Seymour Duncan JB

Pickup features: Passive humbucking (full sized)
Impedence or other specs: no clue- 4-conductor wiring, or whatever

Model of guitar or bass: Lotus L680
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock no name single coil, then Dimarzio Air Zone.
Other pickups on guitar: stock no-name single-coils (2)
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck?, Megadeth, Scott Ian
You musical style(s): all different rock, blues,
Reason for pickup change: air zone had a lousy clean sound and a less than full distorted sound (not enough mid power, and not very warm). and i wanted humbucker power (rock 'n roll! yeah!)

Perceived output level: pretty hot- louder and fuller than the air zone. cranking the clean channel will give you an AC/DC sound (on my marshall), and still stays clean (though on the edge) on normal clean setting. good and loud distortion tones.
Tone: very full- lotsa bass and mid power, but mids can easily be scooped for a heavy metal tone. great all-purpose humbucker. maybe not a good choice for absolute clean freaks, but they would choose single coils anyway, i'm guessing. i would, and i do with my fender strat (with lace sensors). i love it. the ultimate humbucker, in my opinion.
Sonic evaluation: lotus L680 (strat copy) into a marshall jcm 600 2x12. good for any sound you want, except maybe jazz or something. i use it for all types of rock blues, and other. (played this guitar in the school musical "fiddler on the roof", and the pickup sound fit perfectly.)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: all rock, blues, and many other styles. i'm pretty open minded. good match for basically anything, from, well, showtunes and hotter jazz to blazing hardcore metal. probably not good in neck position, but i really wouldn't know because i haven't tried it.

Comments: yep i'd replace it with another JB. like i said, the ultimate humbucker, in my opinion. versatile. full, loud, snappy, yet a solid clean sound also. better than the dimarzio air zone i had before for anything i could imagine. very satisfied with the pickup. nothing better. played 2.5 years now, and had this thing 6 months, no problems, just good tone.

Pickup features: passive 4wire hum
Impedence or other specs: I think it was around 13k.

Model of guitar or bass: e.s.p. mk2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: e.s.p. sigle coil size dual rail hum in neck
Artists using this pickup: aperently jeff beck (I think back in the 80's)
You musical style(s): blues/rock/metal
Reason for pickup change: this pickup WILL be changed.

Perceived output level: very high output
Tone: ultra 1dimensional treble
Sonic evaluation: marshall jcm900

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: still trying to find a style this pickup would sound good at

Comments: deffinetly would not buy one again ,I read that this is s. duncans own personal fave pickup but I dont know why.
actualy I think that if e.s.p. had built this guitar with a tone pot the pickup
would have a much bassier 3dimensional sound,the way it is know it's
only good for lead through heavy dist. and digital effects ,dosent sound
good through clean on tube amps,very trebly and 1 dimensional.

Pickup features: Humbucking, 4 conductor wire for phasing and single coil.
Impedence or other specs: Adjustable pole peices on the top coil.

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone pickup
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): All
Reason for pickup change: I wasnt getting enough enrgy out of my stock pickup, but after I threw the JB in there my guitar has sounded excellent ever since.

Perceived output level: I would say To-DIE-For-Hot! :) I love this pickup, I think its pretty damn close to perfect!
Tone: Very balanced, it adds a very nice tone to your guitar, and you can hit harmonics EXTREMELY easy with this thing, it sounds so sweet!
Sonic evaluation: Im using an Epiphone Les Paul standard. and Im playing through a Crate Tube driven 70. but before the Crate I was using a Session 200 keyboard amp and an ART sgx processor.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all types of Rock, except punk, the only metal im into is like Metallica, Megadeth and Ynwie. but anything good, Hendrix, Satriani, SRV ect... I havent had this pickup anywhere else on my guitar.

