All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

[cliffenstein]

I just put a JB trembucker in my vintage trem spaced strat. My gosh...what beautiful, glorious tone. It's funny how often we go searching for some new this or that when the tried and true designs that have been around for decades already have "IT".

Thank you, Seymour...my hat's off too ya!

 

[Emopunk]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I thought I was the only one left to like the JB the way it is.. well good to read this!

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[Diego]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I thought I was the only one left to like the JB the way it is.. well good to read this! 

Inviato dal mio MotoG3 utilizzando Tapatalk

A JB in a Strat is, IMO, unbeatable.
One of the very best recipes ever for a great Hard Rock sound.

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

A classic since the 80's, it's usually the first pickup I recommend to a client looking for "more".
My all time fave for any solidbody guitar, and some semi-hollows.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Yes the JB is amazing in the right guitar- I end up installing more 58s and seths- but the JB and pearly gates are my favorites for my builds.

I recently installed one with a 500k pot with a parallel resister and it sounds wonderful- Great trick when the rest of the guitar needs 500.

I really would like to know more about this pup- History seems confused- "Jazz" or "Jeff Beck"- who knows?

What I would really like to understand is how it can be so overwound, yet keeps definition and certainly doesn't lose high end- Anyone know the details behind the design? Also curious if anyone has found a similar pup from another manufacturer?

I think the aspect that gets missed the most is the incredible split for the 2nd position- It really quacks with the right center pup-

Thanks for this thread!

 

[dave74]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

From all the main brands I'd take their classic models over about any of the more "modern" offerings. (at least for metal)
Haven't tried but a fraction of what's out there now, but when I've decided to deviate from the classics I almost always end up regretting it.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Also curious if anyone has found a similar pup from another manufacturer?

There is no true "JB equivalent" from another manufacturer, but there are some close relatives...the Suhr SSH+ and the BareKnuckle Holy Diver come to mind.

 

[Guitar Rod]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

There is a reason it's one of the most popular pickups of all time. I bought a guitar with JB/59 in it and the plan was to pull them fairly quickly and put PAF type pups in it. But it sounds soooooo good in this guitar (as does the 59 and middle position). Keep pushing off replacing it because it's just too much fun.

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I <3 The JB

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Put one in my Westone a couple years ago and it's AWESOME... wouldn't dream of swapping it for something else! (I feel the same way about the Jazz in the neck.) [emoji1303]

Never really understood the hate out there for 'em, but to each his own I guess! :dunno:

 

[Van Noord]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Great pickup. Only reason I stopped using the one I have is because I prefer/require a bridge pup with slightly tighter low-end, less of a prominent mid hump, and less noise.
None of which take anything away from the JB, purely just a preference/need thing based on the rest of my rig.

 

[Mincer]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

The JB does what it does better than any other pickup out there, I think. Problem is, I play clean like 80% of the time, so it doesn't work for me. But for others, it sounds glorious.

 

[Jeffblue]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Practically all of my guitars with a humbucker in the bridge position.........all have a JB........and I love them all.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

There is no true "JB equivalent" from another manufacturer, but there are some close relatives...the Suhr SSH+ and the BareKnuckle Holy Diver come to mind.

Good to know- Much appreciated.

 

[Diego]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I've had a JB bridge in quite a few guitars. In a Jackson KV4, a Ibanez RG1550, in two Strats, and currently in my PRS-knockoff Ibanez SZ320.

I don't really have much to say that wasn't been told a million times already.
The high-mid crunch it has should be a trademark, leads sound excellent, and it's pretty bad at cleans, unless you split it and then it's great.
I really wouldn't know how to improve on it. I'm not an advocate of super tight, dry tones so I don't have that specific complaint.

 

[gregory]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I really wouldn't know how to improve on it.

Swap the slug coil for a Custom screw coil and put the Custom coil closest to the bridge; put short hex screws in the JB screw coil and use your favorite magnet?

...or not.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I guess my aversion to still using a JB still is that admittingly, I already dial in my amp's high gain tone and have chosen my speaker selection to essentially sound like the frequency​ attributes of the JB.

Accentuating them three fold just becomes redundant and offensive.
Instead, I use a pickup with a clear voice, high output, high treble cut, deep but tight lows and somewhat even midrange which allow me to get the best representation of my amp.

Obviously the pickup has to suit the construction and tone wood of the guitar at hand, but that's another topic.
I look to a pickup that both compliments the guitar and the already existing amp tone. Easy enough to declare, though I suppose lol!

 

[Diego]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

Swap the slug coil for a Custom screw coil and put the Custom coil closest to the bridge; put short hex screws in the JB screw coil and use your favorite magnet?

...or not.

I've dropped ceramic, A2, UOA5 and A8 magnets in mine, and that's as far as I'll try to modify it.
Eventually I went back to it's factory A5 magnet and it's good, so I'll keep it that way.

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

I have to agree with pretty much all that has been said about the JB but i have to say a few things-

I have owned many different guitars with JB's in them. I DO think the old 80s/early 90s versions (mainly MJ Wound) do sound better. I had an MJ wound one in a Charvel Model 2 and it sounded so good. I also had what is basically a 40th anniversary JB Trembucker with a Roughcast A5 mag Custom Shop custom wound that i put into a Strat project and it is amazing! a touch on the bright side however, that is sort of what i was going for.

I have one of these new Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod that has a factory JB. It sounds good, but nothing like the Custom Shop version i had made.

The JB is a jack of all trades-it does alot of things pretty well but nothing great. I say its best for solos however harmonics are a bit harder to get out of them compared to a Screamin' Demon or Distortion.

 

[Mincer]

Re: All hail the mighty JB!!!!!!!

If you think the 'old ones sound better', we make a pickup for you: the Antiquity JB.