Seymour Duncan JB

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Sorry, I don't know.

Model of guitar or bass: Steinberger GM
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG 89
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Little'59
Artists using this pickup: Lots and lots.
You musical style(s): primarily crunchy rock.
Reason for pickup change: EMG's had a sterile, brittle sound on the high end, that was impossible to get rid of.
I also hate replacing batteries.

Perceived output level: Output is high, but not as high as the EMG's.
Tone: To me the tone is pretty balanced, although they're definitely more mid-heavy than the EMG's.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Rocktron Piranha preamp, Graphic EQ, BBE Sonic Max, Alesis Midiverb 4, thru a Mesa Strategy 500 Tube amp.
Very good for getting crunch, not so good for the clean sounds, but I'm not a big humbucker fan for clean tones anyway. If you're running thru solid-state stuff, you may want to stick with the active pickups, but with a tube rig it gives a pretty typical classic humbucker tone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's a good match for any kind of classic rock type sound.

Comments: I'm not sure if I would get this one again, but I'm not ready to replace it yet, so that's a good sign. I've been playing for about 15 years. This is a good pickup for both rhythm and lead playing.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Super 59
Artists using this pickup: Standard in the bidge posision of many Hamer guitars
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: The guitar was a 70's Les Paul custom modle and it's original pickups sounded realy bad. They were too tiny and thin for humbuckers as well as one dimentional. This modle of Les Paul came with a coil tap and that just made the pickups sound worse. Keep in mind this gibson was from the 1970's. Bad pickups!

Perceived output level: Hotter than your normal "PAF" type of pickup. Made to distort.
Tone: More of an upper mid and high end sound with good bass response. It liked plenty of gain.
Sonic evaluation: At the time of using the JB I played my Les paul threw a music man HD 130 with a Marshall drive master or tube scremer for distortion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play souther rock and blues for the most part. And tend to lean towards a texas tone if I can. While I belive the JB dose just what it was designed to do quite well it was not for me. The JB was too hot for my tastes and not fat enough. The mids of it's sound didn't honk as much as I wanted and made my tone some what generic. The best sound in my opinion was the JB coil taped. The gain was too hot and crunchy /half dirty tones sounded to pushed.

Comments: I wound up replacing the JB with a Super 59 and was much happier. The best way for me to describe the sound of the JB is to point you to Gary Moore's blues rock works of late. You can nail that tone with a Les Paul outfitted with JB's. I got damn close useing the music man.

I will not use one of these models again, they just don't have enough warmth and give to much gain masking your personal tone.

Pickup features: passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: check site

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn Lyon
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Washburn
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Alcino II in neck, stock middle
Artists using this pickup: Too many to list
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, metal, country..pretty much everything
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was mucho cheapo. Very muddy, no clarity.

Perceived output level: Hotter than most humbuckers, but not over-the-top
Tone: Mostly trebbly and middy. A noticeable upper-mid hump. Hardly any bass
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this through a Peavey Classic 50 4x10". I've been using this pickup for about a year and play out in a band regularly. First let me point out the JB's strong points. This pickup is great for leads. It has a smooth and clear high-end and has a nice bite to it. It has great sustain and really picks up harmonics. However, I found that where this pickup really lacks is with rhythm playing. The upper-mid frequency really sticks out when playing chords. I've played this through multiple amps and no matter how much I mess with the eq, that annoying middle-trebble frequency sticks out and makes me cringe. This pickup also hardly has any bass. When playing chords, the JB lacks the fullness that I'm used to hearing with other humbuckers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think this pickups works great for leads in rock, metal, and blues. I think it's unsuitable for rhythm playing, especially with harder rock and metal that requires those heavy power chord riffs

Comments: I've been playing for about 6 years and playing out with a rock band for about a year. This is probably the best pickup I've ever heard for playing leads. I literally get goosebumps sometimes from the tone that oozes out. However, it's really not a great pickup for rhythm playing. It was not until I purchased my new Godin LGT that I realized how thin the JB sounded in comparison. It's definitely not a "fat" sounding pickup. I would give this a 10 for leads and a 6 for rhythm.

Pickup features: four-conductor cable allows in/out of phase, series/parallel wiring, coil tap
Impedence or other specs: umm

Model of guitar or bass: fender jag-stang
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: fender "special design" humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: vintage strat p/u @neck
Artists using this pickup: umm...kurt cobain used to use them
You musical style(s): alt, punk, rock
Reason for pickup change: the humbucker that came with the jag-stang is horrible. it gave no warmth or sustain, and couldnt be coil tapped. the guitar was completely unless to me, and since i couldnt sell it for anything decent, i decided to change at least the bridge pickup to make it playable.

