Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

JB is the pickup for that guitar.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

Don't worry. The JB never falls apart in superstrats.

Yeah, as a rule but exceptions exist. Other than that, Barettas came stock with JBs.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

Once again, the JB.

Or a 35th anniversary JB

Or a Concept JB




Sent from my armored battle station using Tapatalk

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

The main criticisms of the JB are loose bass response and piercing treble frequencies. The loose bass response can be remedied to a large extent by using short pole pieces that don't extend beyond the pickups baseplate. The piercing highs can be remedied by swapping the magnet for a unoriented Alnico 5, Alnico 2 or Alnico 8 magnet.

Can this just be remedied by using a different pickup that has the good characteristics of the JB but no loose bass and no piercing high?

I'm probably going to keep stock whatever I buy, at least for now.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

JBJ with the long elevator screw lugs. (Second J = Maricela Juarez.)

Never heard of this. I've seen the JB Jr. the single coil sized rail pickup.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

Once again, the JB.

Or a 35th anniversary JB

Or a Concept JB




Sent from my armored battle station using Tapatalk

I was listening to a YT vid from SD yesterday which demo'ed all three. I could hardly tell the difference between them.
Do you have these in diferent guitars or the same, what is the difference IYO?

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

Votes. JB leads by far..

7 JB
3 Duncan Custom
2 Duncan Distortion
1 X2N

Not much love for Dimarzio around here, huh...
I guess that's to be expected.

 

[Brian Griffin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

Never heard of this. I've seen the JB Jr. the single coil sized rail pickup.

It's a JB from the 80s, vintage, which is not easy to obtain.

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

It's a JB from the 80s, vintage, which is not easy to obtain.

Ah, hence the reference to the pickup winder.

 

[51501984]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

The focus 1000 is a Baretta style guitar. Strat body, alder...

In the past, I've been more of a distortion class kind of player..

Dimarzio Super Distorition DP100
SD Hotrails

The only two other humbuckers I have experience with (besides El Diablos, but that's a different story), are the

SD Pearly Gates and the
Gibson USA 57 Classics

Both of which I was pleasantly surprised at how sufficient the gain was on these.

So, do I need another distorition class for this guitar, or should I branch out and try something else like a JB....

I'll be playing Rage against the machine, 80's metallica, mastodon, opeth, etc.

I'm pretty sure the body of the Focus is made of plywood not alder . Might be something to consider

Edit - after doing some research I could be wrong :smack:

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

I was listening to a YT vid from SD yesterday which demo'ed all three. I could hardly tell the difference between them.
Do you have these in diferent guitars or the same, what is the difference IYO?

I have some 80s JBJs I also have more recent production JBs. And a Concept JB and a new JB that MJ made for me in the CS with most of the Anniversary specs with a little extra shot of the secret sauce.

Yes, a JB goes with a Kramer like peas and carrots. But the JB in the 80s were typically JBJs and had the RCA5 magnet. So...if you don't want to pay premium pricing for a CS pickup or a JBJ off eBay, get your garden variety JB and spend a few $ on a RCA5 magnet.

The whining that people do about the JB has a bit to do with the current A5 magnets (as in, they aren't using RCA5) and a bit to do with the way amps have been voiced over the past several years. Get a JBJ and a JCM800 and you have the 80s.

Also, there are a lot of videos out there on the web. ZMB's videos are always very high quality and the cream of the crop. Watch them with as high quality as your connection can handle with some good speakers it good headphones. Outside of that, try to be discerning about comparing tones you see/hear online of someone recoding in their bedroom with nothing but their iPhone.


Sent from my armored battle station using Tapatalk

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

I have some 80s JBJs I also have more recent production JBs. And a Concept JB and a new JB that MJ made for me in the CS with most of the Anniversary specs with a little extra shot of the secret sauce.

Yes, a JB goes with a Kramer like peas and carrots. But the JB in the 80s were typically JBJs and had the RCA5 magnet. So...if you don't want to pay premium pricing for a CS pickup or a JBJ off eBay, get your garden variety JB and spend a few $ on a RCA5 magnet.

The whining that people do about the JB has a bit to do with the current A5 magnets (as in, they aren't using RCA5) and a bit to do with the way amps have been voiced over the past several years. Get a JBJ and a JCM800 and you have the 80s.

Also, there are a lot of videos out there on the web. ZMB's videos are always very high quality and the cream of the crop. Watch them with as high quality as your connection can handle with some good speakers it good headphones. Outside of that, try to be discerning about comparing tones you see/hear online of someone recoding in their bedroom with nothing but their iPhone.


Sent from my armored battle station using Tapatalk

I will definitely check those videos out
For a less biased sound of the pickups.

When I figure out what I want, do I need to get the trem bucker for the Floyd, or the regular humbucker version bc the pickup is slanted etc?

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

If it's slanted, the regular spacing is fine


Sent from my armored space station via iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Buzzin_Cousin]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

What about the DiMarzio Fred or PAF Pro?

 

[Demanic]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

How about the JB's angry cousin, the Alternative 8?

 

[Demanic]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

https://soundcloud.com/demanic-1/dread-advent-plays-a-couple-of-old-classics-by-nuclear-assault-and-slayer
This is the Alternative 8 in the bridge of my RG-120. Live, no post production.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Recommend Me a Pickup for a Kramer Focus (Baretta type)

How about the JB's angry cousin, the Alternative 8?

check out what tonefiend has to say.

consider that it's a different guitar, probably using a different amp and may be a different playing style than yours.