JB JR or Hotrails

A

AdrianSmithFan

New member
Hi everyone, I was thinking about getting hot rails... but the other day on my amp i set the treble to 10 and the mids at 8 and the bass at 4... and i loved the tone i was getting.. i play classic metal, kinda iron maiden, deep purple and scorpions and that kinda stuff... i don't go any heaver than metallica and i always play in standard tuning. i don't know what to get out of the hot rails or the jb jr. now the jb jr is mucher cheper cause then i don't have to change pots. can the jb jr do classic metal ... the tone i am actually looking for is something like the song wasted years chorus... thanks
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

i think that the jb jr has more treble than the hot rails...so if you like to set the treble to 10..i don't know if your gonna like the sound of it...i believe though that the jb jr has nicer clean tones compared to the hot rails...
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

^well...that's up to debate and definitely it depends on lotsa stuff man. Listen to Dave Murray's cleans from the last 3 or so records...
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

yeh cool thanks .... does the jb jr bridge version cut thorugh the mix well when soloing and does it sound like a humbucker or single coil.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

While I'm not a big fan of the full-size JB in the bridge, I did like the JBJr I once had - seemed like it had a very hot output like a Distortion. Not sure if that was a fluke or what. I also had a Hot Rails neck in the bridge position and liked it, but the guitar it was in had two slanted single-coil-sized slots in the bridge position, so the HR was furthest away from the bridge.

Placement affects tone, so if you've got a Strat with a big enough rout to convert to a humbucker, get a H-S-S pickguard and put the JBJr closest to the bridge and the HR furthest away in that slot.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

The JB jr is ok, but it is a bit bright and a little weak. If you want something that sounds like a full sized JB the Dimarzio Fastrack II is great and goes very well with the JB jr neck/mid.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

They definitely take the same potentiometers, I don't know where you got that information from.

The hot rails is probably the better pickup for you.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

I agree with uOpt on this, sounds like the Hot Rails is your best choice. By the way the hot rails aren't active so thats why you won't have change the pots either way.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

Two things. First: you're talking about the bridge pickup? Then I would think about HR (or, as someone wrote, Fast Track 2 maybe). Second: yes, I have the HR with a 500k pot and the sound is still quite muddy, I think it would be a nightmare to play it with a 250k pot. But it's the neck pickup of my guitar, maybe it's a bit different with the bridge.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

That's weird.

A search of this forum finds many members who say stick with the 250K on the rails and single sized buckers. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing, just observing.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

ASF,

The cool thing is, regardless of opinion, if you buy something from one of the brothers here, you can install it and test drive it.

If you don't like it, sell it here and try something else.

Beats paying retail, and there really is no predicting what you are going to like in your guitar, playing your style, your music, etc.

Opinions are all over the place, but your ear will tell you what sounds good.

Good luck!
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

AdrianSmithFan said:
Hi everyone, I was thinking about getting hot rails... but the other day on my amp i set the treble to 10 and the mids at 8 and the bass at 4... and i loved the tone i was getting.. i play classic metal, kinda iron maiden, deep purple and scorpions and that kinda stuff... i don't go any heaver than metallica and i always play in standard tuning. i don't know what to get out of the hot rails or the jb jr. now the jb jr is mucher cheper cause then i don't have to change pots. can the jb jr do classic metal ... the tone i am actually looking for is something like the song wasted years chorus... thanks
Click to expand...

I take it you play a strat ?
I always liked the Hot Rails, and wanted to fit it to my Gibbo Melody Maker (but got stollen).


James
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

kaligula11 said:
Two things. First: you're talking about the bridge pickup? Then I would think about HR (or, as someone wrote, Fast Track 2 maybe). Second: yes, I have the HR with a 500k pot and the sound is still quite muddy, I think it would be a nightmare to play it with a 250k pot. But it's the neck pickup of my guitar, maybe it's a bit different with the bridge.
Click to expand...

I have a Hot Rails bridge pickup in my Stratocaster, with 500K pots and it could honestly use a higher value pot. It sounds fine though --- when the tone knob is maxed out, it sounds exactly like I want it to --- I am just so used to always having my tone knob rolled back.

So the 500K is fine, but if you want to go to Trebletown, you'll need to get a higher pot value.

-Hunter

P.S. I was really, really, really pleasantly surprised with the Hot Rails. I have had a Little '59 in there before, and I am a low output vintage type of guy. I just bought it because it was cheap and I was restless with the bridge pickup in my Strat at the time. It sounds very...much like a full sized humbucker, moreso than the Little '59 by a long shot.
 
Re: JB JR or Hotrails

Didn't the Fender Iron Maiden strat come with a JB Jr. bridge and two hot rails? Not that it matters...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mincer
Seymour Duncan Announces The JB Jr. for Tele
Replies
19
Views
857
Mincer
Mincer
dadodetres
Which humbucker for neck Strat to Fuzz /hi gain?
Replies
14
Views
757
Mincer
Mincer
O
80's Hair Metal and versatile HSS?
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
donaldr
donaldr
Rex_Rocker
I got another CS JB!
Replies
12
Views
185
Sam SG
S
BeKindRewind
Recommended wiring setup for JB Jr \ STK-6?
Replies
3
Views
306
jeremy
jeremy
Back
Top