Duncan Distortion with a5 is JB?

[CarlosG]

Hi!
I read a lot of topics with distortion and jb winds.
Some people say that they are the same winds, some people say they are different.
Is there anyone here who put A5 into Distortion and compared to JB, or put big ceramic magnet into JB and compared to Distortion?
I took a JB from my another guitar and I prefer JB.
I'm wondering if putting an A5 will give me JB.
I don't want to waste my time if someone else has this experience.

 

[orpheo]

It will get you close to a JB, but they're not the same. Very small differences but different enough for them to not be the same.

Invader, JB, Distortion, Bw: all use 44 awg wire but they are different. They're not like the Custom, where it's one wind and three pickups.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I've never known if they're the exact same wind, but I think they're at the very least pretty close. I mean, both running on their stock magnets, they're more similar than different, IMO. Swapping in the same magnet in will only get them closer.

 

[Clint 55]

An A5 Distortion is a great pickup, but it's a separate wind from the JB. A5 Distortion has more solid bass, JB's is cut up; A5 Distortion still has fizzy mids like with the ceramic, JB's are organic; A5 Distortion has a tad more true highs, JB has slight high attenuation; A5 Distortion rings clean bottom to top, JB hits the amp awkwardly from its mid slop and shoddy bass.

I recommend the A5 Distortion, better than ceramic imo.

 

[Archer250]

They would be different, but within kinda the same ballpark.

Think of it this way: the JB, Thrash Factor, BKP Holy Diver, Suhr SSH+, Suhr Aldrich, and a dozen other pickups have the same specs as a JB, or rather specs within a JB's margins: around 15.9-17.5k poly wire + A5 magnet.

They all sound different. All.

 

[Aceman]

No, it is not. But it will be pretty close.

 

[servin up spaghetti]

I have a Duncan Custom Custom A2 that I installed a double thick ceramic in. I like it in bridge, probably like a neck distortion with a tad more wind. 14.5K on multimeter.

 

[Clint 55]

Custom Custom with ceramic in it is the Custom. : private:

 

[Archer250]

Custom Custom with ceramic in it is the Custom. : private:

Yeah, but the SH5 has a normal ceramic rather than a double thick one IIRC.

 

[Clint 55]

I know but it doesn't change it to a Distortion, it's a Custom with a double thick ceramic.

 

[servin up spaghetti]

Custom Custom with ceramic in it is the Custom. : private:

Maybe, but the magnet is different, so not exactly.

 

[Clint 55]

it's a Custom with a double thick ceramic.

.

 

[Archer250]

It's a Super Distortion with a nickel baseplate and normal pole pieces :dance:

 

[Clint 55]

:laugh2:

 

[Rex_Rocker]

They would be different, but within kinda the same ballpark.

Think of it this way: the JB, Thrash Factor, BKP Holy Diver, Suhr SSH+, Suhr Aldrich, and a dozen other pickups have the same specs as a JB, or rather specs within a JB's margins: around 15.9-17.5k poly wire + A5 magnet.

They all sound different. All.

But many of them do sound similar, TBH. Not dead on, but at least to me, they sound closer between each other than to say, a '59. Or a Slug.

Like the Distortion and the JB, for exmaple. Like I said, even with the stock magnets, to me, they do have many things in common. I'd say they're closer between each other than to a Custom, for example.

I'm not saying they are or they're not the same wind. I don't work for Seymour Duncan. I don't have any inside information. But to my ears, they're not a radically different thing either.