Comments: I'd give this a 10, its what I want in a pickup, and its sounds very good.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 16.6 k, resonant peak at 5.5 kHz

Model of guitar or bass: Veillette-Citron, handcrafted solid body guitar
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Harvey Citron handwound pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Harvey Citron Humbucker in neck, Gotho bridge piezo-pickup
Artists using this pickup: Robben Ford, maybe.
You musical style(s): Jazz-Blues Rock- Blues, many other styles
Reason for pickup change: original pickup was broken

Perceived output level: high, strong, louder than the Citron pickup.
Tone: Fairy balanced, sweet highs, solid midrange, weak basses. Great sustain and harmonics when overdriven.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Twin V Mesa- Boogie pedal preamp with a Fender Showman transistor amplifier, trying to enrich the sound with a few Boss effect pedals. The preamp distorted channel is a bit muddy, but works well with JB.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Very good for rock when distorted, for country when clean. Good bluesy or Jazzy sound when the tone pot is setted around 4.

Comments: I'm looking for my personal sound, inspired to the Robben Ford and Larry Carlton one. JB in bridge matches very well with Citron pickup in neck: expressive sweet blues and jazz sound when clean, the sound of GARY MOORE with distortion! And this combination (of course in the clean way) is amazing with the Gotho bridge piezo-pickup when the guitar is direcly plugged into a good mixer with just a long reverb. Not good alone with piezo : too harsh. Not so good in single coil mode or in series wiring as in hubucker mode. I would buy it again for my Fender Strat, or I would put it in the Fender guitar and use a less rockin' and more Jazz-Bluesy pickup for the Veillette Citron, to have two guitars perfecly customized for two different styles.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: '59 in the neck
Artists using this pickup: I suppose Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): Alternative, blues.
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickup was extremely muddy sounding. It had
no clarity, and just really sucked when it came to tone. It
had no high-end bite.

Perceived output level: More than the stock pickup, but certainly not extremely hot. But I would definitely say it is more than a PAF.
Tone: I feel that this pickup is basically trebly, then middy, and last of all, and least of all bassy. It doesn't have the aggressive bass punch that I would like. I would say that it is at least clear, which is more than I could say about the stock pickup. The most admirable attribute of this pickup is the harmonics you get, especially if you have the gain cranked.
Sonic evaluation: I plug my Epiphone into a 50 watt all-tube Vintage Club with three 10''s. It sounds a good deal cleaner through this amp than my old pickup, probably because of its brightness,

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play alternative, and I don't think this pickup is the perfect match, but it is decent. I am also fond of the blues, and once again this pickup is mediocre for this style. It doesn't quite have the fullness that is required for the ever-elusive, divine, steaming blues tone. I think this pickup is a good jack-of-all-trades pickup. It doesn't seem to excel at any one syle, though, except perhaps a rock lead tone. I myself am mostly a rythm player, so it doesn't quite satisfy me. This pickup is definitely made for the bridge position.

Comments: I don't think I would buy this pickup again. I would buy something with a little more bass "umph." It has great harmonics, but that is the only thing I really admire about it. I guess for a total lead player, it would be suitable, but it just doesn't fit my playing style.

Pickup features: Passive Floyd-Rose Spaced "trembucker" humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson PS-6T Kelly
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock jackson shite
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Jazz (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Me, Dave Mustaine, marty friedman, scott ian, J.Yeunger, George Lynch, Queensyrche, etc.
You musical style(s): Thrash
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were fuzzy, lacked punch, and muddy.

Perceived output level: Above stock jacksons or Ibanez.. a bit above a Dimarzio PAF Pro.
Tone: Very balanced, a slight cut in mids, but increased treble and bass (no harshness!)
Sonic evaluation: I'm running this jackson into a tri-amp setup: Mesa/Boogie Triaxis rack setup,
marshall super lead, and fender twin. It sounds so beautifuL! nice and fat..
very cool. No harshness at all, a very smooth tone as well. Cleans up
nicely.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This sucks for blues or country. great for EVERYTHING else. Don't put it in the neck though.

Comments: I've used EMG-81, DiMarzio PAF Pro, and these duncans. They are great for what
they are: passive, old-fashioned humbuckers with bite. By the way, great
harmonics. Not the most versatile, but definately have "that" tone. I
sometimes prefer passive pickups, sometimes active. I like passive on
guitars with tremelos. I love the tone, I will definately buy it again (
hey, I have).

Pickup features: Humbucker, Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha Pacifica strat copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup: Kurt Cobain, Greg Ginn
You musical style(s): Grungy alternative
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was too thin sounding

Perceived output level: A bit hotter than stock
Tone: I'd say pretty middy and bassy with nice Non-tinny sounding high frequencies
Sonic evaluation: I love the round smooth sound of this pickup. Nice and warm clean and smooth even sounding distortion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I love this pickup! It's perfect!!

