I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

M

MBreinin

New member
....I plopped one in my new toy last night (alder bodied superstrat with Floyd, mahogany neck with rosewood board) and it sounds great. I find it a little harder to squeeze off pinch harmonics than let's say, my '59/Custom hybrid or my Blues Saraceno, but with a small adjustment in technique, they are there to be found for sure. It lacks a little bass, but it has a nice tight tone which sounds equally as good with chords as it does in single note territory. I didn't find it to be overly harsh in the highs...actually I turned UP the treble a bit to get it to sting a little better. This is with a Voodoo Amps Witchdoctor Champ being pushed with a Bad Monkey into a 2x12 Avatar cab.

I am not saying it is the end all be all, and it may get changed out of this guitar...but I think it is a really great sounding pickup....perfect for a hard rock/blues based style.

I was curious why so many despise this pickup? I was avoiding them because they are so "generic" and people always badmouth them over here..but I am very satisfied with it.

Mike
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

I only like the JB in guitars similar to yours. I hate it in guitars with Gibson-style construction.

I guess there is sort of a backlash against the JB, probably due to people getting tired of others recommending the JB for every guitar, style, and amp combo.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

You put it in what i condider the most suitable axe, IMO: Bolt on neck,alder bodied guitar. I've no issue with them in that kind of config at all. And it'd prolly be my first choice in the Duncan line for that type of guitar in high output. They work REALLY well like that (especially with 250K pot)

I just cannot stand them in gibson scale/construction instruments.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

The JB is still Duncan's #1 selling humbucker. Has been for many years.

I don't use it myself, but I've put it in many Strats and Les Pauls and have owned a few Hamers with the JB.

The JB always impresses me whenever I hear it again after not hearing one for a while.

Lew
 
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Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

It's been about a year since I used a JB last. It was best in my alder bodied frankenstrat, but I have a maple board and 500k volume pot. The upper mids just got to me after a while. Had to turn down the treble and mids on my amp to much to eliminate it and then it didn't sound good at all. Plus, I wanted to get something else for that guitar. I sometimes wish I still had it and had put a 250k pot in there but I'm happy with what I have now so no need to get another one.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

I've got one in my all mahogany set neck gibson sg special and I really like it. I've never heard a jb in an alder bolt on guitar, but yeah I'm impressed with it so far. I'm installing push/pull pots to coil split it though, I'm not sure how thats gonna sound.:fingersx:
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

Rid said:
Then again tubbies....are fat and lazy guitars;)
You can pry my JB from my cold dead hands.
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:laugh2:

never even liked 'em in SGs/Vs/explorers/Hamers, etc Rid.

I just think there is a frequency overlap...too much high mid spike....Doesnt sound bad for leads high up on the neck (actually sounds great), but that nasally grind on the low E and A sring is like fingernails ona chalkboard.

Those girly guitars you play need all the help they can get for good lead tones ;)
:fingersx:
:bowdown:
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

JeffB said:
Those girly guitars you play need all the help they can get for good lead tones ;)
:fingersx:
:bowdown:
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Hey, them's fightin' words! :laugh2: :laugh2: :6:
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

Seymour uses the JB with 250K pots. Makes it very smooth and even more mellow than a Custom Custom with 500K pots.

I never hear the JB as being to bright in terms of having to much treble...but it does have a hard focus or "peak" that some say is in the upper mids and which some players describe as being "to bright"...but it's not actual treble to my ears.

IMO, there are brighter pickups in the Duncan line than the JB which do not get called "to bright" for some reason....the 59B for one.

Lew
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

I like the stock HB102B (Duncan Designed JB) in my DK-2. It's an Alder body bolt-on with rosewood neck. Never tried one in a Les Paul, but a friend from the LPF came over and I put one in his LP CLassic and pulled the 500T. I didn't mess with it enough, but he said he loved it.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

Lewguitar said:
IMO, there are brighter pickups in the Duncan line than the JB which do not get called "to bright" for some reason....the 59B for one.

Lew
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You're right, Lew. There are. Both pickups have the same amount of treble, but the difference there, and I believe this is why the JB has that upper mid spike with 500k pots, is it has more mids than the 59B. The scooped mids of the 59B help pull that spike out, making it more pleasing but putting more emphasis on the treble. The PG has more treble than both according to the tone chart but the A2 mag in it helps roll that off in actuality.
 
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Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

Benjy_26 said:
I guess there is sort of a backlash against the JB, probably due to people getting tired of others recommending the JB for every guitar, style, and amp combo.
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I think that's the truth. People have to remember that every pickup in the Duncan humbucker line is wound a little different, has different magnets, and polepieces in order to nail a particular sound. It's not Seymour's fault that a player may not like one of his pickups in their guitar. That's why there's so many pickups, guitars, amps, and styles of music.

I think the JB is popular because 1. many players have used it in the past, 2. it's a pickup that has the highest chance of pleasing the most players, 3. 9 times outta 10, it sounds better than a stock pickup, and 4. Dealers always stock it.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

BTW

Welcome everyone to the bi-weekly SDUGF "Why the JB sucks/rules" thread


Enjoy! :6:


Lew you are right...a 59b is VERY bright...JB is actually kind of dark to my ears..cloudy...its that mid frequency that I don't like (again..In a Gibson type instrument). BUT.... thats what makes it cut through a mix so well.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

I am very happy with my JB in my Mahogany Amer. Deluxe Strat. and yes, to take the DH-1 humbucker from Fender out of the guitar, the difference is huge!

Under lead gain, I can see how it might be too bright in that mid-range spike way, however with the treble knob backed down a bit, it seems to help that frequency a bit.
 
Re: I don't know why the JB gets such a bad rap here.....

JeffB said:
Lew you are right...a 59b is VERY bright...JB is actually kind of dark to my ears..cloudy...its that mid frequency that I don't like (again..In a Gibson type instrument). BUT.... thats what makes it cut through a mix so well.
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+1 :)
 
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