This video really is the best one I've seen that truly demonstrates the differences between the JB and Distortion.

@mattnunesmusica

7 жыл бұрын

Really? With camera microfone 1 inch can make a huge difference...

@Stank.Nastyy

7 жыл бұрын

Ralphie Leonard I was gonna say the same thing. Well done man great vid

@user-pf6ey6vp3e

7 жыл бұрын

definitely. There is clear difference.

@armandomorenotherevival7827

4 жыл бұрын

The JB has a more mid focused sound and more open with headroom. The distortion is more compressed/tight and less mids more presence sizzle. They both have their purposes if i had to pick I’d probably go with a JB, the JB there is no possible way you will not be heard in a band live mix it definitely cuts through any mix. You can make it sound tighter and put compression in if you want but with the Duncan distortion there’s no way of adding headroom that it lacks .

@JoshyyJay

3 жыл бұрын

Armando Moreno & The Southern Revival and with jb use 250k pots!!!

Not everyone plays songs the same way!! This is a killer demo showing the actual difference's between these pickups!! Awesome demo!

This might seem a little contrary to what other people have said, but I use the JB mainly for recording and the Distortion for live. The JB is just overall cleaner and very beautiful sounding. GREAT in a mix! Especially for my style of playing. The Distortion is without a doubt my favorite pickup ever though. The way the harmonics sing out sounds just incredible and full of life and energy. The first time I plugged in my Distortion to an EVH head, I knew I had struck tonal gold baby! Happy Playing everybody!🤘

@phillamoore157

Жыл бұрын

Interesting…. I thought the JB was much more defined. I bounce between a Tone Zone and the JB. But, I’m surprised to hear you say you prefer the Distortion live. I’m the exact opposite. Would love to hear it through that EVH head though 👍

Personally, I love the very pronounced mids of the JB...makes it sound bigger and less like a modern "scooped" sound. You can really hear it in the first two riffs.

This video is one of best comparison videos for these two pick ups. The Distortion definitely has a brighter sound where the JB is more nasally and less intense. I've bounced between the two for a long time and really now want the Duncan Distortion for my neck pick up

Very very very nice vid man, the best ive seen in all of the interwebs in regard of comparing these 2 pickups, nice playing as well

JB is darker, for sure. More presence and clarity(to me) from the distortion. Good video.

This video inspired me to buy and assembled my 2nd guitar pickup 8 years ago. My first pickup was an Alnico-V (JB was an Alnico II magnet) type magnet which was too tight sounding for my liking. After changing to Ceramic-type magnet (similar to Distortion) pickup , the sound was heavy, brutal and spacey. Thank you for this amazing comparison video!

Thanks for the demo! Just bought Distortion for my custom

Wow. Indeed one of the best comparison video on these 2 pickups. Can hear the difference!

awesome video!!! cant belive there is not more comments!! been torn between these two pickups myself.. was leaning towards the distortion, now im sure about the distortion.. great video!!

Cool man. Great review. I had a hard time finding a review of the DD with music that I'd play. Thank god you're playing some cool music. Anyway, I have been fixing up an old Japanese Ibanez S series with the excellent Edge trem and I found a DD in my parts and I'm getting ready to install the same in my S. Can't wait to hear it. I had some other pickups and wanted to hear the differences and this video helped man. Thanks a bunch. Tim

Finally someone who knows how to do a great pick up demo !!!! Thanks for taking the time !! Awesome Job !

Sem dúvida umas das melhores comparações de pick ups q já vi. Parabens mesmo. Wonderfull. amazing.....

Great demo. Really captured the subtle differences between the two pickups.

You nailed the comparison, good job !.

Thanks for uploading this! I needed to hear a comparison between the 2! I have the JB and 59 in my Charvel and I am waiting for the SH6 to some in at my music store if that ever happens! Been waiting 3 weeks for it now! I am swapping out the Seymour Duncan SHPG1+ Pearly Gates currently in my Strat (came stock with it) for the SH6 Duncan Distortion. The Pearly Gates is a great pickup but it doesn't have enough output for me.

