All user reviews for the Seymour Duncan TB-4 JB Model

The Seymour Duncan JB Pick-up is a mainstay in rock since they designed the prototype for Jeff Beck in 1974. I recently bought a Charvel San Dimas that came stock with a JB so I gave it a shot. It has a really good mid grind to it so I can see why it was a great 70s and 80s pick up for sure. Plays classic rock tones perfectly with no issues. I think whether it is perfectly balanced or not will depend on what kind of music you choose to play with it. Balanced for me would mean that it has tons of bottom to go along with a cutting mid range. Is that the JB? No. It has the right balance to play a more mellow rock than today's bottom heavy modern rock sound and even heavy metal. I mean Jeff Beck wasn't exactly playing Master of Puppets now was he? THis was probably put out there as an alternative the the Single Coil pick ups that dominated the blues world back then. FOr the time, this was a pretty agressive tone and definately seperated Beck from the likes of Clapton. This is for playing classig rock to 80's hair for sure. Even the TOne Zone gives a heavier rendition and more bottom than the JB. All that being said, I like it for what it is and what it does. You can get these just about anywhere for a steal. The price is definately right and it does what it is supposed to do. I compared this to a lot of other pick up options and it just comes down to preference really. In the stock category I personally like the Tone Zone and the Gibson Dirty Fingers but the JB would be a close third. In the Boutique arena I would suggest a Motorcity Detroiter or Afwayu for heavy stuff. Good pick up for reasonable money is the bottom line.

The JB seems to be one of the more polarizing pickups out there. People who like it seems to be crazy about it and people that don't like it seems to abhor it.

Personally, I fall more towards the latter category. I hated almost everything about this pickup. The clean tones were thin and flat. It was a completely uninspiring and muddy tone. I don’t expect a bridge pickup to have amazing cleans, but I expect them to at least be decent. The JB did not meet that expectation.

With high gain the muddiness is just amplified. There is so little punch and definition in the low end, its useless. On top of the muddiness it’s just thin. This makes the pickup completely useless for modern metal. The only redeeming quality is the midrange, its nice and crunchy.

That midrange crunchiness is the only thing that makes the pickup useful. It does very well for those classic LP into Marshall style crunch tone. I could easily nail those classic AC/DC style tones. It sounded good enough that I actually thought about keeping it.

The pickup really lends itself to 80’s style power metal tones too. I’d say it handles them pretty well, but that is just an extension of that mid-gain crunchiness in my opinion.

Really though, it’s a one trick pony. It only does one thing well, and that’s mid-high gain 80's style crunch. If you boost the amp it does a very convincing eighties power metal tone. So overall this pickup sucks in my opinion. I hated it and I'll never own one again. However, if you're looking for a pickup to play hair metal on your super Strat or you want an LP to nail the classic eighties crunch, definitely check this pickup out. It'll probably be right up you're alley.

The Seymour Duncan JB Pickup (AKA TB4) is a very nice humbucking pickup. Built in the USA, they were originally designed for guitar god Jeff Beck. The sound is similar to an old Gibson PAF pickup, only with a bit more bite and aggression. The pick attack is crisp and clear, and the output is high, but not ridiculously so. These pickups can also be very smooth and singing in the neck position, with plenty of rich harmonic overtones. The pickup is available in a four conductor version, to allow for split coil sounds, and I'd definitely recommend going that route, as the single coil sounds that can be coaxed from this pickup are quite airy and spanky, like a good Fender pickup.

The pickup really excels at classic rock tones and metal. With coil tapping, it's pretty good for country/chicken pickin', and in the neck position with the tone control rolled off, it can make a pretty nice convincing jazz tone.

In building guitars, this makes a good "calibration" pickup, as many luthiers are familiar with its inherent tones, and it can allow the builder to really hear what contributions the wood and hardware are making to the overall tone before settling on the perfect pickup to complement the guitar. Many times, this pickup still ends up being the final choice!

So many guitars come stock with this pickup nowadays, and with good reason. I've owned a Parker PM-20 Pro that came with this pickup, as well as an LTD M-1000, and I've played a great variety of guitars in music stores where the stock bridge pickup was a JB. I also bought one of these pickups ala carte and put it in a Fender Telecaster - that was a great sound and feel! Oftentimes, the JB pickup is paired with a Jazz (Seymour's personal favorite combination) or a '59 in the neck, and either choice is good. I am a big fan of Seymour Duncan pickups, and I've never really heard a bad one. This pickup is no exception, and I'd certainly recommend it as a good all-around workhorse pickup for anyone.

Hi All, I install the microphone on a Squier Start and then run another layer function with a sturdy handle trs (like jeff beck, again).
First, the spacing of the studs do not play with a fender, too strait so the E string cot pads are, thank you seymour.
Then I can not imagine what gives a clear round with a duffer as aggressive as hell is this microphone! It was hard to bite Graille is dcoiffant! But quickly boring, every time I removed after one week so I could more. If so. And I like to play heavy.
There is something magical about this microphone with which I have not encountered elsewhere, the sustain it produces. As if it was vibrating the strings alone, is pretty trs.
So I will install it on a scratch rather dull, a strat's really not possible any Clinque everything starts all over the place, and I have a trs prpare good marriage.
In short a good mic, especially, but not on a layer or so should be angry ...
There's who want ...

MJ end of May: Do install this gem on my Fidler HarleyBenton tbl 300, and indeed the all-that-ct motion layers is no longer against by the sound of the JB is still best, matris more with a little polish so to speak. TRS is a good marriage, and splitter (single coil bridge cot) in combination with the microphone is serious royal funk as it is packed prcis. This mic is really amazing with a guitar round al-fixed bridge.
Cel said, even on a micro epi les paul std trsmdium is more ac / dc rhythm that satch / solos while on the Harley (see my opinion) is the reverse. Like what impdance despite its large and large output levels it meets trs guitar uses well, congratulations!

Mounted on my Charvel San Dimas Style 2 by a bridge with 59 'in neck.
The sound is very rich and gives a big part of his character in my Charvel.
A full ball, on any amp lamp, it reeks of Slash. I also love playing the big Texas blues.
In middle position with 59 ', it leaves the big eye on the funk that his Red Hot.
Most is stored by the Sustain Jumbo guitar and harmonics much fat coming out of everywhere.

For the sound, and beautiful harmonics
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All the guitars of the song "West" out live on an AC30, a hot rod III and a simulated dual grinder.