Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

[zeppelinpage4]

Hi everyone!
I Need some advice or input. I'm looking to get my first "super strat" type guitar for 80's tones. Not the shrill high buzzy sound some have, but more of the thick warm beefy tone. Mick Mars Dr.Feelgood being the best example of the sound I'd like to get (I know he had many guitars layered and amps in the studio, but that's the tone I'm trying to get closest to). I also want to use it for some Ozzy tunes (e.g Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde).

From reading the forums, especially for Mick Mars it seems like the JB pickup is my best bet. I listened to many clips and tried a Kramer Baretta in the store with a JB pickup in it and really liked it.

BUT, I recently found a very good deal on a used Charvel So Cal. The guitar looks great, but it has Seymour Duncan distortion pickups in it. The clips I hear of the distortion pickups online is pretty varied. Some videos and demos it sounds harsh and bright/brittle which I didn't like at all, not smooth or warm. But on other clips it's thick and very pleasant. I won't get to try the used guitar before buying it and can't return it. So I'd be taking a chance on the pickups. I don't know how the duncan distortion sounds in person. I keep hearing the duncan distortion is ideal for thrash and modern metal which I'm not going for.

I know I could always change pickups out but the cost of a new pickup and finding a tech to change it for me amidst the pandemic is too much of a hassle right now. I'd prefer to get something that sounds good from the start and not need to modify immediately. So my question is, would the Seymour Duncan Distortion pickups be good for playing the songs I mentioned above? Or should I pass on the Charvel So Cal and wait until I find a guitar with the JB pickup in it? It sucks the So Cal doesn't come with JB/59 like it's San Dimas counterpart.

If it matter the So Cal is alder body with maple neck/fretboard. H/H configuration with coil split.

 

[Calsip]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

I think if you go with the JB or Distortion you will be happy. They both are 80’s pickups. If you tinker your amp you could get the sound out of both!

 

[Hsb]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Distortion and JB are similar flavors, JB has a bit more upper mid hump, not a fan of the JB but love love love the Distortion and it is perfect for 80s hard rock and metal.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

I really like the sound of the Distortion set. You can warm it up too if you swap out the ceramics for alnico.

 

[Cynical]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

The Distortion is thicker than the JB. That said, given the described sound in the OP, a DiMarzio SuperD might be a better pick.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Welcome to the forum!

I always thought the JB (through a JCM800 or something similar) is the sound that comes in my mind when I think 80s.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

I think if you go with the JB or Distortion you will be happy. They both are 80’s pickups. If you tinker your amp you could get the sound out of both!

Thank you! That's reassuring to know the Distortion is also considered an 80's pickup and can get JB like tones.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Distortion and JB are similar flavors, JB has a bit more upper mid hump, not a fan of the JB but love love love the Distortion and it is perfect for 80s hard rock and metal.

Thanks! Another vote for the Distortion then. Glad to hear they are similar, and the Distortion can get the 80s hard rock tones too. As long as it can do a good job for the tones I mentioned above, I'll be happy with it.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

I really like the sound of the Distortion set. You can warm it up too if you swap out the ceramics for alnico.

Oh that's interesting. Is it easy to swap the ceramics out? And I heard the biggest different between the JB and distortion is that the JB is Alnico and Distortion is Ceramic. So would switching it from Ceramic to Alnico essentially make it sound like a JB?

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

The Distortion is thicker than the JB. That said, given the described sound in the OP, a DiMarzio SuperD might be a better pick.

Thank you! I was wondering about the Dimarzio SuperD as well. If that's the ideal pickup and more suitable than the JB or Distortion, then I'll definitely get the So Cal since I'd be changing the pickup anyways. Are there other pickups I should consider for the tones I'm going for?

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Welcome to the forum!

I always thought the JB (through a JCM800 or something similar) is the sound that comes in my mind when I think 80s.

Thank you!

