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Hey all. I have a Hamer Diablo (alder body, maple neck, rosewood board, Floyd Rose) that has a JB in the bridge and a JB in the neck (which I think has a different wind than the bridge pickup because the label on the pup is different). I'm using this mostly as a shred guitar for when those Satriani/Vai urges strike me. The JB in the bridge sounds awesome (which surprised me, because my prior JB bridge experience is not good), but the neck pickup is too muddy. I'm playing with a lot of gain and it just doesn't have the articulation I'm looking for. I'm thinking a Jazz would be a good replacement, but I don't know if the output is high enough. I basically want to be able to switch to my neck to get a different sound, but without having much of a drop in the distortion level. Would the Jazz do it for me or should I be looking at another pickup?

I think the Jazz would be the ticket. The Jazz and JB is the pickup combo that Seymour himself recommends and those two pickups were designed to be a set...not that they HAVE to be used as a set though. The 59N would also be a good choice for metal...it'll have a little more bass and the highs will be very springy and lively but not quite so extended as in the Jazz Neck. Seems like heavy rockers who are using a distorted or overdriven neck ryhtym tone tend to like the 59N over the Jazz Neck but either will do a great job.

If you have a JB in the neck it is a bridge pickup.,..there is NO JB for neck. the different markings would be trem spaced...I bet your bridge is a JB Trembucker while the neck is a standard JB...a JB/59 is a good set but if your already muccy then the Jazz might be the ticket. a Pearly Gates neck is also quite good (my fav in fact) but Lew is right...a JB/Jazz set is hard to beat and the Jazz neck is about the most articulate neck bucker you'll find.

I had a Diablo for a while that came stock with a JB trembucker in the bridge and a JB in the neck. They were promptly swapped for a Distortion pair. That axe went from a thin, nasly piece to an all out shred machine with balls o' thunder. Plus, with the 5 way switch I got some cool split tones.

If you want articulation out of the neck pickup, I owuld recommend either the Jazz or the Full Shred. The FS sounds to me like a hotter Jazz. Both are extremely articulate under high gain. Although they were both a little bright for me, if you like the JB in the bridge, one of those two might be a good choice.


Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireIf you have a JB in the neck it is a bridge pickup.,..there is NO JB for neck. the different markings would be trem spaced...I bet your bridge is a JB Trembucker while the neck is a standard JB...a JB/59 is a good set but if your already muccy then the Jazz might be the ticket. a Pearly Gates neck is also quite good (my fav in fact) but Lew is right...a JB/Jazz set is hard to beat and the Jazz neck is about the most articulate neck bucker you'll find.

Yep...the PGn is a great pickup too...especially for blues and rock. I use it and love it. But for metal, it seems like more guys like alnico 5 or even ceramic: more bass and more chunk to the tone.

I've been comparing neck pickups lately, and my choice would be either a Jazz, or a Seth Lover. The Jazz is nice and clean, while the Seth is clean, but with a touch more warmth.

The 59n is just a little to bassy to my ears. (Though I do play Les Pauls, not exactly the brightest guitars on the planet).


Originally Posted by LesPaulRulesI've been comparing neck pickups lately, and my choice would be either a Jazz, or a Seth Lover. The Jazz is nice and clean, while the Seth is clean, but with a touch more warmth.

The 59n is just a little to bassy to my ears. (Though I do play Les Pauls, not exactly the brightest guitars on the planet).

I find the 59n to be a little bassier than I need too...and I also use a Seth Lover neck and love it. When it comes to neck humbuckers, I DO prefer alnico 2 because it has less bass and more mids. But it does seem that the metal guys like the 59n alot. They're usually not going for a clean tone though. Clear yes...clean no. And the 59n seems to fill the bill for many of those players. Dimebag used a 59n.

Thanks for the advice guys; It sounds like a Jazz/Full Shred will get the job done.

-Austin

The Jazz, full shred, Pearly gates will all get the job done. My favorite out of the 3 is the Pearly gates. It has TONS of personality and mojo to it.

Full shred for the neck. Low bass, low mids and nice highs with MAXIMUM
pick attack and dynamics.