Jump to content

JB in a Mahogany guitar?


TOStudent

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I had installed a JB in the bridge position of my '91 Les Paul Studio a while back and found it to be too bright and brittle for my tastes. It definitely gave a brighter sound to the generally darker Les Paul tone, but also sounded thin in comparison to what I wanted.

 

It might simply be a tonal preference in my case, but I went with an SD Distortion to give both brighter tones while still maintaining a thick distortion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have a JB/Jazz combo in my Schecter C-1 Plus which is an all mahogany guitar. I would classify the tone as being kind of dark....more towards the bassy/midrange. It sounds quite good actually and could do metal very well. I however, have grown accustomed to the sound/clarity of my Epi Elitist LP which is actually much brighter sounding than the schecter, no doubt due to the maple cap. Of course it is preference and I still play the schecter because it has a diffrenet, more hardcore edge to it. Not to mention the Jazz pup is the best neck pup ever, hehehe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by TOStudent

I will get pics up soon.

But my Mahogany Jackson has a maple top as well.


I think I need to change the 250kpot I am being told.

 

 

What exactly is the problem/complaint?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by GuitarRules

I have a JB/Jazz combo in my Schecter C-1 Plus which is an all mahogany guitar. I would classify the tone as being kind of dark....more towards the bassy/midrange. It sounds quite good actually and could do metal very well. I however, have grown accustomed to the sound/clarity of my Epi Elitist LP which is actually much brighter sounding than the schecter, no doubt due to the maple cap. Of course it is preference and I still play the schecter because it has a diffrenet, more hardcore edge to it. Not to mention the Jazz pup is the best neck pup ever, hehehe

 

I have a Schecter C-1 Plus with a Jazz/Invader combo (with coil tap for bridge Invader) that I like. The Invader thickens up the somewhat thin tones that the thinner mahogany/maple body produces (thinner than my Les Paul anyway) and the Jazz is just awesome for playing clean and for smooth distorted solos. The Jazz/Invader is a bit unconventional, but I like it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

What exactly is the problem/complaint?

 

 

I was playing my new Dinky last night with the JB and it has a nice growl.

From reviews and such it is supposed to be a good passive metal pick up.

 

Mine was kind of dead. Not really good string articulation or palm muting. When playing it felt like I was using a penny for a pick.

I found unable to play lead notes clear sounding.

 

Many have suggested it may be becasue Jackson often puts a 250k pot in which I am being told is more for a single coil pick up where for a humbucker it should be a 500k.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • Members

 

Originally posted by Steve Matthews

I haven't tried it myself, but remember that the "Jeff Beck" pup was basically designed for a Les Paul playing man and LP's are mostly mahogany.

 

 

 

You are incorrect with your information. The JB does

 

1. mean Jazz/blues NOT Jeff Beck

2.was designed for a Telecaster and to be used with 250K pots

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Hmmmm.....conflicting stories on the JB's history. I know it's NOT the 'Jeff Beck' model, at least officially. But his main 2 guitars in the early to mid 70's were these - a Les Paul with pickups made by Seymour Duncan, and a Telecaster with a neck humbucker, also made by Duncan. Which one was the real 'JB'? Who the {censored} knows?.........:D

 

All I know is that I've had 3 different guitars with JB's in them, and I hated it in 2 of them. The only one I really liked it in is one I still have - a mahogany bodied Brian Moore. Your mileage may vary, but it seems that lots of people like the JB in mahogany guitars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Officially, if you ask at Duncan, they'll call it The Jazzy/Blues pickup. Really... even though it'd be you last choice for Jazz or Blues.

 

Why? It IS a Jeff Beck sig pickup, it's a copy of the pickup Duncan made for Jeff back in the 70s, but this way they don't have to pay Jeff a dollar. Jeff Beck might simply not want a sig pickup or he might not even like it anymore.

 

Duncan has done this with the EVH pickup too. Everyone knows it's a copy of the pickup he made for Eddie Van Halen, but Duncan calls it the Evenly Voiced Humbucker when asked.

 

BTW the JB model (and DiMarzio Super Distortion) are my favs in Mahogany Guitars. And I've got lots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by TOStudent

I was playing my new Dinky last night with the JB and it has a nice growl.

