Seymour Duncan JB

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 16.4 or so

Model of guitar or bass: Samick Ls-450 Artist (Les Paul Copy)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande BBQ
Other pickups on guitar: SH-2 jazz neck
Artists using this pickup: dont care
You musical style(s): Heavy, bluesy, a little of everything
Reason for pickup change: Needed more output. I actually got this pickup by mistake. I was supposed to get the Duncan distorion, but I am glad about the mixup, and the seller and I are okay!

Perceived output level: Hot yes.
Tone: Balanced with more highs but not earsplitting
Sonic evaluation: Crate VC 30 watt tube. This amp can do blues, metal, ( I don't care what anyone else says, it does metal just fine! )and very nice full clean.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Suitable for all styles of music

Comments: Love it! I finally found my pickup of choice!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Rdc is approx 16.4 Ohms, 4 wires

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Built Strat Body/Neck with two Humbuckers only
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: SH-2 Jazz Neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Light Rock, Jazz, Blues, Pop, General
Reason for pickup change: N/A

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Lots of edge but not tinty. No squeals
Sonic evaluation: Tested through a Boss Blues Driver-Compressor/Sustain-Delay/Reverb effects chain into small Marshall (10" speaker). Also into a small Ross PA via Marshall Recording Pre-Amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: 35+ years overall playing experience guitar/bass. Enjoy Light Rock and Jazz, Blues and Pop. This pickup is probably too much sound for these styles.

Comments: Installed in the bridge position with a .022 uF capacitor in a 500 K Ohm tone pot. I have an unusual setup in this guitar which has two tone pots (neck and bridge), a 500 K Ohm pan pot and one 500K volume pot. Using the pan pot to 'tranverse' between the neck and bridge pickups, I am impressed with the tonal range. However, the Jazz Neck PU (see my other review) seems to have enough guts to do the job alone. However, the JB does add interesting, increasing shades of high end 'edge'.
Unless you have seriously gigged before, I think what most people don't realize is that there is a very big difference between playing in a 'lab' environment versus a club jammed with noise and people. In the lab the JB doesn't seem to add much. However, if you do gig in loud bands in loud crowded bars, the JB will probably 'deliver the goods' - meaning it will cut above the din when soloing. I am glad I installed it in this guitar, however since I don't play the bars much anymore, it is really there for 'overdrive' if I want it. Decent general purpose 'solo' pickup. Probably won't get much use for my style of playing tho. Therefore I cannot give it a good a rating as I would like.
Also, a word of advice - I played in loud club bands from the late 60s up to the early 80s before 'retiring' from the 'biz'. Consequently, I did lose a little bit of my hearing in both ears. Not a lot, but enough that I need the TV up a little louder, and say 'huh?' sometimes. If you do play the club circuit on a consistent basis with loud bands - do yourself a favor and use ear plugs. There is no use in losing some of God's wonderful gift of hearing - especially if you ARE of all things a musician.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: check the website

Model of guitar or bass: Epi Les Paul Flame Top
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Custom Custom
Artists using this pickup: everyone should
You musical style(s): blues, classic rock
Reason for pickup change: stock pick ups just didn't cut it

Perceived output level: This pick up weighs heavier across the board however it does so while increasing the string definition
Tone: extremely well balanced with a slight mid-ranged bump
Sonic evaluation: I use this with a carvin vintage tweed and the matching 4 - 10 cab. I'll use a touch of overdrive from a boss sd1 or a dano daddy o or a ts -7. That about wraps it up. I could not be more pleased. Combined with the custom custom I find a huge pallet of useful tones. I don't know what more anyone could ask for, I have yet to play a club date where someone doesn't come up and compliment me on the sound of the guitar.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think this would be suitable for most applications and in either position. I previously had it the bridge position and had no complaints. The only reason I changed was that I happen to acquire the custom custom and it was just way to much for a neck position. I installed the and the rest is tonal history.

Comments: If it were to go bad and need to be replaced I would replace it with the same pick-up without hesitation. I judge the sound of all Les Paul style guitars by this one. Thank you Mr Duncan this ones a keeper.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Can't remember & who cares?

Model of guitar or bass: FRAMUS Diablo Custom
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: -
Other pickups on guitar: SSL-1 Hot Rails neck
Artists using this pickup: Hundreds !
You musical style(s): Prog pop rock
Reason for pickup change: Haven't changed it - yet!

Perceived output level: High
Tone: treblely
Sonic evaluation: First of all I'd like to point out that S.D. DO NOT MAKE A JEFF BECK MODEL. They told me themselves. JB Stands for Jazzy/Bluesy - nothing else !
This is a good attempt & has some interesting qualities. For example, the sound is nice & smooth & sparkly, but the warmth is just not there.
Pretty good for solos as it cut's through so well, but split it and the sound is just too tinny, at least in conjunction with the other pick ups on my guitar ( SSL-1 & Hot Rails neck ). Even with the hot rails switched in with it, the sound is too brash, & the Hot Rails is VERY rounded.
Impressive in some aspects, but overall insatisfactory due to the balance. Rolling off the treble with the tone control just kills the sound, & EQ doesn't help much either.
I'll be changing it for a Custom Custom TB11 ASAP !!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Designed for the neck. As stated, pretty good for solos, but not much else !

