Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

[SamuelGM]

Hi guys/gals,

I currently have a Jackson SL2, alder w/ maple thru-neck and a JB in the bridge. I'm trying to find a pickup that will give me a similar sound in a Charvel SK-1 (all Mahogany, 25.5", neck thru). I love the mid thump and rounded tone from the jb, but as the Charvel is a big chunk of wood and I'm worried about the mid range turning to mush. I quite like the sound of the blackouts, however I'm not keen on the ridiculous amounts of gain.

Cheers!

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Maybe a Dimarzio Breed Bridge?

 

[elelpe]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Why don't you put your JB in the Carvel. Maybe you'll like it.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Agreed on the JB.


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[Mad-Max]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Some people think that the JB wouldn't work in Mahogany, but with the specs, I don't see how it couldn't. It's supposedly a bright sounding pick-up, so I would imagine the Mahogany would compensate for that. I have a JB in a Basswood Body Jackson that is considered to be a fairly warm tone wood, and it works beautifully.

If not, you can never go wrong with a regular SH-5 Custom in Mahogany.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Some people think that the JB wouldn't work in Mahogany, but with the specs, I don't see how it couldn't. It's supposedly a bright sounding pick-up, so I would imagine the Mahogany would compensate for that. I have a JB in a Basswood Body Jackson that is considered to be a fairly warm tone wood, and it works beautifully.

If not, you can never go wrong with a regular SH-5 Custom in Mahogany.

You're still new here; over the years I've seen many posts from guys that put JB's in mahogany guitars, and some of the results haven't been pretty. JB's can work well, but they can sometimes be 'atrocious' in warm woods (to quote a forum member). Many complaints about the 'ice pick spike' & 'flabby low end', and no way to tell in advance when they'll pop up.

The Custom family is much more reliable in mahogany.

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

I've found that the JB works well in most situations. The exception to the rule is an all mahogany guitar. You need some maple in there somewhere to get it sounding great.

That being said, it may work out great for you.

 

[CTN]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Get a Duncan distortion. It's super similar to the JB but a bit more mahogany-friendly, and with a bit more oomph, tightness, and upper mid articulation.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

You're still new here; over the years I've seen many posts from guys that put JB's in mahogany guitars, and some of the results haven't been pretty. JB's can work well, but they can sometimes be 'atrocious' in warm woods (to quote a forum member). Many complaints about the 'ice pick spike' & 'flabby low end', and no way to tell in advance when they'll pop up.

The Custom family is much more reliable in mahogany.

Well, okay then. No need to be like, "You're still new here" and make me feel like I have a complete lack of knowledge. I'm just suggesting like some of the others have that maybe he should try it first in the guitar instead of just writing it off due to a general consensus on here about the JB in Mahogany. It may work, it may not. But that's all part of it. I've also heard that people have put JB's in their mahogany guitars and all the while getting greats results.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Given the 21 day return, try the JB in there, if you don't like it, send it back and then try a Distortion. The Distortion has more top end sizzle and more tightness on the bottom IMO. The JB definitely has more high mids.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Well, okay then. No need to be like, "You're still new here" and make me feel like I have a complete lack of knowledge. I'm just suggesting like some of the others have that maybe he should try it first in the guitar instead of just writing it off due to a general consensus on here about the JB in Mahogany. It may work, it may not. But that's all part of it. I've also heard that people have put JB's in their mahogany guitars and all the while getting greats results.

General consensus would have us believe in the most opinionated things written by a group of people whose taste may or may not be even analogous to ours. It's like holding the belief that a bacon-topped pizza is bad because a vegan happened to order it and orated a spiel afterwards.

 

[CTN]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Well, okay then. No need to be like, "You're still new here" and make me feel like I have a complete lack of knowledge. I'm just suggesting like some of the others have that maybe he should try it first in the guitar instead of just writing it off due to a general consensus on here about the JB in Mahogany. It may work, it may not. But that's all part of it. I've also heard that people have put JB's in their mahogany guitars and all the while getting greats results.

That's basically it...it can be a temperamental pickup and whether it sounds good or not depends a lot on the qualities of the wood (not just the type but the specific pieces that were used in the guitar) and your own ears/tastes in what you like to hear. Sometimes it can sound good in mahogany, other times it totally doesn't. It's one of those YMMV kinda pickups. Unlike say a dimarzio super distortion which sounds great in pretty much any guitar.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

General consensus would have us believe in the most opinionated things written by a group of people whose taste may or may not be even analogous to ours. It's like holding the belief that a bacon-topped pizza is bad because a vegan happened to order it and orated a spiel afterwards.

Some of the most critical comments from members about JB's in mahogany have come from guys who LOVE their JB's in bright woods. JB's truly can be horrendous in the wrong wood; it's not a matter of taste. It's a quirky PU. When it fails, it goes down in flames.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Some of the most critical comments from members about JB's in mahogany have come from guys who LOVE their JB's in bright woods. JB's truly can be horrendous in the wrong wood; it's not a matter of taste. It's a quirky PU. When it fails, it goes down in flames.

And there's the mistake they make. They most likely expected the JB to sound similar to the ones they had in their alder/maple-bodied guitar.

 

[CTN]

And there's the mistake they make. They most likely expected the JB to sound similar to the ones they had in their alder/maple-bodied guitar.

I am one of those ppl that blue man is talking about. I've played the JB in a lot of different kinds of guitars. Set necks, neck through, bolt ons, warm woods, bright woods, neutral woods whatever.

I can always hear its characteristic midrange voicing, but what is always completely unpredictable is the low end and high end response (which makes or breaks a pickup IMO)

I've played LP's that sounded quite decent with a JB (though not to my taste), and shredsticks that sounded like crap, but I still stand by my assertion that the JB sounds its best in bolt-on bright wood instruments. I also think that in a big heavy fat mahogany guitar, it sounds like a flaming poop chute, generally speaking.

It's not that I expect the JB to sounded like a superstrat when it's sitting in a slab of glued up mahogany, it's that I have no way of predicting if that piece of wood is going to take kindly to the JB or fail miserably.

Meanwhile, the Distortion is much easier to predict and much less finicky about the kind of woods/guitars it's in, it it has a voicing very similar to the JB.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

It's not that I expect the JB to sounded like a superstrat when it's sitting in a slab of glued up mahogany, it's that I have no way of predicting if that piece of wood is going to take kindly to the JB or fail miserably.

Ah, I see.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Meanwhile, the Distortion is much easier to predict and much less finicky about the kind of woods/guitars it's in, it it has a voicing very similar to the JB.

Ceramic Magnet based PU's seem to have the best response when it come to all Mahogany guitars.

 

[Letus]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

I'd go for the Custom or the Distortion.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

sounds like a flaming poop chute.

I believe this is a specialized term developed in the luthier industry.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Pickups in All Mahongany Guitar

Back to the OP. He says he already has a JB in another guitar. Swap it out and give it a go. The OP hasn't mentioned amp or effects or type of music, so there is little reason not to give it a go before dropping $ on anything else, a new JB or otherwise. He says he likes the JB but is worried out a certain possibility. Instead of turning into a debate, the simplest solution would be to just give it a go. Then the OP could have a frame of reference to know what is going on.

So, I'm back to post #3 and #4 in this thread.





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