JB/SH-4
- Thread starter Frater106
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Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
The Good: Not so high output I feel it is "metal only," Nice mid bump that cuts through in a mix, Tone works for Blues, Rock, Metal, shred and a few other things, Nice pup for a lot of styles, great in a band
Bad/Ugly: Can have a harsh high end/shrill to some, bass can be not as tight/distinctive as you might want, may not be good in the bedroom
Ugly: JB may not work well at all in a Les Paul style. Rarely issues in Strats/floyds, but it has a very distinctive tone you may may not love
One of a handful of pups you ought to just try for yourself. (JB, 59, Super Distortion, PAF, A2P, a few others)
Bad/Ugly: Can have a harsh high end/shrill to some, bass can be not as tight/distinctive as you might want, may not be good in the bedroom
Ugly: JB may not work well at all in a Les Paul style. Rarely issues in Strats/floyds, but it has a very distinctive tone you may may not love
One of a handful of pups you ought to just try for yourself. (JB, 59, Super Distortion, PAF, A2P, a few others)
Keep in mind that it will be a lot louder than the other pickups in the guitar...that might not matter to you. But it is a concern if volume balance across pickup selection is a thing for you. Also, it will be out of phase with Fender pickups (like most SDs), so you will have to swap the hot and ground when installing.
dystrust
New member
This whole 'JB may not work in a Les Paul' thing is wildly overblown IMO. What exactly is supposed to be bad about it? It doesn't sound like a JB in a Strat, but Les Pauls don't sound like Strats. Jerry Cantrell had one in his Les Paul for a couple decades before he switched to Motor City, and Adam Jones is still using them in his LPs. I had one in my Explorer years ago, and it would still be there except that I like the Custom even more. That same JB lives in longcat's Les Paul now, and it's not going anywhere.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
I have recently had two JB's in LP's. One I loved, One I hated. I think there is legitimately something to the JB in mahogany 24 3/4 scale thing. What I don't know. And as always - I say try it for yourself. I'd never poo-poo it out of the gate.
dystrust
New member
That totally makes sense. I tried a Custom in my Les Paul after loving it in my Explorer, and it didn't work there; just too bassy.
playas
Well-known member
I think it could probably be great in that guitar but it really depends on what you want it for and your preferences.
Would help if you gave more info on what you'd like to achieve, groups or specific examples of sounds you like.
It is a very mids focused pickup.
If you wanted to use it for an 80s style hair metal, rock or punk band it is what you need. It can be pretty flexible, bearing in mind its nature.
A lot of people complain about a spiky upper mid sound which I haven't had, but if you don't like those mids it won't work for you.
i.e The good: lots of mids, great for pushing a Marshall. Also a good reference point when describing what you like/don't about pickups
The bad: lots of mids, can be too much
The ugly: lots of mids, if it doesn't work in the guitar you will probably hate it. (see Ace's comment on Les Pauls above)
... depending on how you look at it.
People say it's very picky as far as the guitar is concerned but I suspect it would work well in a popular strat - despite never having played a JB in one. I have only ever played one in an alder bodied strat style. In that it worked well as the strat could do with a bit of a boost in that area.
Also I have one currently in a Hamer Mirage (still, after 25 years) although I did change the magnet to an Alnico 4 recently. In that guitar, through a Marshall style amp, it's the sound of 80s hard rock straight from the record.
Would help if you gave more info on what you'd like to achieve, groups or specific examples of sounds you like.
It is a very mids focused pickup.
If you wanted to use it for an 80s style hair metal, rock or punk band it is what you need. It can be pretty flexible, bearing in mind its nature.
A lot of people complain about a spiky upper mid sound which I haven't had, but if you don't like those mids it won't work for you.
i.e The good: lots of mids, great for pushing a Marshall. Also a good reference point when describing what you like/don't about pickups
The bad: lots of mids, can be too much
The ugly: lots of mids, if it doesn't work in the guitar you will probably hate it. (see Ace's comment on Les Pauls above)
... depending on how you look at it.
People say it's very picky as far as the guitar is concerned but I suspect it would work well in a popular strat - despite never having played a JB in one. I have only ever played one in an alder bodied strat style. In that it worked well as the strat could do with a bit of a boost in that area.