Wow! Great playing... And Thank you for making this video! I've always loved the JB pickups, but now that I've heard the Distortion pickup in side-by-side comparison I am a new believer that the Distortion gives a stronger mid-tone, but can squeel out the harmonics nearly as effectively as the JB. I need to replace my bridge pickup and since I love Seymore Duncans and have spacing only for a single-coil, you have given me greater idea of what to expect.

This is a REALLY great video man. Thanks for the work!

I really like the sound of the duncan distortion!

Duncan Distortion sounds a lot more lynch like, when he plays dokken.

@mcfek7575

2 жыл бұрын

George Lynch used Duncan distortion back in the days

Nothing sounds LIKE A JB TB-4!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

@hrz8533

Ай бұрын

Sucks

Distortion all the way! More open! More harmonics! More fun!

I’m WAY late to the party here, but there’s a spectacular irony to one of the best pup demo’s I’ve seen on YT, is 12yrs-old. As of the past 5yrs, minimum, all we get are kids chugging or beating on one string (of a 7-string guitar, no less) tuned to the key of rotting flesh, using WAY too much gain, or some Yngwie wannabe, spreading throughout the entire demo….neither of which tell you anything about the gear. So, this even at 12yrs-old is a HUGE breath of fresh air. But, I digress!! Maybe it was just my ears, but I thought the JB was MUCH more articulate. Sounded spectacular with that looked like a Peavey. Well done, and thank you for sharing.

I like the effort u put in this comparison! same guitar, only with pickupchanges :)

I have a JB in the bridge of my LP style guitar. I love it.

great review man. I've been wanting to change my jb in an alder body michael wilton sig ESP to an sh6 but I'll check out a custom custom instead. thanks for this review, very helpful

Now that is how you compare pickups. Excellent job, thank you!!!

great video I just installed my SH-6 into a LoneStar Strat to replace the Pearly Gates and I am amazed how the sh6 cuts through and is just a blaze of fire.

They both sound amazing.

Best pickup demo i’ve ever seen

Great video , its the best head to head comparison.

Live: JB Recording: Distortion 🤘🏼

This is an excellent demo video. It actually helped me make a decision to put a Duncan SH6 in the bridge of my SG Pro. The Distortion pickup is very similar to a Gibson Dirty Fingers in that it's very aggressive, has rich searing highs, decent scoop and retains excellent clarity. In fact the Duncan SH6 might actually sound a bit better than a Dirty Fingers. Certainly a great compliment to my guitar's personality of snarl and growl.

awesome comparision, exactly what i was looking for, thanks man.

man that was a great comparison! I use the JB in my Les Paul's and the Distortion in my Ibanez but have never really done a comparison like that. Great playing too, I really enjoyed it. Both pickups are awesome and have their strengths depending on what you are playing. Neither is a bad choice.

of course is SH6 ~~ especially to merge with rosewood fingerboard and mahogany body !

Good that someone did a demo comparison for these great pups....I have both so need to check what other people think ; )

Awesome demo! Straight-forward and up-front -- the riffs did all the talkin'.

wow the TB-6 sounds like a JB after taking a blanket off the cab! i never knew the JB was so dark/muffled? the TB-6 distortion sounds much clearer to me! and all the JB's in my guitars are coming out after watching this clip! thanks this is one of the few times that anothers post really helped out!

this totally helped me out. Same style as I play which I've been looking for, seems anyone wants to do in these comparison video's, is tune down as far as possible and muddy up the distortion so you can't really hear what the pickup is really doing.. hate that. That's not music man... Anyway, matter of fact last night started relearning Badlands high wire since it had been a few years since I've played it. Anyway.. I have the Sh2/Sh4 in my LP.. but I'm redoing a jem Jr I got.. and wanted to try something different. I love how the Sh6 responds here. Going w/ that w/ probably a SH-1 in the bridge.. Thanks a million for this.

