Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

G

GySgtFTL

New member
I am seriously considering swaping the pickups in my Les Paul Traditional. Currently it has '57 classic and '57 classic plus. I'm not satisfied with the sound. I'm trying to decide between the Antiquity and the JB Signature.
Although I have not heard the JB Signature pickups live, I do like what I've heard on line. But then they are also considerably more expensive than the Antiqities. And, while I'm not cheap, I am frugal. So my question to those who have heard both live is how does the sound/tone differ better or worse between these two fine pickups? And if I am comparing apples to oranges I apologize in advance for my ignorance.

thanks.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

they are very very different pups. the antiquity sounds like an old paf from a mid 50's les paul. the jb is a much hotter pup. both are very cool but very different. the antiquity will be sweeter sounding and have less output than your 57's the jb will be more modern sounding and have more output
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

jeremy said:
they are very very different pups. the antiquity sounds like an old paf from a mid 50's les paul. the jb is a much hotter pup. both are very cool but very different. the antiquity will be sweeter sounding and have less output than your 57's the jb will be more modern sounding and have more output
Click to expand...

+1. I don't see anyone considering both. What kind of music are you playing? JB's are fussy about the woods they sound good in, and are hit-or-miss in mahogany. They can sound great in it, or 'atrocious' with an 'ice pick spike' and a 'flabby low end' (terms used often here) Ants have aged A2 magnets; fully-charged A2's are low output and don't have much treble. Aging them reduces output and treble even further. I put an UOA5 in the bridge of my Ant set, and an A5 in the neck, so I could get a clearer sound with some cut to it.

We need to know where you want to head musically. For classic rock and blues, PAF's are great in LP's. If you're into metal and harder rock, a ceramic magnet PU is good for the bridge, like a Custom SH-5 or a Gibson 500T.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

Playing classic rock/blues. The pups in it now just seem a little muddy. I realize that some of this could be the amp/settings. That aside though, like many LP owners I'm searching for that '59 PAF tone. I guess I'm simply trying to justify spending $400 for a set of pickups.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

For classic rock/blues and that PAF tone, you can't go wrong with Antiquities! They are KILLER pickups, I have a set in one of my Les Pauls and they are the best PAF replicas I have ever played (including some boutique pickups). Plus as Blueman stated, they take magnet swaps well so you can fine tune them if need be.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

Push to Shuv said:
For classic rock/blues and that PAF tone, you can't go wrong with Antiquities! They are KILLER pickups.
Click to expand...

I gotta disagree, at least with the stock mags; they're my least favorite Duncan PAF (I have them all). Disappointed after all the hype I've read about them. The lack of treble isn't going to give the OP what he wants, since his current PU's are muddy. Seth's are much better sounding and don't need mag swaps. If you're thinking about Gibsons, Burstbuckers (not BB Pros) are the best of their current models. They put '57 Classics in everything, but they're not as good.

PAF's are the way to go in an LP playing blues and classic rock, a m,atch made in heaven; there's a lot of high quality ones out there. Buy them used on eBay, that's I've gotten almost all of my PU's; you can often get them for around half price. No way in the world should you pay $400 for a set of PAF's, you can get a pair of new Seth's for under $200. Spend $400 and you'll regret it, because they won't necessarily sound any better in your guitar than a pair of used Duncan's that you might be able to get for $100. And if you aren't thrilled with your $400 PU's and want to sell them, you'll take a big hit money-wise. Just not a good move.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

I'm pretty sure the O/P is talking about the Bonamassa sig pups.
 
Re: Antiquity Humbucker vs JB Signature Humbucker question

ah well that changes things lol

ive never tried the bonamassa pups so cant say
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top