Also I have one currently in a Hamer Mirage (still, after 25 years) although I did change the magnet to an Alnico 4 recently. In that guitar, through a Marshall style amp, it's the sound of 80s hard rock straight from the record.
I’m digging the Custom in my Epi LP Custom!
alex1fly
Well-known member
Good: round blooming tone. Love the cleans. Overdriven tones poke through a mix beautifully. VERY responsive to guitar volume knob tweaks - 10 is a different tone than 9, 8 is a different tone, and so on. Notching the guitar volume knob down decreases the amount of mids in the tone. This is a very useful trick because you can up the mids for a solo tone, decrease the mids for a rhythm tone, all from the guitar.
Bad: I can't get a good Hetfield-esque chug out of it regardless of the guitar. That may or may not be important to you.
Bad: I can't get a good Hetfield-esque chug out of it regardless of the guitar. That may or may not be important to you.
I once talked to Seymour about this issue. The man himself. he told me he kinda understands why because, in his words: the jb/jazz set were made to sound like Tele pickups, in a telecaster, but silent and with more power. He didn't know how to make a noiseless singlecoil back then, or how to make a rail pickup for example, so he made a humbucker set to sound like the Tele tone he had in his mind.
If you keep that in mind, it makes so much more sense why it would work the way it does. A strat or tele single coil in most LP's sounds p00py too.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
OK...well, then I think he TOTALLY failed at the Tele sound. However, both very cool pickups! I think I can hear a little of what you are talking about.
Artie
Peaveyologist
This would explain why I like the JB/Jazz in my Tele so much.
alex1fly
Well-known member
Oh man. I thought there was something eerily single coil-ish about the JB compared to a conventional humbucker.
Robbiedbee
New member
What kind of tone are you looking for?
I have two Strats with aftermarket bridge humbuckers, one has the JB, the other as a DiMarzio Super Distortion. They're very different pickups I know, but if I had to choose, I'd say I prefer the Super Distortion.
I agree with others that have said it's quite a mid heavy sound, and would be ideal for hair metal. The Super Distortion has a more rounded, fuller sound, and I find it much easier to plug it into a cranked Marshall and get a great 80s rock sound without messing around with EQ knobs. The JB I feel needs a bit more tinkering with amp settings to get the best from it.
The sound I have always quested for is the 80s Iron Maiden. They used Super Distortions in those days so it stands to reason I'd prefer that pickup. The JB is a wonderful pickup and a massive upgrade on what you have, but I think compared to what's out there on the market, it can sound a bit weak and not have the same snarl and power that others do. But that all depends on what sound you're after and also what your rig is.
I have two Strats with aftermarket bridge humbuckers, one has the JB, the other as a DiMarzio Super Distortion. They're very different pickups I know, but if I had to choose, I'd say I prefer the Super Distortion.
I agree with others that have said it's quite a mid heavy sound, and would be ideal for hair metal. The Super Distortion has a more rounded, fuller sound, and I find it much easier to plug it into a cranked Marshall and get a great 80s rock sound without messing around with EQ knobs. The JB I feel needs a bit more tinkering with amp settings to get the best from it.
The sound I have always quested for is the 80s Iron Maiden. They used Super Distortions in those days so it stands to reason I'd prefer that pickup. The JB is a wonderful pickup and a massive upgrade on what you have, but I think compared to what's out there on the market, it can sound a bit weak and not have the same snarl and power that others do. But that all depends on what sound you're after and also what your rig is.
LLL
New member
JB = YAZ.
And the perfect soloing pickup due to it's extra touch of warm mids. Here's my 80's JBJ:
The bottom can get a little flubby, so needs hi-pass.
I wouldn't use it for extreme modern metal or music that needs razor-sharp tight bottom.
I would call the overall tonal spectrum "vintage-y" at this point in time... somewhat loose, warm and bitey.
And it was *the* 80's pickup... from Seymour, at least.
And the perfect soloing pickup due to it's extra touch of warm mids. Here's my 80's JBJ:
The bottom can get a little flubby, so needs hi-pass.
I wouldn't use it for extreme modern metal or music that needs razor-sharp tight bottom.
I would call the overall tonal spectrum "vintage-y" at this point in time... somewhat loose, warm and bitey.
And it was *the* 80's pickup... from Seymour, at least.
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