what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

[walleyedave]

i just ordered an sh-4 bridge and a jazz for the neck!! i have an esp ec-500 ltd that had emg,s that sounded horrible!! i play duncan distortions in my ibanez sz and love them. i wanted a similar but diffent tone on the ltd. this is a light 7lbs guitar and i want to have a decent bottom end! i have read horrible things about this pickup being too mid and high end, and other people love this pickup! do 250k pots help this?? does anyone have any real knowledge on this, i dont want to do the swap if theyre going to suck, and they are supposed to be delivered today,,,,,help a brother out????? i play all styles from jazz to metal and want something more versatile in this guitar as opposed to specialized! why is this the best selling pickup if it sounds like ass?

 

[cakire82]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

Most people indicated JBs have too much high mids and ice picky.
I love the JB/JAZZ combo in my alder, maple neck through Jackson Kelly and I have no intention of changing or modifying it.

I heard 2 possible solutions to this disliked characteristic of JB.
- 250K pots - makes it warmer
- A8 magnet - warmer, tighter bottom end and louder

I about to try an A8 in another Jackson with alder body and maple neck just to experiment and see if I will like it.

In the end, it is all up to you. Try them on and see if you like it. If not you can try the mods. (one at a time, not together) You can not go wrong with a JB

 

[Diocletian]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

I love the JB, but I don't like it much with a 250K pot.

 

[Despair]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

The JB is a slightly underwound Distortion with an A5 magnet. Bottom end does tend to be weak with the JB. The JB isn't always a terrible pickup, in the right guitar it's magic. But it IS wildly overprescribed. Alder & maple bodies do seem to be configurations it often works in.

If the guitar is a bit lacking in upper mids, the JB can fill it in and sound perfectly balanced. If you want cut in a band situation, it's terrific, and the rolled off bass means the bassist & drummer aren't fighting with the guitarist.

For mahogany it's a bit more hit & miss. I'd have probably tried a Custom series, there. Maybe the original ceramic model, given it's rosewood and lacks a maple top. Custom 5 if you want something with a bit more classic rock. Nice thing about the Custom series is that if you don't like how it acts with the stock magnet, it's very friendly to magnet swaps. Hit Wymore for options if you are interested in tinkering.

If you don't like the JB, you should be able to swap it readily. Check if your supplier handles the 21-day swap Seymour Duncan authorized dealers offer. If not, you can probably readily sell or trade it.

 

[Despair]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

I love the JB, but I don't like it much with a 250K pot.

Depends on the guitar. In a bright guitar, 500K can get awkwardly bright. Also, if you are only using a 1 knob configuration, you aren't loading down the pickup the same way, so a 500K volume is probably more comparable to a 250K volume & tone arrangement.

In mahogany with rosewood fretboard, 250K is probably not right.

 

[Rowan]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

You may like it, I'd give it a try before you completely disregard the pickup. Its a very crunchy pickup, and it should smoke for lead guitar in the EC500. But you may not like the bottom end, it doesn't really lack bass but its not going to be as tight and percussive as the distortion. When you palm mute the sound is going to have a bit more 'bloom' if that makes any sense. Some people like that, some people don't.

I used to have a JB in an EC400AT and it was great except the low end wasn't as defined as I would have liked. But try the JB, if you don't like it then try out the alt 8. It has a huge sound like the distortion but with a sweeter top end and works better for full chords and cleans.

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

SH5 Custom

 

[blueman335]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

The JB is a slightly underwound Distortion with an A5 magnet. Bottom end does tend to be weak with the JB. The JB isn't always a terrible pickup, in the right guitar it's magic. But it IS wildly overprescribed. Alder & maple bodies do seem to be configurations it often works in...

For mahogany it's a bit more hit & miss. I'd have probably tried a Custom series, there. Maybe the original ceramic model, given it's rosewood and lacks a maple top. Custom 5 if you want something with a bit more classic rock. Nice thing about the Custom series is that if you don't like how it acts with the stock magnet, it's very friendly to magnet swaps.

+1. Excellent comments. Ahh, JB/Jazz: the 'newbie set.' The JB is very finicky about the wood its in; it's the Babe Ruth of PU's: home run or strike out, with little in between. Recent mag swaps with A8's & A2's have shown it has more potential than first thought. I had given up on JB's, but tried an A2 JB and like it, although I prefer the Custom series which has an overall higher success rate in mahogany.

The JazzN is considered by some of us to be a rather bland, lackluster PU, & certainly is questionable as being half of the 'hot rodded set'. A '59N is usually a better match for a JB.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

The JazzN is considered by some of us to be a rather bland, lackluster PU, & certainly is questionable as being half of the 'hot rodded set'. A '59N is usually a better match for a JB.