Thank you for a very helpful demonstration. I have decided the JB belongs in my brightest Jackson King V. It came with the SH-6 and is just too bright. Thanks again!

Best test on KZread!👍

I like the distortion better.

the distrotion was a ll more messy. with the jb it feels like you can hear every note clearly

@stevenbettez2017

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@d.c.jeanes6577

4 жыл бұрын

I’ve had both and like them both a lot. The slightly more raunchy-ness of the Distortion has always been my go to, though! Maybe it’s my punk influences.

@themadmattster9647

Жыл бұрын

I’ve had both too, still have my guitar with the distortion but just ordered one with a jb which I hated but that was years ago and this video convinced me to give it a chance lol. Yeah the distortion sounds less focused

A good, helpful comparison, thanks.

Distortion has more "honk" if that makes any sense. I like it. JB is a also a superb pickup. Prob best comparison vid out there. Thank u for this man. Perfect songs for comparisons too!

SH-6 is the best passive pickup for distortion that ive come across. i replaced the stock epiphone pickups in my les paul, and now it sounds amazing

I liked the video just because you played a Badlands song - awesome! And the JB FTW IMHO.

Great review, great demo.

Is there a difference in volume on the amp when comparing? Otherwise, the Distortion must be way hotter.

Well, this must be the first demo where I prefer the JB over the DD. Good demo btw!

Thanks for putting this up, way more helpful than a lot of other comparisons. I think I actually like the Distortion better, I'm trying to play heavy ratty shit like Violator and it seems like it'll do that pretty well. I plan on getting the set and putting them in my build when I get around to it.

I wish there were more videos of this quality for different pickup combinations.. I'd love to hear the difference between the JB, Tonezone, EMG 85, etc.

Serious downstroke chops on Creeping Death. I see you!

I like both these pickups. From what I hear in the differences, both will sound great for soloing. I think if I was in a single guitarist situation I'd want the JB. Sounds fatter. If I was in a dual guitar band, JB for rhythm guitarist and Distortion for lead guitarist. The mid range focus of the Distortion seems to be more toward the high mids so it will cut through better while the JB's low mid focus will give a nice chunky rhythm tone. If the amp settings were set using the JB you probably can get a good chunky rhythm tone from the distortion too, but with the settings left the same you can tell it is a brigher pickup. Which is better depends on what kind of situation you're going to be in. The inherent tone of the guitar you are putting them in can be a factor also. The Distortion would probably work better in darker sounding guitars while the JB would suit a brighter one. But that's just me since tone is subjective after all. 😁

Dude you crushed it. Love the 240p! 😛

I will choose the tb-4 . I like the voicing on it. Nice playing and tone , thanks for the video.

thx 4 the vid. ive noticed the smalllest change in string or pickup height gives a very noticable difference. imo i get different pickup sounds just from changing the action, sting tension etc. dont have the cash to keep swapping pups so ive found ways to get similar sounds just from ehat i mentioned

@ExiLeZH

2 ай бұрын

This, should be really aware of these things to make it a fair and scientific comparison, have the feeling this is not.

Best video comparative ever!

Absolutely JB! I just installed one on to my Vanguard. Doesn't get better than that!

The SH-6 is so tight and articulate!!! Awesome!!!

I'm going back and forth on pickups for a guitar I want. This vid has me reeeaaaaalllllllllllly leaning to the distortions

@ILLRICARDO

8 жыл бұрын

you could go for the sh5, Its inbetween the tone of sh4 n sh6

@cpamiseso

8 жыл бұрын

+William Shapiro you could try the Custom 5 (SH 14 if I'm not mistaken), it's really in between JB and Distortion. The Alnico V magnet, with high output like Distortion. Sh5 is okay, i've tried, but it's still using ceramic, too bright on some clean playing ocassions.

@thorinbane

7 жыл бұрын

I have those on my Godin, best pickups I have ever played.

Jb = muffled Distortion = clear and powerful

i preferred the JB on the bon jovi solo, but the distortion on the dokken solo, wierd no?

