UberMetalDood
New member
I installed this combo in my Jackson yesterday. I got about 4 hours of sleep because I was playing it all night. I played it again this morning before leaving to work. Before installing them I had a Dimarzio Super distortion and SD 59' which was a great combination. They balanced well.
Fast forward to today. The Air norton and D Sonic make a great pair. I was surprised to find out how powerful the Air Norton sounded next to the D Sonic. No difference in volume. I didnt get impression that the two were a match made in heaven but they blended well together.
The D Sonic is very warm sounding. If I had to put it into context then I would say it is a cross between a Super distortion and an Evolution. I realized the reviews I read about the D Sonic tend to exaggerate the good and the bad. Dimarzio rates the EQ at: B 6.5, M 6.5, T 5.5. I installed it with the adjustable pole pieces towards the bridge and the bar towards the neck pickup.
Installing it like so makes it a little less bright, more mids, and little more output. With the pickup installed this way it sounds like the EQ is: B 7, M 6.5, t 6. This pickup has a lot of bass and presence but it is never overpowering. The highs are round. Some of the reviews suggested it is extremely in your face agressive sounding but that must be an exaggeration unless it takes that character with the bar magnet towards the bridge.
One of the things the D sonic is supposed to do is be very articulate with distortion and clean on a clean amp. It barely cleans up better than the Super Distortion with the guitar volume. Like the Super distortion there is a little hair on the clean channel. Neither pickup would I say to be great clean pickups but for blues, rock, and metal they do great.
What surprises me the most about the D Sonic is how dynamic it is. It easily goes from soft picking to loud picking. It really does well with mild gain. I can see how a more blues/rock oriented player could get along with the D sonic.
Air Norton in the bridge is surprisingly powerful. It could easily be used as a classic type PAF bridge. In the neck it is not wooly sounding. It sounds more like a middle pickup. You can play tight rhythms on it and it stays tight like a bridge pickup. You can actually get away with chunky palm mutes. It does live up to its reputation as far as pick harmonics and articulation goes. It sounds like a high powered PAF 36th neck pickup.
As to whether it will stay in my Jackson or be replaced by my Super Distortion remains until after this weekend. I am leaning towards the Super D at this point but need to give myself a few days with it before I ship it back to Dimarzio for an exchange.
I probably wont go back to the Super distortion + 59 combo I had before even though it makes a better combination than even the D Sonic + Air Norton. I like the Air Norton too much to take it out.
Its not that the D sonic isnt every bit as good as a Super distortion. It is a different kind of sound. I dont know if it can be classified as Hi Fi but its not classic either. If someone could help clarify what defines a Hi Fi pickup maybe I could make that disctinction.
The highs in the D Sonic are up front. It is not like the Super Distortion where the highs are there but you mainly hear the mids. The treble is kind sitting on top all of the time. That makes it great for all kinds of riffing and soloing but you cant scale back on the up front presence because that is its sound. Nothing to worry about because it is not harsh and the treble is rounded.
The D Sonic is hot. Dimarzio says it is 390 mv. If you compare the Super Distortion which is 425 mv it seems less powerful. The output is in the same range as a Super Distortion maybe a hair more. There is a lot in common between the D sonic and Super distortion an Evolution. What makes the Super Distortion great is that you cant tell it has a ceramic magnet. The D Sonic is like that. I know the Evolution and Duncan Distortion sound like ceramic but you can hardly tell on the D Sonic. It is warm and fairly organic for an up front sound.
I will post more on this subject later on.
Fast forward to today. The Air norton and D Sonic make a great pair. I was surprised to find out how powerful the Air Norton sounded next to the D Sonic. No difference in volume. I didnt get impression that the two were a match made in heaven but they blended well together.
The D Sonic is very warm sounding. If I had to put it into context then I would say it is a cross between a Super distortion and an Evolution. I realized the reviews I read about the D Sonic tend to exaggerate the good and the bad. Dimarzio rates the EQ at: B 6.5, M 6.5, T 5.5. I installed it with the adjustable pole pieces towards the bridge and the bar towards the neck pickup.
Installing it like so makes it a little less bright, more mids, and little more output. With the pickup installed this way it sounds like the EQ is: B 7, M 6.5, t 6. This pickup has a lot of bass and presence but it is never overpowering. The highs are round. Some of the reviews suggested it is extremely in your face agressive sounding but that must be an exaggeration unless it takes that character with the bar magnet towards the bridge.
One of the things the D sonic is supposed to do is be very articulate with distortion and clean on a clean amp. It barely cleans up better than the Super Distortion with the guitar volume. Like the Super distortion there is a little hair on the clean channel. Neither pickup would I say to be great clean pickups but for blues, rock, and metal they do great.
What surprises me the most about the D Sonic is how dynamic it is. It easily goes from soft picking to loud picking. It really does well with mild gain. I can see how a more blues/rock oriented player could get along with the D sonic.
Air Norton in the bridge is surprisingly powerful. It could easily be used as a classic type PAF bridge. In the neck it is not wooly sounding. It sounds more like a middle pickup. You can play tight rhythms on it and it stays tight like a bridge pickup. You can actually get away with chunky palm mutes. It does live up to its reputation as far as pick harmonics and articulation goes. It sounds like a high powered PAF 36th neck pickup.
As to whether it will stay in my Jackson or be replaced by my Super Distortion remains until after this weekend. I am leaning towards the Super D at this point but need to give myself a few days with it before I ship it back to Dimarzio for an exchange.
I probably wont go back to the Super distortion + 59 combo I had before even though it makes a better combination than even the D Sonic + Air Norton. I like the Air Norton too much to take it out.
Its not that the D sonic isnt every bit as good as a Super distortion. It is a different kind of sound. I dont know if it can be classified as Hi Fi but its not classic either. If someone could help clarify what defines a Hi Fi pickup maybe I could make that disctinction.
The highs in the D Sonic are up front. It is not like the Super Distortion where the highs are there but you mainly hear the mids. The treble is kind sitting on top all of the time. That makes it great for all kinds of riffing and soloing but you cant scale back on the up front presence because that is its sound. Nothing to worry about because it is not harsh and the treble is rounded.
The D Sonic is hot. Dimarzio says it is 390 mv. If you compare the Super Distortion which is 425 mv it seems less powerful. The output is in the same range as a Super Distortion maybe a hair more. There is a lot in common between the D sonic and Super distortion an Evolution. What makes the Super Distortion great is that you cant tell it has a ceramic magnet. The D Sonic is like that. I know the Evolution and Duncan Distortion sound like ceramic but you can hardly tell on the D Sonic. It is warm and fairly organic for an up front sound.
I will post more on this subject later on.