JB - Air Zone - BBQ

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Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

LOL!!!! No, my Dimarzios are wired correctly. LOL.

I only had the AZ for a shirt time so you are correct, I would need to spend mire time with the same guitar using both pickups.

Good call.

I have to say, I am floored by the Chopper and two Cruisers in my strat using 500k pots.

You do have lots of experience with both so I respect your opinion.

I just bought a used Air Zone nickel and Bluesbucker and 4 conductor ofd eBay and plan to use it with a Duncan Triple Shot in my PRS Santana SE.

Papersoul,I just did a real quick experiment and think i found out why you felt the az was not as punchy and rich as the bbq?
I set the az away from the strings at the same height as the bbq and it lost a lot of character,
thats the problem with these "air" pickups if you set them like you do your duncans or whatever brand they dont sound right,
dimarzio really should mention these kind of things.
papersoul when you get the next AZ be sure to raise it about twice as close as you normally do to offset the weaker magnet pull in these air pickups

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Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

this poll should have included the SH5 another monster of a pickup!

[papersoul]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

You are dead wrong and have to start wiring your dimarzios right?
I have both in very similar guitars and you say this as a guy who does dont even own a air zone?
How can you even say this when you have not even sat down with both in similar guitars???
I dont get it? you are giving the AZ a bad rap and many may believe you and not try one after reading your neg remarks
A little while ago you PM'ed me that the chopper was not good and it turned out you wired it wrong :

I wanted to clear the air. Savage is a great dude! I was off base in what I said. Must have been something wrong with my AZ. In fact in deciding for the right pickup for my Santana SE, looking at the JB, Custom, BBQ, and Air Zone, looks like I am going Air Zone.

One thing I do know after owning a lot of Rio Grande BBQ/Texas sets, they are extremely alive and harmonically rich and exciting. I have not the same experience with Duncans or Dimarzios.

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Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

I wanted to clear the air. Savage is a great dude! I was off base in what I said. Must have been something wrong with my AZ. In fact in deciding for the right pickup for my Santana SE, looking at the JB, Custom, BBQ, and Air Zone, looks like I am going Air Zone.

One thing I do know after owning a lot of Rio Grande BBQ/Texas sets, they are extremely alive and harmonically rich and exciting. I have not the same experience with Duncans or Dimarzios.

No argument about the rio's, best kept secret out there and hopefully they will not go any higher in price, a set right now is $185 new which is fine by me.
I also noticed than unlike other models these dont show up used very often?
i wonder why?

[papersoul]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

I think my favorite humbucker bridge pickups right now are the following in no specific order:

PRS Dragons
Gibson HB-L
Duncan JB
Duncan Custom
Duncan SH-16 hybrid
Rio Grande BBQ

[formula73]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

I will say I DO love the BBQ. It's still got bite but not as powerful or peaky as the JB.

[papersoul]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

I will say I DO love the BBQ. It's still got bite but not as powerful or peaky as the JB.

JB cuts better in a band mix than the BBQ

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Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

JB cuts better in a band mix than the BBQ

I dunno bout this, my other guitarist uses a JB in his Jackson rhoads
and i have the bbq and my leads "cut" through just as good as his so maybe your statement is true depending on what amp?
I use a engl savage 120 and he has his JCM 800,
I do think the JB has great cut and sing for a lead tone though but my tone moves more air than his.* read as more low end bass and low mid thump)

[papersoul]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

True, not many pickups have the punch and thump of a Rio BBQ. I just dropped a set into my SE and I have some Duncans on the way. The BBQ really is a pickup that is hard to beat from clean to mean. I think I really do like the Duncan 59/Custom though. I might grab a Gibby SG Standard and drop in a 59/Custom. But these PRS SE's are so nice, I feel silly not buying more.

[papersoul]

Re: JB - Air Zone - BBQ

Still think the JB provides more cut? Unless you guys used the same guitar to compare pickups in, same amps, etc....there are too many variables! For example, you say the JB is the best for cut, well a good friend of mine plays and played in many bands that were 5-8 piece. He has played in funk and blues and jazz bands that not only had two guitars, but also horns and sax. He really required a lot of cut. After going through the JB, Air Zone and many Custom variations, he ended up with the Rio Grande BBQ as his go to bridge humbucker and he is not the only one. In the end, we all hear things differently, play differently, have different guitars, amps, etc, and experience will be different. I will say, to me, nothing seems as powerful and punchy as the BBQ.