Quality of the Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4?

[Spivonious]

I dont like JB's at all. Not sure why Jackson uses them so much. I find them real bassy...everytime I pick up a guitar with one in it I find myself reaching to turn the tone knob up

Probably because the JB/Jazz combo is what Mustaine uses.

[emperor_black]

Probably because the JB/Jazz combo is what Mustaine uses.

and a lot of other guitarist out there. Including Mike Amott of Arch enemy. I think they are good if you are playing hard-rock/80's hair metal. but for modern sounds, they just dont have the low end.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

they got plenty low end.

[Cleveland Metal]

Never liked the JB at all...

[emperor_black]

they got plenty low end.

if they did, this thread wouldn't exist.

[Rupe]

All the components of a guitar go into the final tone that you hear when you plug in...the pickup is only one piece of the puzzle.
I too typically do not care for JB's, but in certain situations, they are great. I was having trouble finding something that I liked for hard rock in my old Les Paul Custom as all of my old standbys (Anderson H2+, Duncan Distortion, Duncan SD, Duncan Full Shred) sounded dark. Since I've always thought JB's had a harsh high end/high mid spike to their sound, I thought I would give on a try. It's just what that particular guitar needed...it sounds great with no harsh high end whatsoever. In several other different guitars, this same pickup sounded like ass.
All I can say is experiment until you find what you need, and don't be turned off by a particular model just because it didn't sound good in one guitar...it may be perfect for another.

[Cleveland Metal]

VERY true...

[shadowcat]

Indeed, the only guitar I've heard so far that sounded really good with the JB in the bridge was a Les Paul.
I put one in my DKMGT but am not that satisfied with it.

[cbope]

I just replaced the DD HB-102B in my DK2 (which is a clone of the JB) with the PATB-3. Huge improvement, nice chunk in the lower registers and great harmonics. It's not too heavy, so it's still flexible. I was also considering a Distortion, but in the end considered that too specialized. The PATB-3 is moderate output according to Duncan, but it's fine for my needs. Funny though, the JB (hence the HB102B too) is considered high output, but I don't really hear any drop in output with the PATB-3. It "sings" really well and does fantastic things with feedback.

I feel the PATB-3 is a very underrated and underused pickup, it works like magic in my DK2. I can't really imagine ever replacing it in that guitar.

Now I know a bunch of people are going to say the DD's suck, but they are not that bad and sound pretty close to the Duncans they are based on. I was fairly happy with the "JB" tone of that DD, I just wanted something different.

[tmcleod]

Try the JB w/ the following settings: Treble - 8
Mid - 6
Bass - 5
Although the JB really isn't designed for that massive low end sound like an Invader, this setting will give you a more defined low end even though the bass is not cranked up that high. I tried this in my DK2, which has an alder body as does your RR3, if I,m not mistaken. This really tightened up the sound. Again, keep in mind that the JB is not intended for that low end sound. The JB has a more balanced (albeit high) output which is good, IMO, to a more versatile pickup for anything from hard rock to metal. Basically, I consider the JB a "pickup for all occasions".

I hope this helps shed some light on the situation.

[Carbophos]

massive low-end should go from BASS...

[tmcleod]

Could you elaborate? I'm not sure I quite understand.

[daisp]

Is the TB-14 the same?

[tmcleod]

I think it is supposed to be like a SH-1 but w/ higher output.

[soc_monki]

Now I know a bunch of people are going to say the DD's suck, but they are not that bad and sound pretty close to the Duncans they are based on. I was fairly happy with the "JB" tone of that DD, I just wanted something different.

I dont think the Duncan Designs suck...i liked the ones in my DX10 (they were the HB-103's, based off the Distortions), and i played both the Dinky and my Music Man (with a Distortion) through the same amp with the same settings, and there was very little difference, and a lot of that could be contributed to construction (the Music Man is a hardtail and the Dinky has a Floyd, so the Music Man had a rounder tone to the Dinky's brighter attack).

i ended up changing the pickups to EMGs, however, because one night the Duncan sound wasnt agreeing with me (neither the DD's or the real Duncan).

now the Duncan Designed Detonators (Invader copies) are kinda ugly sounding...i didnt like them in my RR3, but they sounded good in a buddy's Washburn Dime guitar. weird how that works LOL