| Search Amazon.com merchandizes using this form |
Electric Guitars:
Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Pickup, Black
Today's info: "Best is first reviewing several products prior to purchasing at Amazon.com."
NOTE: All online transactions are processed at Amazon.com's secure server,
using the latest technology on internet's secure transactions.
Manufacturer: Seymour Duncan
Brand: Seymour Duncan
List Price: $104.00
Our Price: $67.00
You Save: $ 37.00 ( 36% )
(prices subject to change)
Average Customer Ratings:
The world?s most popular humbucker. Provides slammin? output while retaining singing highs, aggressive harmonics, and just the right blend of sustain and distortion. Goes from sweet warm tones to raw rock ?n? roll. Compared to the SH-14 Custom 5, the JB has a stronger treble detail. Some players use it with 250K pots to smooth out the highs. Comes with four-conductor hookup cable.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:
Brand: Seymour Duncan
Color: Black
EAN: 0800315001057
Feature: Essentially a variation on the Patent Applied For sound, the Pearly Gates sound is sweet, but slightly rude, with great sustain and a bright top that make harmonics jump out of the guitar
Label: Seymour Duncan
Manufacturer: Seymour Duncan
Model: 11102-13-B
Publisher: Seymour Duncan
Studio: Seymour Duncan
FEATURES:
• Essentially a variation on the Patent Applied For sound, the Pearly Gates sound is sweet, but slightly rude, with great sustain and a bright top that make harmonics jump out of the guitar
• Available in black, zebra (cream & black), reverse zebra and white as well as the following special order colors -- red, red & black, pink, green, light blue, dark blue & yellow
• Please call 1-800-878-8882 toll free for availability on special colors
• Four conductor cable, with traditional or Trembucker spacing
ACCESSORIES:
• String Swing Wood Guitar Wall Hanger
• BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner Pedal
SIMILAR ITEMS:
• Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 Model Electric Guitar Pickup, Black Neck
• Seymour Duncan SH-2N Jazz Model Pickup, Black
CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Good for basswood or mahogany bodies - 
I purchased two of these as bridge pups - the SH-4 for an Ibanez SZ (Les Paul clone - mahogany body/set neck w/ maple top) and the Fender-spaced TB-4 model for a Fender Fat Strat (alder body).
On the Ibanez, it sounds wonderful. Lots of treble bite and, once adjusted to a good height from the strings, the pinch harmonics come easy. Metal and hard rock sound good. Clean can be rough at full volume, and it sounds downright shrill clean through a wah on full treble, so I typically switch over to the SD Jazz in the neck position for clean tones on the Ibanez.
On the Fat Strat, I ended up removing it after a year. Too much treble. I could get pinch harmonics like a beast, but at a large sacrifice to tone and over-the-top microphonics. I replaced it with a Pearly Gates, which wasn't quite a perfect fit, but thankfully it wasn't quite as noisy.
Keep in mind that, if you're buying this pup for a Fender or a guitar equipped with a floating trem (Floyd Rose), the SH-4 model is the wrong size. This is for Gibson-style string spacing and works best on LP and SG clones. You'll want to get the TB-4 model (F-spaced) for Strat vintage trems and floating trems.
"How To Play The Guitar in 30 Days!"
Learn from the best -- This guy shows you how to bypass guitar lessons & get REAL results! Results that got him featured on channel 7 news, hits FM radio, recording studio's and live on stage to thousands!
Learn to Play Guitar
Quickly learn the secrets to mastering the basics of the guitar and amaze your friends and family. At only $19.95! Instant download and free bonus software represents exceptional value.
High Definition Distortion -
I did some research before buying 2 new humbuckers for my Ibanez S470 and came to the conclusion that the dynamic duo of Seymour Duncan's SH-2 and SH-4 were for me. I found the 2 sold together as a combo pack for a great deal at $110, when otherwise they're $70-$75 each. So I was happy I got what I wanted for much less than I was prepared to pay but enough about that.
I gathered from the Seymour Duncan website that these 2 pickups are his favorite combination as they allow for the widest range and diversity for sound and playing style. The site also lets you see which famous musicians are using their pickups as well and it turned out that most of the rockers and metalheads listed had these 2 in their arsenal. That helped since I play mostly hard rock and metal.
