This is the King of shootouts. The worlds best selling pickup vs the worlds second best selling pickup. You decided which is which.

I've tried both and I prefer the Super Distortion.

@ryananthony4840

2 жыл бұрын

Super D all the way!

@AlejandroGonzalez-wo5fk

Жыл бұрын

lot more brightness to it, less muddy. I think theyre superior too.

@lucasiciliano

Жыл бұрын

To me Super D fits perfectly with mahogany bodies guitars ( set necks or neck true body ) ! JB works best on bolt on necks type guitars, alder or ash bodies !

@timbuk1126

11 ай бұрын

​@@lucasicilianoI have the Super Distortion in alder guitars with maple fretboards and it's thick low mids help beef up my guitars.

@lucasiciliano

11 ай бұрын

Hello @@timbuk1126 ! Great to know it , I generally used to play Super Distortion on Gibsons and I wanted to swap the stock pickup on my Kramer SM-1H ! I mean a Duncan SH-4 JB ! A lot of people use to install Super Distortion on Ibanez RGs and JBs on Strats except for Dave Murray ! He played SDs for many years nowadays he went on duncan ' s hot rails !

DiMarzio for me since 1983. Blessings to all.

The DiMarzio is just so good for chugging and digging. But it’s such a thick sound that in the high end, it seems dominated by that low-end thickness. The SH-4 is more concentrated in the mid-range, so it’s clearer in more distorted tones but isn’t as big and heavy.

Finally!!! The ultimate battle of the century!!! Two titans facing each other!!! Two legendary pickups, each one legendary on its own way!! And the winner is....

The sound in my head is the DiMarzio Super Distortion!!! On countless albums!!!

Hey, man, thanks for all your comparison videos -- they're really well done, super useful and a great resource. I especially appreciate how they all use the same riffs. Just all-around a great go-to for pickup sounds.

IMO, the super distortion stays more defined throughout all ranges of gain. I think I would pick that one over the JB. Great demo btw!

I really love your comparing videos Mike Stamper. They are better than the rest. Regarding the pickups: they are both classics, they are both high gain, but for me the the lack of highs in the JB's makes them dull. Everyone playing rock needs one guitar with Super Distorsions.

Wow! Great comparison demo! Keep it up!

Thanks for posting all these videos. I like more Super Distortion because it’s brighter color and little more organic.

Excellent comparison vid! Thank you!

Increïble Dimarzio. Gràcies per la bona feina!!

I've been waiting for this.

Clean: Super Distortion. Gain: Both.

I couldn’t decide which one I liked the most. I ended up having one guitar with the Seymour JB and the other with the dimarzio sd . Problem solved.

@yow_shadow

10 ай бұрын

Dimarzio on Bridge or neck ?

These two both sound so good to me… it’s hard to pick one over the other. Thanks for the best demos & side by side comparisons on KZread! Your format is the best.

Thanks for finally delivering. I’ve had both in my LP while I liked the JB, I preferred the SD in the end.

Nice comparison, good job

I have and love 'em both, along with the Duncan Distortion. Different pickups for specific guitars and tones. Thanks for the video!

@ryj2848

5 ай бұрын

Which do you think would work better in the neck position of a king v neck thru design? I was leaning toward the jb, but this sounds darker and maybe kind of muddy.

@vegangreen1269

3 ай бұрын

@@ryj2848if you want more clarity yet still retaining a nice smoothness in the highs then get the super distortions. JB’s are less clear and have a very smooth but also brutal growl when distorted.

Great page. Great formula for comparison. I love this. i wont buy another h.b without checking here first.

Thanks for the video

Wow that Dimarzio has clarity and brightness. The Duncan JB is a little more less clear, darker.

@kazkylheku1221

Ай бұрын

Relative to the JB it does, but not really.

@idontgivea1769

Ай бұрын

Kind of the other way around..

@erichfrederick9229

23 күн бұрын

Yea, the dimarzio super distortion is very versatile.

have both, love both. for shits and giggles i put a sd in the neck and a jb in the bridge

Cool, thanks. The original Super Distortions back in the 70s, used to be all midrange and bass, super hot, but these sound more chimey. Think I would prefer it to the darker JB. You can always roll back the tone or lessen the treble on your amp to cut highs. I like more sparkle and highs from the git go, then I can subtract from there if needed. I may just buy this guitar I saw with what appears to be Super Distortion pups on it........

