Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I love the JB. Always have, but the one thing I would change about it is it does have that slightly soft attack that you mention the 498T has.
That being said, though, the EQ is "just right" to get it to sit in a mix. The low-end is not deep, but the low mid content makes it not feel thin either. Especially in a Les Paul. The high-mid emphasis makes it really cutting and mix-friendly the same way a Vintage 30 or SM57 is. There is a lot of mid focus, but the thing is the core mids aren't really nasal or vocal the same some DiMarzios like the Tone Zone are. The high-end is slightly rolled off, but that makes it less fizzy, and the high mids make it not feel dark either.
As to how it works on Les Pauls, I'd say it depends on what the Les Paul sounds like. Gibsons have the bridge pickup closer to the bridge itself, so pickups tend to sound tighter and more bite-y in them. I think it's mostly the Les Paul copies, Epiphone included, that have the bridge pickup further from the bridge itself that tend to struggle with the JB's softer attack and slightly stuffy low mids. But I have it in an LTD EC right now, and it's fine.
That being said though, like Seashore was saying, the JB does the 90's/2000's Metal better than it does like the quacky Periperhy-esque stuff. It has a very characteristic dirtiness and rought around the edges vibe. For me, the perfect example of what a JB sounds like doing Metal is Arch Enemy records from the 2000's. Keep in mind, my perspective for the JB is of it doing what I play: Melodic Death Metal. The JB is also popular in the 80's shredd crowd. But I don't do that myself.
That being said, though, the EQ is "just right" to get it to sit in a mix. The low-end is not deep, but the low mid content makes it not feel thin either. Especially in a Les Paul. The high-mid emphasis makes it really cutting and mix-friendly the same way a Vintage 30 or SM57 is. There is a lot of mid focus, but the thing is the core mids aren't really nasal or vocal the same some DiMarzios like the Tone Zone are. The high-end is slightly rolled off, but that makes it less fizzy, and the high mids make it not feel dark either.
As to how it works on Les Pauls, I'd say it depends on what the Les Paul sounds like. Gibsons have the bridge pickup closer to the bridge itself, so pickups tend to sound tighter and more bite-y in them. I think it's mostly the Les Paul copies, Epiphone included, that have the bridge pickup further from the bridge itself that tend to struggle with the JB's softer attack and slightly stuffy low mids. But I have it in an LTD EC right now, and it's fine.
That being said though, like Seashore was saying, the JB does the 90's/2000's Metal better than it does like the quacky Periperhy-esque stuff. It has a very characteristic dirtiness and rought around the edges vibe. For me, the perfect example of what a JB sounds like doing Metal is Arch Enemy records from the 2000's. Keep in mind, my perspective for the JB is of it doing what I play: Melodic Death Metal. The JB is also popular in the 80's shredd crowd. But I don't do that myself.
