ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

[ESPzach]

Hey guys I just traded off my ESP mii with jb/59 set for a 05 ESP Eclipse in vintage honey burst with a zebra Jb/59 set.I was actually presently surprised that the pickup set sounded Better IMO in the eclipse that my mii set did. My only problem is I hate the zebra look and want the more classic Lp look with nickel covers.So will the nickel covers affect the tone enough that I'll need to go with a hotter set?? (Duncan distortion bridge)I mostly play big 4 thrash and my rig is a Peavey 6505, Marshall 1960 cab and maxxon od808. Thanks

 

[stratguy23]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Nickel covers won't affect your tone enough to require a change in pickup output levels.

The most they'll do is round off your top end a tad, and by a tad I mean a tad. You may not be able to tell the difference - especially at the gain levels you're using - and if you do, you can certainly make up the difference by changing amp settings or strings. You have a good rig that allows you to tweak different points in the signal path.

The Eclipse in honey burst is a sweet look; I was eyeing one some time back.

 

[ESPzach]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Awesome! Yeah I love it.It has the Sperzel tuners befor they switched to Gotoh magnums..I was think going with the distortion but it seems a little to trebly kinda dime bagish lol. The lowest tunning I use the eclipse in standard and couldn't really find a good comparison video of the dist and jb besides dropped lol

 

[stratguy23]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Yeah, you can't go wrong with the old MIJ ESPs.

Distortion does have a pretty sharp top end, but it also has a really chunky bottom end and a very present midrange. It is pretty full-on across the frequency spectrum. What makes it special is a bit of hair/grit around the tone that gives it some Gibson-style wildness and aggression. By comparison the JB, while similarly high output, is very smooth sounding.

If I were playing Big 4 stuff, I would actually look to the Distortion first, because it naturally provides the chunk. I'm thinking specifically of the first two Metallica albums; there was some rawness in those tones that disappeared from MOP onwards. But since you have the Maxon in conjunction with the 6505, you'll be able to tighten up the JB low end to get to where you need to go. Mustaine was a big JB user back in the day, after all.

PS. Ola Englund did a shootout that nicely highlights SD high output pickups, including the Distortion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3YzI3sd2WA

He's downtuned, but he's accurately portraying the nature of the pickups. It was actually this video that convinced me to try the Distortion. My own experience confirmed the ripping edge in the tone.

 

[ESPzach]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Thanks strat guy I'll definitely take my time and try to check out all the vids and comparisons.My main worry from the ola vid tho was the dist being too bright in standard.But then sometimes I wish my jb had a lil more to it soo may jus pull the trigger on a dd/59.They work fine together I assume??

 

[stratguy23]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

I mostly play in E standard and have found the Distortion to work just fine in that context. It has a cutting top end, but because it has so much of everything else (low end, mids), it comes across as balanced - much more so than the JB.

Your set neck mahogany LP-style guitar, combined with the rest of your rig, may fill in the low end that the JB lacks. So I would try out the JB for a while before committing to something else. Maybe just wait for a used nickel-covered Distortion to come along.

On fleabay, there are a good number of retailers offering the Distortion/59 as a set. Ola is a well-known user of this set (evidently the Duncan designed set in his new sigs are based on the Distortion/59), and from my personal experience I can see them working well together - better, actually, than the JB/59, which is more common for some reason. Distortion and 59 feel similarly stiff and bassy to me, whereas the JB doesn't have low end.

 

[Aceman]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

No - get the covers and rock on.

 

[ESPzach]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Thanks guys!!

 

[JB6464]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

I love the DD/59 combo , it works well together from classic rock to heavy metal .
The trick is adjusting the pickup heights to balance the volumes out between the two and your good to go .
I also use an unpotted 59n for a more open neck sounding pickup tone .

 

[BloodRose]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Yeah, with the rig you have, the current set is fine. IIRC Marty Friedman used the JB with 'Deth.. So, it'll do the deed just fine.. I think MegaDave used them too before he got his signature set. The JB is and has been widely used in alot of genres and alot of thrash and metal.

 

[ESPzach]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Great to hear.I jus can't stand the zebra look reminds me of slash /: That's the only reason I wanna go with the covers version.

 

[ESPzach]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

The Custom seems to be a nice sounding pickup as well.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Not to derail you, but yeah, the Custom is a great pickup!

 

[Demanic]

Re: ESP eclipse jb/59 swap

Cover them if you have to. It won't kill the tone. The OCD is another problem.