. The guitar was bright with a C-5. I ended up going to a C/C.

I am afraid this thing is going to be ice pick treble.

Any suggestions?

Can I put a put a cap on it to bleed out some of the highs?

Just trying to cover all my base so I am not disappointed. I really want to like the JB. :smack:

Thanks,
Mark
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

DSM,

No, it was regular spaced. And the old JB came from a Kramer also.
 
Re: 80's JB magnet question?

I was wondering that same thing myself!! Vintage JB's & '59s. If 59s are built exactly like original PAFs then we sould start being accessable to "real" aged '59s & even cool vintage JBs....cool.
 
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