Comments: If it were stolen, I'd feel sorry for the poor sod who stole it, & hope he can save up for something better soon.
I've been playing for 25 years, & have a pretty good experience of pick-ups. There's better out there.
Had an SH4 in my guitar which didn't quite line up with the strings, so I bought a TB4 trembucker version. For some reason, perhaps because of the longer shape, this was even worse with even higher treble output - hidious !
I wish it had a bit more natural warmth as then it would be a lot better.
Might work well through a really muddy amp/speaker combo.
I would not buy it again !

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: approx 14K

Model of guitar or bass: Greco Les Paul Copy ('82)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock PAF knock-off
Other pickups on guitar: Stock PAF Knock-off. Not bad at all in neck.
Artists using this pickup: Quite a few, Marty Freidman, etc.
You musical style(s): 70s Blusey Rock, some Jazz, some Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more output at the bridge position

Perceived output level: Moderately High.
Tone: Fairly even with a slightly nasal mid
Sonic evaluation: Greco Les Paul (a very high quality ride), Rbt Keeley Tube Screamer, Buddah Wah, Marshall 6100, 4x12s w/G12-80s. Intellifex and Furman PQ-3(for some very mild midrange tweaking). Moderately high output, but not unreasonable. Not a 'distortion' type as such. Has a nice vowelly quality (not as much as the Custom Custom in my '76 Destroyer, but it's there). Doesn't overwhelm you with output, but does ha a bit of kick. Bottom end is fairly tight.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: '70s Bluesy Rock: Travers, Marino, Kossoff, Alvin Lee.

Comments: I'm happy. Probably wouldn't sound as good in a brighter guitar. Had one in a PRS and also in my '76 Destroyer; was a little harsh in these brighter rides. Bottom line for me with humbuckers: Bright/thinner-toned Guitars get Custom Custom or maybe Custom 5; Fatter rides get a JB.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone LP SP II
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone Stock Standard
Other pickups on guitar: Epiphone Stock Standard in neck
Artists using this pickup: Me, i don't care who plays with SD's, i bought it cause they sound good
You musical style(s): punk rock
Reason for pickup change: Liked the White Pickup look with the all black guitar. SD's are great...And the sound a helluva lot better than the stock epi's.

Perceived output level: slightly lower than the stock epi's. not really hot. but it sounds good.
Tone: trebly... not too much bass. could be the fact that i have it at the bridge, but it's definitely more trebly than the stock epi's.
Sonic evaluation: sounds good with the amp i have...i have various voxes and oranges...sounds better thru the oranges and the marshalls. sounds a little shrill when first installed but somehow it seemed to break itself in. it's good for solos that need to be on the edge of feedback.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play punk. this is a good pickup for punk. shrill punk. but don't put it in the neck.

Comments: If it were stolen, i'd probably get it again. probably. i own an epi SG, a fernandez dragonfly, and this guitar, and it sounds good. ive been playing for about 6 years and i think that this pickup is good for anyone who wants their tone to CUT through the mix. This will not give you creamy clapton & eric johnson tone, nor will it give you stunning BB King tone. It might not even give you Green Day tone. it gives you nice, nice, nice highs but an overall cutoff on bass.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: dont remember

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha Ty Tabor Sig.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan vintage rails (neck and middle)
Artists using this pickup: Ty Tabor
You musical style(s): Death/Black/Thrash
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: eh not good enough for metal
Tone: too much treble,cant turn up bass cuz then its too muddy
Sonic evaluation: i use an ibanez smashbox through a crate mx120a on clean(cheap shit,gets the job done though)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play death/black/thrash metal.its not good for those styles though,recommend use for mainstream rock(linkin park,deftones,tool)

Comments: if it were stolen id buy an Invader or Dimebucker,been playing only for a year but am very good(can already play most slayer,death,cradle of filth,emperor)i hate the pu the only good feature is that its good for playin the occasional tool song.still searchin for sound.will be selling it soon.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: n/a

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Epiphone Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone pickups
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Metal
Reason for pickup change: The epiphone pickups were very noisy and caused a vast amount of unwanted feedback. Plus the distortion was weak and harmonics wouldnt cut through at all.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot pickup, gets great harmonics considering the sustain of the heavy E. Les Paul.
Tone: Very bright, sounds great for all out metal and anything where a very trebly, bright sound is wanted.
Sonic evaluation: When I play my E. Les Paul I play it through my Crate GFX-212 and NS-2 noise suppresor. The NS-2 eliminates to noise, so the JB Trem. is left to do its work, which is creating some good, loud music. They sound good for neck or bridge postion, and sound great split as well.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For my rock and metal style it sounds great, makes the Epiphone not SOUND like an Epiphone.

