Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

TheMrHC

New member
Hello, I got a G&L Fallout Tribute and was wondering if a JB bridge pickup would be a good choice for it. The body wood is mahagony, the neck and fretboard is maple, neck is bolt on. Just asking because people say the JB sounds great in certain woods and bad in others. Also the neck pickup is a P90 and I was wondering if a Hot P90 would be a good choice to put in the neck, to sort of match output with the JB?

Thanks!
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

The JB will sound great in there. If you want to take it to the "next level" then seek out an Antiquity JB. They are aged visually (which you may or may not like) but also sonically. The magnets are different, and are calibrated to sound like an older JB.

As for P90s, if you're looking to upgrade the stock neck one I'm personally not a fan of overly hot and/or Ceramic magnet P90s. You'll find that the Vintage (SP90-1) is plenty loud enough to keep up with a JB in the bridge. If you're a little nervous about it, choose the bridge version instead of the neck. It's a little hotter. But that's my opinion. You may like the Hot P90.
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

JB's sound good in anything but I have the exact same guitar as you & it's loaded with a JB in the bridge & a 59 in the neck. I love it, sounds awesome!!! They sound very good while tapped too, much better than the stock puppies. Just so you are aware, you're going to want to use a TB-JB/TB-4. Although it has a fixed bridge it's F-spaced, not that it matters to a lot of people but for me I really could here the difference between the two? So to answer your question,yes it will sound awesome but if your buying a new pickup buy a TB not a SH, no difference in price & it will look & sound better. If you got a JB hanging around put it in & it will still sound good, the TB will just give you a bit more articulation?
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

I have also heard the JB doesn't quite get along with mahogany, but I have one in my maple top, mahogany back, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard Ibanez and it's by far my best-sounding guitar.
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

The U.S.A. Fallout comes stock with a TB-4? The JB does just fine in Mahogany, is it the best pickup for Mahogany? Probably not, I could think of a few others that would work better but in this guitar it sounds good. The fallout is a pretty dark sounding guitar because of the Mahogany body but it's a very small body guitar & it has a Maple bolt on neck so it's not a S.G. or S.G. dark? I think a 59 Hybrid would be a better choice but the JB in mine sounds great!
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

Well, it's the internet, so if you heard it there, it MUST be true!


There is no such thing as a generic statement that a pickup does/does not sound good in this/that wood.

It sounds like it sounds in YOUR guitar, in YOUR signal chain, to YOUR ears…and does/does not do what you want.

Most tone compliments I ever got was a JB in an All mahogany Les Paul style. I didn't like the sound, but clearly on stage to the guitar geek audience - it rocked.
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

It sounds like it sounds in YOUR guitar, in YOUR signal chain, to YOUR ears…and does/does not do what you want.

That's exactly the point I'm making. No matter what you're using, you'll hear **** like "I love it! This gear is my life" and "This gear sucks. Do not buy". When you delve into these further, it's basically "it's what I'm looking for" and "it's not the sound I'm looking for".
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1430487387.838424.jpg

My customized Fender telebration mahogany tele. Mahogany body, maple neck. With a JB and Sentient neck, and it sounds *****in'. Wouldn't change it anything. :)
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

I personally didn't care for the JB in Basswood, sounded off. Love the pickup and think it sounds exceptional in Alder/Mahogany with a Maple top. As pointed out previously, it is the internet so generalizations should be taken with a grain of salt... My advice is to try what you think would sound great and go from there. If you don't like it you can learn why, but you never know until you try.
 
Re: Would a JB sound good in my guitar?

The better question is do you need more/less bass/mids/treble and what qualities about them?


And as always, what amp, fx, music etc…
 
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