@iplayloud2

8 ай бұрын

True that. Most of the old Super Dist I tried had zero harmonics while old JBs sound like a million $.

Have to get one, the clarity and drive are great, I got a jb in my strat and it's dark but quite beautiful.

@iplayloud2

8 ай бұрын

You can adjust the brightness. Turn the screws out until it sounds to your liking.

Wow, excellent video. I sway toward the Dimarzzio

I have had DiMarzio and Seymour Duncans most of my life playing, and never heard one sound so bad as this Duncan does. Its sound muffled a bit to me. I have a JB TB-4 Duncan in my Jackson DK3 and was checking this one out to go into my new Kramer Striker for the differences but never heard one so dull before. I also have a super distortion 1 and 2 laying around I guess I am just going to toss into my Kramer for now. Thank for the video.

That super dimarzio sounds great!

There is no pickup on earth that can produce as beautiful of a clean/lead sound as a super distortion. I like some pickups better for high gain stuff, but the SDs are wonderfully thick and brutal with a lot of gain

Both incredible pickups for different styles.

After watching a ton of these videos I've come to realize the super distortion is nearly unbeatable. The character of the midrange in it is awesome for high gain, chewy and with a low mid emphasis that makes the tone so round, and yet enough highs that it never feels flubby. Also nice is that it's not so high output as to be useless with bridge clean tones. In fact it's clean tones are stellar too.

@Terrysoddy

2 жыл бұрын

You know, I believe your exactly right about that. I haven’t heard anything yet that sounds better

@ianboles3666

2 жыл бұрын

Both are great, But the only pickup to beat a super distortion is an SH-8 Invader. Which is also my favorite SD pickup

@ianboles3666

2 жыл бұрын

@@ibanezlaney The only thing average about The Invader is your knowledge and experience of the pickup. Dialing in ANY pickup to your own personal preference is the key to great tone. There is a reason amps have Bass, mid, and treble controls. The Invader is a highly mid range pickup that sounds amazing with the treble boosted. IMO DiMarzios are great quality pickups but they sound thin and weak compared to SD. Everyone has there likes and dislikes which is totally cool, but IMO Invaders are extremely versatile and underrated when the treble is boosted. Morale of the story - Dial in your pickup tones.

@kevinknight8889

Жыл бұрын

@@ianboles3666 just from this.on a phone.i hear a cleaner crisper tone...feels light in weight..compared to a deeper thicker darker sound for the SD..CREAMIER SOUND..BLUESYISH. SWAMPY...COULD DMRZIO BE TUNED INTO A DEEPER SOUND PROLLY SO....I THINK IM HEARING WHAT YOUR SAYING..I LJJE BOTH..Definitely get the SD FOR THE BLUES

@javierdiazsantana

Жыл бұрын

That thing from country rock to hard rock, heavy blues, heavy metal, thrash metal, groove, death, deathcore, metalcore and even djent seems like a pretty nice pickup. I like its hard rock sounds good for VH and Kiss but seems to dial a pretty good modern metal tone as well, pretty impressive for a 50 year old invention, but y'know, same happens with mics, no matter how modern they get, an SM57 will work from a classical guitar to a cranked stack better than fine. No need to splurge in Bare Knuckles or signature pickups from any brand, a properly designed and relatively (13K?) high output wounded ceramic bar humbucker will work

I love how the JB has a more punchy response because of the less compression. Also the lots of bass frequencies in the Super Distortion can easily become a muddy distortion sound. I've played many DiMarzios (SD, X2N, Activator...) and to me the JB is unparalleled the best bridge pickup for an organic distortion tone!

I liked the Sd way more for cleans. the jb sounds muffled for cleans, which can work for some situations but i prefer the sd sparkle. for high gain..... the sd sounds more like a buzzsaw. with more punch. and more top end clarity. Jb sounds great for lead guitar solos but i hate it for rhythm..... not clear or ballsy enough.

That JB SH-4 sounds like ca-ca. The SD is a beast!!!

They're both pretty darn neat.

