SD JB/Jazz vs Suhr SSH+/SSV?

[Rex_Rocker]

What's the "Suhr thing" sound like?

To me, cleaner/tighter low-end and a vintage-y clarity to the high end. Then again, my sample size of Suhr pickups is just two SSH+'s and an Aldrich, so take it as a grain of salt.

I've read from Suhr that the "special" Alnico 5 that they use has a character that's supposed have the "sweetness" of an aged magnet, but without the loss in gauss. I've never magnet swapped a "regular" Anico 5 into my Suhr pickups, and maybe it's just my perception, but I've always felt they have a similar vibe to the Antiquity JB that I had in my LTD EC in the sense that they feel a little more "refined" than regular production Duncans. Not to say better or worse, as I still absolutely love the regular production JB, but they definitely remind me more of the vibe that the Antiquity JB gave me.

 

[nienturi]

im guessing those last two wire gauges are incorrect. 16k-17k is probably 44 wire

Thats true. Depends on the bobbin design but generally speaking, If you max out with awg42, it goes ~10K. With awg43, it goes ~12-13K, with awg44 ~17K

 

[Rex_Rocker]

If you're interested in how each sound doing the chuggs, I recorded this quick clip of both.

 

[Masta' C]

According to John Suhr, the A5 "special" magnet he uses shares its formulation with PAFs from the 1960s.

SSH+ and Aldrich are siblings. John has been on the record more than once confirming that the Aldrich is literally an overwound SSH+.

Both pickups are tighter and slightly brighter than the JB in terms of their resonant peaks. They also have a signature clarity in the top end, which is the "Suhr thing" Rex was referring to and I agree with this. However, there are differences in which frequencies get emphasized between the SSH+ and Aldrich due to their winds.

In my experience, having had both back-to-back in the same guitars, the Aldrich was the barkier, more aggressive pickup of the two, crunchy and tight with big upper-mids, while the SSH+ felt a little more balanced and cleaner sounding overall, but still had some of that '80s-style upper-mids emphasis (just not to the degree of the JB/Aldrich).

While they are both in the "ballpark" of the JB on paper, neither is a true JB dupe. Just like the magnet, Suhr tends to spec his own materials, including very specific wire. The bobbin geometry and winding are also slightly different than the JB, which is part of what gives them that "Suhr" sound and feel. I would argue the SSH+ is one of the most versatile pickups you can buy.

Side Note: Rex's Aldrich measured way below spec (16.8K vs 17.5K) and didn't perform as expected. I don't think his particular sample is a good one to compare others to.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

According to John Suhr, the A5 "special" magnet he uses shares its formulation with PAFs from the 1960s.

SSH+ and Aldrich are siblings. John has been on the record more than once confirming that the Aldrich is literally an overwound SSH+.

Both pickups are tighter and slightly brighter than the JB in terms of their resonant peaks. They also have a signature clarity in the top end, which is the "Suhr thing" Rex was referring to and I agree with this. However, there are differences in which frequencies get emphasized between the SSH+ and Aldrich due to their winds.

In my experience, having had both back-to-back in the same guitars, the Aldrich was the barkier, more aggressive pickup of the two, crunchy and tight with big upper-mids, while the SSH+ felt a little more balanced and cleaner sounding overall, but still had some of that '80s-style upper-mids emphasis (just not to the degree of the JB/Aldrich).

While they are both in the "ballpark" of the JB on paper, neither is a true JB dupe. Just like the magnet, Suhr tends to spec his own materials, including very specific wire. The bobbin geometry and winding are also slightly different than the JB, which is part of what gives them that "Suhr" sound and feel. I would argue the SSH+ is one of the most versatile pickups you can buy.

Side Note: Rex's Aldrich measured way below spec (16.8K vs 17.5K) and didn't perform as expected. I don't think his particular sample is a good one to compare others to.

I agree that there was surely something going on with my Aldrich. And I do acknowledge that my sample size is not huge, but all my 3 Suhr pickups read below spec, for some reason. I remember my Aldrich being in the mid 16's. My SSH+'s are both in the low 16's or even high 15's, varying from day to day. My SSH+'s sound like they're supposed to, tho, and by contrast, my JB's read closer to spec.

I do want to try another Aldrich at some point, honestly. I suppose the Fishman Fluence blurb and whatnot is true, and some of the "normal" pickups can sometimes vary by quite a bit. Once, I got what I suspect could have even been a mislabeled Duncan '59N posing as a '59B.

Oh, and I do believe his A5 is more meant to be closer to what Fender had in their single coil in the 50's or 60's, rather. They just carried it over to their humbucker line. I'm almost tempted to swap one of my SSH+'s magnet into a JB just to see what it's like.

 

[Masta' C]

@Rex_Rocker

It's interesting that all of your Suhr pickups are measuring consistently low. Is your JB a trembucker (TB-4), by chance? If so, it seems possible that your meter just happens to read a bit low.

I don't have the readings from my Suhr pickups in front of me, but I recall all of my Aldrich pickups were 17K or higher and some of the 53mm versions were upwards of 18K.

In addition to the custom Alnico magnet formulation, the coil wire Suhr has manufactured for its pickups likely adds to their clarity. I don't recall if Suhr's humbucker coils are scatter-wound, but if they are, that would also contribute extra clarity and openness despite a high DCR.

Side Note: I think swapping the Suhr magnet into the JB might be fun. I suspect the difference will be subtle, sort of like going from polished to roughcast, but it might help to give the JB a more refined feel.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

@Rex_Rocker

It's interesting that all of your Suhr pickups are measuring consistently low. Is your JB a trembucker (TB-4), by chance? If so, it seems possible that your meter just happens to read a bit low.

I don't have the readings from my Suhr pickups in front of me, but I recall all of my Aldrich pickups were 17K or higher and some of the 53mm versions were upwards of 18K.

In addition to the custom Alnico magnet formulation, the coil wire Suhr has manufactured for its pickups likely adds to their clarity. I don't recall if Suhr's humbucker coils are scatter-wound, but if they are, that would also contribute extra clarity and openness despite a high DCR.

Side Note: I think swapping the Suhr magnet into the JB might be fun. I suspect the difference will be subtle, sort of like going from polished to roughcast, but it might help to give the JB a more refined feel.

No, all my JB's recently have been regular-spaced. I currently have two plain jane production ones, and both measure 16-16.5 when not installed in any guitar.