Comments: I've finally found that smooth but still plenty agressive distortion sound. Excellent with a Big Muff or Boss DS-1 or DS-2

Pickup features: Humbucker, passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: homemade
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: WHO CARES
You musical style(s): classical to metal
Reason for pickup change: sounds sweet and round. full tone

Perceived output level: more than average, but not too hot
Tone: round, warm
Sonic evaluation: put in my homemade strat style with an ash body. I play that through a Peavy KB300 (keyboard amp <shut up it sounds good>) or Soldano.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classical to metal

Comments: It kicks ass

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Impedance: 16.4k, Reasonant peak: 5.5khz

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Silver Cadet
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: neck: Little '59 / middle: stock
Artists using this pickup: ??
You musical style(s): metal
Reason for pickup change: stock pickup was weak

Perceived output level: It's a high output, with a hot sound... though I wanted HOTTER!
Tone: it's a very much balanced pickup, and i usually need to turn down the tone control on the guitar for rythm
Sonic evaluation: The improvement over the stock was unbelievable, but what else should I expect from a low cost made in Korea guitar?
I use a Valvestate VS30R, which is really a solid state amp, and I need a hotter allround distortion which this amp cannot give me by itself. The pickup works great, it brings everything the amp can give, which is not that much.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This works great for metal, if you have good effects to support it. Maybe better for the lead position rather than for rythm. It's a bridge pickup only.

Comments: It's a great pickup, does many of what i wanted, but I think I'd try something else next time. Maybe a EMG. I'm pretty satisfied, but I still haven't found THAT sound.

Pickup features: Buck
Impedence or other specs: Not Sure

Model of guitar or bass: Any thing with a buck at the bridge
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: Doesnt matter
Artists using this pickup: an awful lot
You musical style(s): rock
Reason for pickup change: better sound

Perceived output level: A hard one to pin down, medium high out put
Tone: lots of clarity when playing overdrive/ distortion
Sonic evaluation: Marshals, Saldanos, 5150, Preamp pedals. You name it I'll try it

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock / blues

Comments: This is the swiss army knife of pickups (bridge). It does everything
well. I own 15 guitars, 6 have a JB's in the bridge. Distorts well,
cleans up when you back off the volume. Works in mahogany Les Pauls &
Ash Floyd Rose whammy machines. This is the first replacement pickup
any one should try. I,m Very interested in trying a JB jr for my strats.

Pickup features: humbumcking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock epi p.u.
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 57 classic+
Artists using this pickup: Me, as well as Jeff Beck.
You musical style(s): alternative/country punk/punk r&b
Reason for pickup change: Rule of thumb: when purchasing a Epiphone L.P, change everything!
The pickups squeal,the tuners won't stay in tune, & you'lllacerate your self on that bridge.

Perceived output level: definitely louder than most of my stock Gibson p.u.'s.
Tone: great low end, seems to have that 'scooped mid' tone, metalesque.
Sonic evaluation: This is in my backup L.p., which I use for heavier songs. (It's pink metal flake)
For an alder wood geetar, this pick up does well,especially w/my crate blue voodoo.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for crunchy rhytym playing, okay for leads, no-no on clean tones.

Comments: This was my first purchase of Seymour Duncan pickups, it doesn't have
the sound that I'm after in my head, but nonetheless, it still sounds
great & I'm sold on Duncan's.

Pickup features: humbuckin!passive
Impedence or other specs: Oh I don't have the specs here...

Model of guitar or bass: yamaha pacifica 904(warmoth custom),pacifica 604,ibanez rv(yes rv) 470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: you name it,I've been working on guitars for 18 years
Other pickups on guitar: jb junior neck,or dimarzio fast track 1 in neck
Artists using this pickup: marty friedman,andy timmons,some guy named jeff....
You musical style(s): heavy,funky,bluesy,fusion,etc ad naseum
Reason for pickup change: the search for tone of the gods(is there any other reason?)

