Seymour Duncan JB

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: See SD blurb.....souped up PAF with bumped 400 hZ peak

Model of guitar or bass: Retrofit on Gibsons
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibson
Other pickups on guitar: See above
Artists using this pickup: Everyone and their Mother
You musical style(s): Hard Rock,Metal,Acid Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Lame pickups from your fave mfg.

Perceived output level: Medium
Tone: A PAF with a spike around 400 hZ;fantastic harmonics
Sonic evaluation: Used in Marshalls,Mesa-Boogies....etc.Basically a PAF with a bump in the upper-mids that Magically makes those "Ping Harmonics" fly off the Guitar.Great vintage sound.Better installed on a Trad Ax like a Gibson than with modern gear like Ibanez...overall, these are thin sounding on a Basswood Guitar.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hard Rock,Metal.

Comments: I've been playing almost 34 years. The JB is an industry standard.Gear: LOTS!Great spike at 400 hZ that cuts through the mix and good harmonics.Music industry trivia: SD's early ads stated that this was a copy of a PUP made for Jeff Beck (The JB) Herein lies a tale.....when I contacted SD in the mid-90's and asked them what JB stands for, (already knowing the Jeff Beck hype),the response was:
(Dead silence)....Uh...well.."Jazz-Blues" (?!) Seems they changed their story.Perhaps it's because once upon a time SD released an EVH PUP when he was the new kid on the block...without Eddie's permission.Result: He now endorses DiMarzio & Peavy.That being said, SD's are great PUPS; he goes after a vintage sound.Best retrofit in an SG,Les Paul, etc.However,I've found DiMarzio's work much better in Ibanez and lighter body guitars that need a Bit 0'"Omph"

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: it doesnt really matter, just hear it.

Model of guitar or bass: Home made Frankenstrat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Invader ( makes a great paperweight)
Other pickups on guitar: fender tex mex neck and middle (surprisingly good, the reason they are so cheap is because they ADMIT that they are mexican made)
Artists using this pickup: i dunno, lots of people
You musical style(s): from jazz to Metal
Reason for pickup change: the invader made my alder sound like mahogany. And I already have a bass player.

Perceived output level: Hotter than any stock bucker, not too hot.
Tone: well balanced. more mids than the average pickup though, but that is necessary with todays mid-less high gain amps and pedals. it does a justice
Sonic evaluation: I use this on my custom strat through a bedrock lead 50, a modded hot rod deluxe and a classic 30. sound great through all. this pickup must be understood though. if i am playing blues through a classic 30, i switch from pos 4 to the jb and it gives a small boost.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is great for the versitile guitarist. not too much output and maintains tone

Comments: she's a keeper!! I have tried almost everything. i tried the invader, i've tried that emg crap, i have tried the evolution (not too bad) but this one speaks my language. it is suprisingly toneful for a hot bridge humbucker, grat for pinch harmonics and all harmonics for that matter. i recommend it to all. i have been using this pickup for 8 months,so this review is not just some exited consumer venting his energy. it wont make you play better, it won't turn your garbage crate crap into a jcm800, but is is a good pickup. if there is a perfect bridge pickup this is it. remember, if you like to dip your face in a tacklebox, get an invader.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1977 Ibanez Les Paul Copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock super 70's
Other pickups on guitar: super 70's in neck
Artists using this pickup: lots
You musical style(s): rock, alternative...blah blah....
Reason for pickup change: stock super 70's went the microphonic route...

Perceived output level: mid output, not as hot as I thought it would be, but you never know til its in the guitar.
Tone: all around, i'm pretty happy. Definitely more full sounding than the stock super 70's. Notes cut clearer even with a great deal of distortion....
Sonic evaluation: like i said, its in my 1977 ibanez les paul copy, to a mesa boogie v-twin preamp pedal into a '96 Fender Blues Deville. I also have an epi sheraton II with duncan custom (b) and '59 (n), which I'm very happy with. A friend had a JB in his epi lp, and I liked the sound, so i thought i'd give this one a try.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i needed more chunk for rythmn in a punky rock cover band, this seemed to fit the bill quite nicely. Didn't get the feedback that I thought this pickup would give, but at least has nice tone and got rid of the microphonic squeal i was getting with the super 70's.

