anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

[appar111]

I decided to go w/ a new pickguard and pickup on my 1-pickup strat. New setup will be a reverse angled single-coil sized bridge pickup. 500K volume and no tone pot. Ended up ordering a Dimarzio Billy Corgan BC-2 bridge pickup.

I don't expect it to 100% sound like a full size bucker, nor do I quite want it to, but if it gets me pretty close that's cool. With the narrower sensing field of the blades, it should prove interesting, especially if the reverse angling of the pickup makes any difference. Should get me slightly closer to a full sized bucker sound... which makes this particular modding probably even more unnecessary from how it's currently set up

Also ordered a 2-way mini-switch for a thinned out humbucker tone in parallel mode. I tested parallel mode w/ the Dimarzio PAF that's in the guitar now, and I'm really digging it for clean stuff and higher gain stuff. Sounds more like medium gain in parallel and seems to feel just a tad compressed on clean stuff. I'm expecting the higher output BC-2 to give me a juiced up version of what I'm getting now.

My goal is to have a nice fat, thick bridge pickup tone for high gain stuff, and then a more moderately toned humbucker sound in parallel for Ramones style riffing w/ distortion and beautiful clean tones. Basically, the most I can get with a single pickup and no tone knob. My current setup works great too-- I just thought I'd kick it up a notch and change the look a bit w/ a new guard & bridge pickup.

Anyone used one of the Billy Corgan Dimarzios, specifically the bridge model?

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

From memory it's based on the Tone Zone single, so that should give you an idea of what you'll hear.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

most dark high gain pups sound great in parallel.

I've used a tony Iommi Gibson in parallel/series... Wonderful.

I think you'd have more fun with a full bucker in a single pup guitar though.

I've already got that now, and it is a helluva lot of fun, but I thought I'd try something different for a bit. good thing is, if I want to go back, it'll just be a pickguard swap away!

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

From memory it's based on the Tone Zone single, so that should give you an idea of what you'll hear.

Yeah, Dimarzio's description says it's based off the Tone Zone S, but that the coils are tuned differently to get lower, but stay tighter than the original Tone Zone S. Don't know if that's marketing hype or what, but I just got the notice that the BC-2 is out for delivery today, so I'll find out soon enough!

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

My friend just carved up a tele to fit the bridge and the neck model....they have a really nice presence in the low mids IMO.....sound excellent to me...I'm going to purchase a few myself....

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

Pretty sure lazyfinger did. Can't remember if he liked it or not.

Let us know how you dig it!

 

[OctaveOctopus]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

If they come with the ego of billy corgan run.
Run far. And don't look back.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

If they come with the ego of billy corgan run.
Run far. And don't look back.

wow, what a great useful post.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

Pretty sure lazyfinger did. Can't remember if he liked it or not.

Let us know how you dig it!

I'm really digging the distorted tones, but trying to decide if i want to wire the thing in parallel for better cleans, or drop the pickup down so it's not distorting the front end so bad on clean stuff. Otherwise I'm really liking it!

 

[astrozombie]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

I like that pickup. It has all the qualities of a medium-high output humbucker without sounding as dark as other double rail sincle coil sized pickups I've used.

 

[Kais]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

It's a super awesome pickup. The BC-1 (Neck pickup) is okay, but the BC-2 is freaking amazing. Does anyone else think the BC-2 doesn't stray too far away from the red lace sensor? Maybe just a beefed up version?

 

[jaybonitrane]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

I thought that it was a bit thin and gritty.. but that seems to be what you are looking for.
I prefer the Cobain Mustang with JB bridge and killer amp for that style of music.

 

[Kais]

Re: anyone try the Dimarzio Billy Corgan pickups?

I thought that it was a bit thin and gritty.. but that seems to be what you are looking for.
I prefer the Cobain Mustang with JB bridge and killer amp for that style of music.

Well it was "approved" by Billy Corgan, a man that used single coils and p90s for almost all of his music. And like I said, BC-2 doesn't stray to far away from the red lace sensor which he used for a long time.

I think Nirvana vs Smashing Pumpkins are 2 completely different tones, but maybe that's just me.