Alnico 2 pro + JB
- Thread starter CeM
- Start date
scottish
WeirdScienceologist
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
it seems like an odd combo, certainly not one i would ever try...but then i dont like the JB.
i think if you like the sound of the JB then you might find the aph2 a little too smooth and mellow and vice versa
one of my fave combos i have in a guitar just now is an aph2 neck and 59 bridge
But hey, if you like the idea of the aph2/JB then try it and if it turns out you dont like it then return one of the pups and swap it for something else. You could ask a million people and get a million opinions, but at the end of the day all that matters is if you like it
it seems like an odd combo, certainly not one i would ever try...but then i dont like the JB.
i think if you like the sound of the JB then you might find the aph2 a little too smooth and mellow and vice versa
one of my fave combos i have in a guitar just now is an aph2 neck and 59 bridge
But hey, if you like the idea of the aph2/JB then try it and if it turns out you dont like it then return one of the pups and swap it for something else. You could ask a million people and get a million opinions, but at the end of the day all that matters is if you like it
Last edited:
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
I cant return the pickup if i dont like it cause im in Turkey...
So this might be risky...
I might buy a jazz instead...
But im really curious about how this combo is gonna sound...
Ive found that Brian Moore guitars use these pups...
Anyone played one?
Any comments???
I cant return the pickup if i dont like it cause im in Turkey...
So this might be risky...
I might buy a jazz instead...
But im really curious about how this combo is gonna sound...
Ive found that Brian Moore guitars use these pups...
Anyone played one?
Any comments???
bigheadood
New member
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
I had that combo in my Dean Hardtail for a while.
This is an awesome lead guitar combo.
I had that combo in my Dean Hardtail for a while.
This is an awesome lead guitar combo.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
Well...I've tried A2's in neck PU's & think they are too dull & lifeless (dark position, dark HB, dark magnet). All the more so in a fat mahogany body. A2's have heavy mids & a rounded high end, with a loose & flabby low end. I just don't see that working on a neck PU, not for my tastes. In a LP, I need a bright neck PU, & an A5 is almost mandatory to prevent muddiness. I want clarity in the neck & '59N's & JazzN's work well for me.
For the bridge, I've tried several JB's in several guitars (LP, SG, & 335), and it always ends up the same, I pull them out & sell them (look at eBay...so do hundreds of other guys). That ice pick tone is just too bright & harsh, even in my LP's. I prefer a '59B for vintage tone, or a C5 for raw power. A CC works well here too if you want some smoothness (A2's are EQ'd better for the bridge position). Seymour himself said that the JB sounds better with an A2. JB's are the most over-rated PU & there are legions of disappointed players. I'm one of the more vocal ones.
Well...I've tried A2's in neck PU's & think they are too dull & lifeless (dark position, dark HB, dark magnet). All the more so in a fat mahogany body. A2's have heavy mids & a rounded high end, with a loose & flabby low end. I just don't see that working on a neck PU, not for my tastes. In a LP, I need a bright neck PU, & an A5 is almost mandatory to prevent muddiness. I want clarity in the neck & '59N's & JazzN's work well for me.
For the bridge, I've tried several JB's in several guitars (LP, SG, & 335), and it always ends up the same, I pull them out & sell them (look at eBay...so do hundreds of other guys). That ice pick tone is just too bright & harsh, even in my LP's. I prefer a '59B for vintage tone, or a C5 for raw power. A CC works well here too if you want some smoothness (A2's are EQ'd better for the bridge position). Seymour himself said that the JB sounds better with an A2. JB's are the most over-rated PU & there are legions of disappointed players. I'm one of the more vocal ones.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
One more thought: The A2 neck & JB set is a lot like the notorious Gibson 490R(A2) /498T(A5) combo that so many players hate. The neck is too dark & muffled, and the bridge is very bright. Its nearly impossible to get an amp EQ that works for both. They're too opposite. You're basically recreating the same mistake.
