Why is there no underwound JB?

Reee

New member
It's such a popular pickup yet many of us want just a little less output, why is there no 15k 43awg pickup out yet that has the JB EQ, chewiness and aggressiveness?
 
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15k or 16k that's still to hot .
SD needs to make a 12K JB and with the original roughcast magnet .
 
15k or 16k that's still to hot .
SD needs to make a 12K JB and with the original roughcast magnet .

I disagree, if you want a 12k JB there is the perpetual burn which is supposedly pretty close but at 12k it won't resemble a JB anymore. at 15k it would have just the right amount of output to still sing but not be as compressed like a JB, think a Custom 5 but with the EQ of a JB.

btw if a 12k JB is what you are after you could get a Distortion Neck and put an A5 in, since the Distortion Bridge is a JB with a ceramic i assume it would be similar with the neck.
 
i dont think enough people would notice enough of a difference between a 16k and 15k jb to make it worth making another pup in the production line. if you want that, go custom shop. it will sound good and it will be a little less congested
 
i dont think enough people would notice enough of a difference between a 16k and 15k jb to make it worth making another pup in the production line. if you want that, go custom shop. it will sound good and it will be a little less congested

I think there is definitely a big crowd that would notice the differences, think about it, how many times have you read: "I like the JB, but it's too compressed" "I like the JB but it's too hot".

hell, do a google search "Duncan JB too hot" and you'll find basically 100 of threads from all kind of forums.
 
the i like the jb but its too compressed crowd is a small percentage of people who use the jb which is a small percentage of the people who swap pups which is a small percentage of the people who buy guitars. i dont disagree that there are people who would want it, i just dont think there is enough demand to justify duncan selling a production 15k jb
 
i dont think enough people would notice enough of a difference between a 16k and 15k jb to make it worth making another pup in the production line. if you want that, go custom shop. it will sound good and it will be a little less congested

Exactly !
 
I disagree, if you want a 12k JB there is the perpetual burn which is supposedly pretty close but at 12k it won't resemble a JB anymore. at 15k it would have just the right amount of output to still sing but not be as compressed like a JB, think a Custom 5 but with the EQ of a JB.

btw if a 12k JB is what you are after you could get a Distortion Neck and put an A5 in, since the Distortion Bridge is a JB with a ceramic i assume it would be similar with the neck.

The 59/Custom is 11.5 which is close to what the PB is to but neither sound like a JB with that barking mids no matter what the output is .
I was suggesting a 12K because it could kill to birds with one stone for those complaining it's to hot and compressed .
12K will rock any good tube amp setup and I am sure if SD wanted to they could wind it in that range with the exact JB barking tone .
But lets be clear , the PB or 59/Custom does not have that barking midrange of the JB .
 
The 59/Custom is 11.5 which is close to what the PB is to but neither sound like a JB with that barking mids no matter what the output is .
I was suggesting a 12K because it could kill to birds with one stone for those complaining it's to hot and compressed .
12K will rock any good tube amp setup and I am sure if SD wanted to they could wind it in that range with the exact JB barking tone .
But lets be clear , the PB or 59/Custom does not have that barking midrange of the JB .

they also don't have the aggression you get from a 14k+ A5 pickup, which is why I think a 15k 43awg JB would be perfect, just the right amounts of aggression and clarity.
 
they also don't have the aggression you get from a 14k+ A5 pickup, which is why I think a 15k 43awg JB would be perfect, just the right amounts of aggression and clarity.

I still think a 14k-15k is to hot , which is one of the main complaints of the JB .
Has anyone tried a JB / Custom hybrid , one coil from a JB and one coil from a C5 ?
Now that would interesting . :D
 
I still think a 14k-15k is to hot , which is one of the main complaints of the JB .
Has anyone tried a JB / Custom hybrid , one coil from a JB and one coil from a C5 ?
Now that would interesting . :D

15k is just right for a bridge pickup if it's made correctly IMO, take a listen to the bridge pickup of this guitar, it was designed by the guy who made the Eric Johnson Fender Signature singlecoils, best bridge pickup I have ever heard, it's hot, at 15k 43awg A5, but it has INSANE clarity and sensitivity.


