Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

[phoenixguitar]

Looking for a Bridge PU for my US Masters Hornet all Mahogany with ebony fretboard. I have a Floyd with Tungsten Block. Currently have EMG 81/85 which are very usable, but love the Duncans/Passives. I have a JB in ESP Vintage Plus/Strat and LOVE it. Always liked Seymour JB.

Custom 5 looks interesting too.

Anyone have this type guitar and have had success with JB, Custom 5 or something else.

I play Classic to modern rock and some 80's metal. Use a marshall tube amp, cable and guitar. Run delay and chorus sometimes as needed thru loop. Play live music with band. I am only guitarist.

Probably going with Jazz in neck, I use bridge most of the time. I never mix the the two.

Tech support was steering me to the Custom/Hybrid? I asked about Brobucker and they said it was overhyped.

Thanks for input. I think I am leaning to Custom 5 but....?? JB?

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

I have a few mahogany bodies. One with ebony, one with rosewood and one with maple. All bolt on. The JB works fine for what you are looking for. I've tried the C5 and didn't like the scooped mids. An original parallel axis is also good, as well as a full shred. But if you're used to the JB, it'll work great for you.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

Tech support steered you to a hybrid? That sounds unlikely.

I think your to-try list is a CC first and then a DD, although the DD might be a little heavy for non-heavy rock.

The C5 will probably be over the top with treble.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

For your all mahogany guitar, the C5 may be a good place to start for bridge since you have a Jazz for the neck (both are fairly bright pups. The C5 has a pretty scooped midrange, but with so much mahogany you may be ok. If you find that it turns out to sound too scooped for you, you can easily change the magnet to a UOA5 (it will soften the highs and add some mids) or to an A8 (this will also soften the highs and fill in some mids, but it will also give you a little boost in output).

The JB has been shown to be hit or miss with mahogany guitars...sometimes it will sound great, sometimes not so good. Better odds with the C5.

 

[phoenixguitar]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

Not sure it was tech support, it was someone from sales. Asked about brobucker and there was little excitement for that one.
He said JB, C5 or 59 were all best choices.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

once again, playing similar music through similar guitars and based on your preference for the JB... I'd encourage you to go that route. best way to be sure is to just pull the JB out of your other guitar and try it in this one. might cost a bit of time, but can save you a lot of trouble.

if you like what the JB brings to the table (which I do, as well), you really might not like the C5 but might like the regular custom more. if you go with a '59, you're going to get some tone, but not the output that you are used to with EMGs and a JB. if it has a trem, the patb-1 is a nice option that also works for me in mahogany very much like the JB, as is the full shred if you want the lows a little tighter.

 

[phoenixguitar]

Re: Bridge PU for Mahogany set neck with ebony fretboard

once again, playing similar music through similar guitars and based on your preference for the JB... I'd encourage you to go that route. best way to be sure is to just pull the JB out of your other guitar and try it in this one. might cost a bit of time, but can save you a lot of trouble.

if you like what the JB brings to the table (which I do, as well), you really might not like the C5 but might like the regular custom more. if you go with a '59, you're going to get some tone, but not the output that you are used to with EMGs and a JB. if it has a trem, the patb-1 is a nice option that also works for me in mahogany very much like the JB, as is the full shred if you want the lows a little tighter.

Thanks for help, I agree with EMG output analogy. I will try JB and then check out full shred and patb-1 if needed. I usually can adjust settings on amp too. I find I like tight lows when playing alone, but with full band I like lot of loose lows and heavier mids in the mix? JB is an awesome pickup. The US Masters is very similar to ESP Viper and Jackson. Former Dean Custom Shop Luthier.