Seymour Duncan JB, Jr. vs. Little '59 opinions?
emrlaw
anyone had any opinions on the SD JB, Jr versus the Little '59? I'd
just like to had a fuller, rougher edge to my sound when playing
harder rock. Thanks in advance! Ethan
Squier
does your Strat have the full size cutout for the bridge
or are you going to installed strat sized 'stacked' humbuckers
to fit a regular strat pup opening in the pickguard ?
also - most strats (single coil models using regular single
coils - not noiseless) use 250k pots so you also might want
to think about upgrading the bridge tone pot and volume pot
to 500k pots (I like this better than 1 meg pots).
If you have a Mexi-strat or some strat that does not wire in
the tone control to the bridge pup - then you might want to
do this while the pickguard is off and wire in the bottom tone
control to the bridge pup (there are many wiring diagrams on the
web to do this - it's easy to do). And the 500k pots are also
easily available (via web) and/or your local shop might even have them.
Yes - you can use the regular 250k pots your Strat already has
installed - but I find these only can work well with lower PAF
type of humbuckers (8k or so). In fact sometimes the 250k pots
can give nice warmer tones to PAF humbuckers than 500k.
That's a personal preference - so you'd have to install and try out
and then if you think the humbucker needs to open up and 'breathe'
a bit and get some more high mid and treble top end then install
the 500k pots and ditch the 250 pots. However - LEAVE IN the
250k tone pot for the neck pickup if that's still a low wind single coil
pup (the usual fender strat single coil type of pup or third party single coil)
Even those fender texas specials use 250k pots.
I have experience with these pups from a relative's strat
that was the older "Big Apple" type of strat that used these
exact same pickups. I really did not like the Lil59'er but
the JB Jr. was ok. Personally I like PAF type pickups if I am
going to use humbuckers. (around 8k to hotter 9k at the most)
You get a really nice range of tones and sounds out of these.
The other thing to think about is using a beefy P-90 type of
single coil at the bridge of the Strat. They have humless P-90
out there too if you want no hum. P-90's have some of the best
tones available from creamy crunch to beefy sounds and back off and
they do the mid punch rock n roll and tweak up the 500k tone pot
and they can give you hint of sparkle too. Great pups.
So - my suggestion is PAF or P-90 type of pickup. (stacked or full sized)
And these will still match up nicely with the single coils in the strat
I'm assuming you are talking about a Fat strat (HSS) and not a double-fat (HH).
A stacked strat sized never sounds quite like a full sized but
that's ok because you still get great tones - just a little different.
anyways - that's my 2 cents.
emrlaw
Thanks for the great advice! That's just the information I was
looking for.
Don Evans
Squier wrote:
>> emrlaw <emr...@att.net> wrote:
>
>> I'd like to put a bridge humbucker in my strat and was wondering if
>> anyone had any opinions on the SD JB, Jr versus the Little '59? I'd
>> just like to had a fuller, rougher edge to my sound when playing
>> harder rock. Thanks in advance! Ethan
>>
>
>
><<snip>>
>
> I have experience with these pups from a relative's strat
> that was the older "Big Apple" type of strat that used these
> exact same pickups. I really did not like the Lil59'er but
> the JB Jr. was ok. Personally I like PAF type pickups if I am
> going to use humbuckers. (around 8k to hotter 9k at the most)
> You get a really nice range of tones and sounds out of these.
Just want to point out that the "Big Apple" had full size pickups ... the OP
was asking about Lil59 and JB Jr. which are single coil size pickups. Also,
the bridge pickup on the "Big Apple" was a Pearly Gates, not a JB .. the JB
is much hotter, and the Pearly Gates has a more open tone.
><<snip>>
Squier
thanks Don -- sometimes I have too much info on the brain.
you are right it was the pearly gates and not JB Jr. on the Big Apple.
Maybe it was the other guitar (the Lone Star).
ah well - I made a mistake so thanks for correcting.
at least you reminded me about the pearly gates bridge - that sounded ok to me.
my original advice about PAF and P-90 still stands though.
I consider these the best alternatives for Strat owners wanting
a nice variety of tones from 8k -9k type pickups.
damn. The schoolwork I am doing now has my Fender memory on the fritz.
Tony Done
>
> - Show quoted text -
I've been wondering about the small side-by-side humbuckers like the
Lil 59, and it appears from what I have read that they do not sound
like their full-size counterparts. - I guess because of the narrow
coils and magnetic field.
I converted my strat to "fat" a few weeks ago with two SD Jazz - which
are PAF types, another one has a GFS Memphis, which is a bit lower
output than a PAF, and the other two have GFS Brooklyns, which are P90
types. So I'm endorsing your suggestion of PAF and P90 types for good
tonal range.
Tony D
Don Evans
I know what the tone charts and even the samples are really worth, but it
seems like the Lil 59 actually sounds a lot like a P90 ... at least on the
Duncan site. Comments, anyone?
Don
Cliff
I fitted a JB Jr in the bridge position of my strat. Didn't like it!
The JB Jr seems too bright and the tone lacks the body of the full
sized JB humbucker which I do like. I believe the Little '59 may be
the better option.
I've since installed a DiMarzio FS1 (single coil) and now use a
compressor to create a fatter sound with an attack similar to that of
a humbucker. IMO it's the different attack, caused by lower strength
magnets and a wider string sampling area, that makes humbucker sound
so different from a single coil. You can always use eq to shape the
tone.
Cliff
Squier
It sounds too shrill to my ears when it gets overdriven.
At least to my ears it never really gets beefy when gained up.
For mass market pups - I really like the Dimarzio PAF Pro DP151 (full sized).
Comes in F spaced too for trem bridge Strats tha need slightly wider pole spacing.
These do not have adjustable poles - but you don't need them - regular pup height
adjustment is fine with these. These are old skool pups - sound really great.
