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glassjaw7 « A mainstay in my arsenal for years »
Published on 03/21/11 at 23:40Seymour Duncan's JB pickup has been burning up stages, studios and bedrooms for over 30 years now. It has become one of the most popular all-around blues/rock/metal pickups in existence. Many guitar companies such as Schecter and ESP install the JB in the bridge position of many of their upper level guitars stock.
The JB is built around an Alnico V pickup which delivers exceptional harmonics and overtones, as well as juicy overdrive and chimey clean tones. The strong point of this bucker is its versatility. It is literally equally at home playing blues, classic rock, modern hard rock or heavy metal. It may not be the best choice for modern, ultra aggressive metal tones, where a ceramic pup with an extreme tight low end is preferred, but plenty of modern bands use the JB for aggressive metal tones.
I currently have the JB in two of my guitars; a Schecter C-1 Classic and a G&L Invader. The Schecter has a mahogany body with a maple top and a neck thru design with rosewood board. This is a very dense and warm guitar, and the JB sounds very good in it. It may not be the absolute best choice for this guitar, but it delivers good note separation and an addictive airy quality that I love. At first I felt that the high end was too shrill in this guitar, but I've grown to like the detail in the highs.
In the Alder bodied G&L, the pickup delivers perfect rock distortion sounds. The G&Ls are known for their "snappy" response and tone, and the fact that it has a bolt-on maple neck adds to this spanky, snappy sound. The JB is a near-perfect fit in this guitar, producing rich and warm overdrive, that cuts through with a nice airy sizzle, but doesn't get harsh.
As great as these pickups are, I am always searching for something better. I've recently spent a fair amount of time on the phone with several custom pickup builders and when they ask what I'm looking for, I catch myself saying "something like a JB, but better". After several years of tone searching, I'm beginning to wonder if there really is a better pickup for rock. I still want to try some of the boutique pickups that are becoming popular, like Motor City and Bare Knuckles, but I don't have several hundred dollars to drop for a set of pickups.
The JB is a time tested workhorse that suits most styles of electric guitar playing. If you haven't yet, check one out.
The JB is built around an Alnico V pickup which delivers exceptional harmonics and overtones, as well as juicy overdrive and chimey clean tones. The strong point of this bucker is its versatility. It is literally equally at home playing blues, classic rock, modern hard rock or heavy metal. It may not be the best choice for modern, ultra aggressive metal tones, where a ceramic pup with an extreme tight low end is preferred, but plenty of modern bands use the JB for aggressive metal tones.
I currently have the JB in two of my guitars; a Schecter C-1 Classic and a G&L Invader. The Schecter has a mahogany body with a maple top and a neck thru design with rosewood board. This is a very dense and warm guitar, and the JB sounds very good in it. It may not be the absolute best choice for this guitar, but it delivers good note separation and an addictive airy quality that I love. At first I felt that the high end was too shrill in this guitar, but I've grown to like the detail in the highs.
In the Alder bodied G&L, the pickup delivers perfect rock distortion sounds. The G&Ls are known for their "snappy" response and tone, and the fact that it has a bolt-on maple neck adds to this spanky, snappy sound. The JB is a near-perfect fit in this guitar, producing rich and warm overdrive, that cuts through with a nice airy sizzle, but doesn't get harsh.
As great as these pickups are, I am always searching for something better. I've recently spent a fair amount of time on the phone with several custom pickup builders and when they ask what I'm looking for, I catch myself saying "something like a JB, but better". After several years of tone searching, I'm beginning to wonder if there really is a better pickup for rock. I still want to try some of the boutique pickups that are becoming popular, like Motor City and Bare Knuckles, but I don't have several hundred dollars to drop for a set of pickups.
The JB is a time tested workhorse that suits most styles of electric guitar playing. If you haven't yet, check one out.