DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

Go with pearly gates neck to go with your 57 classic and if you want to buy mine i can sell it to you.Pearly gates neck would be amazing compared to hfh.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

chris_tw21 said:
Go with pearly gates neck to go with your 57 classic and if you want to buy mine i can sell it to you.Pearly gates neck would be amazing compared to hfh.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the offer, but the PG isn't my bag.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

I wonder how close the Mean 90 is to the Phat Cat:

We've gone to a different Magnet structure, different coil size, added an expensive German Silver baseplate, and completely revamped to output level. We slightly "age" Alnico V magnets, and wrap the coils with Formvar 42 gauge wire. The result is a pickup that is FAR more aggressive in the lower mids, yet still has a crisp and clear high end.
Click to expand...

http://store.guitarfetish.com/Mean-90-Gloss-Black-TRUE-Alnico-P90-FAT-and-Loud-_c_132.html

If I'm not mistaken, Phat Cat is made with plain enamel wire like genuine p90s.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

homer_simps1 said:
Yes, I'm sure. I own it.
Click to expand...

Same...

IIIIIIII just wouldn't say it excels at shredtastic fun. I do "shred" on mine every now n then but its suuuuuper clean nature really doesn't lend well to super fast playing. The notes are articulate, sure, but the notes don't burn ya know? They don't meld together. You really have to dig in to get any sizzle. Kinda hard to dig in every note when you're going around 12nps. I just think it does everything but shred well. *shrugs*
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

TheLivingDead said:
Same...

IIIIIIII just wouldn't say it excels at shredtastic fun. I do "shred" on mine every now n then but its suuuuuper clean nature really doesn't lend well to super fast playing. The notes are articulate, sure, but the notes don't burn ya know? They don't meld together. You really have to dig in to get any sizzle. Kinda hard to dig in every note when you're going around 12nps. I just think it does everything but shred well. *shrugs*
Click to expand...
I have mine in the neck position of a Les Paul. I shred with it all the time. If anything, I don't find it clean enough. My benchmark for neck pickup tone is a single-coil in a Strat, so my opinion isn't that surprising. Also, I play through a maxed out treble booster into a cranked amp, so I don't need much pickup output at all to get a lot of distortion. The pedal and amp are doing most of the work.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

Dr. Lo said:
I have mine in the neck position of a Les Paul. I shred with it all the time. If anything, I don't find it clean enough. My benchmark for neck pickup tone is a single-coil in a Strat, so my opinion isn't that surprising. Also, I play through a maxed out treble booster into a cranked amp, so I don't need much pickup output at all to get a lot of distortion. The pedal and amp are doing most of the work.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I guess that's where the difference is. I kind of like the amp and the pup to meet halfway and tweak either to my tastes from there.

Let me ask you; how do you have your HFH set height and adjustment-wise? I ask because while I obviously found it to be amazingly clean (compared to my other pups), it was actually pretty muddy in the lower notes in my mahog superstrat. I lowered the hell out of it and jacked the polepieces up pretty high. Sounds amazing now but I think I've antagonized the output "issue" by doing so. It's really clean now.

Ah well, in the hi-gain realm I like it for your standard rock/metal solos at moderate speed but for my wanky fast stuff there's just something missing for me. Even with that, it's still my favorite neck pup for that particular guitar. Took me long enough to find a keeper for it.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

TheLivingDead said:
Interesting. I guess that's where the difference is. I kind of like the amp and the pup to meet halfway and tweak either to my tastes from there.

Let me ask you; how do you have your HFH set height and adjustment-wise? I ask because while I obviously found it to be amazingly clean (compared to my other pups), it was actually pretty muddy in the lower notes in my mahog superstrat. I lowered the hell out of it and jacked the polepieces up pretty high. Sounds amazing now but I think I've antagonized the output "issue" by doing so. It's really clean now.

Ah well, in the hi-gain realm I like it for your standard rock/metal solos at moderate speed but for my wanky fast stuff there's just something missing for me. Even with that, it's still my favorite neck pup for that particular guitar. Took me long enough to find a keeper for it.
Click to expand...
I have it pretty much flush with the pickup ring. I've never tried raising the pole pieces. I asked Steve Blucher (DiMarzio) about that and he said not to bother - that it does not make a significant difference. If he's right, then perhaps the overly clean tone you're getting is only due to the fact that you've lowered your pickup considerably.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

Dr. Lo said:
I have it pretty much flush with the pickup ring. I've never tried raising the pole pieces. I asked Steve Blucher (DiMarzio) about that and he said not to bother - that it does not make a significant difference. If he's right, then perhaps the overly clean tone you're getting is only due to the fact that you've lowered your pickup considerably.
Click to expand...

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a guitarist, who's tweaked their polepieces, to say that it didn't make a difference.

Lowering the pup reduces the bass frequency and output. Takes any boominess out of it. I very clearly heard this.

I then raised all of the polepieces pretty high to add a little treb and a good bit of presence. Again, it was VERY clear that there was a difference between flush and raised poles. Physically, it makes sense as well if you know how the magnetic field of a pup works. Try it! You'll be surprised.
 
Re: DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell alternatives?

TheLivingDead said:
I think you'd be hard pressed to find a guitarist, who's tweaked their polepieces, to say that it didn't make a difference.

Lowering the pup reduces the bass frequency and output. Takes any boominess out of it. I very clearly heard this.

I then raised all of the polepieces pretty high to add a little treb and a good bit of presence. Again, it was VERY clear that there was a difference between flush and raised poles. Physically, it makes sense as well if you know how the magnetic field of a pup works. Try it! You'll be surprised.
Click to expand...
I may give it a shot then - thanks!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top