Yeah, I did some searching around the forums and it sounds like the JB is the go to pickup for 80s hard rock. I rarely saw the Seymour Duncan Distortion get mentioned, so I wanted to ask if the Distortion is good for those tones as well. Otherwise, I'll need to sit tight and get a guitar with a JB.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Oh that's interesting. Is it easy to swap the ceramics out? And I heard the biggest different between the JB and distortion is that the JB is Alnico and Distortion is Ceramic. So would switching it from Ceramic to Alnico essentially make it sound like a JB?

It's super ez to change mags. Look it up on utube or ask and someone can walk you through it. When I spent time with an A5 Distortion, it still sounded like a Distortion to me and not a JB. It has a similar eq of mid fest with as much highs possible to go along for that hot of a pickup. The main differences I notice are that the Distortion has rounder bass which isn't cut up like the JB and the Distortion has a overall more modern flavor and sort of fizzy mids while the JB has a more organic flavor. Love both pups.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Thank you!

Yeah, I did some searching around the forums and it sounds like the JB is the go to pickup for 80s hard rock. I rarely saw the Seymour Duncan Distortion get mentioned, so I wanted to ask if the Distortion is good for those tones as well. Otherwise, I'll need to sit tight and get a guitar with a JB.

While people now can use the Distortion to get those tones, living through the 80s as a young guitarist, the JB was the one we all talked about and that our heroes were using.

 

[dave74]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

jb for hard rock and hair metal,,,,,,distortion for heavier stuff

 

[Cynical]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Thank you! I was wondering about the Dimarzio SuperD as well. If that's the ideal pickup and more suitable than the JB or Distortion, then I'll definitely get the So Cal since I'd be changing the pickup anyways. Are there other pickups I should consider for the tones I'm going for?

The other one people might recommend for this tone would be the Custom, which is more along the lines of a SuperD with a bit less output, a bit less mids, and a lot more top-end. The old Carvin M22SD would probably be a great choice, if you can find one -- they've been discontinued, (which is unfortunate, it's one of my favorite bridge pickups ever). A dark-horse candidate might be the Pegasus -- dryer and clearer than you'd associate with the era, but good warmth with tons of clarity and enough push to get the job done, it might be my favorite pickup that Duncan currently makes.

 

[superpete]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

to me the jb is the sound for 80s super shredder style guitars. for the ozzy stuff, randy used a distortion in some of his guitars, and while a different game altogether the distortion is similar to the emg81 zakk uses...jake used a jb. Mick Mars used super distortions but by dr feelgood i'm not sure, but either the distortion or the jb should get you close enough.

i would go for the guitar if you want it. the distortion and jb are similar enough that a few tweaks of the amp or eq pedal can compensate...and at worst trade the distortion for a jb and teach yourself to solder.

 

[bigcupholder]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

Don't base your decision to buy a guitar on the pickups. You can easily swap them and find someone to trade with. The distortion set is very popular.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

The Distortion set is awesome. For the most part, JB players tend to like the Distortion and vice versa. While players do tend to gravitate toward one or the other out of personal preference, it doesn't make one better than the other.

Tons of guys played the Distortion in the '80s and that's definitely part of the sound in that era (George Lynch from Dokken is one of my personal Faves who used nothing but Distortions through the '80s).

Honestly, the Distortion and JB cover very similar ground with a little tweaking at the amp or slight roll of the tone/volume knobs.

 

[deathbytinnitus]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

I liked the Distortion actually better than both the JB and the Super D. I play more metal type stuff and I actually miss that pickup and think about it frequently.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Seymour Duncan Distortion for 80's hard rock?

The Distortion set is awesome. For the most part, JB players tend to like the Distortion and vice versa. While players do tend to gravitate toward one or the other out of personal preference, it doesn't make one better than the other.

Tons of guys played the Distortion in the '80s and that's definitely part of the sound in that era (George Lynch from Dokken is one of my personal Faves who used nothing but Distortions through the '80s).

Honestly, the Distortion and JB cover very similar ground with a little tweaking at the amp or slight roll of the tone/volume knobs.

He had supposedly changed to an underwound Distortion, what is now sold as The Hunter, by the time of Back for the Attack (he mentions this in the REH video, so it has some credibility). But it doesn't matter too much: the Distortion will certainly do what the OP asks of it!