blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
Thank you for the above corrections.
Thank you for the above corrections.
Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
- Thread starter Lecio93
- Start date
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
And as always - taste is a matter here as well.
I LOVE the Distortion and the Custom. But I play a lot of metal (old school what was called metal, anyway….)
The ceramic screamers that are hot just have an "immediacy" and feel about them that I love. And again - theta shrill/brittle is screaming wailing awesome, to my ears.
If you go with a Custom, I'll recommend 50's wiring.
And as always - taste is a matter here as well.
I LOVE the Distortion and the Custom. But I play a lot of metal (old school what was called metal, anyway….)
The ceramic screamers that are hot just have an "immediacy" and feel about them that I love. And again - theta shrill/brittle is screaming wailing awesome, to my ears.
If you go with a Custom, I'll recommend 50's wiring.
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
this is good advice. also raising pole pieces on some pickups makes a huge differance. be carefull not to put the pickups too close to the strings or the magnets in the pickups will effect your strings and cut down your sustain. i have had both pickups. the custom is more raw sounding as to me is aimed at seeking a specific tone. the JB is more versatile and has a nice midrange cut through your power chords. thats why companies like Charvel have been using them for years. both are close to the same output
this is good advice. also raising pole pieces on some pickups makes a huge differance. be carefull not to put the pickups too close to the strings or the magnets in the pickups will effect your strings and cut down your sustain. i have had both pickups. the custom is more raw sounding as to me is aimed at seeking a specific tone. the JB is more versatile and has a nice midrange cut through your power chords. thats why companies like Charvel have been using them for years. both are close to the same output
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
Which is not what I look for in a PU, but like you said, it's a matter of taste.
Which is not what I look for in a PU, but like you said, it's a matter of taste.
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
with my USA Floyd Rose Strat I found for my set up the JB had better clean tones. You can get clean tones too from the Custom but for some reason I just didn't find them as nice even though the Custom isn't as hot. both will clean up though if you back off the the volume. I think the Custom has that raw gritty bite to its distortion. The JB in the same guitar to me had more midrange cut and growl...like clipping tone in an amp on overdrive. Both are good distortion pickups. At that point its purely a tone preference. I thought the Custom was a little brighter through my amp with the same guitar. I thought the JB had more midrange. In my strat with a floyd the JB stayed. I liked the sounds it gets when its split with the 5 way selector.
with my USA Floyd Rose Strat I found for my set up the JB had better clean tones. You can get clean tones too from the Custom but for some reason I just didn't find them as nice even though the Custom isn't as hot. both will clean up though if you back off the the volume. I think the Custom has that raw gritty bite to its distortion. The JB in the same guitar to me had more midrange cut and growl...like clipping tone in an amp on overdrive. Both are good distortion pickups. At that point its purely a tone preference. I thought the Custom was a little brighter through my amp with the same guitar. I thought the JB had more midrange. In my strat with a floyd the JB stayed. I liked the sounds it gets when its split with the 5 way selector.
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
^ well, the custom puts out more mv as a signal. And if you take out the K that is due to simply wire thickness, then indeed the Custom should put out more mv.
But the JB seems to kick amps right were the sustain/note saturation happens, and also where ears perhaps pick up the guitar better.
^ well, the custom puts out more mv as a signal. And if you take out the K that is due to simply wire thickness, then indeed the Custom should put out more mv.
But the JB seems to kick amps right were the sustain/note saturation happens, and also where ears perhaps pick up the guitar better.
superpete
Active member
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
that's why we have to take the k's and the mv's with a grain of salt. at the end of the day specs don't tell the whole story. i swapped out a set of 59s for a WLH set, and the guitar sounded louder and more aggressive. But the mv for that set is the lowest duncan makes! same thing with the custom and jb. yes, the mv for the sh5 are higher output, but there's something about the cut of the jb that makes it feel more powerful to me.
that's why we have to take the k's and the mv's with a grain of salt. at the end of the day specs don't tell the whole story. i swapped out a set of 59s for a WLH set, and the guitar sounded louder and more aggressive. But the mv for that set is the lowest duncan makes! same thing with the custom and jb. yes, the mv for the sh5 are higher output, but there's something about the cut of the jb that makes it feel more powerful to me.
