JB In The LE HM?

[JamesPaul]

I had to go through my parts shelf earlier and I saw 2 out of my 3 JBJ's. It's been over a year and I've resisted the temptation, but last night really got me thinking about putting one of them in my HM Strat.

The stock humbucker still sounds okay to me, but I haven't had a JB in a guitar since ~1986. Have I just forgotten that magic tone of the JB in a Superstrat? What are your thoughts and why?


NGD - LE HM Strat

 

[Nightburst]

Voted Yes assuming you are going to take a trip back to the 80's?
Personally I never really had any luck with the JB in my guitars. But since you have a couple of them with extra mojo, you can never go wrong imo!

 

[gsammo79]

Throw it in there and indulge. It's one badass lead pickup. Just got myself one too

 

[JamesPaul]

Voted Yes assuming you are going to take a trip back to the 80's?
Personally I never really had any luck with the JB in my guitars. But since you have a couple of them with extra mojo, you can never go wrong imo!

I had my original JBJ in this from ~1984 to ~1986. It really nailed the Brad Gillis tones and got 90% plus on everyone else using a JB at the time. A little surprising since I was using a Kahler and most everyone else was using a Floyd. I took the JB out and put a Distortion in when I started chasing George Lynch tones in late '86 or early '87. I wasn't disappointed by the Distortion either. I finally put the stock pickups back in somewhere around '95.

 

[Nightburst]

Awesome, I am definitely getting a kahler if one pops up for the right price. Never played with one but they make more sense to me as a unit than any other trem system.
Is yours a converted hardtail strat?

 

[Mincer]

I say no! you already like the pickup in the guitar so the solution is to buy another guitar to put the JB in!

 

[devastone]

While Mincer makes a valid point, the decision is yours.

How do you like the HM? I had a few (decades ago) including one of the rare old ones with a real Floyd instead of the Kahler Spyder, they were all great guitars and the stock DMZ Super 3 is a super fun pickup to play! How are the new ones?

 

[jeremy]

why keep the stock "ok" pup when you can put a kick ass jb in there?!?!

 

[JamesPaul]

Awesome, I am definitely getting a kahler if one pops up for the right price. Never played with one but they make more sense to me as a unit than any other trem system.
Is yours a converted hardtail strat?

No, the Strat actually had a Fender stock trem in it. That was less stable than the Kahler I had in another guitar, so I had the stock converted to the Kahler.

 

[JamesPaul]

I say no! you already like the pickup in the guitar so the solution is to buy another guitar to put the JB in!

This could be setting a precedent...I also passed by an uninstalled Screamin' Demon and a PATB-2 before seeing the JB's. Maybe 3 additional guitars are better than 1?!

 

[JamesPaul]

While Mincer makes a valid point, the decision is yours.

How do you like the HM? I had a few (decades ago) including one of the rare old ones with a real Floyd instead of the Kahler Spyder, they were all great guitars and the stock DMZ Super 3 is a super fun pickup to play! How are the new ones?

I'm really digging the neck profile and 17" fretboard radius on my HM! It plays fast and easy.

My challenge is I'm a 36 year Kahler 23xx player and this is my first Floyd Rose. Early on I kept pushing the Floyd sharp while fine tuning as the Kahlers are much stiffer. It tripled my tuning time right out of the gate, but I finally sorted out I need a lighter touch when tuning. The more freely floating Floyd does do a better "cricket".

The stock Fender humbucker has an '80s tone, but the only DiMarzio's I've owned are the Super D and Evolution so tough for me to objectively compare to the Super 3. My amps also bring a lot more gain these days and help make up for anything the stock Fender might be missing. I think the stock HM splits better than the stock in my Player Series Lead III.

Still I'm wondering if a JB in there will have that ultimate magic '80s tone I'm remembering, so I think at the least I'm gonna have to throw one in there to test.

 

[Mincer]

This could be setting a precedent...I also passed by an uninstalled Screamin' Demon and a PATB-2 before seeing the JB's. Maybe 3 additional guitars are better than 1?!

You've discovered the secret to eternal happiness.

 

[beaubrummels]

While an old MJ JB would be better, I would stick a Super 3 in it, because I'm a purest and would want to transport myself back to my 80's/90's self.

 

[AdrianSD]

I had to go through my parts shelf earlier and I saw 2 out of my 3 JBJ's. It's been over a year and I've resisted the temptation, but last night really got me thinking about putting one of them in my HM Strat.

The stock humbucker still sounds okay to me, but I haven't had a JB in a guitar since ~1986. Have I just forgotten that magic tone of the JB in a Superstrat? What are your thoughts and why?


NGD - LE HM Strat

Do it, DO IT! Jaay Bay, Jaaay Bay, Jaay Bay FTW!

 

[AdrianSD]

You've discovered the secret to eternal happiness.

Thought that's when you've bought the 42nd guitar?
(As in https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(answer))

 

[JamesPaul]

So if I combine the above:

* Keep my backup SSS Stratocaster I was supposed to sell last year, but am procrastinating until later this year.

* Put a JBJ back in my Kahler'd Stratocaster to have my '84 to '86 tone. I still have my white HSS pickguard.

* Get 2 more Stratocasters for the Demon and PATB-2. Helps bring eternal happiness.

* Buy a Super 3 and put it in the HM Strat. Gives me the authentic '88 to '92 HM Strat tone I never had AND cures my fear of buying a DiMarzio pickup. My Super Distortion and Evolution came already installed in guitars I bought. Or buy a Stratocaster with a Super 3 in it, transplant the Super 3 to the HM Strat and use the guitar for Loose end #2 below.

Loose end #1, missing my '83 to P-Rails introduction Custom tone. I could pull the P-Rail from my test bed Bullet S-3 and put my DCJ back in.

Loose end #2, missing my '86 to '95 Distortion tone. Maybe get a 3rd new Stratocaster and put the DDJ on the parts shelf in it? Maybe a Warmoth build? It only needs to be a single bridge H configuration. Another check in the eternal happiness column.

​​​​​I think that about covers the '80s, gets some good pickups off the parts shelf and positions me to try and have more guitars than Little Pigbacon has pedals.

Decisions... decisions...

 

[rolijen]

I put a JB (actually a TB-4) into my 2020 Limited Edition HM Strat. While the Fender HM humbucker is pretty good, it is a bit harsh compared to the JB. I think the JB is HUGE improvement.

 

[JB6464]

Rock that JB like it was meant to be , laying in a pile of parts is tone abuse .

 

[JamesPaul]

Well....

beaubrummels convinced me to try a Super 3 in my LE HM Strat since that was in the originals. One popped up in The Trading Post last week and I bought it. I'm going to give that a go first.

Mincer convinced me to buy new guitars for my pickups on my parts shelf. I bought my first yesterday, so I'll try a JB in there.

If that doesn't work out, I can always keep my backup SSS Strat I was planning to sell and put a JB back in my original roll-your-own HM Strat.

I haven't had a JB in anything since '86 or '87, so I'm going to get one back in something!

 

[Mincer]

Just doing my part to keep the music flowing! Let me know how the JB sounds in there!