Great comparison. We want more! :-)

As i'm about to order a custom Les Paul model, played for vintage rock like Judas Priest...I'll go for SH-4... . Thanks a lot, really good review, with "less (no) talk...do more" type of review :)

@tb90hm

10 жыл бұрын

"vintage rock like Judas Priest" Judas Priest is HEAVY METAL!

@f2detaboada

10 жыл бұрын

tb90hm * ROCKA ROLLA*

wow great demo! surely hear the difference

Very very nice comparison, this definitely shows the minor differences between these two pickups. Little known fact A Duncan JB pickup is basically just a hot-rodded paf and a duncan Distortion is basically just a JB with a huge ceramic magnet rather than alnico... Both the JB and Distortion have the same amount of coil winds. I just replaced the stock Bridge pickup in my Jackson DKA with a Duncan distortion trembucker and it really brought new life to the guitar and is a whole different animal now. Prior to this I replaced the stock jackson pup with a Duncan JB but honestly found almost no difference in tone between the two, which I guess shows that the Jackson pups were not bad... the Duncan JB was just not a huge upgrade for my particular guitar ... but the Duncan Distortion is definitely my new favorite.

Both sound awesome.

I've been using both JBs and Distortions since 1986. They're both great, but different. I tend to put the JB in darker guitars and the Distortion in brighter guitars. They balance out very well. Although the Distortion is ceramic, it's not as trebly as the JB. A pickup can be bright and yet not trebly, and vice versa. I use the Distortion in a bright Ash strat and the JB in a basswood Schecter and they both sound absolutely amazing.

@iamgribs

9 ай бұрын

Do you find the distortion to be darker than the jb? Both aound bright. Certainly the jb sounds better in les paul style guitars.

@Alexhangman

8 ай бұрын

Lol... )) TB-4: Resonance frequency: 5.5KHz. Sound parameters: high 8.0, mid - 6.0, low 5.0 TB-6: Resonance frequency: 6.5KHz. Sound parameters: high 9.0, mid - 8.0, low 5.0

great review man! I had the tb4 in my old Marty Friedman signature ke1 years ago. it sounded pretty good. but I put the sh6 in a cheap boron end Jackson roads and the thing ripped! for a cheap crummy guitar the sh6 brought it right to life!

@alexanderholden82

2 жыл бұрын

Same thing I just experienced myself! I'm a lefty and I've had the extreme displeasure of playing a lot of lower-end guitars to my 30 years of playing. I bought a imported Poplar Bodied Jackson Dinky last year and looked to replace the stock Jackson pickups with a Duncan JB and to my avail... there was literally no difference in tone and I was immediately displeased because it lacked the thickness, growl and tightness I was looking for. I took the JB back and swapped it for a Duncan distortion and now I enjoy playing my import Jackson Dinky more than any guitar that I have ever owned including a MIM Alder Stratocaster, Korean mahogany Epiphone Les Paul and a Indonesian Basswood Ibanez. The Duncan Distortion pickup alone in the Jackson Mainstay guitar unbelievably awesome and brought New Life to it.

thank you for this video, man

Years ago, I had a JB in my Les Paul and it was just too muddy for my taste. I installed an SH 6 and will never change it. Also tried an SH6 in an SG (my favorite) and lacked bottom and too trebly. Maybe the jb would be perfect in an SG?

Awesome demo and playing! I think the JB sounds a bit less muffled than the Distortion on most of the tunes. Loved your In My Dreams solo!!

God , I LOVE Badlands! And the JB absolutly nails that tone.

Hi. Wondering if you adjusted pole heights in either of the pickups or if they are as left the factory. Thanks

i can't really decide between these 2 pickups...i have a all-mahogany and ebony fretboard Schecter C1 and i play mostly hard rock and metal but i also need some versatility! anyone has advice for me? thanks

great review, i never thought both pickups sounded really different. Any idea what kind of SD pickups that perfect for basswood guitar?

