A4 JB neck and bridge?

BlackhawkRise

BlackhawkRise

New member
I've got a set of JBs sitting around and I was wondering what it would sound like if I threw some A4 magnets in them and put them in my Les Paul?
 
the JB simply has too much copper on the coils to play nicely in the neck position. I'd never do it. BKP's Ragnarok is a 15.8K neck pickup but with a ceramic magnet, to tame the low end and believe me, that pickup is syrupy thick.

The A4 in a JB in the bridge, though, is amazing. It takes away the harshness, opens up the midrange, to make it really sing, and harmonics are clear, easy, and not harsh. JB4 is a great pickup. Add a Jazz3 in the neck for a really nice pickup there. Jazz3, or alnico III pro, has the best of the jazz and alnico2pro. Fatty, yet very clear and clean. Fluid, but also very transparent. Jazz4 is also great but a bit too sterile for most.
 
orpheo said:
The A4 in a JB in the bridge, though, is amazing. It takes away the harshness, opens up the midrange, to make it really sing, and harmonics are clear, easy, and not harsh.
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is the high mids spike still present? beyond its cons, the thing I like the most of the JB is the ability to stand out in a band mix for that spike
 
I think the problem with a JB in the neck isn't the sound, it is that it has to be lowered so much to balance the bridge. People have done it, but generally dynamics are not what they are going for.
 
Can you put the JB neck in parallel? An A4 in neck and bridge with the neck wired in parallel might have a shot for you
 
Mincer said:
I think the problem with a JB in the neck isn't the sound, it is that it has to be lowered so much to balance the bridge. People have done it, but generally dynamics are not what they are going for.
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It depends on what pickup you use it in the bridge with. With a JB in the bridge, yeah, you'd have to lower it.

I had it once with a Black Winter in the bridge, and even with that, I felt even as overwound as the JB is, it barely balanced. The Black Winter is that fierce of a beast.
 
My big issue with the JB in the neck is it's SUPER dark. Like REALLY dark.

Perhaps running it in parallel would help.
 
This is some good advice. The pickups originally came from a white lighting epiphone and the original owner put an A3 in the neck and a UOA5 in the bridge.

Currently I have two A4s and a slightly thicker A8 laying around. The pickups are 4 conductor. What would my best option be here? A3 neck in parallel, A8 bridge in series perhaps?
 
Also what does an A8 even look like? Mine appears to look closer to a ceramic than an alnico, so I might have been jipped.
 
That might be the case. Also I have a Pearly Gates neck laying around that I forgot about.

Maybe Pearly Gates neck, A3 JB bridge would work pretty well? The UOA5 might work better on paper, but it doesn't have a cover on it and I don't have a spare nor do I want to move the cover on the A3 over to it or swap the magnets.
 
I actually thought A4 JB was really good when I tried it even though I don't like A4 that much. It evens out the sound without the mids feeling like a clog. A3 or UOA5 would probably be good too.

PG neck and JB bridge. Or JB parallel or split neck and JB bridge.

JB series in the neck is a no go. Unless you want your neck pickup to sound like a jazz bass. It being aggressive in the bridge doesn't make it aggressive in the neck when it's 16k.
 
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Maybe removing the cover to swap the magnet wouldn't be too hard if the original owner either didn't solder the covers back on or soldered them a very small amount?
 
Pretty sure Johnny Hickman of Cracker's Les Paul is loaded with 2 JB pickups. Works for him although I think he lives on the bridge pickup
 
I could see a darker magnet (A2?) in parallel working for a neck JB. It wouldn't be a sound I'd like, but I was never a big fan of the JB no matter how it is wired or what magnet it has.
 
orpheo said:
the JB simply has too much copper on the coils to play nicely in the neck position. I'd never do it.
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This man has low T - ignore him. LOL

I agree - the JB in the neck for RHYTHM use is gonna be a problem in general. And I suspect a mag swap won't help.

However, men of strong will, and sound bodies, have found that it can SLAY for lead/solo use in that spot.
And of course, try a parallel switch ion clean rhythm is your thing.
 
A4 bridge JB so far sounds pretty slick. That being said, I don't think it would work too well in the neck position. To me it sounds like a slightly less grating JB.
 
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