Are JB's too bright for a heavy maple body?

[vincedelapena]

In January, I score a Pacer Deluxe Globe with, what seems to be, a heavy maple body. Everyone here seems to think the Seymour Duncan JB pickup is the ultimate pup.
I checked on the Duncan website and it states that the JB is suited to warm or balanced bodies and necks with rosewood fingerboards. The tone chart rated '5/10' for bass, '6/10' for mids and '8/10' for the treble.
Simon (my techie/repairman) from Eight-T Guitars and Amplifiers, is removing the current Dimarzio Super Distortion and dropping in a Duncan Custom 5 Trembucker. He normally recommends a Duncan '59 for clarity and a fuller tone. He believes the JB is the wrong pickup for a bright-sounding body.
Can anyone recommend a good pickup?

[floydkramer]

you dont like the Dimarzio Super Distortion?
thats what i have in my 86 maple bodied pacer deluxe. and its awesome...i think anyway.

[Dino]

I recently built a guitar made of padauk, which I think is similar to maple in tone.
I used a SD TB59b and it worked out very well. :thumbsup

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a274/DinoBonanno/Top1.jpg
________
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[smorgdonkey]

Simon (my techie/repairman) from Eight-T Guitars and Amplifiers, is removing the current Dimarzio Super Distortion and dropping in a Duncan Custom 5 Trembucker.
I'll tell you one thing...the Seymour Duncan Custom 5 is the ONLY Seymour Duncan pickup I have ever tried that I dislike. I have tried 2 and both in the bridge position in mahogany body guitars with fixed bridges.

I can't recommend that one to anyone.

For a maple body I'd go with the Seymour Duncan Distortion. It has the extra bottom end. It would be kickass in a maple guitar.

[ullathorne]

The problem is everyone has their own favourite. Seymour Duncans Pearly Gates is, i believe a fantastic P/U. That would sound superb in your guitar.
Just my opinion though.;)

Andy.:toast

[junior]

I just built this retta mutt and it has a solid maple body. I put a vintage reverse zebra 59 in it for looks but I wasn't liking the sound, little weak for me. I then tried a vintage Dimarzio SD and a vintage Schaller 2 in 1, both were ok. Both had nice bottom end and sounded good. I now have a vintage non F spaced JB in it. The JB has a little more bite than the SD as it should, but I like it that way.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/junior1/Picture173.jpg

Like was said, it comes down to personal taste, I like some edge with nice bottom end and easy harmonics. Still might try a Dimarzio TZ just to see what it's like, but any of the 3 I tried so far would work for me.

[jumbowolfe]

Once again guys, I know I sound like a broken record, but, there is only one pickup for maple, and thats a screamin Demon. That pickup was built specifically for a maple body, and it is absolutely incredible in maple!

I wouldn't steer ya wrong on this one.
Mike

[tone-wrecker]

hi,
i just put a JB into a hard maple body/neck and ive got a really nice sound out of it. i have to turn the high's down a bit on my amp i find but other than that i realy like the sound

[junior]

Mike.... I damn near bought a Demon off the bay just to try, kinda wish I would have now $40 shipped, it was TB spaced and everything. I was at work and contacted the guy and told him I wanted it, but I couldn't click the BIN from work. Someone else bought it and I never heard from the seller. We can look at work, but if we buy we can get fired, (they track everything) so it's not really worth it.

[vincedelapena]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I know its all personal preference, but I'm just trying to get this baby right the first time round. There's a lot of work to change a pickup under a scratchplate.
I seem to be a SPASS (spare parts acquisition syndrome sufferer). I've got spare US and Japan Fender, PRS, DiMarzio, Harmonic Design, EMG and Lindy Fralins lying around. Some of these pickups haven't even got projects to go to.
One strange thing I've come across is that the Squier '51 that I purchased as a hotrod project guitar plays great out of the box, has an awesome neck and the pickups (even though they look cheap and nasty) are actually pretty impressive. No joke. Go figure.:thumbsup

[jumbowolfe]

With maple, you want a pickup thats not trebly, but has plenty of low end and midrange. Thats what's great about the Demons, they are toned back on highs, so they let the maple do the work on the harmonics and the treble. Its a very well balanced pickup in maple, in anything else, not so great (well, maybe MDF because of the density of the wood :) )

Mike

[floydkramer]

Once again guys, I know I sound like a broken record, but, there is only one pickup for maple, and thats a screamin Demon. That pickup was built specifically for a maple body, and it is absolutely incredible in maple!

I wouldn't steer ya wrong on this one.
Mike

Hmmm, you got me thinking now Mike, i was gonna get another SD and put it in my charvel model 1, but now im leaning towards taking the SD from my pacer and putting in the mod 1, and getting a screaming Demon for my pacer.

