How hot is the JB in parallel - good as a medium-output bridge?

[eclecticsynergy]

Thinking about bridge hums for an HSS guitar with two vintage output singlecoils. Alder body, Fenderish neck, 250K pots.

Prefer vintage-to-medium-output guitars so I don't need to redial when switching instruments.
In series JB is too hot to match my vintage-output axes without tweaking the rig.

I'm thinking in parallel it might balance well with the singles and fit in nicely with the other guitars.
Maybe use series mode like a solo boost.

Found some references to parallel JB at the neck, but not much specifically about bridge.
It's said to be a bright & fairly PAF-like voicing in parallel (which suits me fine) and apparently it's about 30% quieter than full series.


So, for those who've used the JB in parallel, three questions:

First, is this a viable medium-output option? For ballpark levels, some others on the team: 59/C Hybrid, Perpetual Burn, Brobucker, Slash bridge, Air Norton, PRS DGT and 59/09s... Hotter than a Custom5 would be too much.

Secondly, is the parallel tone assertive enough to be a solid bridge sound? Retain some snot, just with lower output?
Hoping for tighter & more balanced, bright yet still full.

Third, with a series/parallel switch I can still wire for autosplit in position 2, right?

Have a few other possibilities for this guitar are on the shelf: Screamin Demon, PG+/UA5, Custom Custom, Suhr DSH, Rio BBQ, GFS VEH.

I like the idea of having boost available without active circuitry though. All my splits are used as a cleanup option.
It'd be cool to have one guitar where parallel is the norm and there's a hot option instead.

Any and all advice will be appreciated.

 

[freefrog]

A JB in parallel would give you something closer to a Filter'Tron than to a P.A.F. when it comes to DCR/inductance - but it wouldn't have the softening Foucault currents due to screw poles nor the power due to double thick mag, so it should sound quieter and thinner.

Now, I obtain reasonably convincing P.A.F. tones from a bridge Filter'Tron in parallel with a 3,3nF cap... so, it's a first idea to "tune" a JB in parallel.

That being said, when I don't obtain a satisfying tone or power from a PU in parallel, I do something else: I put the whole pickup in parallel with an inductor + resistor specially tuned to give the right resistance/inductance to the assembly.

It's an extrapolation on Bill Lawrence's Q filter (and on the filters that my old friend luthier mounted in his guitars 40 years ago) but I use way beefier inductors, up to 14 Henry in some cases.

For those who can't buy or build low DCR inductors, it's possible to use an old PU without its baseplate and mag(s). Remove its pole pieces if you want it to be less inductive, add metallic content in the coil(s) if you want more inductance. If it deadens the tone, just put it in series with a resistor limiting its effect in parallel...

FWIW.

 

[hamerfan]

I wouldn't call it paf-like, it's more of a position 2 on a strat. Less volume, some quack and bright.

 

[Lewguitar]

I think of the JB in parallel as sounding like a strong singlecoil only humbucking.

To me, in parallel a JB doesn't get the sound that we associate with a full size humbucker.

It's more like a singlecoil that doesn't hum.

It's a good sound, IMO.

Better than splitting the JB.

 

[SweetClyde99]

I’ve read a lot of good things about the Invader in parallel. That may be a good option if the JB doesn’t work out.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

I currently have an UOA5 JB in an Ibanez strat wired for series/split/parallel...Love the 8k split tones and compared it to one of my Fender strats that has the standard bridge pickup and the split JB is close in vibe...Parallel is about 4k and it's nice but I prefer the 8k split tone over it...This is paired with a PAF styled neck humbucker..You should be fine getting the balance you need.

 

[Ace Flibble]

I’ve read a lot of good things about the Invader in parallel. That may be a good option if the JB doesn’t work out.

The Invader is probably my favourite pickup for parallel or split wiring. It's got so much power and is so thick to begin with, when you cut it in half it still sounds like a whole pickup, as opposed to most humbuckers where it's very clear the sound you end up with is a compromise. But, of course, the full series tone is far too powerful for many people, especially anyone wanting to balance the pickup next to standard or vintage single coils.


Anyway, the JB parallel in a bright guitar sounds kinda like a Firebird pickup but with softer attack; in dark guitars it sounds a bit like a stacked P-90. It's a pretty good tone for chord-heavy rhythm (e.g. punk) but I wouldn't rely on it to be a 'main' tone for anyone. For mixing in an HSS configuration with classic singles, a Custom/59 Hybrid is my preference to 'auto-split', while a PAF Pro (or a Pearly Gates Plus, or a Pearly Gates Bridge with an A5) is my preference for a simple humbucker with no concern for splitting or parallel wiring. The Custom/59 is a fair bit weaker than the JB (though still on the strong side and too hot for some 50s-style singles) and the tone is balanced across the board, so you'll be getting a slightly better output balance, a much better tonal balance, and the split tone will actually stay about the same. With the PAF Pro (or PG variations) you get output that is much more in-line with most single coils and again a very balanced EQ, though as a result the auto-split will be a bit weaker.

 

[Mincer]

The Invader is the only pickup I like in parallel. All others sound hollow and weak to me.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Thanks, guys. I'll go with one of the other options.

 

[ItsaBass]

Split in the bridge position. Parallel in the neck position. IMO.

 

[Aceman]

Same as any pickup in Parallel: 25%

You can take a hot amp that is driving, with a hot pickup (awesome lead tone and go right to clean rhythm like that. I love this with an X2N

 

[Artie]

Another vote for the Invader in parallel. I love doing an HSS Strat, with an Invader bridge. Wire the Invader in parallel, then use a "blower" switch to run it direct in series.

 

[Mincer]

I lied, the P-Rail is good in parallel, too.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

The Invader is the only pickup I like in parallel. All others sound hollow and weak to me.

The Invader and the JB are the same pickup with different pole pieces. Both 16.6K. But the pole pieces add to the inductance.


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[eclecticsynergy]

The Invader and the JB are the same pickup with different pole pieces. Both 16.6K. But the pole pieces add to the inductance.


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Do you think it'd be possible/practical to drill out the bobbins of a JB and add extra extra slugs a la Virtual Vintage?
The purpose of that is to add inductance, correct?

 

[Ace Flibble]

You don't need to go as far as drilling anything. There's enough leeway in a standard humbucker to open it up a little and shove some extra material in the new gaps. Still, DiMarzio only do that because (they claim) they want to avoid using weaker or 'aged' magnets so there's less chance the pickup's tone will change over time. (I suspect they do it more just because ordering a bunch of totally uniform, fully charged A5 and ceramic magnets is a lot cheaper than ordering a little of every type.) If you don't care what the pickup is going to sound like 40, 50 years from now, you could just swap the standard mag for something a bit softer and get the same result.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

You don't need to go as far as drilling anything. There's enough leeway in a standard humbucker to open it up a little and shove some extra material in the new gaps. Still, DiMarzio only do that because (they claim) they want to avoid using weaker or 'aged' magnets so there's less chance the pickup's tone will change over time. (I suspect they do it more just because ordering a bunch of totally uniform, fully charged A5 and ceramic magnets is a lot cheaper than ordering a little of every type.) If you don't care what the pickup is going to sound like 40, 50 years from now, you could just swap the standard mag for something a bit softer and get the same result.

Not talking about the "airbucker" idea.That's an entirely different thing, to simulate the weaker field of other mags while still using A5 bars.

"Virtual Vintage" involves inserting extra slugs into the bobbins.The added steel changes the inductance of the coils, not the field strength.