DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

WoodyTone

WoodyTone

New member
Guys, preparing for a post on how the SD was the preferred/only replacement pickup of the '70s and the '80s was defined by the Duncan JB (of course feel free to disagree...but that's the thesis). Both are high output, though both different mags, and the JB had different iterations (JB-like winds SD did for people like EVH, etc.). Looking for anyone who has used both and/or has opinions about either, to wit:

> What do you like/dislike?

> Is these pickups' time past -- because we have more or better p/u choices now, and amps have MVs so goosing them not needed as much?

> Anything else you feel compelled to opine on.

Any comments much appreciated!

Also posted at TGP in case you read it there....
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

WoodyTone said:
> Is these pickups' time past -- because we have more or better p/u choices now, and amps have MVs so goosing them not needed as much?
Click to expand...

Better? No way! The JB and SD are perfect for hard rock and metal.

As long as people like the tones of bands like Kiss, Iron Maiden and Megadeth people will buy those two pickups.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

First of all - I HATE when people talk about SD's from the 70's, or JB's from the 80's...like your old tired ears could tell the difference from a brand new one.

I do agree that high output pups have been replaced by mega-gain amps. No real need anymore....and low output pups sound better through mega-gain IMO.

But - the two things that you can't escape: EQ curve and playing 'feel'

The SuperD is a fantastic pup all around, and the JB is certainly a great player as well. They each have their strengths and place, even today.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

I don't buy into your thesis that the recipe for both the SD and JB have changed over the years. Every JB and SD I have ever played have sound the same no matter what era they are from.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

I don't think Woody is suggesting the pickups were different in the 70's and 80's. I think it's just a statement about the importance of those particular pickups from that time and what impact they have on music and pickups today. I'd say lots on both accounts.

Personally, I'd like to make a hybrid using a Super D coil and a JB coil with an A8 magnet. ;) Now that would be a Rock God of a pickup!!
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

Again - they are just an EQ curve. They are what you make of them.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

While I agree that the JB has not changed ( to my ears) over the years, I think that there hve been differences in Super D's as time has passed. My all time, never-ever-get-rid-of-it- Super D is the one that came at the bridge of my '81 Hamer. It is most likely a replacement pickup, but it has some interesting features. It is a 2 conductor pickup with a braided shield going over the two conductors (plastic insulated), measures in right at 13K, and, what I think makes it sound different than the new ones, it's UNPOTTED. It has about as much physical noise and feed back potential as the Seths or antiquities I've tried in that same guitar.

The sound: very much like you'd expect from a Super D. When played back to back with a new one though, the old one is a bit looser in the lows, sweeter and more open in the highs, and just sounds "wider" overall, if you catch my meaning. It's not necessarily fatter, it just seems to take up more sonic space. kind of like the difference between a 335 and a LP.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

IanBallard said:
I don't think Woody is suggesting the pickups were different in the 70's and 80's. I think it's just a statement about the importance of those particular pickups from that time and what impact they have on music and pickups today.
Click to expand...

That's right, thanks. Does anyone have any opinions of one vs. the other, particularly if you used both in the same posn of the same guitar, or in guitars of different scale lengths?
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

Magnets do age over time. That would be the key.

I've got little experience personally with the JB, other than a few guitars I've tried in shops. However, I had a Super D in my Strat for a while and it was great! I can see why it was embraced by such a wide and eclectic group of guitarists from Ace Frehley to Paul Gilbert to Al DiMeola to Jerry Garcia. Extremely versatile and the clean tone is very creamy. I would probably give the Super D the edge in the category of versatility. To my ears, the JB was more harsh on the clean channel. Of course, in the 80's a lot of guitarists opted for 12-strings or piezo guitars for clean tones over using their pointy JB-wielding axes to do it. EVH used a Teisco guitar for "Finish What You Started". You could never get a clean sound like that from a JB which is alleged to be what was in his 5150.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

To my ears, the SD is much fatter sounding pickup with a lot of bass and of course a ton of output. I use it in an Explorer stock and think it still has a place regardless of the type of music. To me it still sounds good clean although a lot of people think ceramic mags are too sterile.