Comments: sure, i probably would get this pu again. Doubt someone would steal just the pu though.lol.
Been playing 10 years. Just rythmn. Don't have the dexterity for lead work, but find this pu to be pretty nice for rythmn. I'm hardly a guitar expert, but I'm pretty happy with the results of installing this seymour.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: See SD website

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson L-6s, Ibanez Destroyer X
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Too numerous to remember
Other pickups on guitar: Gib - DeArmond Goldtone, Ibanez - Screamin' Demon
Artists using this pickup: A lot, including some that shouldn't
You musical style(s): Blues, hard rock, some metal
Reason for pickup change: Do you really need a reason to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on installing pickup after pickup on dozens of guitars, looking for the right pickup/wood combination that makes you want to play your axe instead of eat and sleep? Hey, beginners, don't think you're not going to go here. If you are serious about you're playing, you swap pickups. The better you get, the more expensive the habit.

Perceived output level: The JB is a rather hot pickup, designed for gain of various strengths, the more the merrier!
Tone: I find the JB to be a pretty clear pickup, cuts through a loud mix, plenty of midrange to get your point across. Well balanced, but can be very thin in anything other than a mahogany body. Very trebly, for the lead player that likes his harmonics. Isn't going to give you a tremendous palm mute chug by itself, but when combined with the right neck p/up, watch out.
Sonic evaluation: I just wanted to make a couple of remarks about what I've found to be some interesting characteristics of this p/up.
First, the JB loses a great amount of it's fantastic grind when hooked up to a volume pot. I've found the JB to sound best when it's run straight to a tone pot, no volume. You want something softer, use your neck p/up, for God's sake!
Second, the treble can get very spiky, as many have mentioned. I have my tone pot around 7-8, just enough to tame some of the spikeyness without killing off the harmonics (which require treble!!!!)
Third, because the JB can get so thin, even with compression, I almost always use a neck/bridge setting. However, my neck p/ups are split between series and parallel. I use the parallel neck setting, volume (with tone cap and resistor - get a clue, people!) in combination with the JB. This is tone heaven!
On the DeArmond/JB(with chrome cover) combo, I can get some beautiful sounds, from a light crunch to full on high-gain insaneness. Here's a trick, though, when you have a JB with a chrome cover, extend the pole pieces a little bit, maybe 1/32 to 1/16, for better string separation. You'll definitely hear the difference. A metal cover seems to homogenize the magnetic field some, I wouldn't use a metal cover bridge humbucker on a dedicated shred machine.
With the Screamin' Demon/JB combination, I'm in shred heaven. The SDemon is also used in the parallel config, combined with the JB I get even more harmonics, growl and a great palm mute chunk. It's not the most versatile axe I own, but when I feel like bringing the roof down, this is the one, everything on, volume up, stand back!!!!
Also, I tend to raise my JB's up a little past where everyone says to set them. There's a point where you can hear the strings start to oscillate due to the magnets being too close, then back them off just a tad. I'm not recording in a multi-million dollar studio, I just want to scream some liquid fire and I'll put up with a little bit of oscillation to get it. There's nothing like it when you find it.
Last, a warning. I have found that the JB doesn't mate up well with an Alnico II pickup in the neck. Too much of a sonic change between them. Always use an Alnico V in the neck, you'll save yourself a headache and some $$$.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are no good for anything clean or light. If you are afraid of gain, stay away, far, far away.

Comments: I love the JB's for what I play. I use Pearly Gates in the bridges of my medium gain, blues guitars, although I'm now having a neck Antiquity installed in my PRS with a Blues Saraceno in the bridge, that should be interesting. It's not easy picking the right pickup, you really won't know anything until it's installed, but if you're a blues/hard rocker you can't start with a better bridge pickup than a JB. Why else would it be Seymour's all time best seller? Someone must like it. Best of luck to you, hope this helps.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 16.4k

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500T
Other pickups on guitar: Stock neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Marshall rock!
Reason for pickup change: The Ceramic Mag was too mushy and was incredibly noisy.

Perceived output level: It sounds hotter than the stock pickups, but with an emphasis on the upper mids and treble.
Tone: Very bright and trebly. Too bright, for me. It's not quite the "icepick in the ear" feeling, but the treble strings sound harsh, with very little sustain. There is very little bass response in this pickup. The mids do have a nice sparkle to them, though. Bar chords sound nice and crisp, and there's a lot of note definition...I like that a lot. Unfortunately, MetalMan cannot live on barre chords alone; single note lines and leads sound very anemic, not at all what I was expecting. Strangely enough, my friend has a strat/tele hybrid with a JB Jr. in the bridge, and other than the tele's natural twanginess, I really can't tell the difference between his and my LP in a back-to-back sonic comparison. Whether you like the pickup or not, the JB definitely has a sound of its own.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing through a 78 JMP 50 watt w/ EL34s, which is a pretty bright amp on its own. 16k is *really* hot for a pickup, and it seems to be boosting frequencies that are already very well compensated.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play 70s style hard rock and metal, with touches of stoner and doom. This is supposed to be the JB's bailiwick, but to my ears the JB is just too bright to compete with the rest of the band...I need something more balanced. However, I think it might sound better in rigs with higher headroom, like a Sunn Model T, Ampeg V-2, Fender, or Marshall with 6550 or KT-88 power tubes. The pickup is very hot and will do a fine job of driving the front end of an amp.