The JB is way darker(clean() ....still sounds good...simply lacks a little clarity. Driven? they seem to sound similar. The SD has a bit more bottom. I played a 90's Les Paul Studio last night with a 1978 DiMarzio Super Distortion and fell in love. It was one of the sweetest tones I have ever heard in My 51 years!!

Hey guys, the JB pickup that came stock in the eighties Kramers sounds better than any of the following ones. Duncan says they are exactly the same, but they sound different. If you can get one out of a vintage Kramer , you will have the second best pickup ever made . Nothing beats the super distortion, nothing.

@These_go_to_eleven_1959

Ай бұрын

The JB's in a Kramer back then had a roughcast alnico 5 magnet. All the newer ones have a polished A5. If you want one like in the Kramer's you have to buy the antiquity JB or a 35th anniversary JB. Those are exact to the Kramer ones🤘

Another awesome comparison video - thanks! I had a Jackson Adrian Smith (with Super Distortion) and an ESP Horizon (with JB). I found both to be equally mushy and muddy... BUT DiMarzio always wins for me anyway!! Keep up the good work Mike!!

@timbuk1126

Жыл бұрын

What pickups aren't mushy?

@mikusguitarius

Жыл бұрын

@@timbuk1126 Most DiMarzios!! 🧐😜

@timbuk1126

Жыл бұрын

@@mikusguitarius super distortion pickups aren't muddy.

@mikusguitarius

Жыл бұрын

@@timbuk1126 ah, my mistake. Sorry. 🤔

@timbuk1126

Жыл бұрын

@@mikusguitarius the tone zone and JB definitely might be muddy. The adjustable hex screws on the Super Distortion help alot with tightness.

The DiMarzio has a more bright tone to it. It really shows in the clean examples. But I kind of prefer the Seymour duncan. It sounds more packaged even though it's a little bit more muffled. It sounds a little more professional

At times the Seymor Duncan seemed a bit fuzzy.. But thicker with the clean tones.. Tough call but I would try the DiMarzios first

Best pickup comparison videos in the world. Keep up the excellent content. SuperDist for cleans JB for dirty....pretty much Duncan for dirty and Dimarzio for cleans in most of the videos I watch.

@timbuk1126

2 жыл бұрын

See I'm the opposite. Duncan's have alot of high end white noise I have to eq out. The only Duncan I like is the Duncan Custom.

@mattb383

2 жыл бұрын

@@timbuk1126 Interesting. Are you Eq'ing for recording or live sound?

@idontgivea1769

Ай бұрын

Love the JB, but those high mids spikes gets really annoying really quick. The Super Distortion has also tone for days and that sweet fatness to it. EQ preference is really the only thing with these two, cause they both have what a good pickup should have

@idontgivea1769

Ай бұрын

Love the JB, but those high mids spikes gets really annoying really quick. The Super Distortion has also tone for days and that sweet fatness to it. EQ preference is really the only thing with these two, cause they both have what a good pickup should have

I dropped a Dimarzio distortion bridge pickup in my 78 Les Paul Deluxe and still today wouldn't trade my axe for any other,.. Any!!.... I don't even know if it's a SD or just distortion.. Bought the pickup back in early 80's. It can be raunchy or silky. smooth with just a lil volume and treble adjustment. I love the blend with the Gibson mini hb.

I like both, get two gitars with the pu's each and ROCK.

Sound both great, but I prefer SH4 for precision

DiMarzio Super Distortion is a truly weird pickup. In cleans it's nice bright and chimey, if anything it has more chime than the SH-4, the cleans of the SH-4 sound muffled. However in high gain usage it's completely the other way around, the Super Distortion has this big and saturated sound that although isn't that clear does sound powerful, big and thick. The SH-4 has a more focussed sound, which although sounds nowhere as big and heavy as the Super Distortion does sound clearer. Seems like the Super Distortion has a lot of lows, low mids and highs but is deficient in mid-range. The highs make it sound chimey during cleans but in high gain tones those highs just get dominated by the low mids and lows and hence it sounds big, thick and heavy. The SH-4 on the other hand doesn't have the same amount of highs as the Super Distortion due to which it sounds darker in cleans, but it has more focussed mids and less lows and low mids, due to that it sounds clearer in the high gain tones.

