What about a DiMarzio PAF Pro (or SD equivalent) in the neck of a LP-type mahogany?

[JBerto]

If 36th/Pro....think about it:

Pro n / 36th b - Mid pushed blues solos on neck, even tones in both on, classic tight bass, bright highs in bridge for hard rock. Adjust neck tone to fatten. 3 great and different sounds.

36th n / Pro b - Brighter crunchy bridge rhythms with bridge lead mid boost, classic clean PAF in the neck with nice bass and treble. And even tone in the both on.

What do YOU want?

Really interesting and useful here, thanks!

BTW, which Seymour Duncan humbuckers would be (more or less) similar to DiMarzio's 36th and PRO?

I think I'm gonna buy another PRO (or SD equivalent, that from previous comments, I think would be the '59), and swap the ToneZone in the bridge of my other guitar (a lot lighter and made of poplar) for a PRO, so that guitar will be 36th (n) + PRO (b), and use it for "cleaner" sound

And in this LP I'll mount the PRO (n) + 59/C (b), and use this LP for hard rock, or more distortion.

So:

Poplar

36th (n) + PRO (or SD '59) (b)
For cleaner sounds


Mahogany, LP - shape:

PRO (n) + SD '59/Custom (b)
For "crunchier" sounds, with more distortion/overdrive

[Ashurbanipal]

^^ Should be getting some good sounds there! What scale length is the poplar guitar?

The 36th has some things particular to it because of the 'air' - plastic spacers are put underneath so the polepieces don't touch the magnet. This results in less string pull and output. DiMarzio have used it to simulate other magnets (e.g. A2) as they predominantly use A5 and ceramic in their pickups. Aside from that, it falls in the ballpark of various modern PAF style pickups - maybe the closest Duncans would be the Jazz or A2 Pro. The 36th also has a nickel baseplate, unlike a lot of DiMarzio humbuckers, and vintage style braided wire.

This is the guts of a 36th (from another forum). Notice the plastic grommets around the poles, which are responsible for the 'air' tech.


The PAF Pro is also kinda within the PAF sphere, maybe a tad sportier, as Ace said earlier in the thread, since it's close to 9k. The main difference is the brass baseplate and double row of hex screws. These things affect the magnetic field and give a different vibe. I'm not sure what kind of Duncan would be similar. I currently have a PAF Pro in the bridge of a superstrat (Floyd, basswood, maple neck) - it's got a nice bright/tight thing going on, and good clean (not strident like a lot of bridge hbs can be). I did 'air' it not too long ago, which made it a tad lower in output, bit hollower in the mid, also a cool sound.

[JBerto]

^^ Should be getting some good sounds there! What scale length is the poplar guitar?

It's a short scale guitar: 24 inches

[JBerto]

Well... I put a Tonerider Generator in the bridge and the PAF Pro in the neck:

A brief test I made (in the attached link):

1) DiMarzio PAF Pro (neck)
2) Tonerider Generator (bridge)
3) Both humbuckers together
4) DiMarzio PAF Pro (neck)
5) Tonerider Generator (bridge)

BTW: I'm loving de Tonerider Generator tone!

[saladin]

I would pair the PAF Pro neck with a Super Distortion, call it a day and not mess about with any Duncans.
Classic combination that sounds killer for any style.

[Benjy_26]

Several years ago I was curious about this, & looked at about 6 months of previous posts about '59's being bassy/boomy in the neck slot of forum member's guitars. They were all in LP's. Certainly doesn't happen all the time, but when it does...

To me, the 59n and the Jazz have too much of a scoop and too much bass to have good clarity for big chords in the neck of a short scale guitar. The PG, Antiquity, and APHn do a better job of mixing with more guitars and more bridge pickups. One can tweak a 59n to work well with a LP, but there's better off the shelf options out there for sure.