Swapping my JB for something else

[Coryd]

I’ve been tossing around the idea of swapping my JB out for something else. For drop B I think the lows are just way too loose for my liking. I kinda have a love/hate relationship with it. I have a Distortion in another guitar and I dig that I think more than the JB. I also have a spare 59/custom hybrid I could try as well.

Do you all think the 59/custom will work in drop B? From what I remember is that it was pretty neutral as far as tone goes. Nothing really exaggerated so I should get most of the shaping from the amp I believe. Also contemplating a Distortion as well. Never tried a black winter so I don’t know if I want to go that route or not. Leaning towards the 59/C at the moment.

mainly playing rock, metal, but sneaking into reggae, and need to be able to pull some decent cleans as well.

 

[RanchManSandy]

Pegasus, bro. Super tight and not super hot, and more mids than a 59

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, I agree...Pegasus. Or go for one of the more specific metal pickups like the Omega.

 

[Securb]

If you want neutral, the Black Winter is not your pickup. It has very aggressive mids.

 

[ToneFiddler]

Nazgul!

Tighter and brighter than the JB.
Not as fizzy/scratchy than the distortion and better for low tunings than both!

 

[Coryd]

I may have to look up some tones with the Pegasus, but I've heard ppl mention that it was kinda dark. Some of the videos I've seen are showing this a bit. Maybe not dark, but neutral which is good in my case. I'll admit I'm kinda a classic Duncan line of pickups guy. Posting a sample here. This is my tone with the Distortion and then with the JB. Best tone I could get recently, but I'm always trying to improve it. After hearing a side by side they are pretty similar. I think the Distortion just has a bit more upper cut and is tighter where the JB has a thicker low end and not as much cut.

Also a clip of the JB in Drop B. Just has this scratchy-ness to it though

 

[Mincer]

The Pegasus isn't dark in any way. It does have less high end than the Distortion, however, but it isn't dark.

 

[ToneFiddler]

No, the Pegasus is not dark. It has more true highs and not so many (aggressive) upper mids like the PUs you own.
I find the Nazgul is closer to the SH-4 and SH-6 than the Pegasus is to any of them, but without their drawbacks for heavy stuff. But it sucks for clean and crunch.

I only have brief experience with the Custom/59 Hybrid, but it has a huge low end, which I wouldn't choose for dropped B, but since you have it already, try it. lowering has dramatic impact on the amount of bass

 

[Chistopher]

What's the specs on the instrument? Loose lows in Drop B could also just be a fault of the scale length and/or the string gauge

 

[Coryd]

What's the specs on the instrument? Loose lows in Drop B could also just be a fault of the scale length and/or the string gauge

I’m using a Jim Root Tele. Currently it has the JB in the bridge. The Distortion I have is in my John 5 Tele.

string gauge for B is 11-54, sometime I use a 56 for the low B string.

 

[Chistopher]

I could definitely see a JB as having a problem with the bass in that case. If you think the strings could stand to be heavier, that would help your sound too, but I think a Distortion could also nudge you in the right direction. If you want to save money, a ceramic magnet in the JB will bring you really close to a Distortion.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I'm dubious the Nazgul would work on a guitar where you feel the JB's low-end is loose.

The Nazgul is got the JB's cutting upper-mid spike, just more modern, and fiercer/more aggressive. But it's also got chunky low mids that don't play well with some guitars (I've found it was too round and fat for my Les Paul, for example).

 

[marcello252]

why not a common Duncan Custom ?

 

[Coryd]

I'm dubious the Nazgul would work on a guitar where you feel the JB's low-end is loose.

The Nazgul is got the JB's cutting upper-mid spike, just more modern, and fiercer/more aggressive. But it's also got chunky low mids that don't play well with some guitars (I've found it was too round and fat for my Les Paul, for example).

I did look up the Nazgul and I think I am going to pass on this one. I do need some cleans too and if this one doesn't do cleans well at all, I gotta pass on it.

 

[Coryd]

why not a common Duncan Custom ?

I tried this one before, and I think I prefer the Distortion over this one. Something about the mids with the Custom were either missing or just not enough for me.

I think at the moment I am thinking either the:
Distortion
59/Custom
Pegasus
Maybe something else?

 

[Coryd]

No, the Pegasus is not dark. It has more true highs and not so many (aggressive) upper mids like the PUs you own.
I find the Nazgul is closer to the SH-4 and SH-6 than the Pegasus is to any of them, but without their drawbacks for heavy stuff. But it sucks for clean and crunch.

I only have brief experience with the Custom/59 Hybrid, but it has a huge low end, which I wouldn't choose for dropped B, but since you have it already, try it. lowering has dramatic impact on the amount of bass

I tried the 59/C in my John 5 tele and to me it was really balanced. Maybe it was the guitar, but the low end was very tight compared to the JB. Not an amazing clip, but I did record something in C with it here. This is one reason I was considering it since it didn't have an extremely loose low end.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I did look up the Nazgul and I think I am going to pass on this one. I do need some cleans too and if this one doesn't do cleans well at all, I gotta pass on it.

It does cleans alright. I mean, for a bridge pickup. I don't think it does cleans any worse than any other high output mid focused pickups like the JB or the Black Winter, which people rave about for being versatile. I'm not a big fan of bridge pickup cleans overall, TBH, but it does it as well as anything out there.

If you want something balanced but hot, look into the DiMarzio D Activator. It's a very interesting pickup in that its EQ curve is not as extreme mid-focused as most of the Duncan high output offereings.

 

[Coryd]

It does cleans alright. I mean, for a bridge pickup. I don't think it does cleans any worse than any other high output mid focused pickups like the JB or the Black Winter, which people rave about for being versatile. I'm not a big fan of bridge pickup cleans overall, TBH, but it does it as well as anything out there.

If you want something balanced but hot, look into the DiMarzio D Activator. It's a very interesting pickup in that its EQ curve is not as extreme mid-focused as most of the Duncan high output offereings.

Been awhile since I’ve used one of those D Activators. How is the high end compared to the Distortion? I can’t remember if it gets ice picky or not. I had that pickup in a basswood JP100D guitar and liked it at the time but sold that one.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Been awhile since I’ve used one of those D Activators. How is the high end compared to the Distortion? I can’t remember if it gets ice picky or not. I had that pickup in a basswood JP100D guitar and liked it at the time but sold that one.

It's a bit more balanced than the Distortion. Rather than being sizzly/raspy like the Distortion, it's a bit more attacky. Kinda like the Black Winter, but not as much. Kinda hard to tell since the upper-mid spike below the actual high-end is not as pronounced as either the 'Winter o the Distortion. But it's still a hot Ceramic pickup, so expect kind of a rough-around-the-edges vibe to the high-end.

 

[ToneFiddler]

I tried the 59/C in my John 5 tele and to me it was really balanced. Maybe it was the guitar, but the low end was very tight compared to the JB. Not an amazing clip, but I did record something in C with it here. This is one reason I was considering it since it didn't have an extremely loose low end.

Yeah, it's big, but relatively tight.
It's easy to cut the lowend before going into the amp, but i prefer leaner PUs in general since quite some time. But that's just me. But a recto also doesn't need it.

Actually i prefer you JB clip. It really pronounces the recto woof i am kinda missing myself.