From reviews and such it is supposed to be a good passive metal pick up.


Mine was kind of dead. Not really good string articulation or palm muting. When playing it felt like I was using a penny for a pick.

I found unable to play lead notes clear sounding.


Many have suggested it may be becasue Jackson often puts a 250k pot in which I am being told is more for a single coil pick up where for a humbucker it should be a 500k.

 

 

First thing I would try in your case is adjusting the pickup height.

 

The 250K pot will cut more highs from the pickup than a 500K and many times when people find the JB too harsh, they will use the 250K. Also consider the values of the other pots in the circuit since they also have an effect on the load the pickup sees. Swapping in a 500K is easy but will that have a negative effect on the other pickups by making them too bright?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by Armitage

Officially, if you ask at Duncan, they'll call it The Jazzy/Blues pickup. Really... even though it'd be you last choice for Jazz or Blues.


Why? It IS a Jeff Beck sig pickup, it's a copy of the pickup Duncan made for Jeff back in the 70s, but this way they don't have to pay Jeff a dollar. Jeff Beck might simply not want a sig pickup or he might not even like it anymore.


Duncan has done this with the EVH pickup too. Everyone knows it's a copy of the pickup he made for Eddie Van Halen, but Duncan calls it the Evenly Voiced Humbucker when asked.


BTW the JB model (and DiMarzio Super Distortion) are my favs in Mahogany Guitars. And I've got lots.

 

 

thats quite clever of them to do that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
  • Members

I will get pics up soon.

But my Mahogany Jackson has a maple top as well.


I think I need to change the 250kpot I am being told.

 

If you use a hi output pup you should always use a 500k or a 1meg pot. The more resistance and output (windings) a pickup has the more resistance you need in the ground on the guitar. If you are running hi output pups and a 250k pot you are probably not getting about 50% of your tone potential from your pickup. This is one mistake modern guitar makers have failed to address. New technology means change. 250k pots were for strats in the 50's with 100mv output and 3-4 ohm resistance. This is actually still the proper value for these type of pups. As you increase resistance and output you need to increase the resistance value of the volume pot controlling that pickup.

 

Hope this helps somebody's tone somewhere. My Les Paul Classic with JB in the Bridge and Stock Gibson Vintage pup in the neck sounds killer with a 500k. I actually have another volume pot networked into the ground of this guitar to create 1meg of resistance if i want for the jb and 500k for the stock neck pup and still use master volume mode which means one volume for both pickups. I just have them in series instead of parallel for both pups which is what causes the problem Les Pauls have. When you network 2 500k pots together in parallel it lowers the resistance to 250? This is what creates Les Paul disease. You should never combine resistance in parallel without correcting it with resistors to correct combined values. Using resistors or pots in series just adds the resistance. So two 500k pots properly installed can create 0-1meg ohm resistance in 2 steps. 0-500k and 500k-1meg. This brings out extra brightness and body and punch to your bridge pickup. back down the second volume for the neck pick to be smooth or use extra volume to boost treble on neck pickup.

 

:blah::blah::blah::blah:

 

psychotech

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I just bought another Hamer Mirage II with a 59/JB set which came stock in the guitar and are still in it. But they sound great in Mahogany electric's. Electric's like the Mirage II with a thick FMT? I agree they could sound bright.

 

I haven't got into this one yet. I'm gonna P/U the Mirage Wed's or Thurs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

yeah i have the JB in 4 of my guitars(they came with it-lol) and it sounds good in all of them.

one is an alder jackson DK2M with 500k pots and i was A/Bing the other day with one of my mustaines with the JB(all mahogany) and i really couldnt tell a big difference hardly at all.

the mustaine was maybe a tad darker on chunky chords and palm muting :idk:

also- in the mustaine it cleans up alot better and gives a better tonal range when you back off the guitar volume.

in the jackson it cleans up a little but mostly just gets quieter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The JB seems to be a love it or hate it pickup.

 

I have one in a Schecter S-1 Blackjack, which is a big heavy all mahogany guitar.

 

I still find the tone to be far too thin and trebly for me.

 

It pretty much nails 80's style higher gain music, but has horrendous cleans and is nigh useless for lower gain stuff.

 

It's getting replaced by a High Order :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...