the c5 and the jb

[castiron]

how does the jb and the c5 compare to each other?

thank you.

[bbking1021]

jb has more of a mid spike while the C5 has more "scooped-mids", allowing the guitar to allow the mids. C5 also has a tighter bottom than the JB.

[castiron]

thanks man

[RockStarNick]

The C5, I'd say, has less inherent "personality", but in a good way. Whereas, its neutral midrange allows the character of the guitar shine thru very well. Whereas, the JB always sounds JB-ish.

A C5 in the bridge of a Les Paul works extremely well, especially with a 59 neck.

[fenderiarhs]

They are quite different..................The JB has THAT high mid spike which has become a signature for that pickup...It's a very full sounding pickup and you can be sure that your guitar will always be heard in the mix of your band.
On the other hand the C5 has more bass and treble and considerable less mid frequencies..........I am not a big fan of the C5..........at least on a strat......it sounded "empty" and thin......Maybe in a mahogany bodied guitar it would be much better...........

[Gearjoneser]

I agree with everything said. The C-5 has the tightest lows of all the Duncans, the mids let the wood and amp dictate it, and the highs are open and natural sounding like a 59.

The JB has warm but not extremely tight lows. The mids are focused in the high mids, and the highs are natural but buttery and fat. The JB will have thicker tones on the high notes.

To be honest, I found my dream pickup in the overwound Custom 5. It's ohms rating is right in between the 14.4 Custom 5 and 16.4 JB. A 15.3 Custom 5 is the most perfect humbucker I've heard. That's what I made at UGD. I also have the 50th Anniversary Seth Lover made in the Custom Shop. I'd say that it's the most perfect A2 humbucker ever made. I put both those humbuckers in my two main Les Pauls, and I swear there's no better two humbuckers that I've heard. I know they're difficult to attain pickups, but I went to extremes for tone, and those two are the absolute sh!t.

[papersoul]

Hi Gearjoneser!...

Hey...any more info on the A 15.3 Custom 5? How are the cleans and is there a good neck match? I have been going through hell finding the right pickups for my Mccarty and LPs. I can't seem to find one that does clean well with the guitar's knobs dimed and also does high gain well. Does it do clean well? Is it over bearing like some metal pickups?

[Luke Duke]

To be so close in construction they are completely different tone-wise. Actually I don't like either of them in Pauls. Of Course that's the difference in wire gauge I guess.

In my PRS I have a JB/C5 hybrid that I made at UGD (it was orginally a Cust./Dist.) it has the signature C5 bass woof, and the signature JB high mids spike. The highs are a mixture of the two. I think it would be a good pup for someone who wants the both of best worlds in a Paul.

Luke

[Lewguitar]

They are quite different..................The JB has THAT high mid spike which has become a signature for that pickup...It's a very full sounding pickup and you can be sure that your guitar will always be heard in the mix of your band.
On the other hand the C5 has more bass and treble and considerable less mid frequencies..........I am not a big fan of the C5..........at least on a strat......it sounded "empty" and thin......Maybe in a mahogany bodied guitar it would be much better...........

That's pretty much my opinion too, but only when playing at low volumes. However, through a cranked Marshall, 59 Bassman or similar amp the C5 does not sound empty or thin at all. It just needs to be used at Hard Rock volumes and then, IMO, it comes alive and sounds huge and excellant. The JB does have a fatter, thicker, louder tone, IMO, than the C5, and the C5 does seem to have less mids and a brighter/glassier/sparklier tone than the JB, though the JB does have that upper midrange boost that gives it a very penetrating tone in terms of cutting through the mix...and punishing my ear drums if I'm standing to close to my amp! There's a reason the JB is Duncan's #1 selling humbucker year after year and why it's Seymour's favorite. Seymour uses it with 250K pots instead of he usual 500K and that does tame that upper midrange spike quite a bit. Tames it a little to much for my tastes though...I like a little more sparkle and prefer the JB with 500K pots. Lew

[bubbahotep2k3]

.I like a little more sparkle and prefer the JB with 500K pots. Lew

Well said, me too...

[papersoul]

That's pretty much my opinion too, but only when playing at low volumes. However, through a cranked Marshall, 59 Bassman or similar amp the C5 does not sound empty or thin at all. It just needs to be used at Hard Rock volumes and then, IMO, it comes alive and sounds huge and excellant. The JB does have a fatter, thicker, louder tone, IMO, than the C5, and the C5 does seem to have less mids and a brighter/glassier/sparklier tone than the JB, though the JB does have that upper midrange boost that gives it a very penetrating tone in terms of cutting through the mix...and punishing my ear drums if I'm standing to close to my amp! There's a reason the JB is Duncan's #1 selling humbucker year after year and why it's Seymour's favorite. Seymour uses it with 250K pots instead of he usual 500K and that does tame that upper midrange spike quite a bit. Tames it a little to much for my tastes though...I like a little more sparkle and prefer the JB with 500K pots. Lew

Good stuff Lew and it is nice to have a bit of everything. I am ordering a C-5/Jazz for my McCarty - in fact you may get an order soon! My PRS Mccarty has a lot of mids and is dark and thick - needs the open clear tone of the C-5/Jazz. My LP Standard may retain the very good sounding Burstbucker Pros and I think the LP Classic may lose the Gibson pickups and get either a Rio BBQ/Texas or better yet, the overwound C-5 and a 59!

Rich

[ishmun]

how does the jb and the c5 compare to each other?

thank you.

Judging from your avatar, you seem to be quite the metal head

If you want to know what the JB sounds like, you should check out Megadeth's The System has Failed . You'll really be able to hear the JB's characteristics come out

i own both pickups - the JB in my music man silhouette special and the C5 in my Gibbo V. the biggest differences, from a metal point of view is the tightness of the bass in the C5 and the pronounced mids of the JB. They are both great for metal, just really depends on whether you prefer a lowered or scooped mid response from the C5, or a bit of a spikey middy tone from the JB

Cheers
Ishan

[castiron]

Judging from your avatar, you seem to be quite the metal head

If you want to know what the JB sounds like, you should check out Megadeth's The System has Failed . You'll really be able to hear the JB's characteristics come out

i own both pickups - the JB in my music man silhouette special and the C5 in my Gibbo V. the biggest differences, from a metal point of view is the tightness of the bass in the C5 and the pronounced mids of the JB. They are both great for metal, just really depends on whether you prefer a lowered or scooped mid response from the C5, or a bit of a spikey middy tone from the JB

Cheers
Ishan

haha yeah i love heavy music. but im looking for something smooth to even out my bc rich as opposed to a pickup that'll make my ears bleed. i was checking out the c5 because i heard it was vintage-like and not over the top, basically a 59 with more output.
i want something with good cleans (not something that sounds stale or muddy) and still a ballsy distorted sound.
i play zakk wylde and jerry cantrell type stuff and i know that jerry uses the jb.
but can the c5 pull off some of jerry's sound?
thanks