Perceived output level: hotter but smoother than a paf-pro(dimarzio),creamier than a hot rails,Eric johnson velvet gain
Tone: ballsy,but articulate,sings
Sonic evaluation: I have used so many pickups,and this is the one for 4 out 5 of my
guitars.The only guitar it didn't rule on was my ernie ball silloutte(a very
light axe with a pronounced low mid tone,use dimarzio steve morse
pickups on it)...I would recomend to anyone to consider looking at
the value of thier tone cap,and the tone of the wood when changing
pickups.When I get more time I'll send more reviews(I've used so many over the years<read in grandpa simpson vioce>)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: best bridge pickup in exsistence,all styles,really...of course this applies to me only

Comments: I own 4 of them now,with my style & rig I have that sound!!!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 15.7K DC Resistance

Model of guitar or bass: '70's Ibanez Les Paul copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez Super 70
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio PAF (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Robben Ford
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Chart Covers
Reason for pickup change: Looking for a creamier sound.

Perceived output level: A little hotter than vintage PAFs
Tone: Hardly any bass, very middley, some tops without being harsh.
Sonic evaluation: Very smooth, no bottom end punch, heaps of middles with a little bite at the top end. Overdrives REALLY well, great in the bridge position for raunchy and creamy solos.
Even though I like this pickup, I find it doesn't convey the guitar's natural sound - its a bit characterless when used clean.
I'm also disappointed that it doesn't mix well with "standard" vintage humbucker or single coil pickups because its impedance is so high (it hardly has any effect at all when mixed with other pickups), although I get a good combined hollow sound by deliberately wiring it out if phase with the PAF.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Suitable for all except clean, country & metal.

Comments: Probably wouldn't buy it again, given that I prefer a more even sound with character.
Ratings: 3 for clean, 8 for crunch thru overdrive, 1 for combination sounds.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Strat Plus Deluxe
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: SHITTY LACE SENSOR (SILVER, as if it matters)
Other pickups on guitar: I still have two lace sensors in middle and neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: The lace sensors sound like total shit!!!!

Perceived output level: Fairly hot. Can get good overdrive sounds but also good clean and semi.
Tone: Well balanced and harmonically rich.
Sonic evaluation: This is a great PU! Very versatile. Good Crunch and cleans up nice. Lead sound is smooth and toneful with enough bite for great harmonics. Won't mush out.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for virtually any style.

Comments: I definitely would buy this PU again. I love the versatility of it as well as a well rounded tone. Very legit "jack of all trades" pick up. And there is a shitload of good guitarists that use them.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: charvel 2hb model
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: duncan screamin deamon
Other pickups on guitar: duncan 59 neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): METAL METAL and more METAL
Reason for pickup change: deamon sounded like a trebly piece of shit

Perceived output level: really hot
Tone: great metal, rock and blues pickup
Sonic evaluation: tone tone tone metal leads never sounde so good

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great metal, rock ,blues Probably good for everything

Comments: Have put this pickup in every guitar I've had (Aprox. 75!)
had great results every time!

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epi Les Paul Standard
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock in the neck
Artists using this pickup: mr. Beck, I suppose
You musical style(s): blues, hard rock, ska, heavy rock
Reason for pickup change: My stock pickups squealed like a pig. Plus they were really
thin and brittley.

Perceived output level: about the same as the stock one, suprisingly. I was expecting a little more "oomph".
Tone: definitely not bassy, really "good" highs, if you like that sort of thing
Sonic evaluation: This pickups got good tone I guess, but not really what I was looking
for. Absolutely no bottom-end. I can't get any power out of it for
those Adam Jones, Page Hamilton riffs. Sucks at the blues, too brittle
and harsh, and definitely does not have the funk. I find it hard to
put it to a good use when I push my marshall past 4. Has a real 80's
metal tone (Slash, Faith no More etc.).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: blues, funk, or anything heavy (unless you want to play Motley Crue), it won't work

Comments: Would not buy it again, actually, I'm trying to get rid of it so I
can get something more suitable to my tastes, something with that sound.
Thinking about the Invader, maybe. Anyone care to comment?

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive,
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender Lace-Sensor stacked humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: Fender stock single-coils
Artists using this pickup: Marty Friedman
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a thicker and more powerful tone to better suit
my playing style.

