A Dimarzio question for the experts

Gtrjunior

Gtrjunior

New member
Ok, long story short-ish. I bought a set of Dimarzio for my Les Paul. Gravity storm bridge and a Titan neck. First of all somehow i wired the middle position out of phase. it sound horrible and quacky. They replaced a set of BKP Reble Yell that sounded ok but were too high end-y.
So, I just got another Les Paul, a DC Special with the p90's. I have no idea what the specs are for the stock pups compared to the Dimarzios but the stock p90 right now is blowing the Titan out of the water. The p90 is full, carries plenty of bass without farting out and is as clear as the Caribbean ocean. I'm wondering if a PAF, lower output pickup is what i need. The Titan is a ceramic magnet and its really powerful and its tough to keep f from distorting on clean. The p90 is giving me what id like to hear in a neck pup.
As far as the bridge, The GS is better than the p90 but again i'm wondering if the high output pups i "thought" i needed aren't really at all what im looking for?
I'm playing through a Splawn Quickrod. If I had to pick a tone id like to hear i suppose Slave to the Grind era Skid Row pops. The tone on that album is just huge. Also Warren Dimartini if you took away all the 80's overproduction from those albums. Many a great tone was ruined with that overblown productio from that era(IMO). I like a present yet not overbearing midrange and thick lows without becoming boomy and competing with the bass guitar and smooth non piercing high end. The Dimarzios are still within the return window so any help here with picking replacements is appreciated!

Would my wiring error(s) be responsinle for the pickups not sounding how i had hoped....they re good, just not great.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Just for full disclosure I'm a novice when it comes to pickup replacement. I successfully replaced a set in my Strat but this LP has the damn PCB board and I was confused and just tried to compare color codes/start-finish wiring with how it was done with he BKP in the guitar. They were installed by a professional shop.
I'm seriously contemplating pulling he PCB out and installing traditional components...
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

If you are into Skid Row and Ratt, what are you doing messing around with the Gravity Storm and Titan? Sounds like you need pickups from that era if that is the sound you are after. My guesses would be a Duncan Custom or PATB with a Jazz or Fullshred neck, or a Dimarzio Breed or Air Zone bridge and a bluesbucker or Paf Joe neck? There are also several more vintage sets that might suit your description, like Gibson 57 classics, the Duncan Slash Set, or Whole Lotta Humbuckers.
 
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Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Mr. B said:
If you are into Skid Row and Ratt, what are you doing messing around with the Gravity Storm and Titan? Sounds like you need pickups from that era if that is the sound you are after. My guesses would be a Duncan Custom or PATB with a Jazz or Fullshred neck, or a Dimarzio Breed or Air Zone bridge and a bluesbucker or Paf Joe neck? There are also several more vintage sets that might suit your description, like Gibson 57 classics, the Duncan Slash Set, or Whole Lotta Humbuckers.
Click to expand...

I went with those because Dimarzio recommended them...lol
I'd like to stick with Dimarzio simply because I can still swap them for another set for free.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

A lot of players have pulled the PCB board from recent LPs. Is it were my guitar I certainly wouldn't hesitate.

Seems to me you shouldn't need high output pickups with a Splawn. I'm especially npt-fond of hot pickups in the neck position. And unfond of ceramics, for the most part. IME, lower output humbuckers tend to be more articulate- far more responsive to dynamics & nuances of fingertouch. Plus, they generally interact much better with the volume knob. I love P90 neck tone, myself. You might think about one of the humbucker-sized P90s for neck position with a humbucker at the bridge.

I have a set of Rebel Yells and while I really like the neck pickup, the bridge is pretty bright even with a cover on it, and even in a mahogany guitar. Great searing lead tone, but a little on the harsh side when I back off the volume knob. I've been contemplating a magnet swap, or maybe degaussing the A5 that's in there.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Sounds like you dislike overtly fat sounding neck pickups, as they can certainly come across as honky and muddy if you've got your amp set to make the bridge pickup sound fatter.

Dimarzio has some great offerings for clear sounding neck pickups, and you certainly don't want high output in the neck position because the strings inherently vibrate much more and therefore much louder at the neck position.

Do you like the Gravity Storm in the bridge? If you do and you've got your amp set to complement it, don't mess with it. I've tried a bunch of things from mega high output like the Evolution to low output like Suhr SSV and Dimarzio EJ Custom in the bridge. Ultimately it's how you set your amp that makes each pickup work, and there are certain general EQ characteristics based on the magnet and output of the pickups.

Don't forget, the height of the pickup matters A LOT. If you don't pay attention to adjusting the height by really using your ears to listen, you can buy any great pickup and end up making it sound ****.

