looking for a pickup which sounds like jb but has higher output and better chug

[shalev98732]

title says it all, i really like how middy the jb is, but i want pickup like it,= but with more output and better chug, i have heard fishman can do the job, theres also the dave mustaine livewire, people said the thrash factor has more output but i dont know by how much. i dont care if the pickups are active or passive as long it does whats written in the title

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I thought the Thrash Factor had less output?
But yeah the Livwires seem like a super hotter JB/Jazz set from what I recall.
There's also the bootique options like the Suhr Aldrich and the Motor City Afwayu.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

just slap a distortion in there. It's basically a JB with ceramic mags and chugs well. Or you could just do the mag swap yourself and save the money lol

 

[shalev98732]

just slap a distortion in there. It's basically a JB with ceramic mags and chugs well. Or you could just do the mag swap yourself and save the money lol

its actually for a new guitar want something simmilar but with the stuff i was looking for, i still keep the jb in my jackson king v.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

its actually for a new guitar want something simmilar but with the stuff i was looking for, i still keep the jb in my jackson king v.

They're basically the same wind with different magnets. That's about as similar as you're going to get without putting another jb in lol

Fishman moderns are nothing like a JB. V1 is basically an emg 81 and v2 is based on some passive but def not a jb.

 

[shalev98732]

They're basically the same wind with different magnets. That's about as similar as you're going to get without putting another jb in lol

Fishman moderns are nothing like a JB. V1 is basically an emg 81 and v2 is based on some passive but def not a jb.

heard fishman classic voice 2 is like a jb but also has a single coil and paf mode, which seems tempting, also better clarity and no hum. i am thinking about going active on one guitar, maybe this one since it used to have a push pull volume boost with a battery compartment. thing is cant pick between dave mustaine livewire and fishman classic as i dont have much info on both of them.

 

[Necky379]

You may have seen my post looking for lower output pickups with some characteristics you’re after as well. I’m still waiting for my Air Norton to show up so I won’t comment on that, I haven’t tried it yet. During my search I stumbled onto some KxK’s Rob wound for one of his builds. Looking at the thing and looking at the specs I thought maybe it’s his version of an M7. The M7 is the only other humbucker I know of with the odd dual slug coil configuration. The resistance is close to what the JBJ I have comes in at. I’ve never had a bridge M7 I’ve only had an M7 neck so I can’t compare the two from experience to see if that’s what he was going for. This KxK set was really just an impulse buy, I saw the specs and got curious. It’s not a lower output pickup like what I was after. I’m a big fan of JB’s in many of my guitar. I’ve tried different versions of the JB and pickups based on it, I know the sound very well. These KxK’s are exactly what I want when I want a modern JB. I don’t know if it’s ceramic or A5 but it really does have the best characteristics of the JB without any of the less desirable ones. It has that midrange, it has the bright top end, it has the crazy harmonics. I’m saying all this to say, I wonder if an M7 would be perfect for you. I’m also hoping someone with M7 bridge experience will be able to compare one to the JB we’re all familiar with by either saying I’m way off, the M7 sounds nothing like it, or that they are like the perfect “metal” JB which would give me a better idea about what I have. If you do see another dual slug KxK pickup, buy it, you’ll love it if you like JB’s and want something tighter and less congested.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

heard fishman classic voice 2 is like a jb but also has a single coil and paf mode, which seems tempting, also better clarity and no hum. i am thinking about going active on one guitar, maybe this one since it used to have a push pull volume boost with a battery compartment. thing is cant pick between dave mustaine livewire and fishman classic as i dont have much info on both of them.

ehhh the classics don't really get the jb feel either. Both voices are way leaner and brighter than a jb ime.

You may have seen my post looking for lower output pickups with some characteristics you’re after as well. I’m still waiting for my Air Norton to show up so I won’t comment on that, I haven’t tried it yet. During my search I stumbled onto some KxK’s Rob wound for one of his builds. Looking at the thing and looking at the specs I thought maybe it’s his version of an M7. The M7 is the only other humbucker I know of with the odd dual slug coil configuration. The resistance is close to what the JBJ I have comes in at. I’ve never had a bridge M7 I’ve only had an M7 neck so I can’t compare the two from experience to see if that’s what he was going for. This KxK set was really just an impulse buy, I saw the specs and got curious. It’s not a lower output pickup like what I was after. I’m a big fan of JB’s in many of my guitar. I’ve tried different versions of the JB and pickups based on it, I know the sound very well. These KxK’s are exactly what I want when I want a modern JB. I don’t know if it’s ceramic or A5 but it really does have the best characteristics of the JB without any of the less desirable ones. It has that midrange, it has the bright top end, it has the crazy harmonics. I’m saying all this to say, I wonder if an M7 would be perfect for you. I’m also hoping someone with M7 bridge experience will be able to compare one to the JB we’re all familiar with by either saying I’m way off, the M7 sounds nothing like it, or that they are like the perfect “metal” JB which would give me a better idea about what I have. If you do see another dual slug KxK pickup, buy it, you’ll love it if you like JB’s and want something tighter and less congested.

nah, m series bridge is nothing like a JB. Very different feel and sound.