- and the Dimarzio DP414 Solo Pro PAF (single coil stacked size) which is one
of the best P-90 single coil pups I have ever heard.
I like these a lot better than the Duncan's. A whole lot better.
It just seems you can get a wider variety of nice usable tones from them.
One thing I do know is my Dimarzio pups - not all Dimarzio's are automatically
good stuff - they make some real bad sounding ones - but they also make some
killer good stuff - the two I just mentioned
are excellent. And I can say this from personal experience.
I have them installed right here and that's after trying many others
from boutique to other mass market pups.
Lamneth
"Tony Done" <tony...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:1192088248.7...@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
I replaced my stock single that was in the bridge postion on my Martin
Stinger Strat Clone with a GFS Lil Killer and holy crap! I was so surprised
at the fatness and fullness of the tone. Quiet as a mouse too when not being
played. I believe it is a 14k pup and it sounds better than a lot of full
size pups I have.
Nil
alt.guitar:
> I dont know about the JB Jr, altho i have an older, probably first
> edition JB full-sized bucker which is hot and pretty good.... BUT
> I've had a couple of strats I used with the Little 59er and LOVED
> it
I've got a JB in my Yamaha SG2000 (a Les Paul-like creature) that I
installed in, like, 1981, and I get the impression that newer ones are
different. For one thing, I think mine has only 2 wires but don't the
newer ones have 4?
I don't think it's all that hot in output, but it's quite midrangy,
which works with distortion, but with isn't real pretty when played
clean.
Does anybody know if they changed the design, and how and when?
Keith Adams
because no else is going to know the difference or give a rats ass. If
you're a good guitar player then any pickup will sound good. If you're not
then none will. I've never seen anybody who you could consider really good
ever give a second thought to which pickups were in their guitar. Its for
beginners and people who read too many guitar player magazines. You're going
to sound the same regardless of pickup type. For those of you who disagree.
Go play with your model trains and think about it.
"emrlaw" <emr...@att.net> wrote in message
news:1192072710.2...@v3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Nil
alt.guitar:
> I've never seen anybody who you could consider really good
That explains a few things.
Cliff
> Like I've said before. If you're going to swap pickups do it for your self
> because no else is going to know the difference or give a rats ass. If
> you're a good guitar player then any pickup will sound good. If you're not
> then none will. I've never seen anybody who you could consider really good
> ever give a second thought to which pickups were in their guitar. Its for
> beginners and people who read too many guitar player magazines. You're going
> to sound the same regardless of pickup type. For those of you who disagree.
> Go play with your model trains and think about it.
>
I disagree, but not completely. Fender single coils do not sound like
humbuckers. I've been trying for years to get a nice fat, clean,
smooth jazz tone out of one and never achieved it. I'd say its
probably even harder to get a real single coils twang out of a
humbucker.
I partly agree with you though because, IMO many guys change their
pickups to achieve a slight change in tone that could of been arrived
at by changing thier eq or a tone cap value. I'm sure you're right
that a lot of the time the audience can't tell the difference.
How many people would like a strat that could become a Les Paul at the
flick of a switch. Many fit a humbucker at the bridge and are happy
with the compromise. I can see nothing wrong with that.
Cliff
RichCI
To my ears, the Screamin' Demon sounds the most like a full sized
humbucker. The Lil 59 and JB are a little to focused in the mids for
my tastes.
Tony Done
> On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:37:28 -0700, Tony Done <tonyd...@bigpond.com>
> wrote:
>
> >I've been wondering about the small side-by-side humbuckers like the
> >Lil 59, and it appears from what I have read that they do not sound
> >like their full-size counterparts. - I guess because of the narrow
> >coils and magnetic field.
>
>
> still sounds great.
>
> maybe a little different but I just dont understand guys who get a
> tele and then want it to sound like a les paul. My tele sounds like a
> great tele with a great little mini bucker in it.
>
> its close to full sized i suppose.... not exact.
>
> the rest is up to your fingers and brain.
>
> One of my strats has the full sized old JB pickup, its nice, rather
> hot, probly a bit too hot for my tastes. A better pickup for me is the
> less hot but very useful Duncan Screamin Demon... full sized humbucker
> that actually DOES clean up when you turn the volume knob down. No
> Dimarzio i played can ever match that claim. Very useful pickup and
> sounds excellent, sort of PAF-ish in output territory
I wasn't commenting on whether the smaller versions were better or
worse, just noting that they may not sound the same as the big
version. FWIW, I was mislead by the SD sound samples - the JB was
nothing like my expectation, turned me off humbuckers any hotter than
PAF size. I think it was partly my own fault though, I put it in a
dark, nasal sounding, it would likely have sounded better in something
brighter.
Tony D
Don Evans
Keith Adams wrote:
> Like I've said before. If you're going to swap pickups do it for your
> self because no else is going to know the difference or give a rats
> ass. If you're a good guitar player then any pickup will sound good.
> If you're not then none will. I've never seen anybody who you could
> consider really good ever give a second thought to which pickups were
> in their guitar.
I know you don't think a lot of respected players are really good, and in
that way, maybe you're right. But most of the really good players I've
talked to ... from every style imagineable ... care very much about pickups,
and frequently have changed the pickups in their guitars (OK, maybe they had
someone else do it). They share info, and recommend stuff without any
possible financial gain for themselves. Sometimes you underestimate the
guys you are talking to.
>Its for beginners and people who read too many
> guitar player magazines. You're going to sound the same regardless of
> pickup type. For those of you who disagree. Go play with your model
> trains and think about it.
People really do hear differences from one pickup to the next ... they
really don't imagine it. The differences are real, and maybe sometime you
should think about that. No offense intended, really, but you're mistaken
about this stuff.
Don