Not to impressed by the JB

[Mayhem]

No I has not bought anything I regret, yet...
I was in a guitar store today to test bridge picups for my Jackson...

I tested:
-a Gibson LP with 498t(I am talking about the covered gibson PU)
- a gibson SG with the 500t, the gibson PU without covers.
- A tom Delonge(?) Strat with only a Seymour Duncan Invader in it.
- ESP with Seymour Duncan JB in bridge (and 59 in neck).

The 498T is actualy my winner lol. I need further testing offcourse.
But the PU I had greatest expectations for was the JB... I thought this would be a bassy metal PU, but it sounded more punklike in my opinion. It sounded more like my Mexico fat-strat. Cleans werent to good either, but I have to mention that I played on a ESP :smack:

The invader was nice to, but the sound died quite when palm muting.... I have a copy of the invader in my jackson at the moment, so I guess getting an invader would be like keeping my current sound, but with an upgrade. The Invader will have to be ordered, so it may take some time to get it . Those who import it sucks. I have waited since christmas for my multiple rock stand from the same people... :laugh2:

I will try a little more before I buy something though... The amp I used was a ****y top on a crap cabinet. Better amp next time.

 

[RG 2570]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

I got a JB and took it back to the store,i was dissapointed that it was not as great as i had heard it was.
I did not like the peaky upper mid thing at all and the JB seemed to be very un-articulate? the notes sang so much that they smearmed with one another?
I play real lightning fast lead stuff and the JB did not work out, i am sure it is a great pup but just not for me

 

[ranalli]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

The 498T is actualy my winner lol. I need further testing offcourse.
But the PU I had greatest expectations for was the JB... I thought this would be a bassy metal PU, but it sounded more punklike in my opinion.

What made you think the JB was bassy???

 

[RG 2570]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

What made you think the JB was bassy???

I dunno bout him but when i tried the JB it was more trebly than bassy?
i found it to have a lot of cut and not enough arse for thump

 

[Stevo]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

The amp I used was a ****y top on a crap cabinet.

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

What made you think the JB was bassy???

I had heard it was good for metal, and that it had a bassy thick tone...
The amp was not that crapy, but the one I have at home is better and the distortion was not very good. It was a transistor amp, not tube.

I have heard JB is used in USA fat-strats. That may be the reason for it sounding like my mexico fat-strat...

If I decide for the Gibson 498T in the end, it is the cheapest option. But that doesen't make me favour it. The duncans were actualy the ones that I wanted in the first place, but I will take the one with the best sound.

 

[fenderiarhs]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

i've got the JB in one of my strats and i must say it is one of my favorite pickups although i agree with you on the fact it could use a little bit more bass or low mids.If you didn't like the JB i would reccomend you the emg85....i know most people use it on the neck position but i use it on the bridge position of my 93am.std strat and it's my No1 pickup.Perfect bass, the warmest low mids,and reasonable highs.

 

[strat_master]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

rememebr the guitar the pick ups are in makes a huge difference. The 498T humbucker may sound good in a les paul but what guitar are you putting it in after?

 

[Marcel]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

JB bassy? rofl
JB is more an allround pu... but it's like it is made for fast music imo.
imo bass have to come from the amp.

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

rememebr the guitar the pick ups are in makes a huge difference. The 498T humbucker may sound good in a les paul but what guitar are you putting it in after?

I am very afraid the 498T will not fitt a alder body jackson as god as it does in a lot more expensive Les Paul.
Any bassy metal Seymour duncans? I may go for the Invader. It sounded quite good in a "cheap" alder body strat.

My amp can give hell a lot of bass. I will try the JB further with more bass from the amp next time I am at the store.

Is it important to have a trembucker if I have floyd?

 

[Marcel]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

Trembucker fits normally better with most floyds. On my guitar the polepiece are exactly under the strings with the trembucker. they were quite a bit away on the heigh strings with my stock pu.
But Normal spaced work too for some guys.

Les Paul sounds much heavier imo. I could imagine the 498T is harsh or something in the Jackson, but just a guess...

 

[clint_41]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

i have been told several times not to put stock pups (like the gibson pups) in another guitar. the les paul u tried out was mahogony body and neck with an ebony fingerboard (i am assuning, cuz like 95% of lps are). im not sure what ur jackson is, but if i remember right jacksons arent built that way. ur gona get a much different sound out of that pup in the jackson then u heard from the lp. i would go with getting some kind of a duncan pup for ur axe, not a stock pup. just my opinion tho...

