software

hi i guess this has probably been done a million times, but i have some questions -
1) which is better in your opinion and why?
2) what kind of sound would each one give me?
3) what is the ideal pickup to pair it with and why?

any help's appreciated

1. APH in my opinion. Vintage sound and takes gain really well for modern stuff. JB has a great lead voice, but has an upper mid spike that I find offensive for most other applications. Some like it, so take that for what it's worth. I've had them both in the same guitar, APH hands down.

2. APH is smooth, sweet and singing. It cleans up very nicely, and takes gain really well while retaining articulation. You can go vintage or modern with this pup. The JB pushes the front end of the amp too hard for my taste.

3. Pair it with annother APH neck...best neck pickup on the planet (well, for me anyhow). Match made in heaven. You can also go Seth, PG or Antiquity in the neck for a slightly different flavor. I'd stay with annother A2 magnet in the neck though.

By the way, that's what's going into my 03' Standard very soon.

That's my $.02

A2Pro. I have never been able to fall in love with the JB.

I can't say much for the APH, but my friend has a JB in his bridge... it sounds like pure *insert dirty word here*. I've heard lots of good things about the A2P, so go for it.

Most everyone will probally say the JB but, in my opinion the APH will be more versatile. Read Jeff H's post about the APH, he is spot on!!! The JB in my opinion is a great pickup if you play mostly leads. It has a great singing quality for playing solos but, I cant stand the rythms with it. The rythms are just not very tight in my opinion. The APH will do them both well. With the APH, go with the APH neck and if you happen to decide on the JB, go with the Jazz neck. Good luck on your choice!!

Both are great pups. I used both a long while. IT depends on what you want. If you want a more modern sound or a metal sound go with the jb. If you want classic go with the a2 pro. The JB does classic stuff well though with the right amp and settings. I think it cleans up well and really sings. It is also tighter.
It is up to you, what do you play?

i play a fairly wide range of rock, so that's why i'm kinda torn between the two, because the APH will (i expect) deal with classic rock stuff well 'cos it's the pup Slash uses, but the JB from the sound of it will deal with metal tones a bit easier, but not so much the clean sounds i use sometimes as well. If it helps i'm probably gonnna go with a '59 in the neck 'cos i've heard a lot of good things about it.

P.S. thanks for the help guys

Hey fwibble, welcome to the forum!

I started out getting the Jazz/JB set for my Heritage 150. After 2 1/2 weeks I had decided the JB most definitely was NOT for me. The highs were too overwhelming, the lows weren't there and the outpup although high wasn't what I wanted from a high output pup.

I called and told Kevin I was going to send it back and asked for suggestion at which time he said I should try the A2P. I sent back the A2P and ordered the A2P and waited (I was waiting on a dbl. creme bobbin one so it took a month). I got my A2P and slapped it in and was bsmootherlown away. The A2P was everything that the JB wasn't. It had pretty good bass, although looser, plently of mids, and smooth highs. It made my guitar smoother, and warmer. I can pull off some great modern sounds with mine, and even some passable metal tones. The A2P doesn't have the bite of the JB or grind of the Distortion, or Custom. Most guys consider those the 3 best pups for metal. It does have a smooth, sweet sound that oozes from your guitar. The articulation is good along with the string to string definition being of great importance. This pup doesn't get mushy with lots of gain, I think the smoothness makes fast runs sound effortless, even though they're not for me.

My combo (Jazz/A2P) is somewhat unorthodox I do realize. I couldn't pull out my jazz because it was everything I thought a neck pup should be. Man my bass player even said that.

Hope this helps man.

Luke