RockStarNick
New member
Well, after 15 years of using Duncan Pickups (that's right... my first LP Studio at age 14 had 59s in it, and I've been a duncan user ever since...) I finally decided to try a JB in one of my guitars.
I think what has scared me away from it, for so long, is the multitude of crazy, almost bi-polar reviews on it, running the gamut from muddy, to thin, to dark, to bright, etc.
I'm going to do some really, detailed reviews and posts during the next few days. I've had the opportunity to test out the pickup before band practice with some critical listening, at band practice in a controlled live setup. Between tonight and this weekend, in bedroom volume situations, AND at a full blown live gig on Saturday night. I'm going to try my best to post quickly after each scenario, and give truthful "non-honeymoon" results.
Currently, I have two Warmoth mahogony super-teles that are *almost* identical in construction and tone. Warm but resonant sounding Mahogony Bodies, maple and rosewood neck. Current set is a Duncan 59 in the neck, and a Duncan custom 5 in the bridge.
AMP USED: Egnater mod50, loaded with EL34s, great NOS 12AX7 tubes, set for a cranked marshall tone.
I decided to install the JB in ONE of these Warmoth super teles. This way, i had a very good back to back comparison setup.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Critical listening
Well, compared to the C5, the JB is a totally, totally different animal. I'm a C5 lover, thru and thru, but the JB just sounds more, well, exciting to my ears at first listen. It's much brighter than what I'm used to for a bridge humbucker, but that being said, that brightness and detail may be what I've been looking for all along. It almost sounds like someone sprinked some sort of enhancer on the pickup, when listened to back to back with the C5. The treble and upper mids pop out alot more.
The bass is not quite as big as the C5. That being said, the JB is anything but thin. It's got strong lows, low mids, etc. I think the abundant treble/upper mids may be interpreted as thin by some people who are used to a flatter sounding pickup. Still, the C5 does have a fatter low end, but that could have been causing my to think that the C5 is being kinda dull lately in my warmoths.
I was suprised at how well the JB matched up well with the 59 in the neck. Not that I should be surpised - it's a really popular combo in many guitars, stock. but I had a Duncan Distortion, with a 59, and didn't like it. The 59 had a wide open sound, and the DD seemed to be WAY middy.
At lower volumes, Id' say that the C5 matches up better with a 59, personality and vibe wise. But, at loud volumes, in a band context, the JB matches up fine with the 59.
LOUD PLAYING AT BAND PRACTICE
So after listening to the pickup solo'd without a band, it was time to rock out loud with the band. I've noticed, more often than not, that when I'm super critical about a pickup, listening to every small detail at bedroom volumes, that those things go out the window at loud volumes. That's pretty true for both the C5 and the JB.
Despite what you'd think, each pickup's "flaws" seem to be magnified MORE, at a lower volume, in a solo context. Within a band situation, both pickups just flat out rock, and sound great. The C5 sounds more classic, and the JB sounds more hi-fi and modern, but not like an EMG in any way.
When I'm playing loud, I'm not thinking "hmm, this JB really feels like it's missing something around 100hz, but my C5 has a good 100hz bump" or anything like that... I'm just kinda feeling it, more than listening to it. And both pickups FEEL great to play. That being said, the JB, at first test, feels a little more alive and responsive, and the C5 feels flatter and more polite in comparison.
OK... that's all for now. Tonight, more comments and reviews.
I think what has scared me away from it, for so long, is the multitude of crazy, almost bi-polar reviews on it, running the gamut from muddy, to thin, to dark, to bright, etc.
I'm going to do some really, detailed reviews and posts during the next few days. I've had the opportunity to test out the pickup before band practice with some critical listening, at band practice in a controlled live setup. Between tonight and this weekend, in bedroom volume situations, AND at a full blown live gig on Saturday night. I'm going to try my best to post quickly after each scenario, and give truthful "non-honeymoon" results.
Currently, I have two Warmoth mahogony super-teles that are *almost* identical in construction and tone. Warm but resonant sounding Mahogony Bodies, maple and rosewood neck. Current set is a Duncan 59 in the neck, and a Duncan custom 5 in the bridge.
AMP USED: Egnater mod50, loaded with EL34s, great NOS 12AX7 tubes, set for a cranked marshall tone.
I decided to install the JB in ONE of these Warmoth super teles. This way, i had a very good back to back comparison setup.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Critical listening
Well, compared to the C5, the JB is a totally, totally different animal. I'm a C5 lover, thru and thru, but the JB just sounds more, well, exciting to my ears at first listen. It's much brighter than what I'm used to for a bridge humbucker, but that being said, that brightness and detail may be what I've been looking for all along. It almost sounds like someone sprinked some sort of enhancer on the pickup, when listened to back to back with the C5. The treble and upper mids pop out alot more.
The bass is not quite as big as the C5. That being said, the JB is anything but thin. It's got strong lows, low mids, etc. I think the abundant treble/upper mids may be interpreted as thin by some people who are used to a flatter sounding pickup. Still, the C5 does have a fatter low end, but that could have been causing my to think that the C5 is being kinda dull lately in my warmoths.
I was suprised at how well the JB matched up well with the 59 in the neck. Not that I should be surpised - it's a really popular combo in many guitars, stock. but I had a Duncan Distortion, with a 59, and didn't like it. The 59 had a wide open sound, and the DD seemed to be WAY middy.
At lower volumes, Id' say that the C5 matches up better with a 59, personality and vibe wise. But, at loud volumes, in a band context, the JB matches up fine with the 59.
LOUD PLAYING AT BAND PRACTICE
So after listening to the pickup solo'd without a band, it was time to rock out loud with the band. I've noticed, more often than not, that when I'm super critical about a pickup, listening to every small detail at bedroom volumes, that those things go out the window at loud volumes. That's pretty true for both the C5 and the JB.
Despite what you'd think, each pickup's "flaws" seem to be magnified MORE, at a lower volume, in a solo context. Within a band situation, both pickups just flat out rock, and sound great. The C5 sounds more classic, and the JB sounds more hi-fi and modern, but not like an EMG in any way.
When I'm playing loud, I'm not thinking "hmm, this JB really feels like it's missing something around 100hz, but my C5 has a good 100hz bump" or anything like that... I'm just kinda feeling it, more than listening to it. And both pickups FEEL great to play. That being said, the JB, at first test, feels a little more alive and responsive, and the C5 feels flatter and more polite in comparison.
OK... that's all for now. Tonight, more comments and reviews.
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