Roughcast A2

[Hsb]

I have ESP LTD, mahogany/maple cap, maple neck with a rosewood board, with a JB/59n, has anyone swapped out a roughcast A2 into either one?

Thinking about tinkering a lil bit this week while Im on vacation, also have a ceramic I could try also and as much as I like a ceramic, may not work.

 

[Artie]

You may want to try 250k pots. I've recently discovered that they very subtly sweeten and warm that pair and Jazz's.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I have found that the RCA2 really sweetens the 59 and makes it much more appealing to me.
The RCA2 definitely makes a difference in the JB, but in my experience neither the A2 (nor any magnet) can make enough change in the JB to make it appeal to my personal tastes...it still basically sounds like a JB.

 

[jeremy]

what are you wanting you arent getting? i have a hh tele with a wlh neck and jb bridge. 500k volume for the wlh, 250k volume for the jb, and 500k master tone and i love the way the guitar sounds.

 

[Hsb]

what are you wanting you arent getting? i have a hh tele with a wlh neck and jb bridge. 500k volume for the wlh, 250k volume for the jb, and 500k master tone and i love the way the guitar sounds.

Just wanting to experiment, I really have no issue with the 59 neck, just more curious than anything else

 

[EC Strat]

Yes I put a RC A2 in my 59 neck and really like the pickups tone now. Was too bright with an A5 for my taste

 

[playas]

I've tried smooth A2s in both and both are an improvement imho... that said, I preferred other mags.

I currently have A3 in the 59n and A4 in the JB, and I think both are an improvement over stock and A2, and after lots of mag swaps suspect that...
1) uoa5 and A3 are the best options for the JB & '59 respectively &
2) ultimately I would prefer different pickups.

 

[krovatron]

Agree on UOA5 for both.

Personally, JB just doesn't do it in a set neck, mahogany, Gibson scale. With the exception of one SG, I almost found the tone 'worsened'

Had a lot of buds throw a JB in their LP style guitars because they liked them in their super Strats or just legacy to only be disappointed. They would come over all bent out of shape until I let them try a Custom or Distortion. Then they promptly called SD to trade their JB. If you make a JB work well in that setup, my hats off to you.

No dis on the JB, it has its magic. It seems very picky on the guitar setup, plus I am told I pick 'weird'

 

[GuitarDoc]

It seems to be a common experience that the JB is very picky about guitars and woods (mahogany and short scale seem to be big complicating factors). I personally also couldn't get a good tone out of a JB even in 25.5" scale and multiple other types of wood (even with other magnets and different carbon content pole pieces). It's just not my kinda pup I guess.

 

[Chistopher]

I think JBs are less picky about mahogany and short scales as the people who play the guitars are. I know a guy with that weird signature Les Paul with a pair of JBs, he gets a great town out of it, I can't really get it to sound all that good.

 

[GuitarDoc]

I can't really get it to sound all that good.

It's not what YOU do to it. A JB is what it is. It either "works" or it doesn't. If it doesn't sound good in any particular guitar, there's nothing you can do to change that.

Plus, you either like the sound of a JB or you don't. (I don't. Not in any guitar, not at any height, not with any magnet, not with any type of polepiece, covered or not).

 

[Hsb]

Agree on UOA5 for both.

Personally, JB just doesn't do it in a set neck, mahogany, Gibson scale. With the exception of one SG, I almost found the tone 'worsened'

Had a lot of buds throw a JB in their LP style guitars because they liked them in their super Strats or just legacy to only be disappointed. They would come over all bent out of shape until I let them try a Custom or Distortion. Then they promptly called SD to trade their JB. If you make a JB work well in that setup, my hats off to you.

No dis on the JB, it has its magic. It seems very picky on the guitar setup, plus I am told I pick 'weird'

This guitar is Fender scale, not Gibson. I didnt necessarily care for the JB till I heard it in this guitar and sounds great. Could it have its drawbacks in some guitars sure, but this one sounds great. I actually am not a fan of the Custom fam with any variety of magnet in them, or at least the guitar its in, guitar just seems kinda dead w the Custom varieties in it but it may be more the guitar than the pickups.

 

[beaubrummels]

I have an A2 in a JB, but I don't know if it's roughcast or polished (I bought it already modified). For me, it sounds like a really loud Whole Lotta Humbucker, which is a very good thing.

 

[krovatron]

This guitar is Fender scale, not Gibson. I didnt necessarily care for the JB till I heard it in this guitar and sounds great. Could it have its drawbacks in some guitars sure, but this one sounds great. I actually am not a fan of the Custom fam with any variety of magnet in them, or at least the guitar its in, guitar just seems kinda dead w the Custom varieties in it but it may be more the guitar than the pickups.

Always forget that ESP does other options besides the Viper and EC (Gibson scale) Miss my MH. Just hate extra jumbo frets which takes a lot of ESP, Jackson, etc. off the table. Clearly people dig them in those guitars as most Edwards come with the hot rod set. Lucky my Edwards LP came with a custom and a 59n. The seller swapped the Custom for a 59b but kept the custom in the case.

I put a slanted JB in a Nighthawk for buddy and swapped for a UOA5. I thought it was great in that guitar.

Glad we have options and choices for pickups

 

[krovatron]

I will be writing in another thread but I have had a heck of a time finding the right pickups for the Korina V I built. Alas, a JB with all its quirks and magic with a RCA2 is money. Have a jazz in the neck with a UOA5 that is great. First time I have actually had the 'Hot Rod' set...only took 23 years lol

 

[jeremy]

i really like a jb with an a2 mag, though oddly enough im running the stock polished a5 right now in mine but with a 250k volume

 

[eclecticsynergy]

JB likes a 250K volume. That would mellow the 59N a bit too.

Mag swaps can fine-tune the JB but its personality is quite strong and tends to persist.
IME it still sounds like a JB, altered only slightly.

 

[Mincer]

JB likes a 250K volume. That would mellow the 59N a bit too.

Mag swaps can fine-tune the JB but its personality is quite strong and tends to persist.
IME it still sounds like a JB, altered only slightly.

This is true. I put a regular A2 in a JB and it still sounded like a JB with the EQ shifted- just a little. The personality of the wind seems to overpower the magnet used.

 

[jeremy]

JB likes a 250K volume. That would mellow the 59N a bit too.

Mag swaps can fine-tune the JB but its personality is quite strong and tends to persist.
IME it still sounds like a JB, altered only slightly.

i run a wlh neck with my jb. the wlh has a 500k volume, and both share a 500k tone control. not sure id love the neck bucker with a 250k volume unless there wasnt a tone control on that pup by itself

 

['59]

How big of a difference does it make? I'm thinking of replacing the Alnico 2 in my Alnico 2 neck model with an Alnico 3 to clear up some of the bassiness.

Is it an obvious enough change that you don't need to be a tone snob to be able to hear the difference?