After I spent some time with the SH-2 on clean, I switched on the SH-4 and went all out with the distortion on my Boss Metal Zone pedal. The first thought I had was that this sounded like high definition distortion. The sound just popped out as clear, detailed and dynamic. Power chords sound that much more powerful. Chunky and fat. Tone and sustain are increased for single notes. Bends squeal and hang on forever. I also experimented with some classic rock and blues sounds and they sounded much improved as well. The SH-4 LOVES distortion as it seems to grab every little sound and is eager to go as fast or hard as you want to. It also gives a unique custom sound which is what I've been looking for.
I'm glad I did my research and chose the SH-4. It wants to rock and is very versitle. It'll take everything you can throw at it and come back for more. It'll satisfy many players of many styles, from light to hard and heavy, the SH-4 doesn't disappoint. The pros know quality hardware and you can too. Get it and get rockin'.
DUNCAN JB PICKUP -
At over 16k this a pretty "hot Pup"! By "hot" I mean that the coils are overwound, giving this pickup a very high output. And (obviously) Pup is short for Pickup!
But let me start by explaining a few factors that will influence what sort of sound you get from this pup:
The first one is your guitar. This makes a big difference... just one example would be the type of wood. Mahogany bodies will sound richer and fuller than the lighter woods. And the very light woods will sound more treble orientated. To be honest I would recommend the JB as best for a guitar that is somewhere in the middle.
The second factor is the tone and volume settings on your guitar. Obviously more tone and volume will equal more power and often more distortion. For the JB I would recommend using higher tone settings (say about 7 or so) and low volume settings (say around 2 or 3).
The third factor is your amp. And this is crucial. I tried the JB on several amps and it sounded completely different on each. High gain amps and high output pups don't work very well together. I don't have a Valve amp, so I can't say. but I'm told the JB works well with those. Also the settings on your amp. Its often best to try the new pickup on a clean setting first, so you can tell what it sounds like before you've messed with the sound. Then afterwards you can fiddle with the EQ and effects to tweek it to your specifications.
Now, on to the pickup itself:
It is a hot pup. But not as hot as some. There is a distinct emphasis on the treble range, and it has great treble tone. The pickup I replaced was a bridge position Gibson 490 in a Gibson SG, which was quite muddy. And there wasn't much distinction between notes with the Gibson... Play a G major whilst the pickup switch is set to "rhythm" (bridge pickup) and I used to get a fuzzy mess.
with the JB, I found that I could play the same G major chord, and have great clarity across all of the notes. In fact, the JB lent itself pretty well to playing things like the intro to Guns N Roses' "Paradise City" and the Interlude from Metallica's "Master of Puppets" (the one that kicks off in E minor). These are licks that are usually performed with a CLEAN tone (ie. the pickup selector in between treble and rhythm, and no effects). But the JB managed them pretty well, even on the rhythm setting! It also handles the intro to GNR's "Sweet Child O' Mine" quite well.
So what does this tell you? It tells you that the pickup is very treble orientated. It also lends itself well to harmonics. But what about the bass side of things? after all, most amature guitarists only know how to play powerchords! ;o)
The bass is okay, but not great. I find that if I turn the volume knob above about "3" then it gets TOO distorted. By "too distorted", I mean that the pup can't handle the bass, and you get a fuzzy, rumbling sound- not unlike someone breaking wind! :o)
I did occasionally crank the volume up to about 4 and the sound was acceptable. It would work well for a "classic rock" style sound. But I'm sure there must be pups with more bass definition that would be better suited to heavy metal, thrash and muted powerchord riffs. Like the SD Dimebucker, or Invader... or dare I say the Bare Knuckle Pickups "Warhog" (a real BEAST at 22k output!).
But having said that, apparently Dave Mustaine from Megadeth uses the JB... I wonder if Dave plays lead guitar or rhythm on "Rust in piece"? I was under the impression that Marty Friedman was the lead there, but judging by the JB's tone, maybe Dave took the lead. Although I suppose some of the Megadeth riffs have a more bright, trebly edge to them when compared with some other metal/ thrash bands.
Generally, I would recommend the JB for Hard Rock and lighter styles like maybe blues and jazz (depending on your tone preferences). But NOT really for ultra-heavy metal, thrash and power-chord style stuff. Although it is a good balance between distortion and clarity.
So. Just one question for ya. Who the hell is Jeff Beck?!!!
NOTE: All online transactions are processed at Amazon.com's secure server, using the latest technology on internet's secure transactions.
These Electric Guitars are brought to you by