Surprised you didn't like the JB for classic rock in the bridge! I guess there's finally a guitar that doesn't work well with the JB.
If you're running a 250K pot you'll REALLY need a super bright sounding neck pickup. Super 2, PAF 36th Anniversary, and Humbucker From Hell comes to mind along with the Duncan Full Shred. Don't let the names fool you, they do the classic rock tones just fine!
There's *alot* of guitars that doesn't gel well with the JB, it's very picky and finnicky, specially in mahogany, agathis and ash bodies... there was a time I had a JB in most of my axes back in the day, and in some it never really worked.
I usually tell people if they want rock machines, and Duncans - and JB doesn't do well, that they check the Custom family, four flavors for everyone's taste, ceramic, A2, A5 and A8. All except CC, also work really well with 250kohm pots, I found it (CC) inarticulate with anything lower then 500k. The added benefit of Custom family is, that they work good in every guitar, be it mahogany or plywood.
As for the OP, I think the issue is the pot loads in your case. If you really must keep 250k for the bridge, there's a resistor mod to make your bridge see lower load. Though, if you've got a tone pot there, and you do, I don't see how swapping to 500k and then just rolling the tone knob for the bridge isn't an issue?
Alternatively, install push/pull pots with both volume and tone in each of the holes for each of the pickup - now you've got more control over your sound, and can tailor the loads for each of the pickup as you wish.
Cory
Interesting! I've had JB in alder (a few DK2Ms) and a mahogany + ash guitar (2x ESP Forest GT, maple neck-thru, mahogany wings, ash top) and both sounded just phenomenal with the JB. Now both of those guitars have Floyds so that probably also changes things a bit. I've also played a JB in a Japanese Les Paul copy and damn that sounded amazing too. But yeah that's 5 instances of the JB for me. Every guitar is different though, even with the same technical specs, so I can see that.
Great to know that you had tried it in so many different axes! This actually helps me decide on a bridge pickup that I'm putting in a new build. Debating between a CC and a JB and... hey maybe I'll try the CC this time haha
Funny you mentioned it. I have a JB in an Edwards Les Paul (EC), and it sounds really good there. On the other hand, I tried so many Gibsons with one and it was so nasal and harsh and flabby, no eq'ing in the world would help there. Once upon a moon, I stumble across a good LP with JB that sounds phenomenal (a specific R9, but then that guitar also had non-original bridge), but in most of the cases I don't like it in Pauls.
I do own mostly Gibsons and Ibanez guitars, and only owned two ESPs for a while before selling, one which came with C/59 (horizon) and other with JB/59 (forest gt) but both were floyd rose guitars and both were alder... so I cannot comment how well the JB sounds in other Japanese-made ESPs, as I have limited experience there. I've tested JBs in about some 20-odd guitars through the years... didn't like how it sounded in half of that.
I'll say, however, that JB would never be my first pick in mahogany, agathis or ash guitars. In basswood guitars (Ibanez RGs), it sounds okay, but a little thin on leads on thinner strings. I've found that from Duncan, the best pickup for basswood is Custom, just gels well with basswood natural tendency to dial out some of those more presence-y frequencies. On alder it usually sound excellent and is a safe bet in that case. Floating trems takes out some of the flabbiness from JB which is mostly why it usually sound better in a tremolo guitar then a fixed bridge ones.
I really like the custom family, specifically Custom Custom and Custom models. Custom Custom always sounds smooth and polite, regardless of a guitar. I've got first CC in an cheapo Washburn Idol, which is a thin slab of agathis, the guitar is feather light... the 59 on the neck sounded a little boomy in that guitar, but otherwise okay, but the CC sounded so lovely and musical, regardless of the fact the guitar's wood couldn't be any cheaper and non-acoustic (it was inaudible without amp). I have since tested it on neck as well, with a Custom on the bridge, and I was surprised how good the CC sounds in the neck as well. I don't really think you can go wrong with the CC.
Regards,
Cory