Comments: This was my first aftermarket pickup purchase. Buying pickups is such a dicey proposition...there are so many variables involved, and just because something sounds good in a store doesn't guarantee it'll sound the same when it's soldered in your guitar and running through your rig. The manufacturer's descriptions are of no real help, either, so it's really a matter of trial-and-error. (Come to think of it, this review itself may be of no value!)
Overall, I was disappointed with the JB. I thought it would help my leads to stand out more. After playing a friend's LP with a custom-wound Duncan pickup (from EVH's private stock, allegedly!) I think a Duncan 59/Rio Grande or similar PAF style would give me the solid fundamental sound I crave...the overdrive pedal can take care of the rest for leads.
In summary: it's a fine, well-made pickup, and while it has some nice qualities, it's not what I'm looking for.

Pickup features: humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 498T
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Jazz
Artists using this pickup: Dave Mustaine
You musical style(s): Thrash Metal, Metal
Reason for pickup change: The 498T wasn't hot enough, and i need a nice open coil pickup.

Perceived output level: about as much ouput as a Gibson 500T
Tone: this pickup is very trebly, which is really good, and balanced, and it has a full sound, not thin like some bridge pickups
Sonic evaluation: this pickup is insane, it's one of the best bridge pickups i've heard for metal, I'm currently running it through a 4x12 with an orange AD30TC head and it is perfect my musical style.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As i said i play thrash metal, and this pickup is great for it, i really haven't tried it on anything else, but it seems like it would be too hot to play jazz and soft stuff like that, seems too hot.

Comments: If this pickup were destroyed or stolen i would definitely buy it again, it's an awesome pickup. I've been playing for about a yearm and have played many pickups during that time, and tis is one of the best pickups there is.I also own a les paul studio lite with a 500T in the bridge and this pickup seems fuller and not as thin as the 500T.This pickup even has 4 conductor wiring for coil splitting so even if you wanted to do that you could. i really like this pickup.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker, black exposed bobbins. 4-conductor cable with foil shield. Wax potted, I think.
Impedence or other specs: Pretty hot...don't remember exact number.

Model of guitar or bass: 1998 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition Quilt Top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Epiphone humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: stock Epiphone humbucker
Artists using this pickup: Seymour Duncan himself...he says so!
You musical style(s): Rock, a very little bit of sloppily played jazz
Reason for pickup change: The stock bridge pup was an absolute dog (no pun intended...or perhaps it was :-)Very middy, mushy, no definition. Not good for lead work.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot compared to stock. I noticed a definite jump in volume.
Tone: Still not what I would call a "hi-fi" pickup, not in the way that a Fender single coil or a PAF is. Maybe it's just the guitar it's in, but my JB still sounds very midrangey with weak bass and trebles. Certainly doesn't seem to fit the little tone profile graph that Seymour provided on his website.
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my Paul through a Laney HC50 combo amp--admittedly not the best amp in the world, I know--and often through distortion boxes. I have to say that the Les Paul/JB sounds best through a good distortion, like a Boss DS-1 or a Big Muff. It excels at creamy overdriven tones, and it makes controllable feedback harmonics easy to get. By itself, on the clean channel, it sounds annoyingly whiny. The JB is definitely a rock-type distortion pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Excellent for hard rock, Floydish space rock in combination with a Big Muff or similar fuzztone, classic rock...anywhere you want thick, chunky overdriven power chords and leads. Not as good for more modern alternative type rock, which generally begs for a brighter Fendery sound. Might do for metal in a pinch.