[flyingvfreak]

Good points made every were :thumbsup but if you look at the specs on the Demon & JB
Screamin' Demon Four Con. Bridge: 10 k
Bridge: 7 KHz Alnico V Bar 5 / 4 / 9

JB Model Four Con. Bridge: 16.4 k
Bridge: 5.5 KHz Alnico V Bar 5 / 6 / 8

You would think the JB would make a nice match, Another thing is use a 250K Pot will help warm up that Maple :thumbsup

[jumbowolfe]

Must be the lower output of the Demon that lets the maple do the work. I've had a JB in maple, but its very very bright, and hot.

Just going off my ears on this one. :)

[G.A.S. Ackward]

Just my 2 cents. I have an 84/85 Baretta...PURE maple heaviness. It'll break your back. Anyway, I wasn't happy with the pup that was in it when I bought it (older JBJ), maybe went bad over the years. So I dropped a brand new zebra SD JB in her.

To tell the truth, there is PLENTY of output and sustain. But, the highs are a bit much in all that maple.

And, I have an 89 Fender Tele Ultra that is heavy as hell. I eneded up dropping a SD Screaming Demon into it in '92 and it sounds FANTASTIC. Really. Amazing.

By the way Mike, interesting point about the 250k pot. I may try that with the 'Retta. Oh, here she is...

http://img2.putfile.com/main/4/10422494324.jpg

[tone-wrecker]

i dont have much money to throw around, so i can understand if this is taken as a stupid idea.

call me crazy but, why dont you just buy it and try it. I mean its always good to have a JB laying around.
and if you dont like it you can sell it to me!

[Blitz]

Interesting point of the 250k pot my 87 baretta had one in but someone had changed the pup for a trembucker and i put a 500k pot. Since then I got a vintage zebra JBJ so I may put the 250k back in. I'm not sure if mine is maple or poplar its not quite as heavy as my JS.
I was tempted to get a Demon to try in my JS but since they stopped making them I dropped the idea at least for now anyway.
Chris

[mmmtacos]

I tried a JB in maple and liked it for like 5 minutes:D . Then I noticed it lacked oomph. I like the Screamin Demon better but IMO it isn't really very high in the output department.

My fav pickup in maple is the one the one that came stock in my Baretta reissue. The got it right in that one:thumbsup

The JS pichup is good too:thumbsup

[vincedelapena]

Thanks again.
Now you've got me thinking! Aaarrgh! My brain's starting to hurt. Need some retail therapy on ebay to get me through this one! Haha!

My Pacer Deluxe will be home soon from Eight-T's Guitars. Gotta prepare the nursery!

Will post some photos soon.

[junior]

I just got a early 80's BL 500XL to try out in my 85 RI for shits and grins. Might not like it? but I do like Dime's sound.

[Shinobi]

Just my 2 cents. I have an 84/85 Baretta...PURE maple heaviness. It'll break your back. Anyway, I wasn't happy with the pup that was in it when I bought it (older JBJ), maybe went bad over the years. So I dropped a brand new zebra SD JB in her.

To tell the truth, there is PLENTY of output and sustain. But, the highs are a bit much in all that maple.

And, I have an 89 Fender Tele Ultra that is heavy as hell. I eneded up dropping a SD Screaming Demon into it in '92 and it sounds FANTASTIC. Really. Amazing.

By the way Mike, interesting point about the 250k pot. I may try that with the 'Retta. Oh, here she is...

http://img2.putfile.com/main/4/10422494324.jpg


The Guitar you have pick'd is the exact same one that I own and bought new in 84. The Schaller reverse Zebra that came in it still has the date sticker on the back 4/14/84. I haven't seen too many that have the same Kramer Sticker..it doesn't even appear on the vintage neck style pics.

Anyway I had a DD in the retta for a while and never liked it better then the CC I had in it. I heard good things about how much the A8 powers pups...so I dug the Schaller Zeb out of my gear bag and put an A8 mag in it. It blows everything else that I have had in the Guitar away. It's the first pup that I have swapped in and said....YEAH! Next would be the CC.

My style is derived from VH, DeMartini, Lynch, but also includes influence from Yngwie (not tone..just technique) and Paul Gilbert. Somewhere in there Slayer/Metallica and Maiden fit in...but those are different amplifier settings for me.

Try an A8....I think the JB was made for Alder wasn't it? or were there a lot of Jazz Blues or Jeff Beck (JB) pups for guitars made out of Maple?

Screamin Demon didn't come out until after Lynch left Dokken...and appeared on Lynch Mob.

[Phred]

I have tried a load of pups in my 85 RI that is maple, heavy maple. The 91T that came in it was too harsh for my ears. Custom Custom didn't do it either (it's better in Poplar). Then a Screamin Demon (Harsh), Schaller Golden 50 (no bottom), GFS VEH (OK but no lows), Tone Zone and currently a Custom 5/59 Hybrid too much lows. The Tone Zone is the best so far. Next up will be a Pearly Gates or a 59.