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

The wood is very important, and my guitar is from the "cheap" range. Jackson profesional. Sold for about 750$. But it is good to play, and it would be really good with a sound not as mudy as the duncan designed..

I feel my jackson has quite deep and bassy tone in the wood.

I will have to try the JB and other Duncans on an other amp. I will try to get time for it to morow.
The JB is the stock picup in bridge posistion for allmost all jackson USA, and a lot of other passive equiped highrange guitars, so I will have to give it seckond chance. There was actualy something i liked about it, but the distortion from the amp sucked, and may have given a wrong impresion about how the PU handles disorion. I should also tune the guitars before testing. The one with the JB was way out of tune.


The only PU the stores sell is Distortion, Custom, Dimebucker :laugh2: , 59, antiq and JB.

Anyone that have tried gibson PU's in other guitars than gibson?

 

[Hoss]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

well...those are extremely different guitars that you played there...

not suprising that the les paul sounded the best...

did you try them out on the same amp you will be using...?

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

No.. did not use the same amp as at home.
I have a JMC 800 bass amp from the 80's with a metalzone for distortion. The cabinet is peavy from the 70's, but the speakers is changed offcourse. The last owner was a pricy guy who did not think Marshall cabs was not good enough... The speakers should be good.
Strange choice since I play guitar, but pedal distortion is best in my opinion, I have tried Mod4 and all that other ****, and bass amps is used by many good guitarist. Buzzo from Melvins and Fantomas use a jmc800 bass amp, allong with a wide range of other amps on his guitar :dance: . Not that I care for what artists use really, but he is a guy who is not sponsored up his but.

I could ask for a boss metalzone and connect it to a cleansounding marshall stack to get a sound equal as possible. The metalzone will give, if not the best sound in the world, a sound I can compare to my current sound at home who is quite good actualy.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

I have the JB in 2 guitars currently, a Shaller Floyd loaded MIA Strat and an 86 RG 550. Both guitars sound killer and I don't run into any issues with brightness, lack of bottom or anything else. It really does have everything to do with the guitars and amps used as well as pedals and everything else in your signal chain.

The JB is SDs best selling pickup for a number of reasons. The list of recordings using the JB is long and rather impressive. I think more than anything else you picked the LP over the other guitars and I'd hazard a guess that with JBs loaded into all the guitars you tried, you'd still pick the LP over the others.

Solid state amp in a music store, four different guitars and four different pickups. There are way too many variables in that scenario to make a judgement call on the JBs tone. If the guitars weren't set-up the same then you have to factor that in as well, and music store setups are hit and miss to say the least.

While the JB may not be right for you and there is no sin in that, I doubt you heard it in it's best light. Set me up with a solid tube amp and my JB loaded Strat in front of a GC and I could sell a bunch of JBs. If you get the rest of the rig right it's not hard to get a JB to sound killer.

It still sounds like you need a LP and not a new pickup to me. At least to my ears and possibly yours as well, the tone of a LP is hard to beat.

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

I may have the oportunety of buying a pair of invaders allmost for the price of one, and they are suposed to be barely used. The guy lives in my town so I will meet him personaly, and I can see them before I buy.
But got to test the Invader some more tomorow at the store

Invaders is said to be good for metal:dance:

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

i've got the JB in one of my strats and i must say it is one of my favorite pickups although i agree with you on the fact it could use a little bit more bass or low mids.If you didn't like the JB i would reccomend you the emg85....i know most people use it on the neck position but i use it on the bridge position of my 93am.std strat and it's my No1 pickup.Perfect bass, the warmest low mids,and reasonable highs.

HAILS MAN
WHAT ABOUT THAT SOUNDSAMPLES OF THE EMG 85 WITH FULL DISTORTION IN TEH BRIDGE?
anotehr thing i want to ask is : how about the midds on the emg 85?
how are they?
you talked about teh bass and highs, not the midds.
Q

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

As earlyer stated, I can get a second hand Invader for a good price.
I played it today on a marshall stack and a metalzone, and it was VERY good. My favorite over the gibson 498T. And the invader was in a much cheaper Fender! JB is a good PU, but not for my use. It sounds like my strat.. Maybe I hvae one in it...

How important is it to use a trembucker with a guitar with Floyd? My Jackson's stringwith down at the trem is a few milimeter slimer than my Fender actualy.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Not to impressed by the JB

if youre getting an invader, dont worry about spacing. if you can get two invaders cheap, why not do it.

the emg 85 has slightly pulled back mids, not big and pumped up like the 81