Alternatives to Jazz/JB

Monty Burns

Monty Burns

New member
Hello,
mahogany body and neck strat type guitar: what alternatives to SD combo jazz/jb by DiMarzio, Suhr, Gibson and RioGrande?

(Roughly the same output and equalization. In practice the response of competitors to famous SD combo)
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

Rio grande doesnt have anything in the line up like it. They have their own niche that suits them well without having to compete for the same territory.

Dimarzio has a few that might but none that they really purport to be. Maybe the PAF pro? Waay way different voicing but maybe the targeted audience is roughly the same.

I dont think anyone really does have a competing combo like the JB/Jazz they all do their own things
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

The 'hot rodded set' doesn't work all that reliably in mahogany; many failures there (just read some of the old posts here). The best Duncan high output pairing in that wood would be a C8'/'59N. The Rio set I'd recommend for muscle in mahogany would their BBQ/Texas pair.
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

For mahogany, I'd try something other than the JB/Jazz first. Custom [or Custom 8 if you are game for magnet swaps] and Pearly Gates, '59 or Jazz in the neck.

I don't know what the Jazz equivalents are, but the matching neck pickups are likely to be the first thing to try, so here's the JB-alikes:

Suhr's Aldrich is their JB competitor. Tighter but stiffer, less fluid for leads. Arguably better for rhythm. Depends on guitar, of course.

Rio Grande's BBQ gets some comparisons to the JB. Very different wind (12.5K), so likely to be a pretty different beast.

For DiMarzio: Super Distortion isn't much like the JB. You want an AT-1 for DiMarzio's JB imitation.

Norton was frequently recommended as an alternative to the JB, before the AT-1 was released. It has some similarities, but is more low-mid focused, and although it has great harmonics from the dual resonance design it doesn't have the crazy upper midrange spike and resulting beamy harmonics of the JB.

Gibson really doesn't have anything like the JB. Their hotter pickups tend more towards crunchy ceramics than screaming A5s.
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

In my opinon the best chooise for mahogany body/neck are gibson '57 pups. Simply cream: I love them on clean, crunch and lead :D
But, now I want a different combo: less cream and more transparency, volume and acidity too.
I'm out?
:-)
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

take this in the best way possible but most people dont agree that 57 classics are like that. So with that in mind your idea of what has acidity (first time ive ever seen that used to describe a pickup) is probably going to be different than other peoples
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

Despair said:
Rio Grande's BBQ gets some comparisons to the JB. Very different wind (12.5K), so likely to be a pretty different beast.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you've never had a BBQ then. I have them currently in 3 different guitars and have had them in a few others and JB like it isnt. Has much less high end push than a JB does. Certainly doesnt have the mid spike. Its much more a beefy PAF. Its closer to a C5 in sound but only closer still different animals.
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

Edgecrusher said:
I'm guessing you've never had a BBQ then. I have them currently in 3 different guitars and have had them in a few others and JB like it isnt. Has much less high end push than a JB does. Certainly doesnt have the mid spike. Its much more a beefy PAF. Its closer to a C5 in sound but only closer still different animals.
Click to expand...
As I said:
"Very different wind (12.5K), so likely to be a pretty different beast."
That was me doubting the claim. I haven't owned one, but I've listened to several recordings that used them. Seemed thicker, darker, broader mids to me in the recordings I've heard.

Happen to know what sort of baseplate on the BBQ? Seems pretty thick for a 12.5K pickup in the recordings I've heard, curious if it's brass...
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

Monty Burns said:
In my opinon the best chooise for mahogany body/neck are gibson '57 pups. Simply cream: I love them on clean, crunch and lead :D
But, now I want a different combo: less cream and more transparency, volume and acidity too.
I'm out?
:-)
Click to expand...
Cheap and reversible option before springing for a new set of pups:
try swapping for a5 magnets - or even an a8 in the bridge.
I had a spare set of 57s lying around (which i never liked much) and stuck some a5s in there and put the pair into my strat. Sounds pretty good. Youll get more high end clarity, and more defined bass. The whole pickup becomes flatter, wider and more hifi rather than middy and compressed as it is stock. It will also put a little more edge and bite into your preamp tubes if you are are using gain.
 
Last edited:
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

How about just buying a used set of pickups? Surely these are available from someone not too far away, and you could save a couple bucks at the same time.
 
Re: Alternatives to Jazz/JB

misterwhizzy said:
How about just buying a used set of pickups? Surely these are available from someone not too far away, and you could save a couple bucks at the same time.
Click to expand...

+ 1

This.

Misterwhizzy, you're the voice of sanity of the Forum.

Keep up the good work! ;)
 
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