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I really do not like the distortion pup as much as the JB in the bridge of a lester.
the jazz however is great in the neck spot
i like that a bit more in the neck than the 59 because it has better cut and clarity. the 59 is more bluesy but i prefer the jazz's tone.
the JB/jazz set is staying in my black beauty lester.
anyone else like this set?

I had a distortion in my ESP that I'd swapped the original screamin demon for..didn't like the distortion..so I put a JB trembucker in it...LOVE that pup! so much so that I just ordered a JB trembucker and a jazz for my EBMM axis =) just shipped and a buddy of mine's gonna put them in next friday before we start recording our demo..cna't wait...


Originally Posted by shreder75I had a distortion in my ESP that I'd swapped the original screamin demon for..didn't like the distortion..so I put a JB trembucker in it...LOVE that pup! so much so that I just ordered a JB trembucker and a jazz for my EBMM axis =) just shipped and a buddy of mine's gonna put them in next friday before we start recording our demo..cna't wait...

yeah i was expecting to like the distortion more than the JB becuase i wanted something as close as possible to the emg 81 as i could get in a passive for my les paul.
IMHO the JB has a closer tone to the 81 than the distortion does?
the output of the JB is quite a bit less than the 81 of course but the tone is similar and that is good enough for me.i took a chance on the JB just to try a duncan in my Black beauty and it turns out that the JB has better clarity and sings more than the distortion does.

I had the same experience, in both a mohogany set-neck Schecter, and an alder bolt-on Jackson. JB is staying .

EMG's to me aren't hot at all, the JB and DD have way more output to my ears.

I'm not a big fan of EMG pups....I mean, yeah..they're crunchy..but they lack a certain something..depth maybe? not very expressive..

I LOVE my JB..i would never change it out for anything...alotta people say that the CC's better, but honestly, I love the sound of the pup so there's no need to switch it out or try something else imo =)

and probably with the DD is that it was WAYYY too synthetic sounding..I didn't like the eq curve in it...very powerful though....


Originally Posted by DeadSkinSlayer3I had the same experience, in both a mohogany set-neck Schecter, and an alder bolt-on Jackson. JB is staying .

EMG's to me aren't hot at all, the JB and DD have way more output to my ears.Did you use EMG Pots? Somehow I find that hard to believe....maybe you had weak solder joints or something. That said though the 85 im using in the bridge has some serious output, but you know it's not much more than the 498T I replaced it with. Next string change I'll put the 81 in the bridge. I gotta tell you though the 85 is great in the bridge.

My next guitar will either be a fender strat Or Gamp;L I don't know maybe a tele.
If I cave on another Les Paul though I'll go Seymoure duncan. Im satisfied with my 81/85 for sure.

Maybe in the future a jb/jazz thousands can't be wrong...right?


Originally Posted by WICKED LESTERI really do not like the distortion pup as much as the JB in the bridge of a lester.
the jazz however is great in the neck spot
i like that a bit more in the neck than the 59 because it has better cut and clarity. the 59 is more bluesy but i prefer the jazz's tone.
the JB/jazz set is staying in my black beauty lester.
anyone else like this set?HA! I just sent you a PM asking how you were liking your pups then I saw the post!

I thought you'd like that Jazz neck, the cut is fantastic, as is the clarity.

So what is the distortion doing you don't like?Luke

The thing to remember about active pups is that they are not necessarily powerful in and of themselves, its the pre-amp in their electronics that gives it the push. I'm not so sure if this make them true quot;hotquot; pick ups in an overwound huge magnet sense like an Iinvader or a DD, as much as it pushes the signal through harder so you retain it through lots or rack stuff/amps, and so that it also clips your pre-amp like a boost. I've heard that EMGs actually have fairly weak/lower power magnets and coils. At least that's how I understand actives.


Originally Posted by HarrisonDavidDid you use EMG Pots? Somehow I find that hard to believe....maybe you had weak solder joints or something. That said though the 85 im using in the bridge has some serious output, but you know it's not much more than the 498T I replaced it with. Next string change I'll put the 81 in the bridge. I gotta tell you though the 85 is great in the bridge.

My next guitar will either be a fender strat Or Gamp;L I don't know maybe a tele.
If I cave on another Les Paul though I'll go Seymoure duncan. Im satisfied with my 81/85 for sure.

Maybe in the future a jb/jazz thousands can't be wrong...right?

Used EMG pots and everything, and always check my solder joints before testing it out.

I've tried an 81/85 and 85/81 in an Ibanez RG, an 85 bridge in my Jackson, and an 81/85 and 85/81 in my friends BC Rich NJ Warlock. All of them had a lack of gain when compared to an Invader and DD, side by side.

