Let's Talk JJB Prestige 330

[Howie22]

For those of you who may remember, I have a K&K Pure Western in my Larrivee that I've always liked, but haven't been fully satisfied with. The pickup was not installed properly, and I believe that's the primary source of my heartache with this pickup. Also, I have it paired with a LR Baggs PADI, which I understand is not a good impedance match.

 

Anyway, though the pickup doesn't sound "bad," the fact that it was installed improperly really bugs me, and I'm considering taking it out and replacing it.

 

Given the cost, the JJB pickups are an attractive option. I have a few questions, though.

 

-What is the impedance? Is it the same as the K&Ks (1meg)? If so, I'd consider going with the K&K preamp.

 

-The install instructions show positioning of the pickups "behind" the string holes. Pretty much every other SBT on the market (K&K, IBeam, B-Band) recommends mounting the pickups right over the saddle. Are JJB's instructions on the website correct? How is everyone installing them?

 

 

I'm also thinking of possibly going with something else altogether. Either the I-Beam or B-Band 1470. Also thinking about the new K&K Pre-Phase setup. I've never liked the idea of a battery in my guitar, but I DO like the idea of not necessarily needing an outboard preamp anymore. I always thought the K&K sounded good plugged straight into the board, there just wasn't enough volume.

[acousticdepot]

I have installed two Prestige 330s and put them both behind the bridge pins. I am not sure how much of a sound difference there is ... but they may suggest this placement to avoid interference with the bridge pins when you change your strings. And that is purely a guess. The cable length on the K&K may be longer ... again just guessing.

 

I am not sure what the impedance is ... but they come in two sizes 15mm and 20mm. Someone here suggested 15mm for dreads ... so that's what I used. They have a link on there website for questions, so maybe you could ask them about impedance.

 

I purchased a preamp off of ebay, but haven't used it yet because they are pretty loud on there own.

[panhandler]

I have 5 JJB's installed, all directly under the saddle and all work just fine. I only use a LR BAGGS Para DI whe going directly into a PA system. I go straight into my Soloamp and Acoustic amp. No Pre needed.

Sorry but I don't know much about impedence, I don't do teckno mumbo jumbo well All I know is... Does it work? If the answer is yes, we're done, if it's no, then it's back to the drawing board for me.

So far the answer to the JJB's are YES they work.

[Terry Allan Hall]

I combine 1 JJB, just behind and between the Low E and A strings w/ a UST, mixed 50/50 and plugged into a PADI. I get a very natural tone w/o many feedback issues.

 

If you prefer to use 2 JJBs w/o a UST, situate them right under the ends of your saddle, and if you prefer to use 3, place the middle one right behind and between the D and the G string pegs, on the bridge plate...

By themselves, they're a bit more prone to feedback at higher volumes and/or when used near a bass amp (the SBTs turn your guitar's face into an omnidirectional microphone, basically)...otoh, solo and at lower volumes, you get about as close to the sound of your guitar going into a great mic as it's possible to get!

 

JJBs and K&Ks have virtually indistiguishable impedences, and both work very well through a PADI, once you've tweaked the controls...The PADI is a very versatile preamp/active DI and will work with pretty much any p/u, be it UST, SBT or mag.

[MePeel]

I have a K&K in the Blueridge, and a JJB in the Morgan Monroe, and I can't tell the difference. They both reproduce the natural sound well.

 

Mel

[EdBega]

I give up ... where can a JJB Prestige 330 be bought?

[seagullplayer77]

I have a JJB Prestige 330 in my S12 and it doesn't sound good. It's probably because I installed the pickup wrong, though. I installed it behind the bridge pins by mistake (and I used a LOT of super glue to stick them on . . . when it says "one drop," don't use any more than a drop) and I've never been able to get a satisfactory sound out of it. I've tried moving the transducer heads, but because of the aforementioned super glue error, they won't budge .