Perceived output level: much louder than the stock p/u, but not quite as loud as the OBL on my epiphone les paul. it doesnt overdrive my cab like the OBL does...which is a good thing, i mean, this is a bridge humbucker. another cool thing is that it doesnt squeal at high volumes.
Tone: very smooth, nicely balanced, just the right amount of bottom end...gives a powerful sound... a lot of mids. my only complaint is that the treble doesnt stand out enough. thats not to say the p/u is muddy (because it isnt), just that there isnt much power behind the treble. but at any rate. i never imagined the jag could sound this good...im actually *using* it now if u can believe that. at band practice no less...unbelievable. i no longer hate this guitar.
Sonic evaluation: i first tried it out on my fender deluxe 112 plus and it sounded great. it sounded just as good thru my crate halfstack. it doesnt have as much sustain as the OBL (especially when played clean...but this is more of a distortion p/u anyway), but its still much better than the original fender that was in the guitar. it is a bit weak with the treble...but on the upside it isnt muddy at all...it has great clarity.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: hmm...my band is a mix of radiohead, sonic youth, dk, and nirvana. this p/u is great. i cant think of any styles that this p/u wouldnt work for. i dont know how it would sound in other postitions...its recommended for the bridge, and it sounds great there.

Comments: ive been playing for about 4 and a half years. ive owned an american std strat, which i sold to buy my epiphone les paul. i was going to sell my jag-stang but i wouldnt have gotten much for it, so i figured i might as well make it tolerable. but like i said, this p/u surpassed all expectations...i actually use this guitar in place of the les paul sometimes. i became interested in this p/u because i heard that cobain used to use them around the time of the in utero tour, and i always liked his sound. so i looked at the reviews here and figured it was worth trying out. again, my only complaint is the lack of power in the treble response, and it could have a bit more sustain when clean. but at least it has clarity (the OBLS are a bit muddy, though not anywhere near as bad as the stock epiphone p/u's). im definitely satisfied with it, and would not hesitate to buy it again.

Pickup features: Humbucker (Passive)
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Epi Les Paul, SG Copy and Ibanez Artist.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock or whatever.
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan '59 or Custom Custom
Artists using this pickup: Maybe ... Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): Cutting Edge Praise and Worship, Country, Rock, Gospel styles
Reason for pickup change: To sound better.

Perceived output level: Medium High, but not Shredder high
Tone: Like a PAF with a nice high mid punch
Sonic evaluation: I use several amps - a Laney LC-50, a Modified Sovtek Mig-60, Marshall, Gibson, Fender. This is a great pickup through any amp. The guitars use a variety of body wood combinations. This pickup sounds really good with all of them. It also sounds great coil tapped. Just a great all around lead pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a great match for most styles. A nice punch for leads.

Comments: I keep buying them, so yes I'll eventually get another one (when I get another guitar!). I've heard a lot of what's out there and this gives me that Duane Allman/Clapton kind of bark I like for lead. If you want more punch than a PAF and still want tone this is it!

Pickup features: Humbucker(passive)
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Goldtop Les Paul Copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock ibanez humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: stock ibanez neck humbucker.
Artists using this pickup: N/A
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: This is my first les-paul type of guitar and before i've
always owned strats. The pickup gave a good Peter Green tone
through my Fender Princeton Chours combo. It was hotter than
a '59 and it had more bite and i've kept the gain between 4
and 8, with the master at 4 or 5.

Perceived output level: To-Die-For Hot.
Tone: middy
Sonic evaluation: At the time (1993/94) I had an Ibanez Goldtop LesPaul copy that
came stock with ibanez pickups. Then, I had added the JB p/u from
Seymour Duncan and installed it in the bridge. I also purchased
a Dimarzio PAF for the neck(more on this in another report)
I loved my sound and at first I had the LP with the JB in bridge
and stock in neck. I had reversed the pickup in the neck position
and i got that sweet, out-of-phase Peter Green tone with just
the neck position alone and a little reverb from my amp ala "The
Supernatural".
THE SOUND WAS GOOD BUT I'm STILL SEARCHING FOR THAT Gibson LP/Bluebreakers tone. Of course, I could go out and buy the Gibby
and the Breaker. I don't have the Ibanez anymore because I got offered
300 bucks cash for it and I still have the Dimarzio and Duncan pickups
that I put in there.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I mostly play classic rock and blues. The pickup is good for rock with good gain.

