would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

[hungphat]

i have an opportunity to swap my JB for a Custom.
the guitar is a PRS CE24 (Alder body with maple top) and im experiencing some of the harsh spike the JB is known for. the leads tone sounds awesome thou.

is this a good swap? the PRS is tuned E standard/DropD and mainly for heavy metal, hardrock, blues tones. i have the Jazz in the neck which im contemplating swapping for a 59 later.

i have a custom in ash body Guitar...and IMO sounds good in that...just wondering if it would go well with the PRS.
I know the JB sounds killer in all mahogany guitars.

 

[Dying Flesh]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

I would

the JB was the first SD pup I tried and i traded it for a Custom

I have no regrets

 

[Pierre]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

Yeah. They're different flavored pickups. I prefer the Custom which has a GREAT sound. I think it'd sound pretty nice in a Mahogany axe. Thicker, tighter and overall perhaps more musial.

 

[Orange]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

I own a dark warm sounding guitar too and i am also considering having a custom (doing the magnet swap).

I think the custom matches well all Hard to heavy styles.
I mean right now the custom 5 sounds good but i need something that BITES, a bit more agressive without being everything on 11.

Hard Rock. Led Zep, Van halen, Guns and Roses, these guys have an authentic sound.

Now maybe i'm completely misinformed, am i ?

 

[fenderiarhs]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

both pickups have their own character and both are my favorites out of the custom range (together with the CC).....

I have encountered too the "high mid spike" problem (and a certain lack of bass)with the JB but be warned though that while the custom doesn't have that prob it has some problematic high frequencies (with a certain "ceramic" character).....overall i would say that i would prefer the JB for leads (especially wen playing with a band.....the JB can get pretty annoying when playing in your bedroom but with bass and drums it sounds much sweeter) while i like the custom for it's almost PAFish character,tighter bass which gives you the ability for fatter rythm/palm mutes....

 

[Rowan]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

Yes that would be a good thing when considering this. Do you play live in a band or in your room?

 

[Toejam]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

I'd choose a Custom over a JB any day. The JB is one of the most overrated pickups, IMO.

 

[Travis]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

Yes, without question. Do it as soon as you can.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

I did for my Ec-1000 and never looked back.

The JB may be a great pick-up. Just not what I'm looking for.

 

[hungphat]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

No Longer Playing in a band : (
strictly bedroom player.
Amp is Framus Cobra + Framus CS212 Cab.

now that you mention it...i loved the JB when playing in the band...but lately couldnt stand its rhythm/chug sound in bedroom...love the lead tone thou.

anyways ill probably go through with the swap....just gonna go home and play my ash body strat with the custom for a while and try and fully decide..
funny thing...i originally had a custom for a basswood jackson...hated it. and sold it. but loved the JB in another alder jackson and PRS SE and Epi lespaul.
with this current swap i will have 2 guitars with Customs and no guitars with JB(all sold)
its all come full circle

 

[Rowan]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

Yeah I feel ya man. Some pickups work better for different situations/guitars. Incidentally, does anyone know how the custom works in a 2 guitar band live setting?

My new guitar came with a jb but my old guitar already had as jb so I switched to a SH-6 distortion, but it didn't come thru the mix as well. I have to keep up with the other guitarist who has EMGs, so I went back to the JB. I've never tried a custom, does it well live like the JB?

 

[stangme01]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

JB = very picky about guitars, loose bottom end (wihch is even worse with high gain), thin low midrange, very spikey, mushes out with high gain, buzzy midrange when used with high gain amps, too much string separation, and you waste your amp's EQ fighting the pickup rather than shaping your tone! rating: 5/10

Distortion = overly compressed/no dynamics, grainy, too over the top (and i play metal), also has a spikey midrange like the JB, can have a harsh top end, and just sounds way too much like a ceramic pickup, and doesn't sound organic at all. rating 6/10

Custom = ****ing awesome!!!! rating 9/10

 

[34029324079]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

JB = very picky about guitars, loose bottom end (wihch is even worse with high gain), thin low midrange, very spikey, mushes out with high gain, buzzy midrange when used with high gain amps, too much string separation, and you waste your amp's EQ fighting the pickup rather than shaping your tone! rating: 5/10

whoa, whats there not to love? hehe each is entitled to their own opinion :bigok:

I got mine cause my guitar heroes use th jb

 

[I_M_Ken]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

whoa, whats there not to love? hehe each is entitled to their own opinion :bigok:

I got mine cause my guitar heroes use th jb

thats how i started out using the JB as well. then after awhile i realized i liked the way it sounded and from there on couple more JBs came along

 

[hungphat]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

i had a quick compare last night with these 2 guitars

one was a strat assembled from parts off ebay (mitey mite ash w/maple top, maple neck/ebony fretboard + SD Custom bridge pup) and a PRS CE24 Alder Body w/maple top + JB brigde pup.

while they are 2 completely diffrent guitars and string guage (Strat .052-10. PRS .046-.009s) i did prefer the fuller sound and clarity of the Custom over the JB.

that said ...i still prefered the lead tone of the Jb 9more aggressive, gainy and bite.

i will be doing the swaping my JB for my friends Custom tonight and ill try and do a comparision between my home slapped together strat and the PRS both with the custom pup

 

[stangme01]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

the JB does have a burning lead sound but thats all its got IMO. I prefer the clearer/cleaner sounding custom for leads surprisingly. But i use really high gain amps so.....

 

[hungphat]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

yeah i use high gain amps as well...Framus Cobra.

well anyway i drove to woopwoop to do the exchange...was all set to rush home and install it...but decided to check in the car(luckily) and realised the custom i was given WASNT 4 CONDUCTOR CABLE. i was shattered

so had to swap back.
im bummed. The JB is back in the PRS...with a fresh new set of strings.
i guess ill just live with it for the mean time.

 

[stangme01]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

 

[hungphat]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

i may have a potential buyer for my JB and Jazz (Zebra/reverse Zebra) set...so i may get the Custom and a 59' to replace them in a coupla weeks.

heres hoping

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: would you swap a Seymour Duncan JB (SH4) for a Custom(SH5)

I wouldn't piss on a JB if it were on fire....

I've never heard a pickup have more qualities I dislike in one single place than the JB. And God help me, I must be insane, I've tried the JB in three different guitars three different times just convinced that there was something to it.

Every time....no dice.