Unfortunately Fender is being a dick about their pickups and won't sell these separately from their guitars, I don't even have a chance of owning this guitar even if i could afford it because I'm a lefty so that really sucks.


Maybe a Custom/PB hybrid would be somewhat of a underwound JB-ish vibe, getting some mids from the PB coil and some more output from the custom coil.


JB/59 hybrids and Jazz/59 are used by ESP on some of their higher end guitars, not a fan of the JB/59 hybrid sound but the Jazz/59 sounds really good IMO, here is a clip of the jazz/59s

 
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Why no underwound JB? Because it would not be a JB any more.

I reckon that a man of deeds would get a second hand JB and unwind the coils as he pleases, then reassemble, rather than open his mouth.

Sorry if you wind up offended for some reason.
 
Why no underwound JB? Because it would not be a JB any more.

I reckon that a man of deeds would get a second hand JB and unwind the coils as he pleases, then reassemble, rather than open his mouth.

Sorry if you wind up offended for some reason.

I have no experience with pickup winding and no budget to go through 10 pickups trying to make it work, and I would like it to be 43awg so it needs a new wind anyway; i'll leave this stuff to pickup makers and stick to playing the guitar, thanks.
 
Why muddy the waters even further? An underwound JB sounds like a custom shop order.

like the custom 5, custom custom and full shred? which are all "muddying the waters" variatons of the custom, or the distortion which is just a JB with a ceramic magnet? or Jazz/APII which are the same with a different magnet?

It seems to me that Duncan doesn't mind "muddying the waters" with variations on existing designs so an underwound 43awg JB (a variation on his most popular pickup) wouldn't be farfetched and is IMO long overdue...
 
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There absolutely is an underwound JB. Ask for one from the Custom Shop.

I can't even order from the custom shop, they don't ship to europe and the link to european distributors leads to nowhere.

and then there is the issue that I don't know if it will sound like i expect it to, which is something that is not a problem with a production model.
 
like the custom 5, custom custom and full shred? which are all "muddying the waters" variatons of the custom, or the distortion which is just a JB with a ceramic magnet? or Jazz/APII which are the same with a different magnet?

It seems to me that Duncan doesn't mind "muddying the waters" with variations on existing designs so an underwound 43awg JB (a variation on his most popular pickup) wouldn't be farfetched and is IMO long overdue...
There's already a considerable amount of lore surrounding the JB. People say the 80's version sound nothing like the 90's versions and the 90's versions sound nothing like the 00's versions. Then you have the bugsey with A2 and throw in antiquities with aged and roughcast magnets. Wooden spacers, butyrate bobbins, brittle high gloss 00's plastic and durable 80/90's plastic bobbins. Now an underwound JB whose stickers will get lost over time to add to the confusion. A Custom with different magnets is one thing but when you substitute tomatillo for tomato and lamb for ground beef, Mexican oregano for Italian oregano you don't necessarily have marinara anymore.
 
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There's already a considerable amount of lore surrounding the JB. People say the 80's version sound nothing like the 90's versions and the 90's versions sound nothing like the 00's versions. Then you have the bugsey with A2 and throw in antiquities with aged and roughcast magnets. Wooden spacers, butyrate bobbins, brittle high gloss 00's plastic and durable 80/90's plastic bobbins. Now an underwound JB whose stickers will get lost over time to add to the confusion. A Custom with different magnets is one thing but when your substitute tomatillo for tomato and lamb for ground beef you don't necessarily have marinara anymore.

there are only 2 production JBs, the normal one and the antiquity, which is basically the same but with "vintage correct" specs, an underwound JB would be a different pickup altogether and if they do it right could be the best hot bridge pickup duncan will ever make, they don't have to use the name JB either, call it whatever but I think the JB is a good starting point because it is the bestseller after all.

Look at it as an elegant more refined version of the JB, more fit for players requiring the same aggression and chewiness as the JB but with more dynamics instead of the super compressed 80's shred antics; filling the gap between the Perpetual Burn and the JB.
 
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