Jb with lower output

[zizyphus]

Re: Jb with lower output

I have an A3 JB in one of my Les Pauls, and it sounds divine

That particular Lester is unusually dark sounding, and the additional bass push of magnets like the A4/5/8 made it too muddy, and an A2 rolled off the treble too much. The A3 worked perfectly for that particular guitar. With the lower output its no longer "hot-rodded," but it sounds great!


EDIT:
Writing this comment got me thinking, and I ended up swapping to an A3 in the JB bridge of my main Les Paul shortly after I posted. Equally awesome! This is my baby, my main Les Paul, currently on display on the front page of MyLesPaul.com (link: https://bit.ly/3bmnYPz ). I substituted the smooth A2 that I had swapped in before, and it brightened it up in a pleasant way while relieving the midrange congestion. Its also less hot, so she cleans up well when you roll back the volume. I've tried everything in the JB of the bridge of this guitar – A2 smooth and rough, A4, A5, UOA5, A8. While conventional wisdom is that the JB sounds best with an A2 or an A8, after playing around a bit this morning, I think the A3 is where its at for me!

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Jb with lower output

I have an A3 JB in one of my Les Pauls, and it sounds divine...I ended up swapping to an A3 in the JB bridge of my main Les Paul shortly after I posted. Equally awesome!

The A3 shines in "hotter" winds...really adds clarity and reduces the output to reasonable levels. A wind like the JB is a perfect candidate for an A3.

I'm surprised this approach isn't exploited more often. I think it's largely because most people who have played with A3 were using them in vintage-spec pickups to begin with, where they lack punch and output. Toss it in a Custom or JB/Distortion type pickup and it's much more versatile!

 

[lazyfinger]

Re: Jb with lower output

I think Pearly Gates, followed by 59/C Hybrid. Pearly Gates would be my first pick though. Low end on the hybrid sounds closer to the Custom coil.

 

[zizyphus]

Re: Jb with lower output

Other option to consider are the Perpetual Burn, and the Dimarzio Transition.

IMO The transition also works great with a magnet swap. I've tried it with the stock double-thick ceramic, A5, A4, and A2. I ultimately stuck with the A2.

It actually sounded fantastic with the ceramic mag it came with (I mean... Steve Lukather knows what he's doing...) but I had the same problem that you have with the JB: it was just too hot. With the A2, its gorgeous!

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Jb with lower output

there are so many ways to do this

simple answer

lower the pickup
or use the volume knob

 

[freefrog]

Re: Jb with lower output

I was thinking
add a resistor to ground to send some of the signal
away for the output jack

then I realized
you can just lower your volume knob a bit

maybe?
too easy?

When a volume pot is lowered, a first part of the pot resistance is between the pickup and the output. The other part of the pot resistance is between output and ground.

The first part of the pot resistance, between pickup and output, is schematically what darkens the sound by flattening the resonant peak. Hence the treble bleed solution (which is similar to a bright cap on the volume of an amp but transplanted in a guitar).

A resistor to ground would not quite have the same effect: it would rather make the existing volume similar to a pot of lower value (at least when the pot would be full up)...

FWIW (shared thoughts, no less, no more).