59/Custom Hybrid vs. Dimarzio Norton

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SweetClyde99

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Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare these two pickups. On paper, it l seems like they’d have a fair amount in common—A5, mismatched coils, reasonably close resistance—but I know those specs don’t provide the full picture. I’m mostly interested in how they compare under a lot of gain—the character of the highs and mids and how it handles palm-muted riffs, etc. I have and like the Norton in a couple of guitars, though I like it more in one than the other, and if the 59/C is in the same ballpark, I might have to give it a shot.
 
I suggest the Norton is wound with finer wire. Although the slug coil measures around 6.9k, it must be wound with 44awg wire as the bobbin looks empty. Screw coil is rumored to be similar to the Fred, which is 6.0k of 43awg wire.
 
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An analysis of the Air Norton: https://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/7757/dimarzio-air-norton-analysis-review .

The 59/C in comparison has a more significant coil offset (7k/4k give or take); the Custom coil is 43awg poly while the 59 is 42awg pe. I don't know if the Air Norton uses different wire types or just different gauge of the same type.

Never tried an Air Norton myself but I'd expect it to have a somewhat lower output than a similar non-air pu.
 
I've played both and, while I think the 59/C is much more open and organic sounding than the Norton, there are certainly some similarities. It's probably worth exploring the 59/C if the Norton isn't quite doing it for you...might become your new favorite pickup!
 
Ops, misread the title :D, though I think - going by verbiage and what's on paper - in the end the main difference between a Norton and Air Norton will be whether the poles are touching the mag vs not, rather than being considerably different pups. E.g. what DiMarzio calls 'dual resonance' is mismatched coils, which both the models have.

To me, an air pu has less mid bump and output.
 
i think the norton and air norton are pretty close in wind. both around 12.5k if i recall correctly. the "air" seems to be the big difference
 
SweetClyde99 said:
Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare these two pickups. On paper, it l seems like they’d have a fair amount in common—A5, mismatched coils, reasonably close resistance—but I know those specs don’t provide the full picture. I’m mostly interested in how they compare under a lot of gain—the character of the highs and mids and how it handles palm-muted riffs, etc. I have and like the Norton in a couple of guitars, though I like it more in one than the other, and if the 59/C is in the same ballpark, I might have to give it a shot.
Click to expand...

SweetClyde99 Hello, I was researching these bridge pickups for my Charvel Model 5fx which is neck-thru construction with a maple neck/rosewood fingerboard and poplar body. How does the Norton sound as well as the 59/Custom Hybrid?
 
I recorded some sound samples of the Norton in this Strat before I swapped it out for the 59/Custom, but I still need to find the time to re-record them with the new pickup for a solid comparison. Working from memory, the 59/Custom has more open, less congested mids and a bit more high end. The lows on the Norton are deeper, so the 59/Custom feels a bit tighter to me, but both are good enough for me in this respect. They both have that mismatched coil, increased harmonic content thing going on, which really thickens up single-note runs. Overall, I’m really liking the 59/Custom so far, and I’m glad I made the change. Before, this guitar sounded a lot like my other guitar with a Norton, but just not quite as good. Now it’s in the ballpark but different enough that the guitars have two unique and useful sounds, and I think this guitar will get a lot more use as a result of the change.
 
HSS Strat -- Norton v 59 Custom.mp3

Here is the quick and dirty comparison I came up with. Each part is played with the Norton first, then repeated with the 59 Custom.

Full disclosure, I was using a graphic EQ pedal on the cleans that caused some phase issues that I didn’t notice because I didn’t listen to the tracks in isolation until I started putting everything together, and by then, it was too late to re-record the Norton clips.

Anyway, I think this gets the point across. I still hear the 59 Custom as being a bit brighter, tighter, and more open in the mids.
 

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