@Vayth

2 жыл бұрын

100% agree! The JB always sounds damn good to me and cuts through the mix but when I use the Super Distortion, I need an eq pedal, still a good pickup! The Super Distortion doesn't even sound like a ceramic magnet equipped pickup in my opinion.

@ArmandoLopez-qt6vz

2 жыл бұрын

The EMG JH bridge is very similar in this regard, only active instead of passive

@TheNocturnalEvil

2 жыл бұрын

@@Vayth Indeed, the Super Distortion sounds nothing like a ceramic magnet pickup. It just sounds too thick, chewy, and compressed. Those aren't the qualities one expects from a pickup with ceramic magnet.

@TheNocturnalEvil

2 жыл бұрын

@@ArmandoLopez-qt6vz Speaking of EMG, the Super 77 is voiced like a Super Distortion on steroids. It has the output of EMG 81X and the dense tonality of the Super Distortion. So far it's the thickest sounding active pickup ever made by EMG.

@ArmandoLopez-qt6vz

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheNocturnalEvil I've been wondering if there's any substantive difference between the Hot 70 and Super 77. Thanks for this, I'll probably try it out now!

Great comparison... Listening on HD650's In this showdown, I would prefer the warmer alnico JB (with a 250k vol pot to tame the highs..). not a personal fan of ceramic pickups which sound brittle/sterile? (Now days I run with low output alnico II offerings. like the SD Custom 78....)

i have both installed in my two guitar and i love them equally. But i think dimarzio sound better in shorter scale like les paul, and duncan for fender type guitar scale

@christopherkennedy873

Жыл бұрын

I've unintentionally gravitated to that exact application 🤘🎸💥

@rafaellewis1263

3 ай бұрын

As have I!

It’s crazy in real life the JB is way more bright and bass cut than the super distortion even the company graphs say so but this demo sounds completely different

i have a super distortion, its a lot more bass heavy than i was expecting. sounds great with some fuzz tho. when i was putting it in my mustang i just bought a cheap single coil pickup from music go round for the neck. i couldn’t figure out what was the hot on the single coil and accidentally wired it backwards. sounds pretty sweet with them both on. maybe a little shrill for most people but i like trebly guitar. its epic for lead guitar. i want to get rid of my tone knob make both knobs volume then use my pickup selector as a coil split

I would have to go with Seymour Duncan on this one. The clean tone is alot more soothing and settling compared to the Super Distortion which sounds a bit more ear piercing and trebly. For the distortion levels the DiMarzio is definitely heavier and can really hear that low end in the chugs where as the SD has a bit less punch but still cuts through pretty good.

@Joetrout

Жыл бұрын

The jb is just better overall. The super distortion almost sounded like a single coil in the clean mode. High gain they both sound about the same the jb just sounded fuller

This video has further clarified that I’m a Seymour Duncan guy. There is more harmonic richness in my view in the JB than in the DiMarzio SD. But hey that is just my opinion. Sonic taste buds can be quite different from animal to animal. I am sure many find DiMarzio or some other brand or different pick up as tone heaven. I just like the rounder and warmer sound of JB SH-4. The super distortion seems more sharp and could be a better candidate in certain situations so yeah we are comparing sonic titans.

JB SH -4 pickups for distortion absolutely

Before watching the video I thought that the Seymour would sound better but this was not the case. The sound on the Dimarzios were better both clean and distorted in my opinion, I wonder how they fair against my favorite passive Seymour Invader and Nazgul for more aggressive metal. They are a bit cheaper than the Seymours at least in the shops in Sweden.

Dimarzio

For sound I prefer Súper Distortion

Did I just hear purposefully botched up versions of The Wickerman and Number of the Beast 😂? Great job buddy. Up the Irons!

Para usar la Seymour Duncan JB en tu guitarra, necesitarías dos pastillas: una para el puente y otra para el mástil. La JB está diseñada específicamente para la posición del puente, por lo que no se recomienda utilizarla en la posición del mástil. En cuanto a la pastilla del mástil, una opción popular para emparejar con la JB es la Seymour Duncan Jazz, que ofrece un tono claro y equilibrado. Otras opciones incluyen la Seymour Duncan '59 o la Pearly Gates, que también se emparejan bien con la JB en la posición del puente.

