Re: How high an output is a JB?
The JB is quite a bit stronger than the 59B but it doesn't sound like an Invader or anything like that! Robben Ford used one for a long time and made many of his most popular recording with the JB. Robben gets a a fairly smooth and overdriven tone for his solos but he's primarily a jazz and blues player so you know the JB is not a metal pickup...though it could certainly be used for metal if you chose to.
The JB, paired with a Jazz neck, is also Seymour's favorite humbucker combination...he's not a metal player either.
Really, the JB can sound any way you want it to depending on how you adjust your amp's volume and tone controls.
It will definately push your amp harder and push it into overdrive at a lower volume setting on the amp than the 59B but it's capable of nice clean tones too...especially when combined with a neck 59N or Jazz N and you roll down the volume a little on your guitar.
The JB, when split into a single coil, also has the best single coil tones from a humbucker I've ever heard. Another big plus for the JB.
The JB is a little louder than the 59B and has more mids and also has a certain pronounced upper midrange peak that makes notes sing and pinch harmonics take off more easily than with most other humbuckers.
To some ears (mine! :laugh2: ) the upper midrange "peak" is a little to penetrating when playing at higher volumes and standing close to your speakers. Onstage I've never found it to be an issue.
If you're going for primarily an overdriven to slightly overdriven rock tone, I wouldn't worry about it being to hot...unless the tone you have in your head really is the tone of a vintage output pickup like the 59B.
I really like the 59B, BTW. It's my favorite alnico 5 bridge humbucker. I use it in two differant Strats and to my ears it has the tone of Eric Clapton when he played with Cream.
For me, the 59B pushes my amps hard enough and I don't need a hotter bridge pickup than that.
Lew