Scott

[unchained1984]

I find the JB in a heavy maple body to a be good combo, it won't have the harmonics of a screamin demon but then nothing else on this planet quite screams like a demon:D Everyone equates tone slightly differently: leaving your rig aside, ears/finger pressure/pick attack all add up to the equation but I'd always start with a JBJ of SH4 as the baseline standard then try comparing, a demon though would be a great pup to compare with to see just exactly what you want/expect from your tone.

[KramerAmsterdam]

I hade a Baretta once with a fat maple neck on it..nothing worked well particurarly except..the Demon..than the guitar was killer, not only to my ears, everyone who heard or played it agrees..so..Demon can't be wrong.

however,..the JB I have in many of my Kramers and it works well to excellent on all of them..I do know I had to search on 2-3 of my axes..(Pacer Imperial-mapleneck amongst them) and I even switch JBJ's ..tried 2 and the 3rd did it..so even 'a' JBJ might not be the one, the other will..

Well to your case..I do have a white Baretta nanner-maple big chunk body,rosewood board..well..I changed pickups 10 times..schaller too harsh, jb's lame..CC5 lame, so hard to find out...eventually I think it has a JBJ, but like the 3rd orso I tried..so honestly..get many pickups (Duncans) and try..all in all it is just 3 wires to solder, no biggie.

Remy

[Phred]

I have tried a load of pups in my 85 RI that is maple, heavy maple. The 91T that came in it was too harsh for my ears. Custom Custom didn't do it either (it's better in Poplar). Then a Screamin Demon (Harsh), Schaller Golden 50 (no bottom), GFS VEH (OK but no lows), Tone Zone and currently a Custom 5/59 Hybrid too much lows. The Tone Zone is the best so far. Next up will be a Pearly Gates or a 59.

Scott

OK I think I ended the quest. I put in a DiMarzio Evolution today and I like it a lot! I totally takes the shrill qualities of heavy maple down a notch, but not too much. It's very evenly EQ'd.

Scott

[Shinobi]

I have tried a load of pups in my 85 RI that is maple, heavy maple. The 91T that came in it was too harsh for my ears. Custom Custom didn't do it either (it's better in Poplar). Then a Screamin Demon (Harsh), Schaller Golden 50 (no bottom), GFS VEH (OK but no lows), Tone Zone and currently a Custom 5/59 Hybrid too much lows. The Tone Zone is the best so far. Next up will be a Pearly Gates or a 59.

Scott


The RI must not be the same as the original...it doesn't sound like it even came with an og Schaller Zebra.
I put an A8 in the Schaller Zebra that came in my og Baretta to boost the charateristics of the pup....it has none of the characteristics that you describe. I can get EVH, DeMartini, Lynch, and Jake E Lee with some amp eq or parametric EQ changes....although tone has a lot to do with how ones plays too.

JB is a good pup though but has it's issues too. The CC is the pup that SD made for EVH post 1984. It was rumored that he used a Super70 in his first guitars for VH1....the SD 598 is supposed to be like a Super70.

I am not sure what the Schaller Zebra is since some of said it is like a Golden 50 and the vintagekramer site claims it's like a SD Custom.

All I know is that the bass is little loose and the mids are fantastic with pinch hamonics galore!:headbang

[Shinobi]

OK I didn't want to just talk without exploring a couple of more options. I had a Custom 8 that I put together a couple of weeks back and installed it this afternoon. Played for about 4 hours tweaking my amp eq and Boss EQ.

I get way more mids out of the C8 then I was the Schaller Zebra 8. I will try it out for a while and see how I like it.

[_xxx_]

In January, I score a Pacer Deluxe Globe with, what seems to be, a heavy maple body. Everyone here seems to think the Seymour Duncan JB pickup is the ultimate pup.
I checked on the Duncan website and it states that the JB is suited to warm or balanced bodies and necks with rosewood fingerboards. The tone chart rated '5/10' for bass, '6/10' for mids and '8/10' for the treble.
Simon (my techie/repairman) from Eight-T Guitars and Amplifiers, is removing the current Dimarzio Super Distortion and dropping in a Duncan Custom 5 Trembucker. He normally recommends a Duncan '59 for clarity and a fuller tone. He believes the JB is the wrong pickup for a bright-sounding body.
Can anyone recommend a good pickup?

I definitely agree with Seymore. JB is for rosewood and will usually sound too bright and thin with maple.

Custom 5 is nice, but could be too harsh with maple. The best pups for maple are Pearly Gates and ToneZone, they filter out the harshness but still deliver enough highs to cut through the mix. You can view ToneZone as Pearly on Stroids, they're quite alike tone-wise but the TZ is much "fatter" as far as output goes.

I usually use Pearlys live where you need a bit more transparent sound and TZ for recordings where you need more "oomph".