This is great! haha. I High Wire was the first song I played when I threw a JB in my Lynch Strat... I think for my Paul I might go SH6 though. hmm decisions decisions. Awesome demo dude. Much appreciated

I use JB's in most of my guitars, but I like the tightness of the Dist here. I have a new pair of SD Dist sitting, think I'm gonna slap them in a guitar.

Both are great. I prefer the JBs. Thanks for the video.

wow amazing playing you rock! I like the JBs for their smoother tone but those Distorton SH-6's cut thru the mix. hard to decide

Nice! Great comparison! Could you also compare the Distortion with the Invader? That would be awesome!

that Dokken comparison at the end sold me the TB-6!

@jannikvice2413

10 жыл бұрын

thats funny cause afaik did george lynch use the JB haha :P but yea i think the TB-6 sounds fatter too

@addicted2tone349

5 жыл бұрын

The DD literally was Lynchs Dokken tone in this video. That sounded spot on. I have a DD in my Les Paul and it nails that 80s Lynch tone and Ratt as well as Hetfield depending on how I dial my amp and what channel I'm on. DD is a great pickup!

@scottdunn2178

5 жыл бұрын

@@jannikvice2413 Lynch used the Duncan Distortion (SH-6) not the JB. The amp he used on the first two Dokken records was a 1972 purple Marshall 100w Super Lead he loaned out from Aspen Pittman at Groove Tubes.

i am thinking of getting sh-4 for my cort x-6 sm, basswood body and maple fret board...will it be a good combination..?

@thanosbikos i replaced the stock pups with the matching sh-6 set in my les paul and i usually have my tone and volume knobs set like this: bridge vol: 10 bridge tone: 9 neck vol: 5 neck tone: 10 with this i can go from chunky rythms or palm muted notes to a wailing solo without having to touch any settings

Very good demo,and a question I did have in my mind, so - Thanks! If my ears and speakers were working for me, I did agree with Bo's comment below that the JB sound more like classic hard rock. The Distortion I thought was interesting because it produced more vowel-like harmonics. I can indeed see why metal players would like that, especially since you need a voice that's still in there being articulate once you've dropped tuning into the basement.

Love this demo!! Have em both! For me Distortion sounds better on the bedroom demo but the JB sounds better on a mix. I also prefer the JB attack.

@glenn1975

8 жыл бұрын

+rflessati I think the distortion - needs - a healthy (unhealthy? lol..) amount of gain to soften those upper mids a bit. i.e. gain on 6.5 and a front end boost

Congratulations, excelent comparation! What is the first music?

So, I have an Ibanez rg550 Genesis coming from Sweetwater next month. I'm not sure if I'm going to be satisfied with the stock pickups. I already know that I don't like the JB for metal, and after hearing this comparison, I am sold on getting a Mayhem set. The only other thing I need to consider is what will be best for the single coil? Should I just go stock, or replace that too?

best review on youtube same guitar same amp settings perfect

I really love my SH4 JB bridge,a vintage humbucker.

I'm a big DD fan, I've been using one for 10+ years, but this video really made me want to check out a JB! It just has a cleaner, more musical sound here, interesting..

..and i buy a duncan distortion. Really love it. Thanks for the video.

@allgoodcory118 Hi! I am impressed by the sh-6 too. Did you replace both pickups with it or just the bridge? What would you suggest for the bridge? I also have a stock epiphone lp std so anything you can share would be very helpful!

I agree, for brighter sounding guitars or "strat"-style guitars, the JB is the way to go. For "darker" sounding guitars like Les Pauls or something else made from mahogany, the Distortion is amazing. I also love the tone in this video! How do you like that 5150?

awesome comparison!

Normally i like more distortion for a heavier sound but i much prefer the organic sound of the jb-4. It sounds tons better! Grt review and great playing!! Tks a lot!

@MrInsanity335 I've tried all 3 many times over the past 20 years and I always go back to the SH-5 Custom. My favorite Duncan pickup by far.