There's been a lot of talk recently about the JB being versatile. Unless you're either running one series/parallel or series/split I strongly disagree about its versatility. It's extremely compressed and congested and I'm not enamored by its bass response as a metal pickup, personally.
For those curious, the guitar in my avatar* does in fact have a JB.
(*) at the time of this post.
Is your JB modified? There are certainly more open-sounding pickups and designs that "breathe" a bit more, but among the higher output winds, which the JB is, the JB isn't extreme in any sense. Sounds like its voicing just isn't your thing. Could be your amp or guitar, too...the JB has a reputation for being a bit finicky in some setups. However, as far as high output pickups and versatility go, there are few pickups that can really cover the sonic gamut of the JB, but I do agree that splitting it adds even more versatility to the JB package and, for metal, the bottom is often a bit soft for more modern styles, but thousands of players still make it work just fine. 
No. The one I had for the longest time was in basswood. It honked and wouldn't clean up unless I split it or wired it in parallel. I agree it isn't the most extreme pickup made, but it's hardly tame.
I know you spent a fair amount of your valuable time and likely feel invested/taken ownership in the topic, but FWIW, the BW set wasn't "your" suggestion. The OP put up three sets of pickups and I simply chose the one that fit.
TBH, the best suggestion offered so far was the Full Shred.
I know you spent a fair amount of your valuable time and likely feel invested/taken ownership in the topic, but FWIW, the BW set wasn't "your" suggestion. The OP put up three sets of pickups and I simply chose the one that fit.