 

Jessie at JJB was a real sport about the whole thing, though. He offered to send me a new set of pickups---for free---because he figured I'd damage the current ones if I tried to move them. Excellent customer service, great prices, and freaky fast shipping. I think I got mine a day or two after I ordered. It was pretty sweet !

 

All that said, I'd recommend JJB. I was pleased with their service and I don't think it's fair to blast them for my failure to install the pickups properly. And IIRC, the instructions do say to install the pups under the bridge, not behind the bridge pins .

[seagullplayer77]

 

I give up ... where can a JJB Prestige 330 be bought?

 

 

You can buy them direct from JJB:

 

http://www.jjb-electronics.com/

 

I think they have an eBay account that they use to do business as well.

[Redsand187]

Interesting, I just came into this forum to post about a problem with my 330 set. I'm not entirely sure what the deal is. I've had them installed in my Martin D15 for about a year now. I did it exactly as the instructions stated. It's not a huge deal, but, I seem to be getting some mid range distortion, which is becoming more and more annoying. I'm not really sure what would be the cause of this. If it is an actual problem with the piezos, or if it's something else. I've noticed this through my PA and through recordings direct. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

[panhandler]

 

Interesting, I just came into this forum to post about a problem with my 330 set. I'm not entirely sure what the deal is. I've had them installed in my Martin D15 for about a year now. I did it exactly as the instructions stated. It's not a huge deal, but, I seem to be getting some mid range distortion, which is becoming more and more annoying. I'm not really sure what would be the cause of this. If it is an actual problem with the piezos, or if it's something else. I've noticed this through my PA and through recordings direct. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

 

 

Describe your signal chain, maybe we can help.

If your using a PA, the JJB and the K&K both work best with a Para DI/ preamp. Without one, you can get some mid range issues.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Interesting, I just came into this forum to post about a problem with my 330 set. I'm not entirely sure what the deal is. I've had them installed in my Martin D15 for about a year now. I did it exactly as the instructions stated. It's not a huge deal, but, I seem to be getting some mid range distortion, which is becoming more and more annoying. I'm not really sure what would be the cause of this. If it is an actual problem with the piezos, or if it's something else. I've noticed this through my PA and through recordings direct. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

 

Might be that the middle "bug" is not making good contact...re-do it and your problem might be gone.

[Redsand187]

It's just a couple of powered monitors and I'm plugged direct to a small behringer mixer. I know it's nothing great, but the distortion is only with this guitar. I did start thinking though it may be the instrument cable, it's like 15+ years old and wasn't a prize piece new. It never even occurred to me to use a DI, which is pretty sad being I'm not a total noob when it comes to sound. I'll try that next week when I'm back home. I know it has to be something simple and i doubt it is the JJB. But I had to ask. Thanks!

[Draper B]

I am interested in buying the prestige 330 for my new Gibson acoustic(new G45 Model, y'all gotta try em out!!), but I want to also use my pre-existing fishman UST, now I know there are Stereo endpin preamp, but being a newbie, I don't understand how they work, well actually more I don't understand how to properly integrate each pickup, are they soldered to the preamp, or are there plugs?  How do I get both the new 330 and the fishman going out through the the one endpin jack... I can't find anything out online... thinking about the Schatten 2+2 preamp by the way... thanks for any insight!!

[DeepEnd]

3 hours ago, Draper B said:

I am interested in buying the prestige 330 for my new Gibson acoustic(new G45 Model, y'all gotta try em out!!), but I want to also use my pre-existing fishman UST, now I know there are Stereo endpin preamp, but being a newbie, I don't understand how they work, well actually more I don't understand how to properly integrate each pickup, are they soldered to the preamp, or are there plugs?  How do I get both the new 330 and the fishman going out through the the one endpin jack... I can't find anything out online... thinking about the Schatten 2+2 preamp by the way... thanks for any insight!!

At least some Fishman preamps have connections for two pickups. You can't blend them in terms of relative balance but you can run both at the same time. If you know what preamp you have you might be able to discover if it will handle two pickups.