 

[InfernalVortex]

They're basically the same wind with different magnets. That's about as similar as you're going to get without putting another jb in lol

Fishman moderns are nothing like a JB. V1 is basically an emg 81 and v2 is based on some passive but def not a jb.

The modern ceramic is basically an always on wah pedal. Doesn’t sound like any of my 81s.

 

[shalev98732]

yeah well i think id rephrase my words a bit, looking for a middy pickup which does thrash very well now i know the jb is one of those but id want something with better chug and more output , i tried the duncan distortion and didnt find it good for what i was doing

 

[jaxadam]

Whenever someone mentions they want a JB with “more”, my first thought is the Distortion. My second thought is the Screamin’ Demon and here’s why: at least for my playing it is cleaner and clearer and that makes it sound a little “more” to me. I am a medium output pickup person though.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

just slap a distortion in there. It's basically a JB with ceramic mags and chugs well. Or you could just do the mag swap yourself and save the money lol

That's what I was thinking. The OP is literally describing a Distortion IMO.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

yeah well i think id rephrase my words a bit, looking for a middy pickup which does thrash very well now i know the jb is one of those but id want something with better chug and more output , i tried the duncan distortion and didnt find it good for what i was doing

What was the Distortion lacking? I've never heard someone say it isn't good for thrash (until now).

I believe Metallica used SD Invaders (more mids than Distortion) prior to switching to EMGs. Black Winter could also be a good option (Distortion on steroids, with more mids). Personally, I love the DiMarzio D Activator for thrash.

 

[shalev98732]

What was the Distortion lacking? I've never heard someone say it isn't good for thrash (until now).

I believe Metallica used SD Invaders (more mids than Distortion) prior to switching to EMGs. Black Winter could also be a good option (Distortion on steroids, with more mids). Personally, I love the DiMarzio D Activator for thrash.

well lets just say i compared it to the dimarzio super distoriton, the duncan distortion high gain kinda lacked something for me dont know which it was compared to the dimarzio super distortion, also cleans werent that good on it, dont know why with my friends gutiar with emg 81 annd 60 i got good clean tone, with the distortion something was off which was weird it might have been the duncan distortion i used was defective. but anyway lemme phrase my words by like jb i meant very middy, the duncan distotion doesnt have that much mids tooo

 

[Neon_Knight_]

well lets just say i compared it to the dimarzio super distoriton, the duncan distortion high gain kinda lacked something for me dont know which it was compared to the dimarzio super distortion, also cleans werent that good on it, dont know why with my friends gutiar with emg 81 annd 60 i got good clean tone, with the distortion something was off which was weird it might have been the duncan distortion i used was defective. but anyway lemme phrase my words by like jb i meant very middy, the duncan distotion doesnt have that much mids tooo

Any reason why you don't go for a Super Distortion then? Sometimes the obvious answer is the best answer.

I will reiterate that Black Winters could be a a good option for you. The neck has good cleans.

 

[shalev98732]

Any reason why you don't go for a Super Distortion then? Sometimes the obvious answer is the best answer.

I will reiterate that Black Winters could be a a good option for you. The neck has good cleans.

i already have the super distortion on a super strat build my uncle made me a few years ago, i was thinking of a middy active pickup, i know the fishman fluence classic voice 2 is based on the jb but i dont have expirience with it.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

If memory serves, the Distortion uses a double-thick ceramic magnet to give it more output. I once swapped out the A5 magnet in a JB to a regular thickness ceramic, which the Duncan forum calls a "Distortion Lite" since it's somewhere in between a stock JB and Distortion. More output and better chugs is exactly how I would describe the swap. I didn't feel like I was missing much midrange either.

This is an old clip, but it shows the stock JB first and ceramic magnet second:

However, if you like lots of mids and great chugs, I will always sing praises for the Dimarzio Dominion. It's not the hottest pickup, but the voicing and EQ make it super aggressive and articulate. I've had one in at least two guitars at a time for the last 8 years or so

 

[ekulggats]

I effectively did the 'Distortion Lite' in my Edwards LP, swapped a regular ceramic mag into the gold gibson height JB and I absolutely love the thing. It retains a good bit of clarity I'd say, still very midsy but not as potentially overpowering as the Distortion can be. Its easy to do by the way.

 

[bostjan]

i already have the super distortion on a super strat build my uncle made me a few years ago, i was thinking of a middy active pickup, i know the fishman fluence classic voice 2 is based on the jb but i dont have expirience with it.

Let me paraphrase: You already have a guitar with the pickup you want, and it is perfect, so you want a different pickup in a different guitar and also want it to be the same, even though everything is different?

 

[shalev98732]

Let me paraphrase: You already have a guitar with the pickup you want, and it is perfect, so you want a different pickup in a different guitar and also want it to be the same, even though everything is different?

no the super distortion isnt that, its just a great pickup for 80s metal, it doesnt do it ofr me for anythng more than that, i did some research and now im just looking for a middy active pickup now, since i never had an active pickup before