I would recommend the following for your neck position:

Air Norton: Rich and fat sounding, but plenty of brightness and clarity. On the hot side for a neck pickup, but not honky. I see it as a more modern, tighter, and harmonically rich take on the classic creamy Les Paul neck pickup tone. You won't be disappointed with this one, as it is also extremely versatile. Cleans up very well, and if you roll off the tone knob you've got some sweet sounding jazz tones to die for. Did I mention that it can also split like a Olympic gymnast? Heavenly cleans from splitting this one! It is now the staple neck pickup for prog metal players thanks to John Petrucci using this thing in the neck for over 20 years. Buy any high end Ibanez and they put this in the neck, for good reasons. Ibanez guitars are really selling like hot cakes these days among the heavy music crowd ever since they stopped shipping them with their old terrible stock pickups.

EJ Custom Neck: If this pickup isn't clear to you, then no humbucker is. Lower output and stays extremely clean unless you deliberately slap on distortion. Has a lot of chime and jangle, reminds me of TV Jones. Slap on some delay with a semi dirty channel and you'll pretty much sound like The Edge. Under high gain this thing really shines with its unmatched clarity and definition. Notes never bleed together, and if you're good at sweep picking it makes every note sound as clear as the sun in the summer sky. Best part about it though? Despite the amazing articulation it has, it's NOT a trebly or fizzy sounding pickup. The highs roll off very nicely. Very pleasant overall, highly recommend.

PAF Master: You might dig this one if you like P90 neck tones. Low output, and because it's supposed to be accurate to an old original PAF, it's got some P90 qualities to it (Gibson invented the PAF to replace the P90s). Of course the P90s will be a tad gnarlier and brighter, but this kind of rolls off that treble if you're into that kind of thing. Not a whole lot of bass so it shouldn't get too muddy.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Skid Row & Ratt:

JB + Flooded Kramer/Charvel. Splawn Quickrod is perfect.

This discussion is over. Don't ask anymore questions until you have done this!
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Go old school, Super D bridge and PAF Pro neck. I can personally recommend the PAF Master neck as well as the 36th Anny, both are fairy clear and open in my mahogany set neck guitars.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

eclecticsynergy said:
A lot of players have pulled the PCB board from recent LPs. Is it were my guitar I certainly wouldn't hesitate.

Seems to me you shouldn't need high output pickups with a Splawn. I'm especially npt-fond of hot pickups in the neck position. And unfond of ceramics, for the most part. IME, lower output humbuckers tend to be more articulate- far more responsive to dynamics & nuances of fingertouch. Plus, they generally interact much better with the volume knob. I love P90 neck tone, myself. You might think about one of the humbucker-sized P90s for neck position with a humbucker at the bridge.

I have a set of Rebel Yells and while I really like the neck pickup, the bridge is pretty bright even with a cover on it, and even in a mahogany guitar. Great searing lead tone, but a little on the harsh side when I back off the volume knob. I've been contemplating a magnet swap, or maybe degaussing the A5 that's in there.
Click to expand...

Rebel Yell's were what I pulled out to put the Dimarzio's in...just like you said...the bridge was too bright. I wanted something more mellow on the high end.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Maybe someone can explain the reasoning why high/med/low output pickups are desirable in certain situations...
I always just thought for a high gain tone you get high output pickups. Clearly, that's not the case.
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Gtrjunior said:
Maybe someone can explain the reasoning why high/med/low output pickups are desirable in certain situations...
I always just thought for a high gain tone you get high output pickups. Clearly, that's not the case.
Click to expand...

High gain pup + high gain amp = Gain + Gain = Muddy Over-distorted Indistinguishable Tonal Mess

High gain. pups were invented in the days of low gain amps. A basic 1980ish Marshall 800 is more like an AC/DC album than a Megadeth tone.

If you wanted more gain the options were DS-1/SD-1/TS9 blasting the preamp, or a SuperDistortion or JB.

Today, most amps have gobs more gain than anyone really needs, or should use. Thus, my PG loaded Cadillac sounds killer through my circa 1990's Marshall on OD 1 even....
 
Re: A Dimarzio question for the experts

Aceman said:
Today, most amps have gobs more gain than anyone really needs, or should use.
Click to expand...

This is true. But, I'd also say that if a high gain rig is set correctly, it doesn't have to be muddy. Many of my guitars run higher output pickups in my guitars (the Super Distortion is one of my go to pickups) through my Soldano Hot Rod 25 and I'm able keep a good level of clarity. That's not to say that I don't like lower output pickups, I do. My SLS with a PG and Jazz sounds great as does my Strat loaded with a PAF Master in the bridge.



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