Comments: I still have the pickup, but i haven't decided to put it in anything
yet. like is said before, i'm still in search of that Green/Woman
tone.

Pickup features: passive humbucking w/coil tap
Impedence or other specs: sorry,cant help ya there

Model of guitar or bass: gigson SG
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: emg 81
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: who cares
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: forever seeking out the perfect tone

Perceived output level: normal to high
Tone: muddy
Sonic evaluation: mesa dual recto w/4x12 recto cab

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: metal,this is a great pickup,really nice tone,when it comes to really cranked up gainy situations...it seems to breakup and/or get muddy(yuk)

Comments: not sure if i would replace it in the situation im in now,i love the
fattnes you get when your slamming out chords(esp in dropped d) but when it comes to playing very precise gainy runs...it tends to mud up.
if i played in a band like kyuss it might be more to my liking

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: no clue

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Soloist SL1
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: This pickup is stock in most high-end Jacksons.
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Hot Strat Stack (2)
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck I guess, anyone else playing a high-end jackson
You musical style(s): Hard Rock, Blues, Southern, Funk, Classics....
Reason for pickup change: None (It was my stock pickup)

Perceived output level: A little above average output I guess, it's more than enough
Tone: Very nicely balanced. Sounds good with minimal amp tweaking.
Sonic evaluation: This pickup is very good. It has great harmonics and is very clear for high, singing leads. It also does the power chord crunch thing very well. Like I said before, it needs almost no EQ tweaks on the amp (a Peavey 5150).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup can cover any style. I have a multi-fx processor (Boss GX-700) and this pickup sounds good using both the light distortions and the death metal settings. When used with the other singles on this guitar it sounds good. No bridge humbucker really sounds spectacular using a clean sound though...distortions are great with this pickup.

Comments: I would definitely get another one if it broke (I'm not sure how a pickup could be stolen). I have been playing for 4 years, and have only had this pickup for about 8 months. I love it. This pickup gives me everything I need for distortions. It works great when used in combination with a Duncan Hot Strat Stack.

Pickup features: Full-sized passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: 490T stock Gibson
Other pickups on guitar: SD 59 in neck
Artists using this pickup: a lot
You musical style(s): Blues, Blues-Rock, hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: Original 490T was too bright and lacking mids

Perceived output level: Very high output
Tone: As described my the manufacturer, very balanced sound (i.e., strong bass, mids, and highs)
Sonic evaluation: Running the gutiar through a Yamaha T-100C all-tube high gain amp, the pickup delivers a very pleasing overdriven sound, though it does not clen up very nicely when you back off the volume of the guitar. I guess the output is just too high. When plyed through the clean channel, I have to reduce the gain on the amp in order to avoid any hint of distortion or breakup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I would say this pickup is ideal for people who enjoy rich overdriven sounds (think ZZ Top). I would not recommend it for people playing mostly clean sounds (e.g., jazz (not fusion) runs, or mellow blues).

Comments: For my personal style and tastes, I am very pleased with the results. Yes, I would definitiely buy it again if it were to die on me (though I doubt it will).

Pickup features: passive, humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Ex-series
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Alnico II and DiMarzio Blue velvet
Artists using this pickup: Marty Friedman, any other user of high end Jacksons
You musical style(s): Rock,Funk, Fusion
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more clarity and balance. Also wanted to reduce feedback.

Perceived output level: Slightly hotter than stock. Not as hot as f.x. a Gibson 500T
Tone: The sound emphasizes on upper mid/treble in a nice, smooth way.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using an Ibanez(floyd) through a JH-1 Wah into a MesaBoogie.
When pushing the Preamp on the Mesa i can achieve great harmonics with
this pickup. The clean tone is quite bright and cutting. Like a good
bridge PU should be...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: hard to say without hearing it in another type of guitar.

Comments: I'm quite satisfied. It gives my relatively cheap guitar a great voice.
As i'm still young (and therefore poor) i have not considered changing
it. i would like to hear the pickup in,say, a LesPaul. Then i could
have given a more solid review...
Still i have to rate it after the sounds it makes with my guitar.