Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

L

LEOVAN83

New member
Hi guys,

I just wired a JB humbucker with a single volume (no tone) and it honestly sounds like a neck pickup! lol

Meaning, it has pretty much NO highs, it's all bass and mids. I've never experienced something like that, I can honestly solos on it and it sounds like a Pearly Gates in the neck...

I am using a CTS 500k volume pot from DiMarzio, the red and white wire from the pickups have been soldered and taped off, so I don't really know what's going on.

Could someone please post a simple diagram for me to see how you guys would wire it?

Thanks!!

Leo
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

Are you (or the guitar) left-handed?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

What woods is the guitar made of?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

Little Pigbacon said:
What woods is the guitar made of?
Click to expand...

The guitar is a Gibson LP, the owner currently just wants the bridge pickup to be working, no tone controls and just one volume, no neck pickup. He had the stock Gibson bridge pickup before the Jb and it sounded normal, for some reason this JB (brand new) sounds as if you were playing through a neck pickup.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

I am having the same problem with the JB in my Fender Mustang, but I do have a neck PUP as well as master tone and volume knobs wired to 250k pots. It sounds like the tone control is ramped down-very muddy, compressed and lacking crunch, cut and presence. My brother has a JB in his Jackson Soloist and it sounds great, so It is not as if I don't like the sound of a JB. I was thinking that it might be a combination of the Mustang's short scale length, the JBs hot output and Fender's use of 250k pots in the circuit in lieu of 500k pots. I read somewhere that a humbucker wired to 250k pots with the tone control opened all the way up will sound about the same as one wired to 500k pots with the tone control ramped about half-way down.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

1.) Has the JB been in another guitar, to confirm it's not wonky?

2.) Would a treble-bypass mod be in order?

3.) Do you have a member of the Custom family available?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

Little Pigbacon said:
1.) Has the JB been in another guitar, to confirm it's not wonky?

2.) Would a treble-bypass mod be in order?

3.) Do you have a member of the Custom family available?
Click to expand...

Brand new JB, it's also a brand new 500k taper volume pot :(
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

Does the volume pot run directly to the jack? Is the Tone control still in any way - directly or indirectly - connecting to the jack?

Run the pickup directly to the jack to see if it changes. If so, it's either the pot or the soldering.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

You could either have a bad solder joint somewhere, or the JB has no business being in that guitar.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

What other work was done to the guitar? Anything with the bridge, stopbar, or posts? New nut? Tuners? Anything that may affect the neck tenon?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

JOLLY said:
why would that matter?
Click to expand...

The DiMarzio Pro Parts pots have a custom audio resistance taper. I have only ever seen them offered right-handed. Wired in reverse, for left-handed use, the loading on the pickup could be screwing something up.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

LEOVAN83 said:
Brand new JB, it's also a brand new 500k taper volume pot :(
Click to expand...

Never assume that brand new, untested electronics are in working order.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

DrNewcenstein said:
Does the volume pot run directly to the jack? Is the Tone control still in any way - directly or indirectly - connecting to the jack?

Run the pickup directly to the jack to see if it changes. If so, it's either the pot or the soldering.
Click to expand...

Ok, I will try that; that means I should connect the hot wire (black) from the JB to the tip and the bare+green to the sleeve of the jack, correct?
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

I would try 1. wiring the pickup to the jack and 2. try it in another guitar 3. stick a meter on it and see if the DCR is correct. I have never heard a correctly working JB sound muddy unless something is wrong. Keep us posted, and pictures always help diagnose wiring issues. We have some great people here that are awesome at figuring these things out.
 
Re: Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge sounds like a neck pickup (muddy, dark)

I once had that with a JB and it was the volume pot gone bad. Replaced it and all the sound was back.
 
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