To get workable tones, you want to 1) warm the bridge which is an inherently very bright location, and 2) brighten the neck, which is normally dark & bassy. Making the neck even darker (A2) & the bridge even brighter (A5) is taking both in the wrong direction. They're miles apart. I want an amp EQ that sounds great for both PU's, so I try to get the neck & bridge as close to each other as possible (they'll always be different). You might want to give this more thought. Too many guys fall for the hype surrounding the JB, when it's really not all that popular.
One more thought: The A2 neck & JB set is a lot like the notorious Gibson 490R(A2) /498T(A5) combo that so many players hate. The neck is too dark & muffled, and the bridge is very bright. Its nearly impossible to get an amp EQ that works for both. They're too opposite. You're basically recreating the same mistake.
To get workable tones, you want to 1) warm the bridge which is an inherently very bright location, and 2) brighten the neck, which is normally dark & bassy. Making the neck even darker (A2) & the bridge even brighter (A5) is taking both in the wrong direction. They're miles apart. I want an amp EQ that sounds great for both PU's, so I try to get the neck & bridge as close to each other as possible (they'll always be different). You might want to give this more thought. Too many guys fall for the hype surrounding the JB, when it's really not all that popular.
walt
New member
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
I have to agree with blueman, however, my opinion changed after hearing Seymour himself tell me that he uses an A2 in his JBs. I tried it and found it to be a very good mod for the JB. As far as the neck, I've tried a 59 (both neck and bridge models) and found them to be boomy which a number of folks here have noted. I've come to the conclusion that a good neck pickup is a single coil, stacked single, or one of the side by side little humbuckers (lil 59, jbjr etc).
The JB may not be popular to the folks in the blues vein, but in the 80's almost every rock/metal player used them. (man, I've done a complete 360 with the jb, started out loving it, hated it, swapped the magnet and love it again go figure).
I have to agree with blueman, however, my opinion changed after hearing Seymour himself tell me that he uses an A2 in his JBs. I tried it and found it to be a very good mod for the JB. As far as the neck, I've tried a 59 (both neck and bridge models) and found them to be boomy which a number of folks here have noted. I've come to the conclusion that a good neck pickup is a single coil, stacked single, or one of the side by side little humbuckers (lil 59, jbjr etc).
The JB may not be popular to the folks in the blues vein, but in the 80's almost every rock/metal player used them. (man, I've done a complete 360 with the jb, started out loving it, hated it, swapped the magnet and love it again go figure).
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
I have a T-Top & Distortion in my #1. Kinda like an A2P and JB. The thing I find, is for whatever reason, I just don't happen to play a lot of "switch" pup tunes on that guitar. I play all bridge or all neck. It works for me. But I see what you mean. If I were really switching between the neck & bridge a lot, I could see the problems.
That sort of combo is what I call "Wide range" pups. I can play super fat, super shriek, or the combo balances nicely - fat +shriek top = ahhhhh. Tight crunch plus deep bass = Ahhhhh. Use the volumes to balance.
I'd say my T-top/DD is probably a better combo than the 490/498.
My P-90 vintage/custom set is kinda similar in that I really use one or the other. My PAF/SuperD, PG/CC, , PG/Custom are all better "matches"
I have a T-Top & Distortion in my #1. Kinda like an A2P and JB. The thing I find, is for whatever reason, I just don't happen to play a lot of "switch" pup tunes on that guitar. I play all bridge or all neck. It works for me. But I see what you mean. If I were really switching between the neck & bridge a lot, I could see the problems.
That sort of combo is what I call "Wide range" pups. I can play super fat, super shriek, or the combo balances nicely - fat +shriek top = ahhhhh. Tight crunch plus deep bass = Ahhhhh. Use the volumes to balance.
I'd say my T-top/DD is probably a better combo than the 490/498.