Edgecrusher
New member
GilmourD
Burritotoneologist
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
To me, the Custom seems louder than the JB, because it has more "cut through" in the mix. JBs get mushy and honky before Customs. The Custom is a better pickup than the JB in every way, to my sensibilities. It has all the power of the JB, but with "better" tone: more clarity, more bite, less mud. To me, the JB is best suited to being a lead pickup. I hate playing rhythm, even simple power chords, on a JB, as it turns to mud. The Custom has the same general thing going on, but it's a bit more clear and versatile; I can deal with it for rhythm.
That said, they're both in the same general neighborhood; they're hot pickups. They aren't anywhere close to being in the same neighborhood as P.A.F.-style humbuckers in terms of clarity and dynamics.
To me, the Custom seems louder than the JB, because it has more "cut through" in the mix. JBs get mushy and honky before Customs. The Custom is a better pickup than the JB in every way, to my sensibilities. It has all the power of the JB, but with "better" tone: more clarity, more bite, less mud. To me, the JB is best suited to being a lead pickup. I hate playing rhythm, even simple power chords, on a JB, as it turns to mud. The Custom has the same general thing going on, but it's a bit more clear and versatile; I can deal with it for rhythm.
That said, they're both in the same general neighborhood; they're hot pickups. They aren't anywhere close to being in the same neighborhood as P.A.F.-style humbuckers in terms of clarity and dynamics.
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blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
I agree. While JB's can be very good for certain things, I think the Custom wind is more versatile: in more guitars, for more genres, with more magnets.
I agree. While JB's can be very good for certain things, I think the Custom wind is more versatile: in more guitars, for more genres, with more magnets.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
Like any PU, it's going to sound different in an LP than in a Strat. Also depends what genres you're playing: for some, JB's are excellent, and for others they are not a particularly good choice.
Like any PU, it's going to sound different in an LP than in a Strat. Also depends what genres you're playing: for some, JB's are excellent, and for others they are not a particularly good choice.
Metalman_666
New member
Re: Duncan JB & Duncan Custom: which is louder?
I've been using a Custom with an A8 mag in my LP copy and it just fits perfectly in that guitar. Yes the A8 increases output and changes the overall tone. For chords or leads it has a lot of definition and sounds great clean, mid gain, and high gain. It is never too "loud" though, I really like the output where it is. I agree especially with Itsabass on this one.
I used to have a JB in my Schecter C-1, but that has since been replaced by a JB/Custom hybrid. I find the hybrid is louder and more powerful than the Custom. The tone is bigger to my ears, but seems to be more open in the highs than the lows, and is a pretty honest pickup. The overall fatness could very well be due to the difference between set neck and neck-thru guitars.
My thinking is, whether you juice your amp with an OD pedal or not, give the Custom a try if you want more snarl, and the JB if you want a rounder tone and don't need it to be razor-sharp. I play a lot of heavier rock and both fit the bill.
I've been using a Custom with an A8 mag in my LP copy and it just fits perfectly in that guitar. Yes the A8 increases output and changes the overall tone. For chords or leads it has a lot of definition and sounds great clean, mid gain, and high gain. It is never too "loud" though, I really like the output where it is. I agree especially with Itsabass on this one.
I used to have a JB in my Schecter C-1, but that has since been replaced by a JB/Custom hybrid. I find the hybrid is louder and more powerful than the Custom. The tone is bigger to my ears, but seems to be more open in the highs than the lows, and is a pretty honest pickup. The overall fatness could very well be due to the difference between set neck and neck-thru guitars.
My thinking is, whether you juice your amp with an OD pedal or not, give the Custom a try if you want more snarl, and the JB if you want a rounder tone and don't need it to be razor-sharp. I play a lot of heavier rock and both fit the bill.