Perceived output level: Slightly crunchy-sounding
Tone: Warm, mid-rangey sounding
Sonic evaluation: The JB pickup gave my Strat's bridge position (I had to router it)
a much fuller, warmer, more powerful, mid-rangey tone. It has great
response to dynamics such as bends and vibrato. It suits my needs
as a rock player.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: None, it's quite versatile.

Comments: I chose this pickup because of the various artists who used it, and
I noticed that Duncan pickup users had a certain tone in their
playing. Well, I put in the pickup, and lo and behold, after a few
minutes of playing I found I was able to get that midrangey, crunchy
Duncan tone. I'd definitely get it again.

Pickup features: 4-conductor wiring for split, out-of-phase,
parallel, serial, and standard humbucking operation
Impedance or other specs:

Pickup features: Adj pole pieces
Impedance or other specs: Hi Z

Pickup features: 4 conductor cable; includes screws
Impedance or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Stratocaster (with new
pickguard with humbucker cavity in bridge)
Position: Bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio PAF-Pro
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Vintage Flat in neck and Duncan Alnico II
Pro staggered in middle (both single coils)
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck (?)
Your musical style(s): BLues Rock, Progressive, Rock, etc.
Reason for pickup change: The PAF-Pro gave too much of a high end and
dirty type of sound. I wanted a smoother and warmer sounding unit
that would still have enough output to make my amp overdrive quite a
bit. Basically, I wanted a saturated sound that had a nice level of
clarity and was not too brittle.


Model of guitar or bass: Guitar
Position: Bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG 81
Other pickups on guitar: EMG SA , yes they can be used together if you
have wizards like the guys from the Guitar Factory setting you up! Incidentally,
I have the pickup in a guitar factory guitar - killer axe
Artists using this pickup: The man himself, I suppose
Your musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a warmer more trebly, less sterile
sound


Model of guitar or bass: custom (homemade) Warmoth strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: nothing - i built the guitar myself.
Other pickups on guitar: neck is DiMarzio stacked single coil ripped out of an Ibanez
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck, i assume.
Your musical style(s): metal, hard rock, bluesy rock
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Among the highest in the passive pickup selection.
Tone: Though very subjective and depending on the type of amp you use,
I would say this pickup offers a wide tonal range and is not
necessarily "scooped" for those thrash metal lovers. I would have to
say that overall, this pickup has a nice midrangy kind of sound that
can be quite powerful if one decided to turn up the preamp level on
his/her amp.
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Perceived output level: Meduim, just enough to scream but still retain
some semblance of quietness
Tone: Bassy & alot trebly, definitely not middy
Sonic evaluation: Totally kickin, totally versatile, dirty or clean, The
difference between the JB and the EMG 81 is sound, if you want the old killer
van halen/Beck screamin warm sound get the duncan JB, if you want the sterile,
cold, naa naa naa sound, with all of the tone of a cup of sand, get the emg 81.
I rest my case.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: none unless you just
can't play guitar

Perceived output level: medium loud. same as any average humbucker. the
pickup is quiet.
Tone: a very balanced pickup. it has a straight-ahead, full bodied,
humbucker sound. it's on the high output side, but not as high as
"metal" type pickups like the Lawrence XL500 (see my review of that).

Sonic evaluation: i play mostly metal through a tube preamp and a
Mosvalve power amp. i like this pickup because it gives a clear
balanced sound - not too treble-y, not too booming and bass-y; a
very versitile rock and hard rock pickup. Kramer used to install
these as the stock bridge humbuckers pickups in their 80s Floyd
Rose "hard rock" guitars. EVH may have used them; i don't know.

it gives a very nice bluesy half distorted sound when i turn the guitar
volume control down. you can get anything from a barely dirty tone
with the knob way down to a ZZ top rythym about halfway to a full
hard rock GnR crunch with the volume all the way up.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is good for everything from loud blues to metal.
i use it for bluesy stuff, medium metal like Alice in Chains and GnR,
and extreme metal like Pantera. the extreme metal doesn't sound as
good as with a really high output pickup, like the XL500, but the
versitility makes up for it.

Comments:


Comments: 100%
satisfied


Comments: this pickup gives a great range of solid rock sounds,
from low distortion all the way to high gain amp settings.
versitility.