JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

T

Toejam

New member
I've got a JB laying around, as well as a DiMarzio Tone Zone. Thinking of putting the TZ in the bridge of one of my guitars with possibly the JB in the neck. I've always liked warmer/darker pickups in the bridge (and I've always been a TZ fan), with a little brighter pickup in the neck. Would this be a good combo or is the JB not that great as a neck pup?
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

You'd have to spin o split it, or partial split it or parallel it otherwise it will be fat and sloppy.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Ah, okay. What about possibly flipping it so the poles are closer to the bridge; would that do much, if anything?
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Well yeah that will work. You can drop it, flip it, and crank up the poles. (And swap in an A9.)
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Flipping it makes a subtle difference. The parallel JB IS a pretty neat neck pickup, though.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Bold move - JB neck. I like it! But - depends on how you are using it. Some of the more volume-delicate balance police will scream NOOOOOO!!!!!!

I say go for it. The tone should be great. Especially cool move for soloing on the neck.

Also...Another option for a semi/very true JB neck would be to take a Distortion Neck, and put an A5 Magnet in it. A little less kick, but pretty close to a JB tone wise. Or at least what a real JB neck would be if such a thing existed.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

I believe the TZ is around the same output, maybe a little higher than the JB, from what I remember? Haven't had one in a guitar in a long time.

I've used hot pickups in the neck before (mainly a Super 2, with either an X2N or Super Distortion in the bridge). If I have to keep the JB a little bit lower, won't be a problem for me.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

It just occured to me that if you have a spare push/pull pot, you could wire it in to switch from series to parallel. Use parallel for cleans and switch to series for a solo boost.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Benjy_26 said:
It just occured to me that if you have a spare push/pull pot, you could wire it in to switch from series to parallel. Use parallel for cleans and switch to series for a solo boost.
Click to expand...
That's a good idea. Now that I'm thinking about it, the one project guitar I've got laying around without pickups does have a push-pull pot in it.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Don't be afraid of hot neck pickups. I freaking love the EMG 81 as a neck pickup, so I think the JB is definitely worth a try.

Didn't one of the Jackson RR Vs come with a pair of JBs?
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

You're right, Jackson did put twin JBs in a few guitars, forgot all about that. One of the RRs, a King V, and one Soloist, if I remember right.

I did also like the 81 in the neck in a couple guitars (with the 85 in the bridge) when I did own guitars with EMGs.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Back in the olden days of yore, two SuperD's were not uncommon. And a KILLER solo tone was to be had. Check out some Vintage REO and Gary Richrath.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Riffing on a PAF-ish neck pickup sounds kind of hollow. Riffing on a hot neck pickup like the 81 sounds awesome and chunky.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

It's been a long time since I've had a hot pickup in the neck. I've had JBs in the bridge of a few guitars before but never in the neck. Wasn't sure if it would be a muddy mess there or not, but I might as well give it a shot.
 
Re: JB neck w/ Tone Zone?

Just be sure to spend some serious screwdriver time adjusting height/poles. The ideal spot/setting isn't going to be a spec 4/32s from the strings with a perfect arc....
 
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