Quality of the Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4?

[bmschrad]

I'm really having a problem getting the sound I want out of my 2006 Jackson RR3. I'm wondering if it's just the bridge pickup I don't like. I know they come loaded with Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4. I was just wondering what the characteristics of this pickup is. From what I've seen on the internet they say it's pretty high treble. I play a lot of music with heavy palm mutes and it just seems like I can't get the grunt out of it.

I also have a 2006 Ibanez S 520 with a Mahogony body and Bill Lawrence XL's in it. The thing has a crushing low end palm mutes, I wasn't sure if it was because of the wood or the pickups in it. Would it be worth while to get a Bill Lawrence for the bridge because I absoultly love how they sound in my Ibanez.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I've tried adjusting the pickup height and even the poles on the bass side of the pickup and I just can't get a nice heavy sound out of it.


Thanks,

Brandon

[Special-K]

Mine works fine...
I get a really good palm mute from it..
I actually don`t liek the SH-2Jazz I don`t know
the SH-2 lacks gain:/..(Neck PU)

I only play over the bridge PU..
And I love it

[toejam]

Get another pickup. The JB is one of the most overrated pickups, IMO. It's got a lot of treble and high mids, lacks low end. An Invader or DiMarzio Tone Zone would work well.

[soc_monki]

Get another pickup. The JB is one of the most overrated pickups, IMO. It's got a lot of treble and high mids, lacks low end. An Invader or DiMarzio Tone Zone would work well.

i agree...the JB isnt my cup of tea. ive heard people use it and have great tone with it, but when i tried it i really felt that it was not worth it.

the Duncan Distortion however (which is the same pickup just with a ceramic magnet) is totally kick ass much fuller sounding and better sounding overall IMO.

[CharvelRocker]

I like it, but then again im nto real picky about that stuff, though at times I do wish it was heavier. My only issue is I think the wires they use are cheap and break too easily

[DonP]

I like a JB, but it isn't the best for heavy mutes. I second the Duncan Distortion - have one in my 750XL and it kicks ass.

The type of guitar and woods have a big impact too. The Duncan Distortion in my KE3 (bolt-on, poplar, floyd) isn't as brutal as the one in my 750XL (neck-thru, mahogany, string thru).

[Racerx2k]

I really dig JBs, but, then again, I'm not playing metal anymore. Strictly rock/hard rock. Works great for what I do.

[Monster Joe]

I like the JB, but not in a guitar with a Floyd.
It sounds brittle in those.
A JB is great for adding clarity and punch to a Les Paul or something like that, but takes all the balls out of trem guitars.
I have JBs in my Soloists and I've been wondering what to replace them with since I got them...

[paulbag]

I swapped the TB4's out of my KV2 and KE1. Put EMG's in the KV2 and a Duncan Custom in the KE1...a lot of guys like an EMG 85 in the bridge, you might try that for beefy chuggin'...

[bmschrad]

Yup I actually ordered my L500-XL yesterday. It would be a great pickup for rock but I need a more high output pickup.

[Spivonious]

I like my JB, but you're right, it doesn't have a lot of low end punch. I found the samples on Seymour Duncan's website to be of great help in choosing a pickup. They play the same riffs through the same amp, through the same guitar. The only thing that changes is the pickup.

[quakana]

I dont like JB's at all. Not sure why Jackson uses them so much. I find them real bassy...everytime I pick up a guitar with one in it I find myself reaching to turn the tone knob up

[madryan]

I find I really like it and it works great in a live music situation. Tonight at practice I ended up using basically the same sound all night and just swapped between my JB and my Jazz and varied the volume to get my sound. It blended in really well and sounded "right" which is to say it blended in perfectly and sounded like it added to the overall sound of the music.

In my Mahogany S-series Ibanez the thing sounds heavy as hell, while in my alder Jackson it sounds more balanced and sort of "raunchy" which I really dig. IMO you just have to tailor the pickup to the guitar. I will say that I love the Jazz in the neck because I can use the same saturated tube sound and go from all out crunch to smooth and bell like singing sustain just by switching to the neck pickup. Very clear and articulate, but doesn't distort well so if you're after that super smooth sweep-picking sound maybe the Jazz isn't the one.

The Duncan Custom is another cool pickup, as is the distortion.

[straycat]

I like a JB in the neck not in the bridge.A JB and a DD sound good together.

[emperor_black]

I dont like JB's at all. Not sure why Jackson uses them so much. I find them real bassy...everytime I pick up a guitar with one in it I find myself reaching to turn the tone knob up

Every damn guitar company has at least one model coming with the JB/Jazz combo as standard because they are supposedly "the best metal pickup combination" ever!

I hate the JB too. Try the Dimarzio D-Sonic... petrucci's pickup. Amazing palm mutes and searing leads. I tried the Dimarzio super distortion before the D-sonic and the D-sonic was 1000 times better. The D-sonic is rich in low end. So, putting it in an alder body should balance out the tone IMO.