Best Neck Humbucker To Go With Pre-1983 JB

[LLL]

Got a pre-1983 fullsize JB (JBJ label on bottom) humbucker and I may or may not be building another guitar in the near future, so what's your take on a good match?

Doesn't have to be near the same output as the JB (I'd actually prefer slightly lower for clarity).

For starters, a Seth Lover neck (for example) would be too weak output IME.

Needs to be clear, but not clinical.

Going into an alder strat, maple/rosewood neck, probably one of those newfangled Floyd Rose 1000s, although I may go 6 hole Callaham.

Finally, needs to be left-handed.

ADDENDUM: needs to be Seymour Duncan. Because, duh. :smokin:

 

[treyhaislip]

Just a thought, a Bill Lawrence L500R...great clarity and very versatile.

 

[Clint 55]

80s 59.

 

[LLL]

80s 59.

WAT.

 

[Clint 55]

Yaz

 

[Mincer]

I say, find an 80s Jazz.

 

[LLL]

What would an 80's '59 or Jazz get me tonewise that a new '59 or Jazz wouldn't?

 

[Mincer]

Bragging rights?

 

[beaubrummels]

Screamin' Demon neck might be good for what you do. If Seth is too weak, I think 59 and Jazz would be also.

 

[LLL]

I'm intrigued by the Full Shred neck.

It's bright and clear with a mV rating of 709


The JB has a mV rating of 737



The '59n is 572

The Seth Lover neck is 399

The Jazz neck is 501

The Screamin' Demon (bridge in neck pos.) is 500

The jury's still out, though...

 

[Clint 55]

If you haven't tried the full shred neck, you should. It's one of the best for rawk because it cuts through with the click-y attack.

 

[Mincer]

You don't need as many mV in the neck position because the string is louder there.

 

[LLL]

If you haven't tried the full shred neck, you should. It's one of the best for rawk because it cuts through with the click-y attack.

I have not, but I did have a Full Shred bridge once when they first came out in late 80's.

 

[LLL]

You don't need as many mV in the neck position because the string is louder there.

Yes but I'm very familiar with a Seth Lover in the neck (paired with say an SH-5 in the bridge) and it's too wimpy.

Only 100mV difference between the Seth neck and the Jazz or Screamin Demon... so they're all roughly in the wimpy output territory.

600-700mV or thereabouts would seem correct.

 

[beaubrummels]

mV might not tell the whole story. The resulting EQ profile of the pickup can make a lower output pickup 'sound' louder perceptibly sometimes. You can make an educated guess with the numbers, but I've always been pleasantly surprised with additional trial and error despite what the numbers tell me.

 

[beaubrummels]

You know. there were some Jacksons that came with a JB neck - it was just a JB bridge with the logo printed wrong way around on the bobbins, I seem to recall. (Maybe the plate was turned around also? Someone who has owned one will have to correct me.)

 

[LLL]

Yeah, I know there's no exact science to it here - it's going to be a guesstimate.

 

[LLL]

Or perhaps the Sentient neck?

Perhaps...

or not...

 

[jeremy]

i really like the sentient, bet it would match up well with a jb.

 

[Aceman]

Please define what you want to do on the neck, and in what conditions, and what you mean by a tonal match.

As for the output numbers - ignore that for now.