Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

R

Rleague

New member
Hello.

I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can help me with.
I have been researching and reading old post about turning a Distortion pickup into a Jb by changing the magnets.

I have a distortion bridge pickup I want to change into a Jb (they say it's the same pickup with different magnets.)

1. How different is it from a real Jb pickup when you swap out the ceramic mag with a alnico 5 ? has anyone done it? how's the tone? output?

2. I have a Stew mac golden age overwound bridge pickup that has a alnico 5 magnet in it. could I use that magnet in the distortion? would any alnico magnet work as long as it's a alnico 5? Or does it have to be something special?

3. When swapping out I know the mag in the distortion is over sized will this cause a problem when putting the smaller alnico 5 in? Will I have to remove spacers ect as I've read? If so how do I do it?

thanks,
Jason
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

I'd be interested in buying the Stewmac pickup from you!
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

The Ste mac is new only installed it once then pulled it out. plenty of lead. how much do you think?

J
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

It's brand new with the Gold Cover. It would have to be new with a gold cover. I want to keep the guitar new and shinny. Just got a new white Edwards les paul custom. Don't like the DD in it.
wanting a Jb Or Rio Grande BBQ with gold cover.
If anyone has a new Gold covered Jb or Rio Grande, I will trade a new gold covered DD and throw in a new Stew mac overwound alnico 5 bridge pickup.

J
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

Rleague said:
It's brand new with the Gold Cover. It would have to be new with a gold cover. I want to keep the guitar new and shinny. Just got a new white Edwards les paul custom. Don't like the DD in it.
wanting a Jb Or Rio Grande BBQ with gold cover.
If anyone has a new Gold covered Jb or Rio Grande, I will trade a new gold covered DD and throw in a new Stew mac overwound alnico 5 bridge pickup.

J
Click to expand...

Sorry, regular black open coil here!
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

It's the same pickup, I've done it many times.

Take the cover off the pickup, unwrap the tape. Loosen the screws on the bottom of the pickup a bit, push magnet out with a screwdriver. Put new magnet in, tighten screws up, retape, blow it with a hairdryer for 2-4 minutes to reset the wax potting, put the cover back on.

That magnet will work; any A5 will.

You might have to rotate the spacers a bit, and tighten the screws more than you would have to for the large ceramic, but otherwise, no modifications will need to be done.
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

awsome thanks for the info. could you explain what you mean by rotating the spacers?

thanks
J
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

There will be some plastic spacers on either side of the bobbin, there might not be one on the side the wire is routed through, but there will be on the other side. You might have to spin this piece 90 degree's to make it short enough for the new magnet coming in.
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

Gotcha thanks man..
So will it really sound like a Jb?

have you compared it to a real jb after doing this? Is it a little hotter? being at 16.6 instead of 16.4?

J
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

Rleague said:
Gotcha thanks man..
So will it really sound like a Jb?

have you compared it to a real jb after doing this? Is it a little hotter? being at 16.6 instead of 16.4?

J
Click to expand...
dude going from a 16.6K to a 16.4K is not audible at all :laugh2:

the magnet in the DD is what makes it hotter and have a different tone curve
I have seen JB's as high as 17.3K and still sound exactly like the 16.4K ones
 
Re: Help! Turning a Distortion pup into a Jb

Rleague said:
Gotcha thanks man..
So will it really sound like a Jb?

have you compared it to a real jb after doing this? Is it a little hotter? being at 16.6 instead of 16.4?

J
Click to expand...


Yes, it will really sound like a JB, and yes, I have compared it to the real deal many times to make sure.

All pickups will vary in DC resistance; I had a DD (now a JB) at 15.6k, and a JB trembucker at 17.4.

I've also noticed that the JB trembuckers are wound a bit hotter than the standard ones; Both of the trembuckers I've had were in the 17.3+ range.
 
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