Where is the JB's mid spike

[GuitarStv]

Shazam...

...Here I am!

Below is my humble attempt to share. Readers will decide if it makes sense for them or not...



What GuitarStv and David said, plus a couple of my indifferent thoughts and "data":

-with twice the inductance of a P.A.F. clone, a SH4 has a resonant peak located in the high mids as soon as it's played through a "normal" cable capacitance... count on a Rz around 2400hz through 3m of cable... and HALF of this value if it's played through 15m. Below is the Rz measured through a cable somewhere between these values - I think it was a 6m/ 1nF one and it still makes the Rz very mid centric.

EDIT - I've added in orange the Rz of a SH55b as captured through the same cable during the same test. The pic is a bit blurry but these screenshots were done 15 or 20 years ago, so stacking them just gives a blurry pic. Sorry for that...



-as high inductance bumps the output level whatever is the magnetic strenght at play, a SH4 also tends to promote the frequencies under or "around" this Rz, as said by Clint. Below is the response of a SH4 played in chords from unfretted strings to 12th fret...


NOTE - in both screenshots, there's a descending "stair step" a bit below 10khz. It's due to coils coupling and contributes to "focus" the response of the JB in the high mids.

Non limitative contribution, FWIW.

The lunch having ended, I go back to work now.

What a great post, thanks!

All of my 'frequency analysis' consists of recording something, then playing with a graphic EQ.

 

[JB6464]

I think the JB mids we hear shifts with what guitar wood it is installed in .
Sounds totally different to me in a Ash body Strat or Tele verses a Mahogany body like in a LP or a Mahogany Tele body with a maple top .

 

[Chistopher]

I think the JB mids we hear shifts with what guitar wood it is installed in .
Sounds totally different to me in a Ash body Strat or Tele verses a Mahogany body like in a LP or a Mahogany Tele body with a maple top .

It sounds different in a Strat or Tele because of pots and scale length more than anything. The temperature of the room effects tone more than wood does.

 

[JB6464]

It sounds different in a Strat or Tele because of pots and scale length more than anything. The temperature of the room effects tone more than wood does.

I will agree my LP is a different situation all together because of it's design and shorter scale length .
But my Strat is Alder , one of my Tele's is Ash and the other has a Mahogany body with a 1/4' quilted maple top , and all of them are 25.5 scale and use a 500K volume pot , no tone pots are connected .
But the JB's midrange bark sounds totally different in each guitar , and all my guitars have maple necks with ebony fretboards .
I am convinced the body wood of a guitar makes the JB react in a very different way .
Ash = mid high bark
Alder = down the middle bark
Mahogany = A warm Mid low bark but still very punchy and in your face bark

 

[Chistopher]

Of course scale isn't the only difference between different guitars. Bridge construction and materials, strings make a massive difference, differences in the grade of the nickel silver, and even the setup all make a difference in your sound.

 

[freefrog]

For the record, there's an interesting applet showing the comb filtering effect of pickup position + guitar scale:

http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponseDemo/

And yes, each guitar adds to this the specific EQing + ADSR envelope due to its structure + materials. That's what the Line 6 Variax is all about since 2003 - and the reason why I often swap pickups until I find the "right" model for a given guitar.

So, hte electrical "mid spike" of a JB is surely filtered/reflected differently by different axes....

 

[IMENATOR]

This question is so difficult because in order to say "this has more of this" the actual "flat balanced sound" is very subjective as well, a balanced flat sound for me could be a scooped sound for others. And it also depends on the natural frequency emphasis of whatever amp and speakers you use. In my case when switching between two alder strats, one with Duncan Distortion and the other one with JB I think the JB has more of the "upper mids" in my EQ for the one with DD, I say that because that is what I add when going from JB to DD. So for example in my Boss GE-7 that is like 3 dBs at the 1.6k slider and 1-2 of the 3.2k slider. Maybe the "balanced" or "reference" tone for everyone is a vintage PAF humbucker but I don't have one in my Strats, that may be a better comparison.

 

[Chistopher]

One time I tried to use an RTA to get a flat EQ on my guitar and then realized it was kind of stupid because there's no good way to input pink noise into a guitar

 

[GuitarStv]

One time I tried to use an RTA to get a flat EQ on my guitar and then realized it was kind of stupid because there's no good way to input pink noise into a guitar

Just play some Laura Mvula - https://www.metacritic.com/music/pink-noise/laura-mvula

 

[alex1fly]

This question is so difficult because in order to say "this has more of this" the actual "flat balanced sound" is very subjective as well, a balanced flat sound for me could be a scooped sound for others. And it also depends on the natural frequency emphasis of whatever amp and speakers you use. In my case when switching between two alder strats, one with Duncan Distortion and the other one with JB I think the JB has more of the "upper mids" in my EQ for the one with DD, I say that because that is what I add when going from JB to DD. So for example in my Boss GE-7 that is like 3 dBs at the 1.6k slider and 1-2 of the 3.2k slider. Maybe the "balanced" or "reference" tone for everyone is a vintage PAF humbucker but I don't have one in my Strats, that may be a better comparison.

Right. What gets boosted depends on what the guitar has naturally

 

[Aceman]

Have we found the peak yet?

 

[Clint 55]

According to the graph, it's everything, which is what I said.

 

[Demanic]

That's it. My Zebra JB is going back in my Jackson.

 

[Chistopher]

I don't really like JB's all that much, but maybe if we find out the frequency response that will be enough to change my mind

 

[Frogman]

Well, the bass of a JB isn't like on a modern metal pickup- yu don't have that chug. But it works so well with Marshalls and 5150-style hot rod Marshalls for everything just short of modern progressive metal.

See, I’ve never understood how anyone thinks this. Are they playing through unboosted, non-MV plexis at room volume?
Holy $h1+, every single one of my JB’s is chugtastic as all get out. And they’re all UOA5’s and A2’s!
Drop C through a slightly boosted 2204, 6505 or Mesa of your choice = gnarly AF!
It’s like a tsunami of big, angry mids coming at you like a freight train. A goosed, blown, big block 454 or 427. RAWWWWRRRRR destroooooy

 

[Mincer]

See, I’ve never understood how anyone thinks this. Are they playing through unboosted, non-MV plexis at room volume?
Holy $h1+, every single one of my JB’s is chugtastic as all get out. And they’re all UOA5’s and A2’s!
Drop C through a slightly boosted 2204, 6505 or Mesa of your choice = gnarly AF!
It’s like a tsunami of big, angry mids coming at you like a freight train. A goosed, blown, big block 454 or 427. RAWWWWRRRRR destroooooy

I am comparing it something like that Pegasus. Or active metal pickups. You can boost the JB to sort of get there, but the EQ isn't the same.