Cant get a good sound from my JP6

[deadtotheworld]

I love the feel and quality of my JP6. Its fully loaded in ice blue bought in 2009

I was never happy with the pickups - i could tweek my amp eq and gain settings for hours and just found the pickups too fizzy and thin sounding whatever eq adjustments I made. Single notes sounded stratty on all pickup selections, just couldnt get on board with a bridge humbucker that sounded single coily.
A few months ago I talked to my tech about changing pickups and we eventually decided to go for Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro's in neck and bridge, as i love them in other guitars I have.

Still not happy! The guitar sounds the same. Im pretty sure the SDs and the DiMarzios are nothing alike, yet im getting this same effect.

I have read about people with 2010 models complaining about a similar problem, but they just get shot down in forums. Im just wondering if the guitar is wired up properly in the first place or maybe something that is different with the 2009/10 models or wire used, as this guitar doesnt sound anything near any other ebmms that i have heard, just makes me think something is wrong rather than me just not digging this guitar or the wood or the pickups.

Ive tried different cables, used to use Marshall now Im playing EVH 5150 III - all my other guitars ranging in different prices sound great - its just frustrating me that my very expensive guitar sounds like a cheap strat copy.

Any advice or suggestions would be very much welcomed!
Thank you!

 

[Spudmurphy]

So what sound you after - give us an example?

 

[deadtotheworld]

Well with a decent amount of gain I want a thick sounding crunch from the bridge and thick but smooth sounding neck sound. The change of pickups that was made retained the twangy sound in the middle position of the switch, which i like, but im getting a horrible split coil sound from the bridge and neck positions too. But at this point i dont think the point is the sound im after as opposed to the terrible sound im getting.

 

[threeminutesboy]

maybe you should try another petrucci cause in the end it might be the whole sound of it you don't like

 

[uOpt]

Yeah going from the original pickups to APH1s wasn't going to work. The APH1s are among the brightest humbuckers around, they can sound really "sharp", like a knife. So the move went in the wrong direction entirely.

If you want a PAF-class pickup with more bass try the Pearly Gates, but it's still a PAF class humbucker. If you want a heavier wind and heavier sound, try the Duncan Distortion. It's still pretty bright due to it's characteristic high-pitched scream.

If you want a warm, fat, driven sound out of a guitar with a tremolo sustain block then the Custom Custom (a Custom with A2) will do that.

 

[Roubster]

What amp are you playing through? What's the signal chain? What other guitars do you have and what are the body and neck woods? Also, you sure the wiring is correct?

For me personally, the JP didnt work because of the ergonomics...however it is still a great sounding instrument. I do agree that the pickups are much punchier and cutting when I played many of them in the past. I dont think they sound anything like a single coil.

If it is down to the pickups...(dont think it is the guitar itself since basswood is quite a warm and balanced tone wood) I can suggest Suhr pickups.

If you want a really fat and warm tone yet totally articulate, check out the Suhr DSH+ for bridge and DSV for the neck. Absolutely killer pickups. You might also consider the SSH+ for the bridge. Check out some demos...mainly Andy Wood uses this combo in his guitar. It is all mahogany, but these are meant to be the warmest sounding ones. Great for lead and heavy riffing...I know as I got them in my Y2D! And that is poplar body with maple top.

 

[agt]

I like thick sounding humbuckers. I have a Dimarzio Air Zone in the bridge position and a Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck position of my JP. Sounds great. Something to consider.

Also, the amp/pedals will make a difference. I know you mentioned other guitars not sounding the same through your rig(s), but one thing I have learned from experience is that some gear can be picky about the other gear it is paired with. Guitars and amps, pedals and amps, pedals and other pedals, mics and preamps, preamps and compressors, ... On numerous occasions I have discounted a piece of gear only to discover later that that same gear, when paired up with a different component, sounded fantastic. Something else to consider.

 

[Tung]

Ive tried different cables, used to use Marshall now Im playing EVH 5150 III - all my other guitars ranging in different prices sound great - its just frustrating me that my very expensive guitar sounds like a cheap strat copy.

Any advice or suggestions would be very much welcomed!
Thank you!

i run EVH 5150 III as well, and I have retired my JP6 to being a back up now. Reason: very similar problem as yours, just not happy with the pickups. I totally know where you're coming from. I was ready to swap out pickups, but lately I've been going back to thicker necks, so i just left the JP6 as is for now.
I agree with the Suhr pups, I only got to try them once on a Rasmus, and they do sound real good.

