Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

[Benjy_26]

Anyone tried these pickups? I'm interested in seeing how the compare to the 59's and PG's. Thanks for the help gentlemen.

[ranalli]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

I've heard really good things about them but have not tried them.

[GHWelles]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

I have some Dimarzio Virtual Pafs. I First tried one in the bridge of a Jackson Soloist. Sounded so good it is now in the bridge and neck of four of my guitars. I think I even like them better than the Duncan Antiquity PAF I have in another guitar.

Duncan Virtual PAFS are a touch dark but have a nice vowel midrange and nice sizzle on top that is not harsh. They are like an idealized PAF and they generally get very good reviews. They also give a nice split single coil sound at the neck.

I have a 59 in the neck of one guitar that is just too dark, but it may be the guitar. I briefly tried Pearly Gates and they were a little to bright for me.

Of course it all depends on the guitar you are putting them in, but I have the DiMarzio Virtual Pafs in many different guitars and it sounds good in all of them.

[jeremy]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

gh, what amps are you using?

[Benjy_26]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

I'm plainning on putting them on a Yamaha AES500. It's a bolt on maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, mahogany slab body, and LP Jr. style tailpiece. This guitar sounded too thick and bassy with the 59/JB combo I tried with it. Do you thing the VPAF set will sound brighter than the Duncans I tried before?

[GHWelles]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

gh, what amps are you using?

I use a Marshall Studio 15 with RCA 6V6 Blackplates through a 2X12 Cab with one Vintage 30 and one G12-H30 and I use Keeley and AnalogMan modded Tubescreamers.

My Duncan Antiquity Custom and Texas Hots are the best single coil pups I have tried and The DiMarzio Virtual Paf is probably my favorite bridge humbucker. The DiMarzio Virtual Paf has a very unique sound to me but I admit the Duncan Antiquity PAF I have does sound more authentic.

My favorite neck humbucker is the Duncan APH-II.

[GHWelles]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

I'm plainning on putting them on a Yamaha AES500. It's a bolt on maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, mahogany slab body, and LP Jr. style tailpiece. This guitar sounded too thick and bassy with the 59/JB combo I tried with it. Do you thing the VPAF set will sound brighter than the Duncans I tried before?

Did you have 500K pots?

I don't really know, the DiMarzio Virtual PAFS sound a little dark to me. They seem to work well in taming bright guitars, though you can really crank the treble settings without too much hiss or noise due to the "air" technology".

If you want a brighter sound, a lot of people recommend the Pearly Gates, and the APH-II in the neck is a bright and really great sounding neck pickup IMHO. The APH-II pup in the neck would be much brighter than the '59 I think.

[Benjy_26]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

Did you have 500K pots?

I don't really know, the DiMarzio Virtual PAFS sound a little dark to me. They seem to work well in taming bright guitars, though you can really crank the treble settings without too much hiss or noise due to the "air" technology".

If you want a brighter sound, a lot of people recommend the Pearly Gates, and the APH-II in the neck is a bright and really great sounding neck pickup IMHO. The APH-II pup in the neck would be much brighter than the '59 I think.

1megs, actually. I thought about the Pg's for this guitar, but since it's nowhere near being my main axe (more of a testbed, really) I didn't want to spend the money on a PG set if I can find something similar for less cash.

[Majestic]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

Let's talk some more about this.

I've seen reviewers use the word "chimey", and that makes sense from a PAF, but I thought the VPAF was supposed to simulate an A2 magnet, which I would've thought would elimnate some chime.

When people refer to a "3D" quality to the VPAFs, what exactly is it they're referring to ?

Do the pickups live up to DMZ's description of being tight on the lows, and warm on the high strings/frets?

I realize I could just get a Duncan with an A2 magnet for my EBMM Axis guitar, but I'd actually like to just plunk in a DiMarzio, if it fits the bill. Anything will be better than the stock pickups, which are just too thick/hot/bassy. I think they rate at 16.3k or something.

I normally would be paranoid about putting this pickup in my Floyd-equipped Axis, but I'd like to install it in my Axis with a vintage trem, which is warm & soft.

[Benjy_26]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

That's why I got interested in them. A lot of people talk abou them as being "chimey". Are they?

[GHWelles]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

Let's talk some more about this.

I've seen reviewers use the word "chimey", and that makes sense from a PAF, but I thought the VPAF was supposed to simulate an A2 magnet, which I would've thought would elimnate some chime.

When people refer to a "3D" quality to the VPAFs, what exactly is it they're referring to ?

Do the pickups live up to DMZ's description of being tight on the lows, and warm on the high strings/frets?

I realize I could just get a Duncan with an A2 magnet for my EBMM Axis guitar, but I'd actually like to just plunk in a DiMarzio, if it fits the bill. Anything will be better than the stock pickups, which are just too thick/hot/bassy. I think they rate at 16.3k or something.

I normally would be paranoid about putting this pickup in my Floyd-equipped Axis, but I'd like to install it in my Axis with a vintage trem, which is warm & soft.

1. Chimey: I think it is. The DiMarzio virtual PAF has an A5 Magnet with some technology to simulate some charachteristics of A2 magnets, but it is not as soft as a true A2 PAF, hence the bright chimey edge.

2. The 3d quality is there and is sort of a hollow vowel airy sound, hard to describe.

3. The Virtual PAF is most definately there on the low note clarity and high note warmth. Regular A2 Pafs seem loose on the low strings, and the Virtual Paf is very defined. This is one of its major strengths for me. Low note work does not get lost.

4. I have one in a Jackson Soloist refitted for vintage trem. I also have a neck virtual paf in the bridge of a fat strat. The neck pup in the bridge is a little cleaner and brighter than the regular bridge version.

5. If you want to put one in an EBMM Axis, you can get the virtual paf in cream zebra.

[Fusion1]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

GH Welles how well can it pull off clean jazz work? I bought a bridge Virtual PAF off of Kevlar on the forum here but I don't have anything to put it in yet. I probably will wait till i get a matching neck to suit it better.

[GHWelles]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

GH Welles how well can it pull off clean jazz work? I bought a bridge Virtual PAF off of Kevlar on the forum here but I don't have anything to put it in yet. I probably will wait till i get a matching neck to suit it better.

Should work. I can't really say for sure because I go for a classic rock overdriven tone. Trower, Zepplin, you know . . .

[AmpliFIRE]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

How would they compare to say a 59n?

[Majestic]

Re: Anyone tried the Dimarzio Virtual PAF's?

So the equalization of the pickup is appropriate for certain variations of VH tones?

I don't want first-album tones.....although supposedly that album's brightness was from the producer/mixer, and not Ed's rig.

I like the tones on WACF, and 1984, especially.