@armandoaraujo6128

Жыл бұрын

Dave Murray & Adrian Smith usou nos anos 80/90 a combinação perfeita de SD na ponte & JB no braço e soava incrível! Aliás, vários guitar heroes dessa época usoaram o SD na ponte como Phill Collen, Viviam Campbell, Glenn Tipton, etc.....

I like the “chewy” character of the SD. Also find it more crunchy and warm for overdrive. The JB is an overrated pickup, in my view. More focused, maybe, but shrill. Even in a Mahogany guitar. Seymour Duncan has way better options. The Custom is decent. So too the Custom Custom for an alder body guitar. A Pearly Gates is good. And the Holdsworth is very good; so too the RTM. All of these are better options as passive pickups for hard rock, than the JB.

@MontourR

Жыл бұрын

Idk what you play but jb is better

@corbinjehl6563

Жыл бұрын

Tonewood is a lie

I’ve used both over the years. I prefer the JB for most situations.

I liked the DiMarzio SD better. Sounds a little closer to the Seymour Distortion than to the JB. But JB gives a warm tone. Darker. The SD was nicer and chimier on the cleans, and even better on the high gain stuff. No flubb, no fizz.

Voy con las Seymour Duncan SH4

Hi Mike thanks for the video. One question, what height you set the pickups?

Dimarzio especially with the clean settings... also has a bit more high end sizzle than the SD in the overdriven section...

I like jb's clairy and dark tone

Playing guitar since 1992 here and the difference with the clean sounds is really not in line with my personal experience. The JB is the most balanced and "normal" sounding pickup ever, not dark like we hear in this video. While the gazillion Super Distortions I played were okay but they're badly lacking in harmonics for high gain lead.

The JB has more body. I have been using Dimarzios for years. In this case I chose JB. I wonder if it beats Dimarzios Gravity Storm? That one is my all time hero.

You can Tailor the eq up the JB on bottom end and top end without it getting mushy,but you can not with the demarzio because it is too saturated and would mushup.Rather have the tweakable pickup to shape for any music I want.My Invader is only good for fat solos or super heavy rythms the same way,Rather have the screaming demon over the demarzio if I was going for something more aggressive and pierces thru,the mids on the Dimarzio or a bit too much for my taste.

Dude the super distortion sound way better both channels wow

I think the super distortion picks up a little more low end than the jb. The jb from what I hear has a little more mid response. I guess I would put the super dist. In my drop tune guitars and keep the jb in flat or standard.

I’ve been having trouble finding a super distortion that isn’t bent from the tight fitting plastic packaging

both win it all depends on the song even with the vintage dark clean of the JB can be good on certain songs and on the distortion the same it all depends on the song

Me gusta más la Seymour Duncan siento que le da más profundidad a los tonos limpios y mantiene la claridad en alta ganancia

Seymour duncan sh-4 humbucker for me. Tho dimarzio sounds great but I like crisp

JB sounds more compressed and mid-centered, and the mids sound kind of a bit more pleasant. Definitely better for metal imo, at least for the mix. The Super Distortion still sounds great, probably a close 2nd place for metal. It'd be great for live maybe, especially if you cut the low-lows.

@stilllifewithguitar184

Жыл бұрын

I have one of each and I agree with you, at least in terms of the mids. The JB has a more mid-focused thing, more liquidy mids. The SD is brighter (mine sounds like the demo here a lot) and has a little more overall clarity and tighter lows. If I could only have one, I think I lean to the SD for the clarity, but both are awesome, classic pickups. I've done some harmony guitar parts with my two and it is really, really tough to tell the difference tbh.

just wondering if both pickups can be ajusted so both sound at their best, tone and volume wise. on the clean channel the dimarzio sounded way better, the SD kinda muddy

Both are good pick ups for classic rock. I don’t use them for anything recorded after ‘85

@timbuk1126

2 жыл бұрын

😂

@rwm4738

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting us know that.

Holy shit the DiMarzios are soooo much better. Maybe its whole sound combo that makes em shines but on a 1 to 1 comparison they are much better.

