Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

[rami93]

Pretty much the title. I occasionally play slow arpeggios on a clean setting and run into and issue with mud. The JB's cleans are just to muddy. This is basically a one pickup guitar as the neck pickup is a duckbucker which I just combine with the JB for a quack sound.

Is there a magnet swap/ screw change that can fix this or is due to the JB being overwound?

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

A2 or A3, maybe a RUA5; but you should probably consider a different pickup.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Heck, you should consider a different amp setting. Mud from a JB?

 

[Despair]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Many JB users either split the JB or switch to neck pickup for cleans.

JBs can be muddy, most people who like them refuse to use guitars they don't work in, so there's a myth they can't, or that guitars that don't work with JBs are useless. Usually the upper-mid spike dominates so thoroughly that any excess lower mids doesn't get noticed...

Gregory's suggestions for magnet swaps are good choices. Another option is shorter screws under the wound strings, to tighten things and improve attack/bite. 0.5" hex head are very popular for the task. But that may not be enough, as loose JB is usually lower mids, not excess deep bass.

You could also look at a Perpetual Burn, if you want a more precise, less over the top JB.

My Ibanez RG570 that was muddy with a JB sounds great with a PATB-1b Original Parallel Axis. [I wound up with the JB with A3 and 3 hex screw polepieces as a neck pickup, where it is ridiculously fat but gets a wide variety of unusual neck pickup tones.]

 

[rami93]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Heck, you should consider a different amp setting. Mud from a JB?

Not sure I'm describing it correctly. The notes just don't sound clear together.

 

[Despair]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Swapping all the screw polepieces to 0.5" hex screws might fix that by adding bite to improve string separation.

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Short screws? As if a JB doesn't scream enough. Cleans will get thinner as well, and still won't be dynamic thanks to the wind. I think an A2 would be compulsory in that situation.

A Duncan Pegasus or DiMarzio Titan is what he wants. I would probably go with a different neck pickup as well, but have little to go on. A Duckbucker could be just perfect for his purposes.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

I can totally understand the JB's lows being described as a bit ill-defined/mushy clean. I blame that on a very uneven frequency response; when you roll back the volume you seem to kill all the pickups highs and definition on the low end, and only a harsh midrange remains. Shaping your eq to "take away" that midrangy character and add more "good" bass and treble (and not kill your dirty sound) can be tricky.

I'm not a mag swapper, but I'd look for a pickup with more even frequency response; high output pickups can sound good clean IMO, but a generalization is that they either have too much bass/midrange from overwinding, or too much harsh treble from ceramic magnets. In general I think the Custom can do this...

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Part of the problem is the usage of subjective and imprecise terms. Organic, warm, mud, overwound, underwound are some of the more common ones. Articulate is another.

I agree with Silence Kid, 100% though.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

I'd split the pickup for clean. Any permanent changes that fix the cleans will take away what's great about it distorted.

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Any permanent changes that fix the cleans will take away what's great about it distorted.

That's entirely subjective.

 

[Diego]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Wire it for split with a push-pull or something.

The JB is a bit mid-heavy and honky by nature and when you've changed magnets far enough to take that away, you're dealing with a completely different pickup.
In my experience, take it as it is. And the JB's split tone is remarkably good.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

That's entirely subjective.

So it is. And I stand by it.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Part of the problem is the usage of subjective and imprecise terms. Organic, warm, mud, overwound, underwound are some of the more common ones. Articulate is another.

Tone is about personal taste, which is subjective, so the terms we use to describe them are going to be subjective too.

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

So it is. And I stand by it.

And you're welcome to it, but please, don't pretend to speak for people like myself who find the JB2 to be a resounding inprovement over the stock version (clean and distorted) each and every day of the week including Sundays.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

You should try a UOA5 JB.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[gregory]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Yep, like that better than stock too, despite the sweeping promouncement made earlier.

Rough A5? Yep, that too.

 

[TVFV]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

I would add a switch to knock it in parallel.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

I have one dead stock and one with UOA5. I like them both.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Magnet swap to fix JB's muddy cleans

Suppose those magnets might affect the cleans in a positive way; what impact would they have to the distorted tone? I know this isn't my thread, but my interest has been piqued. I pretty much only have a JB for the driven highs; rich harmonic content, the mid-spike, the slow attack that contributes a smooth, legato-like feel that is (sorry to delve back into "language") liquid and bubbly in a way. So in particular and ignoring all else, which magnets preserve that character?