Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

Alvin Lee Fan

Alvin Lee Fan

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I have a Mahogany LP Studio that's chambered, very light, barely 7 lbs.

It currently has a set of DiMarzio Air Classics in it, but I find I'm not getting that really solid, hard-hitting sound you associate with a typical LP. I'm sure the chambering has to do with that.

For playing harder classic rock like Humble Pie, Zep, etc, southern rock, and hard/heavy blues, which would be a better DiMarzio combo for this guitar, Air Norton/Tone Zone or PAF/Super Distortion? How about Air Norton/Super Distortion?

I have one half of each of those combos, an Air Norton and a PAF (reg, not virtual), so I could go either way. BTW, I tried the PAF/Air Norton combo and that didn't suit me.

Thanks!
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

I have a non-chambered standard with a super d/paf combo. It sounds good but would sound better in a brighter guitar. Mine is VERY dark. Super D is very fat and punchy. Thick lower mids,fat rounded highs. Might be too hot for classic rock. Tone Zone is going to be similar with more bottom. It was made for thin sounding guitars. I don't think the chambering is a bad thing(they fill the cavity w/balsa wood),but it could rob some low end. That said, every guitar I've ever owned that needed a good kick got a super d. They have been around since 72 for a reason. Super D/PAF is what Ace uses,and that through a Marshall is one bad ass tone. Be sure to use 500k pots to keep the highs open or it will turn to mud. I'd give it a shot(30 day return). They're only 70bucks on ebay. If that don't work out,try a duncan 59
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

Thanks, scheiss (hahhahaa, sorry). Your description of the Super D fits with what I think I want to hear from this guitar. I think I'll give that one a try. I had an Air Zone in the guitar for a while and I really didn't like the sound of that, too much cocked wah thing going on. If the Tone Zone is more like that I want to steer away from it.

I do like the AN in the neck though, a lot. What do you think of an AN/SD combo?
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

AN and the SD would probably match up output-wise. I imagine that'd be quite fat sounding in an LP.

Have you tried the PAF in the bridge? It's a low-output humbucker, but I've found that in mahogany it has a LOT more punch than you'd expect, plus it's a great building-block sound for the kinds of music you mentioned. Not too far from the all-purpose 59, with maybe slightly warmer mids.

Edit: Re-read your original post. I still think that the TZ and SD would be too much for the styles listed, and are both relatively modern sounding. Something more PAF-like would do you better in the bridge. Then season with a neck pickup of your choice (the PGn or Seth come immediately to mind.)
 
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Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

Ya know, a PAF/ PATB3 combo would probably mix well. :naughty:
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

PATB3? I'll have to look that one up.

You know, I have an EJ Custom bridge pickup that I kind of forgot I had. Even though it's a bridge pickup it's voiced quite brightly and has a pretty low wind. I wonder how that would work in the neck with the PAF in the bridge?

I just ran out of solder today or I'd give it a try :laugh:
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

The PATB3 makes shred sticks sound eerily close to a Lester, which, I would think, probably makes un-LP Lesters like yours sound like their idealized counterparts. I tried it once in my Epi LP and it was huge. Very, very fat without being loose, muddy, or losing that wonderful PAF vibe.
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

I have PATB-3 and a Brobucker which go both in that direction. The PATB-3 stays clear under gain while the Brobucker gets a little bit mushy. I would prefer the Brobucker for vintage and medium gain, with the PATB-3 you can go further.
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

I have a guild bluesbird - very much like a chambered les paul. It has SD 59's in it, which were stock from the factory. Top shelf. From clean to heavy they work a treat.
Those bands you mentioned did not use high output pickups. Jimmy page especially does not use bags of distortion - more like power amp balls rather than pre amp crunch.
A pair of 59's will give you a wide open and clear humbucker sound more so than hotter pups due to their moderate coil windings. I havent tried the dimarzios, but i am sure their equivalent is very good too.
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

i'd say go lower-ish output depending on the bands your saying. 59/59 or 59/c5 would do really well in your guitar. what kind of amp are you playing through?
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

Thanks, guys. That PATB3 sounds really interesting.

I run through a Ceriatone JTM45 clone using a 1x12 Avatar Vintage cab to keep the volume under control better. It sounds great! I know the styles/bands I posted aren't really high gain type stuff at all. The thing is this, I recently got an Agile goldtop LP copy, one of the old ones with the Gibson-shaped horn on the cutaway. It is an all-mahogany guitar like my VM Studio, but it is not chambered. It has a 490R in the neck and a Duncan '59 in the bridge. That guitar absolutely smokes my Studio the classic thick LP sound. That's why I thought the chambering in the Studio might have something to do with the sound.

I've used the Air Classics in other guitars and the sound they make is really right up my alley. In fact, I thought my Studio sounded great until I heard it next to the Agile. The '59 bridge in the Agile is quite like the Air Classic bridge in the Studio as far as being a nice PAF style pickup. The difference in the "authority" of the sound is so night and day that I knew there had to be something more than just pickup differences between the guitars.

Anyway, I thought maybe if I used a more powerful pickup in the Studio it would help give it the body that's missing right now. I already have a DiMarzio regular PAF and I know the PAF/SD combo is a classic from way back. I'm from way back myself and I remember when this was all new stuff! :p

I'm gonna run to Radio Shack today and get some more solder. Maybe I'll try the Duncan '59 in the Studio. Who knows!

Here's the guitar in question :D

wrap_studio.jpg
 
Re: Chambered LP Studio, DiMarzio p'up combo?

I have used a bunch of DiMarzios, and I was going to say just go for a double PAF setup

But, If you want to go all the way to superD, I was going to recommend just the palin Norton/SuperD combo.

But, If you dig the air Norton in the neck, cool. Never used/heard one.
 
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