This. I really don't dig the Jazz.

 

[jafo]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

A4 in the Jazz N makes it a very different beastie. Still not as much mojo as a '59, perhaps, but it has its own vibe, and it doesn't have a boomy bottom end. It becomes a subtle pup with a woody tone.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

A4 in the Jazz N makes it a very different beastie. Still not as much mojo as a '59, perhaps, but it has its own vibe, and it doesn't have a boomy bottom end. It becomes a subtle pup with a woody tone.

I've never thought the 59 is boomy any time I've had one, but then I only use neck pickups for either leads or clean stuff.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

Nuts! If your guitar had EMGs to begin with, you could have tried SD Blackouts, Live Wire Classic IIs or the Dave Mustaine models by just clicking them in to the existing Quik Connect wiring loom. No need to even warm up the soldering iron.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

It's a LTD rather than an ESP, maybe it had the cheaper, passive EMGs in it.


BTW Cakire:

"Most people indicated JBs have too much high mids and ice picky. "


Most people? Was this a poll I missed? The continued prevalence of JBs in production guitars suggest to me "most" people actually quite like the pickup.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

It's a LTD rather than an ESP, maybe it had the cheaper, passive EMGs in it.

My LTD EC guitar is an Indonesian-made 400 series. It started out with active EMG-81/-60 pickups. Currently sporting SD Live Wire Classic IIs and a 047 capacitor on the tone pot.

 

[cakire82]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

It's a LTD rather than an ESP, maybe it had the cheaper, passive EMGs in it.


BTW Cakire:

"Most people indicated JBs have too much high mids and ice picky. "


Most people? Was this a poll I missed? The continued prevalence of JBs in production guitars suggest to me "most" people actually quite like the pickup.

I didn't say I agree with what I have heard. I love the JB. I just heard this cons so many time here.

 

[Despair]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

Judging the exact percentages is rough. And when it's preinstalled in a guitar, odds are the company made sure it works in that guitar.

It's not all that uncommon to see people install it because they heard the JB is AWESOME and loathe it, or feel it's mediocre, though.

I've never run into a guitar with a JB and sane electronics that I couldn't get a decent lead tone out of. It's things like cleans and chords that I've felt it falls down on in the wrong guitar. And even in guitars where it's not weak for those, there are other pickups that are usually better for those tasks, IMO.

It's all a matter of the right pickup for the guitar & player.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

The JB is a slightly underwound Distortion with an A5 magnet. Bottom end does tend to be weak with the JB. The JB isn't always a terrible pickup, in the right guitar it's magic. But it IS wildly overprescribed. Alder & maple bodies do seem to be configurations it often works in.

If the guitar is a bit lacking in upper mids, the JB can fill it in and sound perfectly balanced. If you want cut in a band situation, it's terrific, and the rolled off bass means the bassist & drummer aren't fighting with the guitarist.

For mahogany it's a bit more hit & miss. I'd have probably tried a Custom series, there. Maybe the original ceramic model, given it's rosewood and lacks a maple top. Custom 5 if you want something with a bit more classic rock. Nice thing about the Custom series is that if you don't like how it acts with the stock magnet, it's very friendly to magnet swaps. Hit Wymore for options if you are interested in tinkering.

If you don't like the JB, you should be able to swap it readily. Check if your supplier handles the 21-day swap Seymour Duncan authorized dealers offer. If not, you can probably readily sell or trade it.

just focusing on that first part of your post, the JB isn't an underwound distortion at all. they're the same exact wind, with different magnet configurations. same with with the invader. though the invader has different pole pieces too along with "spacer" magnets, the concept is still the same.

jb:alnico 5
DD: double thick ceramic
invader: ceramic bar and spacer magnets, large screw poles.

 

[Despair]

Re: what is the deal on the sh-4 jb

just focusing on that first part of your post, the JB isn't an underwound distortion at all. they're the same exact wind, with different magnet configurations. same with with the invader

Not according to SD's specs:

JB: 16.4K
DD: 16.6K
Invader: 16.8K

Yes, they are all the same wind pattern, and the differences aren't enormous, but to say they're all exactly the same seems inaccurate. (Before anyone gets too excited, yes, I'm aware of tolerances and have heard of the 17.5K and sub-16K on DD & JB. But on average, if Seymour Duncan is honest to it's customers, that's what the pickups should be. I believe they are.)

And yes, I know the magnet & polepieces are more important to the pickup's tone & output than that small a difference in coil mass.