Another JB thread

[richard parker]

Okay, can we try and sort this out ? Sound is subjective but nothing seems to polarise opinion more than the JB. I know that pickups will react very differently to the guitar they're in and that there are many factors involved. However I wonder - if a bunch of us had the opportunity to sit around playing and listening to the SAME guitar with a JB in it would there STILL be some who perceive it as fat and warm while others would find it shrill and thin ? Would some of us still hear a tight bass sound while others would hear it as loose and flubby ? Thoughts anyone ?

 

[Curt]

Re: Another JB thread

Yes, because everyone has a different ear, and its the way a certain person perceives it will be different from one to the other. I no matter what i've played it in have always found it to be loose and flubby in the bass and shrill and thin in the treble, and has a very "quacky" midrange. then again, i've always been playing it with a 500k volume pot, and I wanna try one out with a 250 to see how big of a difference that makes.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Another JB thread

Yes, Blues and Classic Rock players have completely different tonal concepts than a Thrash or modern metal player, and everyone else. To my ears, the JB is awesome for singing leads and that 80's hard rock party metal. For all other rhythm work I didn't like it, enough to completely change it. A Technical Death player's version of tight bass and an Arena Rocker's version are probably quite different.

 

[jasona84]

Re: Another JB thread

yes, blues and classic rock players have completely different tonal concepts than a thrash or modern metal player, and everyone else. To my ears, the jb is awesome for singing leads and that 80's hard rock party metal. For all other rhythm work i didn't like it, enough to completely change it. A technical death player's version of tight bass and an arena rocker's version are probably quite different.

+1

 

[tc]

Re: Another JB thread

Different signal chains and tastes.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Another JB thread

+1 on the rig factor

IMO it's very responsive to picking technique as well, very clean picking with a lighter plectrum won't have the lack of definition but the highs will be more present, where heavier picking exaggerates the mid-range bump. i loaned my JB LP to a friend for a gig and it sounded characteristically different to me, aside from the obvious amp differences

 

[apj]

Re: Another JB thread

The style of music and eq and amount of gain obviously can be a big determining factor as well as the amp. When I had a JB in a les paul through a 5150 the bass was super tight, through the DSL 100, not so much

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: Another JB thread

The JB is very sensitive to the way you pick. If you're heavy handed and a bit on the clumsy side, you can really make it punch holes in the wall if you pick hard. If you have a feel for clean playing, you can make it sound very warm, full, and rich. This is without changing any settings and playing clean into an amp. It's a very dynamic pickup and everyone has a different technique, so everyone has a different opinion. This is the biggest issue I see with talking about how the JB sounds.

In the early 80's SD catalog, Seymour says the same thing about the JB -- sensitive with very rich harmonics.