JB vs JBJ.....

[KramerTRW]

I've noticed lately that my JB doesn't scream like my JBJ.....so id like to ask is their something out there that sounds closer to a JBJ than a JB....

[NightRider]

they are the same pickup.... just wound by someone different.... some say the newer JBs don't sound as good as the olds do... probably cause the old ones magnets lose a little and I think get warmer

[KramerTRW]

could it be because my pacer dlx(JBJ) is made of maple and my F2K(JB) is made of poplar(or alder still havent determined what its made of yet??)

[pel666]

JBJ's were wound by a lady at Seymour...during a certain period for Kramer amongst others and I think she still work there being an old lady now. I have had quite a few JBJ's in my hands, and Ohmage nowadays tend to be a tad lower, and external influence on the magnetic might have different effects on the output depending where the PU has resided, and what exposure it had to influences that might change the magnetic properties to some extent. Don't have a clue about the winding itself. Being preferred as a PU above the new JB or not, I think they DO sound awesome .

[pel666]

Indeed as with any guitar...the wood IS very important. Maple really accents the brights, where as poplar is a forgiving medium type wood...

[focusguy]

maybe because you didnt get the trembucker spacing on the new jb so the magnets arent pulling as hard.....or something like that

[KramerTRW]

i doubt it and plus the floyd lines up w/the pickup just fine actually....

[NightRider]

JBJ's were wound by a lady at Seymour...during a certain period for Kramer amongst others and I think she still work there being an old lady now. I have had quite a few JBJ's in my hands, and Ohmage nowadays tend to be a tad lower, and external influence on the magnetic might have different effects on the output depending where the PU has resided, and what exposure it had to influences that might change the magnetic properties to some extent. Don't have a clue about the winding itself. Being preferred as a PU above the new JB or not, I think they DO sound awesome .

She still works there... her name is Maricela Juarez she is incharge of the Custom Shop

[amerturk]

Simple fix and I've done it....recently...finding out the wiring was hooked up wrong and it was only putting out about 1/2 it's load. Test it with a meter.

[KramerTRW]

Simple fix and I've done it....recently...finding out the wiring was hooked up wrong and it was only putting out about 1/2 it's load. Test it with a meter.

no i have it wired right trust me......

wiring is my specialty

im just saying that it seems a little weaker than the JBJ

[Kostas Dee]

EQ wise i'm pretty sure that the newer JB has more upper midrange and a bit more output as mentioned.
They cut better than the olders into the mix but..the lower output of the JBJs and the dip at the upper midrange makes them sound warmer,crunchier.

My opinion

[G.A.S. Ackward]

I have heard from someone in the 'business', tell me that the difference is due to the source of some of the components of the product. SD is buying a lot from China these days, compared to the 80's JBJ era.

You know whats funny, is that I have been involved in sooooooo many "how come my new JB doesn't sond like my old JB(J) from the 80's" discussions, that I am convinced that there was a change somewhere, and the old JBJ's do have a differing (if not) better tone than the new JB's.

I have replace some old one's with new ones and I just don'e think the difference to my ears is my imagination.

But, it's just my opinon...

[amerturk]

I have spoken about this before and maybe it's just me, but I have always thought the JB sounded weaker in a deluxe/3000/strat.

[hunter008]

i'd like to get a JBJ. does anyone have one they are willing to part with?

[kramer.geetar]

I measured my JBJ and it reads 16.5k. On SD's website it shows the current production JB at 16.4k. I thought these were supposed to read less? or am I wrong? Regardless the pickup sounds really good

[mrcrazyhimself]

I've owned countless old JB's/ JBJ's and i've used a bunch of newer JB's and heard god knows how many. I feel newer ones are a bit more consistint in their sound and a bit hotter and more tight and sharp sounding where as the older ones in my stagemasters sound much warmer and EVH sounding. With the being said, even those 2 old ones sound different where as the one in the pink stagey sounds more clear and crisp but the one in my red stagey just soundsn huge and warm and growly

[kramer.geetar]

Thanks for the explanation ^^

I think I have one of the more warm and growly sounding JBJ's, I noticed that pretty soon after installing it and your description was dead on.

[_xxx_]

Just to avoid confusion - there is the JBJ of today, which is the mini JB or "JB junior" in singlecoil size.

Then there is the old JB with J for Juarez tacked on.

Which one do you mean?

JB's are known to have magnets which get a little bit weaker over time and mellow the sound a bit. It could be that you hear this difference, although in 99% of the cases it's purely a psychological effect.

[_xxx_]

i'd like to get a JBJ. does anyone have one they are willing to part with?

Get me an F-spaced bridge PearlyGates and you can have the JBJ from my Savant anytime.

[kramer.geetar]

_xxx_ JBJ of the 80's, the original JBJ wound by Maricela

[Kostas Dee]

I'll be more specific.


Those 2 Barettas are both made from maple(they weight like a ton) the red/pink has a JBJ and the Kline has a newer JB(the logo was rubbed off by the previous owner).

When i'm plugging with the pinkish one(JBJ) i have the treble and the mid around 7,5.
When i'm plugging with the Kline i'm turning the treble down a bit(6.5) and boosting a bit the bass.

To my ears the older JBJ has less upper midrange and more lows. I sware on my amps sake This is why i believe it sounds sick with a Tube Screamer but thats an other story.
As i told before the new JB is slightly sharper and cuts better in the mix but the older is warmer,sweater.

[kramer.geetar]

If you guys want an even better sounding JBJ and closer to the VH tone, put a set of these on your guitar next time

[_xxx_]

Meh, I'd rather use electrical wires for strings then anything made by EBMM. IMO the worst "branded" strings out there bare the Dunlop crap.

[jumbowolfe]

There is a noticeable difference between the 80's JB and the newer ones. It is probably what was mentioned earlier in the thread, age of the magnet, etc. The older ones seem to be more balanced IMO, not quite as harsh, but more smooth for lack of a better description. I had a new one in my 5150 and replaced it with an old school JB and it was a very noticeable difference. The older one sounded more warm, and less new and sterile. Again, there's probably some placebo effect around that, but it was definitely noticeable, I just can't describe in detail the differences in the two though.

There are some instances where I like the newer better than the old, and mainly its where the wood type is different. I've had old JB's in Mohagany that didn't sound all that great, whereas a newer JB in Mohagany sounds awesome.

Each to his own I suppose.

[kramer.geetar]

Meh, I'd rather use electrical wires for strings then anything made by EBMM. IMO the worst "branded" strings out there bare the Dunlop crap.

Don't tell me you're a D'Addario user....I hate those things