How would you describe the tonal diff between the Distortion and JB in the same guitar? They are the same pickup exept the Distortion uses a ceramic magnet and the JB uses an alnico 5 magnet.

How about a run down?

Diff in treble?
Diff in mids?
Diff in bass?
Diff in output?

Thanks!

The Distortion has more lows and is a bit tighter, but has more bite and edge than the JB. It's mids don't have the hi-mid spike that the JB has, but there's a quality in the mids that make it sound like a quot;chink chink,quot; where the JB has a quot;chunk chunk.quot; The DD's mids are cool, but the voicing can get annoying after a while. Also, the DD tends to get sort of loose under uber high gain, where the JB retains clarity.


Originally Posted by DeadSkinSlayer3The Distortion has more lows and is a bit tighter, but has more bite and edge than the JB. It's mids don't have the hi-mid spike that the JB has, but there's a quality in the mids that make it sound like a quot;chink chink,quot; where the JB has a quot;chunk chunk.quot; The DD's mids are cool, but the voicing can get annoying after a while. Also, the DD tends to get sort of loose under uber high gain, where the JB retains clarity.

Thanks! Would you describe the Distortion as having more mids or less mids than the JB?

(Sounds like you think it has less mids, which isn't the usual description but we all hear things differantly)

Seymour describes the ceramic magnet as giving the highs a little more sizzle compared to the highs of an alnico 5 magnet in the same pickup. Would you agree or disagree?

(There's no right answer...just curious what you think. )

How about lower mids? Which has more?

Would you describe the Distortion as having more mids or less mids than the JB?

About the same, just without such a drastic high-mid spike.

Seymour describes the ceramic magnet as giving the highs a little more sizzle compared to the highs of an alnico 5 magnet in the same pickup. Would you agree or disagree?

I'd most definately agree. The ceramic is actually about twice the thickness of a normal ceramic, so that's what they mean by oversized.

How about lower mids? Which has more?

I can't tell exactly which has more or less, but the low mids are a bit more prominent in the JB.

The two are actually pretty similar, but I'd say the DD is tighter and more aggressive, overall.

Thanks! Well done.

Hello, new to the forum but been playing s for some time now. I use JB(b) and Jazz(n) in all of my guitars. However I just tried an EMG 81/85 set in one of my ESP MKII's and liked it untill I got to the studio where I was able to crank it up. In my opinion they sound good but lack the feel when changing the pick attack for a different feel or mood in the song. Does anyone else feel this way?Thanks

No one has a right to say EMG's lack depth till they try the set i have in my platium pro.

Has to be one of the best sounding guitars ive heard. Itll do jazz, blues, 80's rock, 60's rock, modern rock, and many other things. They wont do country, but who the hell would want to play country with a B.C. Rich?


Originally Posted by Time Stood StillHello, new to the forum but been playing s for some time now. I use JB(b) and Jazz(n) in all of my guitars. However I just tried an EMG 81/85 set in one of my ESP MKII's and liked it untill I got to the studio where I was able to crank it up. In my opinion they sound good but lack the feel when changing the pick attack for a different feel or mood in the song. Does anyone else feel this way?Thanks

While I understand what you mean, the 18v mod really fixes that. I find EMG's to be fairly expressive, despite my other gripes with them.


Originally Posted by DeadSkinSlayer3While I understand what you mean, the 18v mod really fixes that. I find EMG's to be fairly expressive, despite my other gripes with them.

I'm not familiar with this. Is this mod on the EMG site? I'm also not bashing the EMGs either, after trying them I'm still not really fully decided on what I like better.

It's actually a very easy mod, you just need three 9v battery clips(they come in packs of 3-5), and room enough for 2 batteries in the cavity.

Take 3 of the clips and wire them red to black, red to black, red to black, forming a ring. Attach the batteries to two of them, and attach the third one that's left over to the existing battery input on the guitar. This runs the pickups at 18v, and as many will attest, makes EMG's a totally different pickup.


Originally Posted by Luke DukeHA! I just sent you a PM asking how you were liking your pups then I saw the post!

I thought you'd like that Jazz neck, the cut is fantastic, as is the clarity.

So what is the distortion doing you don't like?Luke

Luke the distortion is a bit too quot;boxyquot; sounding to my ears in the black beauty lester.
it has a good output and harmonics but the eq shape is not what i want.
the JB has a better 81 type tone, not a lot of bass or low mids, and a lot of cut and harmonics)
since the BB les paul is all mahogany the JB sounds perfect there. the jazz in the neck is a bit more cutting than the 59 was and not as bluesy
i like a neck pup that has a glassy sheen to it and the jazz fits that bill.
I am still debating on the wine red LP lester?
the stock pups have to go but i am not sure if i want to go emg 81/60 or
maybe try the duncan custom in the bridge and use the 59 for the neck in that one?