 

[coldsummer]

A few years ago I tried a set of genuine Axis pick-ups in one of my JP6 guitars. I thought it would be the perfect combination as I love the feel and trem on the JP but prefer the sound of the Axis. To be honest I was disappointed with the result, the Axis pick-ups sounded thinner and less meaty in the JP.

 

[Volfgang]

I love the feel and quality of my JP6. Its fully loaded in ice blue bought in 2009

I was never happy with the pickups - i could tweek my amp eq and gain settings for hours and just found the pickups too fizzy and thin sounding whatever eq adjustments I made. Single notes sounded stratty on all pickup selections, just couldnt get on board with a bridge humbucker that sounded single coily.
A few months ago I talked to my tech about changing pickups and we eventually decided to go for Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro's in neck and bridge, as i love them in other guitars I have.

Still not happy! The guitar sounds the same. Im pretty sure the SDs and the DiMarzios are nothing alike, yet im getting this same effect.

I have read about people with 2010 models complaining about a similar problem, but they just get shot down in forums. Im just wondering if the guitar is wired up properly in the first place or maybe something that is different with the 2009/10 models or wire used, as this guitar doesnt sound anything near any other ebmms that i have heard, just makes me think something is wrong rather than me just not digging this guitar or the wood or the pickups.

Ive tried different cables, used to use Marshall now Im playing EVH 5150 III - all my other guitars ranging in different prices sound great - its just frustrating me that my very expensive guitar sounds like a cheap strat copy.

Any advice or suggestions would be very much welcomed!
Thank you!

I had the same problem as yourself, and the same 5150 III amp.
EXCEPT both my axis and JP6 sounded the same. JP designed that guitar to compliment his sound/amps etc etc.

I got rid of my 5150 III, it is a very bright amp, especially the gain section and at high volumes.
I tried both my Axis and JP through a rectifier and a Peavey 6534+ and have not looked back since. Both nice warm sounding amps, I noticed the difference straight away.

 

[beej]

This is sort of an impossible situation to address from afar ... it could be that you just don't like the sound of the JP, regardless of what pickups are in it. It could just be that particular guitar. It could be your rig. It could just be pickups.

Without a clear idea of what going for, it's hard to recommend anything. And it would be frustrating to just try pickups blindly, not knowing what you'll get. (Everyone is going to suggest trying something different, and what sounds great for somebody else may not work in your guitar.)

"Fizzy" makes me think that brightness is an issue, and as uOpt suggested, a PAF style pickup is just going to be more bright. If you haven't already, I'd try experimenting with the passive output of your guitar (if you have a peizo), through a long cable, right into the amp to see if that makes any difference (with a high capacitance cable, should roll of some high end and give more mids). If that helps, then you can look for a pickup that has more of that sound.

Another suggestion is to take your guitar into a shop with other JPs and try different guitars/amps to see how yours compares. If you hear the same things from the other JPs, could be that it's just not the right guitar for you.

Anyhow- unfortunately, there's no substitute for just experimenting here.

 

[deadtotheworld]

Thanks for all suggestions so far.
Ive tried other JPs without any problems. As I mentioned i have tried my JP with a number of amps, setups, cables, eqs and so on, without greats results. Im finding it difficult to explain the problem and appreciate that its even more difficult to offer advice without first hand experience of my actual guitar... But what im trying to explain is that the guitar sounds awful - and that its not a case of me just not favouring its sound because its not my style etc.

I think i posted just to see if anybody had had a similar problem and figured it was a component in the wiring or dodgy inputs or something like that, that maybe you swapped that and cured the problem. Or maybe discovered that a bunch of JP6s had used a different batch of wiring etc. i dunno Im clutching at straws!
My tech swapped the pickups for me but obviously didnt rewire the whole guitar - so if there was a problem before the new pickups, the same problem would be there still after the new ones had been dropped in.
Have you guys ever been on the piezo position and stepped on a distortion and left the piezo on by mistake?? Thats what this sounds like. Its nasty! The fizzyness Im trying to explain is like if you had 2 distortion pedals on and dialled down all the bass and mids and upped the treble and had the gains on full playing strumming open chords.... I know what bright sounding amps and guitars sound like but this is something else! I could cut my losses and try and sell it but nobody would buy this!
Ive used the SD Alnico pro pickups for years and always felt smooth and balanced even in a number of different woods including basswood with bolt on necks so doubt its the pickups, plus with every other guitar ive played through the 5150 ive found it almost impossible to get a bad sound out of it.
Just dont know what to do next. Maybe ask my Tech to do a complete rewire????

