EMG-707 or Seymour Duncan JB-7?

[Cinadus]

In collaboration with my post asking for help deciding between the Schecter C-7 Blackjack and C-7 Hellraiser, one of the main factors is the pickups, so I thought I'd post this here incase some people read the electronics section and not the guitars section..

So: EMG-707s or Seymour Duncan JB-7/'59 combo?

They will be in a mahogany-body guitar.

 

[Metal Ken]

If you're playing lotsa metal and stuff, you might actually prefer the EMGs. If you do like EMGs, its better to get the hellraiser since they come preinstalled (If you were to install them in a BlackJack, you'd have to route out wood). Try a guitar with EMGs out in a store near you then make your decision. Personally, i changed the Duncan neck in my 007 to a DiMarzio AN7 and the bridge will be getting changed to an Evo soon, since i prefer DiMarzio.

 

[dinrodef]

Both pickups sound great in a mahogany guitar

The key factor is going to be picking dymanics. Some guys hate active electronics because they feel that it is lifeless and dead. Other guys don't like passive pickups because they think they sound weak or thin

Emgs have a sweet pick attack...great for tight palm mutes... They are hot and really push an amp. Think DIno from fear factory

The JB is tight and chunky but has more "finesse." You can coax more sounds than just metal from it... can do santana type riffing etc.

Both pickups respond well to a volume knob

Both are great. I've used them for years. Nowadays I lean towards the duncans because they're passive and respond better to my analog stompboxes

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

I have 2 707's in my Ibanez and I love them, but when I got my new guitar, it had the jb/59 combo in it, and I like them, but I'm contemplating getting some Dimarzio's for it, or even the 81-7/707 combo. I'd like to try the EMG's in it, but like was stated earlier, if you put them in you have to be damn sure that's what you want because of the routing involved. If you do go EMG, if you can't route or do anything like that yourself, take it to someone who is good with shit like that. I took mine to a friend of mine, and he did it with a dremel tool, it kind of looks like he just gouged wood out. It doesn't look too bad on the outside, a little uneven and sloppy looking, but on the inside it's pretty uneven.

 

[Kagami]

Don't forget about the Distortion!! I haven't used one, but supposedly it has way more mids and is better for metal than the JB, I just wanted to point it out.