Comments: The JB certainly was a step up from the crap stock bridge pickup Epiphone had plopped in my (at $500, somewhat overpriced) Paul, but it still isn't quite what I'm looking for. I was really hoping for a really balanced sound, with good bass and trebles that was also powerful and fat (ie not a Strat sound, but something with a bit of that Fender fidelity). As it stands, the JB/Paul combination makes for a great high-gain rock guitar, but not a very versatile one in that it only sounds good (to me anyway) through a distortion, which may have been Seymour's intention all along. Which is cool. I wish I could switch between two bridge pickups without having to reinstall and rewire the whole mess, and that's my misfortune. I also have a Duncan '59 that I might put in instead to see if it's more to my liking, and save the JB for something else. It's not a bad pickup for what it does, but don't expect it to be a panacea cuz it's definitely not an all-around performer like a PAF.
One thing I HAVEN'T tried, btw, is playing with the JB's 4-conductor wiring, which of course allows for all kinds of switching tricks like phase, coil split, series/parallel, etc. Everything I've said relates to standard series wiring.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Refer to Seymour Duncan website for this data

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibson POS :^)
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan '59 in neck
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck, supposedly
You musical style(s): Everything from ballads to blues to hard rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted something that didn't SUCK like the stock hardware

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Good for rock.
Sonic evaluation: Used with Les Paul and Fender Hot Rod DeLuxe and POD.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: JB works well with rock.

Comments: I have two of these for sale. Call me @ (208) 939-6787 and I'll make you a screamin' deal.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: yeah...

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Super Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan '59
Artists using this pickup: Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Joe Perry, Tommy Thayer, Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): rock, metal, blues
Reason for pickup change: DiMarzio lacked good tone and clarity.

Perceived output level: Not as hot as the distortion pup but hotter than a '59
Tone: balanced. I think one guy said something like," A top like Halle Berry and a bottom like Jennifer Lopez." Good one, dude. Sounds pretty accurate.
Sonic evaluation: Epiphone lp standard through a crappy Line 6 spider 210. Also own a POD 2.0 which is slightly more enjoyable to use than the amp. Only used it twice since I got it, though.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play anything but rap or disco. I'd say its good for what I play

Comments: Destroyed or stolen: first I'd whore myself out to the women of my town to get another one or maybe something better. Then I'd find the little punk who stole it and break all ten of his fingers for touching my stuff. I've been playin for about ten and a half years. This is my one and only rig. I don't gig but I still love to play and am planning on getting better stuff( it's taking forever though, cause I work at KMart). I considered the Custom 5 but I was afraid it would sound too bassy like my DiMarzio. I picked this because I heard great things from most people who bought it. The sound I had in my head was the rhythm tone in Aerosmith's "Sick As A Dog" I'm not sure whether it was Brad or Joe who played it. I heard maybe even Tom Hamilton played rhythm on that track. If you have the cd listen to the middle of the song where its just the drums and guitar. You'll know what I mean. I'm closer to that sound but I think if I just get a tube amp I'll be there. I also plan to get an Elitist '61 SG and put some Burstbuckers in it. But for now I'm satisfied. I wish it had a nickel cover but thats no big deal.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: does it matter?

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG3120
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Tone Zone
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Jazz
Artists using this pickup: Many
You musical style(s): Many (no country or Neil Young)
Reason for pickup change: Got tired of the Dimarzios pretty quick!

Perceived output level: about the same as the tone zone... maybe a little hotter.
Tone: clear and balanced.
Sonic evaluation: O.K. It doesn't really matter what I'm playing through but I'll tell you anyway - Marshall JMP-1 through 2 Fender Champ 25SE's with a Quadraverb in stereo live, POD, J-Station and JMP-1 direct. This pickup sounds great in this guitar. It has more bottom end in a mahogany guitar (I had it in basswood before) and is sweet with plenty of sustain which the tone zone lacked in this guitar. The tone zone wasn't bad and I really tried to like it but it tended to choke up (loose sustain) under medium to heavy gain. I had to modify (cut) the mounting tabs of the JB a little to get it to fit in this guitar but it was no big deal. I don't think Ibanez want's you to put Duncans (or others) in this guitar...TOO BAD!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Bridge position for sure, never tried it in the neck. Works well for many styles... a "swiss army knife" of a pickup. Just check out Robben Ford.

Comments: If it were stolen I'd be sorry for the guy since I have a tracking device in the guitar. Yeah right!! Anyway, I chose this pickup (and the Jazz in the neck) based on past experience and the sound clips on the SD website (I decided by the clean clips). It seems not many people put Duncans in their Ibanez's... could it be because they don't fit without modification? Shame on you Ibanez... I've had Ibanez's since I was 16 and I've been playing for 30+ years. I really tried to like the Dimarzios but gave in to Duncans again! I guess I'm a Duncan mahn. If you have a mahogany body guitar and like to FEEL your playing... go for the JB. It won't let you down.