It manages to stay fairly articulate under tons of gain as well and is really rich sounding with good sustain which is what caught my attention.

The JB I have has been modded to a JB8 in a Jackson soloist. It has a snarl that is really noticeable under lots of gain and although you can call it an 80s design, it does NU METAL fine through a Tremoverb.

Clean it has a good amount of heat but retains clarity. This of course this depends on how hard you attack it. I really enjoy the split characteristics as well, but mostly on clean settings.

I didn't like this pup with the stock A5 in it as much.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

The only reason I took out the Super D was because it seemed too "flat" and one-dimensional sounding to me. I like a more airy, PAF sort of sound and a more "3D" kind of attack.

Now I have a Custom/59 hybrid with an A8 and I have to say, it's the best all-around rock pickup I've ever heard or used.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

From my experience (parts mutt WDM Frenchie clone) the JB is creamier while the SD has more of an edge.

It's almost like the JB sounds more like a sign wave while the SD sounds more like a sawtooth wave. The single notes with the JB really sing sweetly while chords smear together in a creamy round hotness.

With the SD the single notes and chords ring out with authority and pierce right through the mix. Not as pretty or as sweet as the JB but way more badass and tough sounding. a good analogy would be sports cars. The JB is like an Italian sports car while the SD is like an American muscle car.

A good comparison on record would be RATT - Invasion of your Privacy (JB) vs. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (SD).
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

I got to give it to the SD. It just sounds bigger and punchier. More powerful and authoritative. It's also less picky about guitars. I'll take the JBs leads over the SD in the right guitar, however. Cleanwise, I prefer the JB (I actually prefer the JB over most bridge pickups tbh). But I never use the bridge clean.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

Anyone experiment with different scale lengths? For ex, the DSD was first used in LP-scale guits (direct replacement), and in the'80s the JB was put in many Fender-scale Superstrats.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

WoodyTone said:
Anyone experiment with different scale lengths? For ex, the DSD was first used in LP-scale guits (direct replacement), and in the'80s the JB was put in many Fender-scale Superstrats.
Click to expand...

 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

This is an old thread, but my .02 is: I've owned a JB since I bought it new in 1995 and I have 2 with the older stickers. "JB model" and "JB M" . The JBM sounds pretty much like the '95 but the 'JB Model' is crunchier and not as sharp/shrillish. It's obvious when you hear them.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

WoodyTone said:
> Is these pickups' time past -- because we have more or better p/u choices now, and amps have MVs so goosing them not needed as much?
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Most people I know choose one of these two as their first replacement pickup. Besides that, they're both pretty versatile and still work for me at high gain. The SD especially. It can cover anything from (classic) rock to fusion to brutal downtuned death metal.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

Varg said:
Better? No way! The JB and SD are perfect for hard rock and metal.

As long as people like the tones of bands like Kiss, Iron Maiden and Megadeth people will buy those two pickups.
Click to expand...

FYI..I know mustaine was a jb player forever...but rust in peace sounds more like a custom custom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

nsatke said:
FYI..I know mustaine was a jb player forever...but rust in peace sounds more like a custom custom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

And his signature Jackson King V's featured a TB5 Custom in the bridge and a JB in the neck. At least that's what the Jackson catalogs from that era say.
 
Re: DiMarzio SD (70s) vs. Duncan JB (80s)

IanBallard said:
I don't think Woody is suggesting the pickups were different in the 70's and 80's. I think it's just a statement about the importance of those particular pickups from that time and what impact they have on music and pickups today. I'd say lots on both accounts.

Personally, I'd like to make a hybrid using a Super D coil and a JB coil with an A8 magnet. ;) Now that would be a Rock God of a pickup!!
Click to expand...

Made 2 of those hybrids.

Now, if i could only find the second one... where did I put that sucker.
 
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