My P-90 vintage/custom set is kinda similar in that I really use one or the other. My PAF/SuperD, PG/CC, , PG/Custom are all better "matches"
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
I think the goal is to be able to use both PU's often. I used to use my bridge only, and EQ'd the amp to fit it (little treble with lots of mids & bass). When I switched to the neck, it was too dark & muffled. If I EQ'd to the neck & added lots of treble, the bridge was too thin & tinny.
The way to solve that, and keep the same PU's, is by using different magnets, pots, & caps. In my case, I keep the neck as bright as I can at 7,500 to 8,500 ohms with an A5 and the usual 500K pots & .020 cap. The bridge is where the big changes are. I warm it with 250K pots & a .100 cap, & if its still a little too bright compared to the neck, I put in an A4 that has abalanced EQ (as opposed to an A5 that has scooped mids).
This way instead of being polar opposites in tone, the PU's each still have their own sound, but are much closer. One amp setting works great for both, and now I switch back & forth all the time. I see so many guys only use one PU, & think that if they tweaked the other, they could use both equally. Why have one just for looks?
The real irony is with 3 PU guitars. Most Strat players rarely use their bridge SC because its way too shrill, and most triple HB guys rarely use the middle because there's too many coils & magnetic fields in one place for a middle HB to sound decent. The solution on Strats is to run it thru two 250K pots instead of just one, & use a .100 cap to let a little more low end thru. On a LP Black Beauty or SG Custom, use a Phat Cat or two (middle, or middle & neck).
I think the goal is to be able to use both PU's often. I used to use my bridge only, and EQ'd the amp to fit it (little treble with lots of mids & bass). When I switched to the neck, it was too dark & muffled. If I EQ'd to the neck & added lots of treble, the bridge was too thin & tinny.
The way to solve that, and keep the same PU's, is by using different magnets, pots, & caps. In my case, I keep the neck as bright as I can at 7,500 to 8,500 ohms with an A5 and the usual 500K pots & .020 cap. The bridge is where the big changes are. I warm it with 250K pots & a .100 cap, & if its still a little too bright compared to the neck, I put in an A4 that has abalanced EQ (as opposed to an A5 that has scooped mids).
This way instead of being polar opposites in tone, the PU's each still have their own sound, but are much closer. One amp setting works great for both, and now I switch back & forth all the time. I see so many guys only use one PU, & think that if they tweaked the other, they could use both equally. Why have one just for looks?
The real irony is with 3 PU guitars. Most Strat players rarely use their bridge SC because its way too shrill, and most triple HB guys rarely use the middle because there's too many coils & magnetic fields in one place for a middle HB to sound decent. The solution on Strats is to run it thru two 250K pots instead of just one, & use a .100 cap to let a little more low end thru. On a LP Black Beauty or SG Custom, use a Phat Cat or two (middle, or middle & neck).
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
Okey...
What do you guys recommend???
Somebody says that something is good, the other guy says its not...
I really cant make up my mind...
Please...Tell me what do you recommend for blues(blues/rock), classic rock, jazz and shreding...For a LP Studio?????
I need traditional tones as much as i need modern ones...
HEEEEEEEEEELP!!!
Okey...
What do you guys recommend???
Somebody says that something is good, the other guy says its not...
I really cant make up my mind...
Please...Tell me what do you recommend for blues(blues/rock), classic rock, jazz and shreding...For a LP Studio?????
I need traditional tones as much as i need modern ones...
HEEEEEEEEEELP!!!
homer_simps1
New member
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Alnico 2 pro + JB
Walt: After reading the glowing testimonials, I decided to try an A2 JB myself in an LP (I don't like stock JB's). The combination seems to negate the worst characteristics of both the JB & A2, and makes for a very good PU. Surprised me, but I like it.
CeM: if you need an A2, let me know.
Walt: After reading the glowing testimonials, I decided to try an A2 JB myself in an LP (I don't like stock JB's). The combination seems to negate the worst characteristics of both the JB & A2, and makes for a very good PU. Surprised me, but I like it.
CeM: if you need an A2, let me know.