tried a Duncan JB in my SUB1 and....

[appar111]

Oddly enough, I don't notice much of a difference in sound from the stock EBMM bridge pickup! I don't know whether to be disappointed that the pickup didn't impress me as much as I thought it would, or happy that the stock pickup obviously sound 95% of what the Duncan JB does (saves me the hassle and money of installing one in my other SUB1). Either way, I was hoping to be more impressed than I was. Not to say that the stock pickup is bad by any means, just that I was hoping to hear some sort of difference in sound! Both the JB and the stock pickup are excellent for metal and rock. I guess I just paid $70 for the "Seymour Duncan" name on the pickup-- that was worth it (not!)

Anyone else replace pickups in your EBMM only to find out the stock pickups are perfect the way they are? I'm debating whether or not I should have the stock pickup put back in and then just sell the JB. Problem is, that's $25 for the install, and another $25 to re-install the stock pickup. If I sell the JB, it would pretty much be a wash... I could always keep it in until I find a pickup that I know will sound noticeably different, but if I like the sound of the stock pickup AND the JB, then why bother?

Should I keep the JB in the SUB1, or should I just have it removed, put the stock pup back in and sell the JB to break even?

Maybe the difference would be more noticeable with a better amp, or at stage volume? Problem is I have a crappy amp and I don't gig out, so I'd never know... maybe it'd be a good idea to keep it in, so whenever I upgrade amps or play out w/ my friend's band, I'll have a more "stageworthy" pickup at the helm.

On a side note, anyone looking for a Duncan JB for one of their guitars?

 

[Raz]

Have you tried playing with the pick up height? I have had a few situations arise where pups weren't to my liking, but with some adjustment to pup height, I was then blown away by the difference. My JP7 for instance, initially was too dark for my taste (w/ the custom wound Dimarzios) but after a quick neck shim, and adjustments to the individual pole pieces, this guitar is a banshee!

 

[LasagneFTW]

Have you tried playing with the pick up height? I have had a few situations arise where pups weren't to my liking, but with some adjustment to pup height, I was then blown away by the difference. My JP7 for instance, initially was too dark for my taste (w/ the custom wound Dimarzios) but after a quick neck shim, and adjustments to the individual pole pieces, this guitar is a banshee!

hey raz, did shimming/adjusting pole pieces increase/decrease the apparent gain? perhaps make pinch harmonics squeal more? for some reason (well its most likely me ) i cant get the best of pinch harmonics on the low E of my JP...but i can do it on an acoustic?

im not sure im ready to shim the neck but what about the polepieces?

-ross

 

[pauldogx]

+1 on the p/u height---check Duncans site for info. The JB has always been a favorite of mine---but it depends on the guitar its in. As you point out-----the main problem here is you say you dont have a good amp. To hear the differences between pickups ---you have to be playing through an amp your familiar with(and one thats half decent!) so you have a baseline to start your comparison with. I'd recommend a POD if you cant find a decent amp. Pick 1 or 2 models that you like and compare the pickups using those models.

 

[Raz]

hey raz, did shimming/adjusting pole pieces increase/decrease the apparent gain? perhaps make pinch harmonics squeal more? for some reason (well its most likely me ) i cant get the best of pinch harmonics on the low E of my JP...but i can do it on an acoustic?

im not sure im ready to shim the neck but what about the polepieces?

-ross

Not too sure about the gain, more a sense of clarity over anything else. Previous to the shim I found the tone, and I hate to use this word, muddy, or perhaps dark...then after the shim, the tone was brighter more defined. I guess it's like holding a microphone tight to your lips, then pulling away...there is a difference. I think it's all preference really, and since I had such a low action, I felt the space between my pups and the string was way too close.

Shimming the neck is one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can do to a guitar, but if you feel it's something you don't want to do, then take a hex wrench and screw in those pole pieces, you may gain 1/16" or more. Try and see if it makes a difference.
As far as pinch harmonics go, I'm not one who really tries to do this on guitar...
an easy way to see if pup spacing changes the gain is to raise your action, temporarily

 

[LasagneFTW]

Not too sure about the gain, more a sense of clarity over anything else. Previous to the shim I found the tone, and I hate to use this word, muddy, or perhaps dark...then after the shim, the tone was brighter more defined. I guess it's like holding a microphone tight to your lips, then pulling away...there is a difference. I think it's all preference really, and since I had such a low action, I felt the space between my pups and the string was way too close.

Shimming the neck is one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can do to a guitar, but if you feel it's something you don't want to do, then take a hex wrench and screw in those pole pieces, you may gain 1/16" or more. Try and see if it makes a difference.
As far as pinch harmonics go, I'm not one who really tries to do this on guitar...
an easy way to see if pup spacing changes the gain is to raise your action, temporarily

thanks for the advice, ill have to experiment.

what exactly did you use for the shim?

-ross

 

[Sub1 Zero]

i realized that the neck pickup in my Sub, combined with certain settings on my amp and my processer, i get THE clean sound i have always wanted. i was going to put a EMG 60/81 set, but now i am just going to put an 81 in the bridge and leave the stock pickup in the neck. it might look odd but oh well, i love the sound of it

 

[LasagneFTW]

i realized that the neck pickup in my Sub, combined with certain settings on my amp and my processer, i get THE clean sound i have always wanted. i was going to put a EMG 60/81 set, but now i am just going to put an 81 in the bridge and leave the stock pickup in the neck. it might look odd but oh well, i love the sound of it

its a great idea in theory, but unfortunately you cant combine active and passive pickups in your guitar, it makes them both sound horrible.

you can get by, with never turning on both pickups at once, though.

might i suggest getting just a very VERY hot passive, like a dimarzio X2N, for the bridge?

