Should I try to salvage this JB or should I just swap it out?

[Rex_Rocker]

I get the "tame" thing. I like the JB for a particular kind of 90s metal tone but it turns to mush quickly when the gain goes up. There are other pickups that keep their bite and definition better with high gain, and feel more aggressive as a result. Not saying that's exactly what Rex means, but I feel like I get it.

Yeah, kinda like that. It's weird. I wouldn't call it mushy, though. Just soft.

Like... the EQ is almost there. It's not like the pickup is dark. It has a lot of those nice cutting upper mids, and the low-end isn't particularly boomy either. But mostly, It's just the pick attack is really laid back. Like, even if I pick super hard, it feels/sounds like I'm picking soft. The JB reminds me a lot of the EMG 85, just not nearly as hot. I bet it is a killer pickup for singing leads because of that.

Keep in mind, my other two guitars have pickups that are sort of along the lines. The 500T in particular is super attacky, and both it and the Nazgul are really up-front. I could tweak my setup to squeeze more from the JB, but I'd rather have a pickup which gets me what I want from the start. Let's hope the Custom is a bit more bold in the attack.

I'm not hating on the JB, BTW. I like it. I've had in the past and used it through different setups and loved it. It's just not working the way I'd want it to when my two other guitars have got pickups which I've tweaked my sound for right now.

 

[Mincer]

I think you will dig the Custom. To me, it works best with a 1 guitar band, as it occupies a huge swath of frequencies.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I think you will dig the Custom. To me, it works best with a 1 guitar band, as it occupies a huge swath of frequencies.

I like the top end detail it has on Keith Merrow's shootout.

I have previous experience with the Custom. It came on a used guitar I got used. I tried it, didn't love it, and swapped it out shortly. To be honest, I should've given it more time, but I'm ready to give it another try. People speak highly of how it sounds in a Les Paul. This isn't a Les Paul, but it's sort of along the lines. And I've got different pot values I can try to fine-tune it to my liking as well as an oversized Ceramic in case it's too mid output. So I'm pretty sure I can squeeze something I like out of it.

 

[AdrianSD]

So... I ordered the Custom, LOL.

If it's not hot enough, I've got a thick Ceramic magnet I can drop in it.

Right, this will be my next mag swap project.

 

[marcello252]

I think you will dig the Custom. To me, it works best with a 1 guitar band, as it occupies a huge swath of frequencies.

I generally agree but for example, for the records, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains used the JB back in the glory days in a more than thundering 1 guitar band , same for Defones guitarist, so, like
every rule, there are exceptions