cliffenstein
Active member
I've got two Stratocasters...a 1993 American Standard and a 1999 Deluxe Double Fat Strat (MIM...since converted to be a bridge pickup only guitar).
I had a Hot Rails in my American Standard for several years. I found the Hot Rails to be a monster of a pickup. For what I do, it's truly great.
I Have a JB Trembucker in my MIM strat. I find the JB to be another fantastic pickup. It does have more of an overall sweeter tone to it than the Hot Rails. The Hot Rails has more of a balls out jaggedness to it.
A friend of mine sent me his JB Jr that he's not using anymore today. I used the JB Jr in my American Standard for about a decade before the pickup died mid show due to corrosion from sweat (this is an issue that SD's excellent new single coil size humbucker design prevents).
I got the JB Jr installed into my American Standard today. You know, I've read a lot on various forums (including this one) about how the Lil' 59 is SD's only single coil size humbucker that sounds like it's full sized counterpart. I'm here to report that, in my experience, this isn't an accurate statement. This JB Jr sounds amazingly like it's full size counterpart. It's got the exact same overall tonal qualities of it's full size brother. In fact, so much so that it's difficult to tell a sonic difference when I A-B the guitars.
Perhaps it's my amp (Marshall JCM 2000 DSL100) or my playing style or my hands. I dunno. But they really sound quite like the same pickup to me.
Overall, I'm preferring the sweetness of the JB/JB Jr over the raunch of the Hot Rails.
I had a Hot Rails in my American Standard for several years. I found the Hot Rails to be a monster of a pickup. For what I do, it's truly great.
I Have a JB Trembucker in my MIM strat. I find the JB to be another fantastic pickup. It does have more of an overall sweeter tone to it than the Hot Rails. The Hot Rails has more of a balls out jaggedness to it.
A friend of mine sent me his JB Jr that he's not using anymore today. I used the JB Jr in my American Standard for about a decade before the pickup died mid show due to corrosion from sweat (this is an issue that SD's excellent new single coil size humbucker design prevents).
I got the JB Jr installed into my American Standard today. You know, I've read a lot on various forums (including this one) about how the Lil' 59 is SD's only single coil size humbucker that sounds like it's full sized counterpart. I'm here to report that, in my experience, this isn't an accurate statement. This JB Jr sounds amazingly like it's full size counterpart. It's got the exact same overall tonal qualities of it's full size brother. In fact, so much so that it's difficult to tell a sonic difference when I A-B the guitars.
Perhaps it's my amp (Marshall JCM 2000 DSL100) or my playing style or my hands. I dunno. But they really sound quite like the same pickup to me.
Overall, I'm preferring the sweetness of the JB/JB Jr over the raunch of the Hot Rails.
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