-ross

 

[appar111]

+1 on the p/u height---check Duncans site for info. The JB has always been a favorite of mine---but it depends on the guitar its in. As you point out-----the main problem here is you say you dont have a good amp. To hear the differences between pickups ---you have to be playing through an amp your familiar with(and one thats half decent!) so you have a baseline to start your comparison with. I'd recommend a POD if you cant find a decent amp. Pick 1 or 2 models that you like and compare the pickups using those models.

It's actually adjusted to optimal height-- pretty close to the strings, but not right on them...

POD? I've tried them and was not impressed at ALL.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

wow, didnt know you couldn't combine active and passive... guess you learn a little every day! thanks backdoorbandit. as for the POD, look into the digitech RP series. a lot of the effects sound pretty synthetic, and they assume you want delay on everything, but you can make up to at least 40 effects to your liking on the cheapest model. i use it all the time, and it sounds good enough for now

 

[B2D]

Anyone else replace pickups in your EBMM only to find out the stock pickups are perfect the way they are? I'm debating whether or not I should have the stock pickup put back in and then just sell the JB. Problem is, that's $25 for the install, and another $25 to re-install the stock pickup. If I sell the JB, it would pretty much be a wash... I could always keep it in until I find something that I know will sound noticeably different, but if I like the sound of the stock pickup AND the JB, then why bother?

I wanna put some noiseless Fender singles or maybe Duncan QP's in the neck/mid slots of my Silo Special but I can't bring myself to do it because the stock ones sound so damn good already.

I did drop a FRED in the bridge though and got the little bump in output, harmonics, and clarity that I was looking for.

 

[Thirdpole]

I wanna put some noiseless Fender singles or maybe Duncan QP's in the neck/mid slots of my Silo Special but I can't bring myself to do it because the stock ones sound so damn good already.

I did drop a FRED in the bridge though and got the little bump in output, harmonics, and clarity that I was looking for.

Similar story here, i installed a PAF PRO in my SiloSpec. I really like it !
Then i wondered what should i do with the singles, them being a bit too quacky for my taste. I replaced them with fender SCN i had in spare.

With those changes, it went from a guitar i wanted to sell to a guitar i have played more than any other in the last three months.

 

[beej]

The SCNs are nice. They're designed by Bill Lawrence. Try his noiseless 200s- they sound even better than the SCNs. (Darn close.)

 

[appar111]

thanks for the replies, but can we get back to my original question?

Thirdpole, did you notice a big difference between the PAF Pro and the stock pickup in your Silo? Or was it more of a subtle difference in output and tone?

I think I need to spend a little more time w/ the JB and see the differences between it and the stock pup when it comes to things like pick attack, pickup height, rolling the volume down, etc.

Just goes to show, for those of you on the fence about swapping pickups out in a SUB1, if you decide not to, you've still got some great sounding stock pickups in yer guitar!

J.

 

[Thirdpole]

Thirdpole, did you notice a big difference between the PAF Pro and the stock pickup in your Silo? Or was it more of a subtle difference in output and tone?

Yes a very noticeable difference in the output. The PafPro has more output. It's really apparent on cleans. But, i don't use the bridge bucker on cleans anyway !

 

[Thirdpole]

The SCNs are nice. They're designed by Bill Lawrence. Try his noiseless 200s- they sound even better than the SCNs. (Darn close.)

I have the 280's in my Strat and they are awesome. Aren't the 200 are a little more vintage sounding and mid-cut ? Because that was the problem for me with the stock singles in the silo spec, being more mid-dipped, they sounded thinner with a crunchy sound.

Becky from Bill Lawrence was telling me that the 280's and the SCN's are very similar. Having both of them in different guitars, i disagree a bit and think that the 280's are more lively and dynamic.

 

[B2D]

Problem is I have a crappy amp

Well there's the problem right there... a crappy amp isn't really going to let the subtle nuances and differences of aftermarket pickups really shine through like a good tube amp would.

I'd keep the JB in... that way if and when you upgrade amps then you'll be able to reap the full benefits of better pickups.

 

[beej]

I have the 280's in my Strat and they are awesome. Aren't the 200 are a little more vintage sounding and mid-cut ? Because that was the problem for me with the stock singles in the silo spec, being more mid-dipped, they sounded thinner with a crunchy sound.

I love the 280's too. As they say, dialing in the height makes a huge difference tonally. I find them to be full-range sounding pickups. The 200s are similar, but sound more vintage-ey. I think you're right on the mid-cut for that tone, that's a good way to put it.

Becky from Bill Lawrence was telling me that the 280's and the SCN's are very similar.

Huh. I thought the 200s, which came after the SCNs, used the same pricinciples but different materials. In that, I thought they were closer to nail the vintage strat sound. Surprised to hear that. But Becky knows her stuff. Really nice, to boot.

 

[appar111]

Well there's the problem right there... a crappy amp isn't really going to let the subtle nuances and differences of aftermarket pickups really shine through like a good tube amp would.

I'd keep the JB in... that way if and when you upgrade amps then you'll be able to reap the full benefits of better pickups.

Yeah, that's what I was hoping was the reason for not hearing alot of difference. I'm sure plugged into a Boogie or a Soldano would make the improvements of the Duncan more apparent... at least I'm prepared for when I get a better amp!