 

[acwild]

Stupid question but I have to ask... Did you look at the soldering? I had kind of a similar issue when I put in a D-Sonic myself. The solder point is smaller than what I was equipped to handle but I tried it anyway. This resulted in a thin sound because my wiring wasn't really soldered on properly. Once I fixed it, all was well again.

 

[deadtotheworld]

At this point anything is worth a shot!
Over the last 20 years ive played many guitars through many amps and although there has been plenty of times that stuff has not been to my taste or needed a bit or a lot of eq-ing, or slightly lacking in quality, ive never plugged in a guitar especially one of this price range and thought it sounded bad as in 'something isnt right here' - so im pretty convinced that there is something wrong. I will check all the soldering... Or atleast get my tech to check over everything... Im really hoping its something as simple as this!

 

[beej]

You're describing something that sounds really out of the ordinary, then. Is it a passive JP (no piezo)? If so, I would probably look at every component, make sure it's wired properly, pots are the correct values, cap is in the right place, etc. The full physical.

If you trust your tech- I would suggest it. If not, maybe contact Strings & Things since they're the UK distributor, and get their suggestion?

 

[deadtotheworld]

Its fully loaded so it does have the Piezo. The piezo sounds great.... however when i switch to just the magnetic pups, could the piezo sound 'leak' through due to a dodgy connection? When the magnetic switch is selecting the full bridge position and the piezo is off, its almost as if I am getting 50% of the bridge pickup like its a split coil - plus an extra 30% of a piezo sound coming through making everything sound awful - could this be possible?

 

[beej]

There are two outputs on the guitar. One is active (buffered by the onboard preamp, so you can mix mags & piezo together), one is fully passive. Do you hear this problem from both outputs? Or just the active one? Just trying to narrow down where a problem could be. If active, I'd also try replacing your battery- low headroom due to a dying battery can give you some weird sounds.

Your next step really should be to contact EBMM customer service- those guys are your best resource for these kinds of problems. I'd shoot them an email or give them a call.

 

[Tung]

My tech swapped the pickups for me but obviously didnt rewire the whole guitar - so if there was a problem before the new pickups, the same problem would be there still after the new ones had been dropped in.
Have you guys ever been on the piezo position and stepped on a distortion and left the piezo on by mistake?? Thats what this sounds like. Its nasty! The fizzyness Im trying to explain is like if you had 2 distortion pedals on and dialled down all the bass and mids and upped the treble and had the gains on full playing strumming open chords.... I know what bright sounding amps and guitars sound like but this is something else! I could cut my losses and try and sell it but nobody would buy this!
every other guitar ive played through the 5150 ive found it almost impossible to get a bad sound out of it.
Just dont know what to do next. Maybe ask my Tech to do a complete rewire????

My 5150 III does make every guitar i own sound better, but my JP6 problem is not the same or as bad as you described your scenario. I have more issues with the pickups more than anything. I would say Beej's advice is the most pragmatic, give customer service at EB a call.

 

[bdtunn]

I had the exact same thing happen with mine. I tried a Seymour In the bridge and it still sounded exactly like what you described. I called customer service and had to send the guitar back in. They found that the piezo needed to be replaced and I can't remember what else (been a while). Anyway guitar came back I plugged it into my Marshall sent the kids out and BOOM!! Night and day! It now has that chunky sound that I like as well. Hope this helps.

 

[deadtotheworld]

bdtunn - wow thats interesting, because honestly this thing has driven me crazy and people think I am just trying to attack the good name of Ernie Ball and think Im doing something wrong with my amp or whatever and simply dismiss that its a problem with the actual guitar! I love EBMM and just want to love mine as much as everyone else does!

Looks like me and my tech are gonna do a bit more investigating then contact the uk distributor for some advice.

Thanks again for the responses everyone.