I have both of these pickups. I wanted a Randy Rhoads esque type sound...as close as I could get. I read that he had a Super Distortion in his polka-dot guitar while in his les paul he had stock T-Tops and his Jackson made signature guitar had a Duncan Distortion pickup in the bridge. Obviously, he did not use a JB but the JB has an Alnico V magnet...which is exactly what T-tops had....damn what a conundrum! They both sound great in this video but in my experience the Super Distortion has entirely too much Bass. Even if you go to their website, the EQ specs for that pickup shows Bass very high above Mids and Treble. That pickup is on so many famed recordings from the 80's and most of them were metal artists that really didn't want too much bass so I find that ironic. I'm asking anyone who has any degree of knowledge of Rhoads' style and sound....which pickup would represent his sound better????

Dimarzio For me

I've owned plenty of Super Ds and JBs and the Super D wins hands down. I think the Super D has a better clean tone than modern JBs, although older JBs used to have a much better clean tone than new production JBs. I also think the Super D has more clarity on the low end than the JB. I wouldn't compare the clarity of either pickup to a DiMarzio Steve's Special when it comes to high gain but the Super D has that ceramic edge. I find a lot of Alnico pups get muddy on the low end. One exception is the Norton and another is the Air Zone. The Super D also has a more classic rock tone than a JB, and it's not because the JB was designed to sound more modern but rather than the JB didn't come into its own till the mid to late 80s, in part because Eddie was using them and Kramer's came stock with JBs. But the Super D is on a lot more classic rock and metal recordings than the JB. The JB kind of defined the post 1984 hair metal tone. The tone I like starts at classic rock, like UFO, Boston, Thin Lizzy, VH, and goes to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest in 1984. I'll put it this way. Mick Mars' tone on Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil has Super Distortion all over it. Theater of Pain has JB all over it and sounds very flat and sterile.

@andersrandom

Жыл бұрын

Calling a pickup "the super D" is very rock"n"roll 😀😉

@angusorvid8840

Жыл бұрын

@@andersrandom Ha Ha! Well, it's a very rock and roll pickup. Both pickups are good but the Super D has worked very well for me. I've been using them since the mid 80s. Owned a lot of Duncans as well. But the Super D can do it all, especially if you add parellel and coil splitting for cleans.

Super distortion all the way up! Dimarzio rules

SD sounds fuller and more open and the JB more compressed and muffled. I have the SD and Super 2.

JB sounds great however I'm not sure in a band setting one would want that dark of a tone. If you had a one pickup guitar then sure the JB would be the better chocie but Dimarzio is all about mixing tones and being different.

Mo Joe vs JB SH-4 bridge please

Super Distortion would be better choice in my case cause I prefer more clear sound

DiMarzio is the best by far

dp 100 buena articulación con las distorsiones, en clean es un poco mas brillante, la jb tiene un poco mas de ganancia y agudos mas redondos. Ambas humbucker son excelentes.

I think the supper distortion is besterest for some things but the duncan is goodester for some stuff too.

What would be the difference between DP100CR and DP104? And which one is being played on the video?

@mikestamper

3 ай бұрын

DP100 is Super Distortion and DP104 is Super 2.

Dimarzio❤

i would have dimarzio for low strings and seymour duncan for high

Nei suoni puliti preferisco il di Marzio, nei distorti vorrei averli entrambi (ho solo di Marzio)

Super D sound clean with clear crisp tone. SH-4 has deep warm tone... Super D the winner...

I had a Carvin that someone put a JB in the bridge, and I always thought it sounded muffled, and this test shows the exact same thing. Yuck

dM Super was bright, clear and buzzy-so slightly thin at the end of power chords. Not what I expected from DM’s site’s EQ graph. :/ SD JB is not as clear but had that meat.

If you see this and play high gain stuff (Hard rock to modern metal, no matter the genre) simply get a Super Distortion, cut your bass, crank some high mids and you'll get a tone tight as hell. No need to splurge in modern day signature pickups or BKP's, a DiMarzio SD will work the same as a 200 dollar BK Warpig

i think the duncans sound better clean! nothing beats a single coil for cleans tho

Di marzio winner!

I like the DiMarzio. more fizzy more betterer