A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

sinrman68

New member
Just a quick question...being new to the forum...what would an SH-6 sound like with a lower mag...instead of ceramic? Like an A2 or an A5. I'm not thinking about doing it-just trying to learn a bit about how the magnet/awg/windings work ? Are you essentially creating a custom or a JB ? Or is the winding/awg the hidden factor?:confused:
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

Just a quick question...being new to the forum...what would an SH-6 sound like with a lower mag...instead of ceramic? Like an A2 or an A5. I'm not thinking about doing it-just trying to learn a bit about how the magnet/awg/windings work ? Are you essentially creating a custom or a JB ? Or is the winding/awg the hidden factor?:confused:

JB and Distortion have the same coils. you'd be creating an JB2 (great pickup).

the DD does have a thicker magnet than most other Duncans so you might have to find a thinner spacer or trim the existing spacer to get a perfect fit with an A2.
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

So the AWG/windings are in several classes...the vintage ('59), the custom, and the JB/DD...just the mags are different? AJB that is fitted with a DD ceramic is just a DD...forgive me, I'm mildly confused and very appreciative of your assistance in learning this. What does a JB2 sound like? Obviously, it would lose the ceramic sharpness...but would it be simply a lower powered dd sound or would it merely mirror image a custom?:doh:
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

So the AWG/windings are in several classes...the vintage ('59), the custom, and the JB/DD...just the mags are different? AJB that is fitted with a DD ceramic is just a DD...forgive me, I'm mildly confused and very appreciative of your assistance in learning this. What does a JB2 sound like? Obviously, it would lose the ceramic sharpness...but would it be simply a lower powered dd sound or would it merely mirror image a custom?:doh:

No, there are subtle difference between many "same class" pickups.

Having said that, as far as we know there's only one Custom coils line (possibly some have a grounded copper foil in the center but I've never seen that confirmed).

In the awg44 world the coils seem to be wound the same way for JB/DD/Invader but picked and assigned by resistance. The Alt-8 is a different wind altogether.
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

the 59, seth, and pearly gates all use the same wire but the coils arent the same. the antiquity may use the same wire, but again it isnt the same coil

the three customs, sh5 sh11 sh14, all share the same coils. its been rumored that the jb and sh6 have the same coils but i dont know that to be true.

an alnico II dd will sound quite different than the ceramic version and sound nothing like a custom. a smoother high end, rich warm fat mids and a shift in the bottom end
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

So the AWG/windings are in several classes...the vintage ('59), the custom, and the JB/DD...just the mags are different? AJB that is fitted with a DD ceramic is just a DD...forgive me, I'm mildly confused and very appreciative of your assistance in learning this. What does a JB2 sound like? Obviously, it would lose the ceramic sharpness...but would it be simply a lower powered dd sound or would it merely mirror image a custom?:doh:

a JB fitted with a DD fat ceramic mag would be a DD (to my knowledge). like others have said, an A2 magnet will not make it sound like a custom. type of wire, wind, magnet, and polepieces all affect the sound of a pickup.

A JB2 is still high output thanks to the coils but it has a smoother (but still very strong) midrange, less treble, and less bass when compared to a DD. Output is not that much lower to my ears. compared to a regular JB (A5 mag), the low end is not as loose thanks to the attenuation of the lowest frequencies and while still bright, the treble is not as piercing. the upper mids are still very strong but not as "peaky." to me, the JB2 just sounds like a smoother, more refined JB. I use a JB2 because I love the harmonically rich midrange of the JB but wanted a smoother EQ (fat low mids and high mids, just enough bass and treble)
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

Just a quick question...being new to the forum...what would an SH-6 sound like with a lower mag...instead of ceramic? Like an A2 or an A5. I'm not thinking about doing it-just trying to learn a bit about how the magnet/awg/windings work ? Are you essentially creating a custom or a JB ? Or is the winding/awg the hidden factor?:confused:

I have a DD and stuck in my ESP LTD after it lost its long hard battle to stay in my Baretta.

After taking it a part the size (thickness) of the magnet is noticably larger then an A2, A8, A5, etc.

What you can do instead of trying to find spacers or milling them...I think you can do. Is simply stick two A2 mags together and put them in to try it out. I noticed that when I stuck two A8s together they were the same thickness as the single Ceramic Mag in the DD.

This would be an A8 DD (D8) would be a superpowerful DD....as I have read the A8 is a stronger Mag then the Ceramic....or in your case stick two A2s together...which would make it like a super JB2.
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

.

A JB2 is still high output thanks to the coils but it has a smoother (but still very strong) midrange, less treble, and less bass when compared to a DD. Output is not that much lower to my ears. compared to a regular JB (A5 mag), the low end is not as loose thanks to the attenuation of the lowest frequencies and while still bright, the treble is not as piercing. the upper mids are still very strong but not as "peaky." to me, the JB2 just sounds like a smoother, more refined JB. I use a JB2 because I love the harmonically rich midrange of the JB but wanted a smoother EQ (fat low mids and high mids, just enough bass and treble)

+1, Perfect description.
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

You might have some issues swapping out the fat ceramic magnet in the DD for a typical thin magnet.
 
Re: A2 in SH-6/Distortion?

The JB A2 also has more highs than the CC. Don't understimate the JB coils. They have about the same winds as the custom coils but are smaller, and that leaves some teeth.
 
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