Replacing a jb

[Narcosynthesis]

i have a jb in the bridge of one of my guitars, and while an awesome pickup, it always seems a bit fluffy and undefined in the lower end to me (this is in a basswood guitar with maple neck, into a marshall)

i posted before and came to the conclusion something like the pearly gates could be a good replacement, a similar sound, but slightly lower output so it should be more defined and nicer, the problem i realised is that i want the output - with the guitar i use the difference in output between the bridge humbucker and neck singlecoil (a strat singlecoil - generic japanese one i think, came on the guitar (a jerry donahue sig, modified for the humbucker by its previous owner)) as the difference between clean and dirty, so while a lower output pickup could cure the tone problem, it wouldnt give me the versatility the guitar has atm, which i love

are there any pickups i should look at, just to be awkward, listening to the tone samples on the site, the lower gain pickups definately sounded better to me, the seth lover and 59 and so on, so does such a pickup exsist - the sound of those pickups but enough output to leave me with a decent difference between the humbucker and singlecoil?

David

 

[dani]

Re: Replacing a jb

pardon me, what is you definition when you say the lower end is undefine? it does not have enough low-end power?

 

[Marcel]

Re: Replacing a jb

I play the JB in a basswood guitar (rosewood neck) and cannot say it lacks definition
in the lows (though basswood always tends to sound a bit undefined imo).

But maybe the JB has just to much output for you... it's more a high output pu.

Ever splitted the JB? It sounds so good splitted!

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Replacing a jb

pardon me, what is you definition when you say the lower end is undefine? it does not have enough low-end power?

He means the bass registers are smeary and "too loose", everything kind of mushes together..... a not so rare complaint on teh JB...

Try the SH-5 /TB-5 Duncan Custom... it is the PAF on Steroids... sounds like it´s right up your alley

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Replacing a jb

Custom, CUSTOM CUSTOM (though it doesn't chunk that well), C5 is very clear but many say its kind abright in basswood, ummm Screamin' Demon though it may be bright(?)

I would go Dimarzio - EVH, Air Zone, Evo, Evo2, Breed, VHOT PAF in that order from stronger to more "open"

 

[dani]

Re: Replacing a jb

He means the bass registers are smeary and "too loose", everything kind of mushes together..... a not so rare complaint on teh JB...

Try the SH-5 /TB-5 Duncan Custom... it is the PAF on Steroids... sounds like it´s right up your alley

and yes. i was gonna suggest the custom if that's the case.

 

[Narcosynthesis]

Re: Replacing a jb

pardon me, what is you definition when you say the lower end is undefine? it does not have enough low-end power?

well, remember the other pickup in the guitar is a singlecoil, so thats what its mainly playing against, i cant really think of any other way of saying it, just that it dosent have a clear defined sound, a bit more fluffy around the edges

i have a love/hate relationship with this pickup, some days i plug in and everything sounds perfect, other days it is just meh sounding, so the origonal idea was a pearly gates - same sound, but lower output so it should be nicer sounding, problem being then i wouldnt get the volume difference between the pickups, a custom or custom custom sounds good (what i am thinking of putting in another guitar when i get round to redoing the pickups) but i have no real way of playing them myself to hear what they sound like compared to the jb there atm

i may try coil splitting it to see what its like for a wee while

David