Comments: I'm delighted to have the JB Trembuckers instead of the muddy, noisy Epiphone pickups. It made my E. Les Paul worth playing. My main guitar is a PRS Custom 22, but the E. Les Paul is a very reliable backup with the JB Trems installed. Compared with my Dragon II's in my PRS, the JB's have an ordinary tone. True the JB's are very bright and clear, but the Dragon II's have a very unique, full tone and a much richer sound. Still a great buy for Hard Rock players in need of a pickup to enhance a cheaper guitar.

Pickup features: passive humbucking pickup
Impedence or other specs: wha? (go to www.seymourduncan.com) alnico 5 magnet

Model of guitar or bass: RG470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock v8
Other pickups on guitar: stock (v7, s1)
Artists using this pickup: lots (to name a few) terry corso (AAF), dave mustaine (used to), joe perry, ME
You musical style(s): mainly punk and metal (prog, thrash, heavy, nu) some blues
Reason for pickup change: wanted a pickup that had a heay distortion tone
i originally wanted to put a distortion model
in my guitar, but i wasn't very experienced in
pickups so i got in my opinion the most versatile
pu's on the market.

Perceived output level: Pretty Hot, just a bit lower than the custom or distortion model
Tone: lots of highs, a slight bit less bass, cut mids
Sonic evaluation: rg470 into boss metal zone into Marshall G30RCD
my settings are metal zone; highs: 7, mids: 0, lows: 8
and dist. fairly high. for other non-metal styles i use
amp dist. with high gain lots of a bass, slightly less mids
and slightly less treble

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: heavy music (thrash/death, nu-metal, prog), punk (ska, emo, with some funkiness added in), blues

Comments: If it were stolen, i would probably try something new out, like
dimarzio's, or get a new guitar and slap some emg's or the distorion
model in. i've been playing for a year, i'm planning on getting a
seven-string or a gibson in a few years.
this pickup is hot, great distortion, clean tone is nice, kind of
generic coil tap sound (wired with middle position single coil).
every style of music is attainable. good metal tone, thick distortion.
good harmonics, not over the top "EMG" output. chords sound nice and full. good lead tone. the clean sound is good, a bit warm, good blues tone. not as good as low/mid- output, but ya can't get everything. the only complaint i have is that this pickup is to generic sounding.
probably cua everyone uses them, this pu is a kind of "jack of all trades". wonderful pickup nonetheless.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: :S

Model of guitar or bass: Epi Flying-v 58 and ESP EX-100
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stocks
Other pickups on guitar: Stocks
Artists using this pickup: What is this a test?
You musical style(s): Lots of styles, I like hard rock/metal most
Reason for pickup change: wanted to change not-so-interesting stock PU's

Perceived output level: Fairly high output..not going to make your cables shake though
Tone: It has a pretty balanced tone with an upper mid's punch that especially come out beautifully in leads and solo's. It makes it hard to get a good rockin crunch down low sometimes but as long as you've got a decent amp/effects it shouldn't be a problem. The tone for clean has got to be the best I've ever heard.
Sonic evaluation: I have 2 ways of playing,
Guitar->Boss MT2->DS1->OS2->Digitech RP200->Yamaha660>2 Peavey TLS4 + 2 CGM 1x12's
Or..
...->effects->Peavey MP4->Radio shack 1x10-miced into-Yamaha660...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play lots of hard Rock, mostly lead. I'd say it's a very good pickup for that style.

Comments: I've been playing about 2 years now and take this for what it's worth. This pickup is great, not perfect, but definately great. I first got it for my Epi 58 V. The tone was somewhat similar to the stock pickup but it had a brighter attack which I really liked! It's hard for me to control the Lower tones in some riffs but If you scoop it enough it sounds great. But if you just like to keep your mids cut way down all the time then I don't think this Pickup is for you. The mids give a real punch and thats what makes this pickup good. This is a very clear pickup, not harsh at all in my opinion (or definition of harsh for that matter). It is perfect for playing clean although you may want to consider turning your low's up quite a bit. The main reason I bought this pickup was for lead and Mid-range riffs which it rocks at. The harmonics and overtones seriously rock!! It gives solo's quite a bit of definition and tone in the high-end, my only beef about it is I can't get that bassy popping sound that makes shredding sound cool. I suppose the tone is good enough to cover for that though. If it were lost or stolen I'd probably get it again, maybe try something else just cuz I've "been there" but now that I've used a JB and grown to love the beatiful leads I can get from it, it would be hard to think of not having one in one of my guitars. :S