UberMetalDood
New member
I wasted no time installing it in my RG1570 this morning. I've been playing it all day. In very few words it's like a modernized PAF Pro. The difference between it and a PAF Pro is that it basically has a hint more midrange and is a little tighter. Other than that it's not much of a departure from a PAF Pro.
It's great for single note soloing but it's also really great at chords. There's a lot of definition so even with fairly high distortion you can hear every note. It's kind of in between a FRED and a PAF Pro in that it has wonderful harmonics. It still has that percussive quality that the PAF Pro has. I think the presence is all there just as the PAF Pro but if you ever thought the PAF Pro was icepicky, then the Mo'Joe has rounded that off just a smidge.
It's not thick like a Tone Zone, nor it is thin either. I would say it has a smidge less "wah" than the PAF Pro. I want to say it's a smidge flatter too whereas the PAF Pro has a hint more dimension. It has a nice growl with power chords.
The balance of this pickups EQ is a lot like a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom. It leaves you wanting just a little more bass but it has plenty of midrange to go around. It's the closest thing Dimarzio has to a Custom Custom.
This is a really cool pickup and the output is med-high. I have it paired with an Air Norton neck and it's well balanced.
Here's the thing. At this point, after only having it for 1/2 a day, I am inclined to say that it has a better clean/clean breakup sound than overdriven sound. The clean tone is amazing on this pickup. I can see why Satch would love it.
This pickup would fit into the "bright" category as a Seymour Duncan EVH or Custom Custom would fit. You would think that since Satch uses a fairly bright amp (JSX or Marshall JVM) that this combination would be really bright, but in some magical way it works without becoming harsh.
I used my Engl Screamer which is a fairly bright amp. I had the Bass set at 11:00, middle at 10;30, treble at 12:30, and presence at 1:00.
Then I set my bass at 11:30 mids at 12:00, treble at 12:00, and presence at 12:00 and started to achieve a nicer balance. How nice that you can add some bass to your sound and not become overpowering. It was still pretty bright but adding the mids back to a neutral position filled the tone out a little bit.
I compared this to a very similar guitar I have (RG3550) which has a Tone Zone + Air Norton. It's not as thick as the Tone Zone and stands out more in the mix.
Now here's the craziest thing... Just for kicks, I installed the Mo'Joe in my Gibson Les Paul Traditional std which has 57 Classics. I was blown away! It sounded really really good. It became thicker and more authorative, the low end filled out and it sounded very similar to a Burstbucker Pro! It paired well with the 57 Classic neck.
I still can't believe how cool my Les Paul sounds now. It has given me an itch to order a nickel covered Mo'Joe for my Les Paul. Could it be that I just stumbled upon something or is it because Joe Satriani once said that the inspiration for his guitar sound came from a Les Paul?
Now I have questions. Does Satch own a few Les Pauls? If so, does he have Mo'Joes installed in them?
I'm still scratching my head wondering why this pickup sounds better in my Les Paul than my basswood RG1570. It seems like the Mo'Joe was tailor made for a Les Paul.
Overall it's a very interesting pickup. I like it because it's basically a modded PAF Pro, but I love it because it makes my Les Paul sound so cool.
I want to add that my initial impression of this pickup was that it was a little thin, however, I discovered that is not the case. After recording a few minutes of it, I can tell that it comes through much meatier than I initially thought. This pickup has a lot of clarity and it's the way the presence stands out in this pickup that you get that impression. Underneath that presence is a fairly strong midrange and a moderate amount of bass. It's not a thin sounding pickup overall, but it's not going to be real thick like a Tone Zone.
It's great for single note soloing but it's also really great at chords. There's a lot of definition so even with fairly high distortion you can hear every note. It's kind of in between a FRED and a PAF Pro in that it has wonderful harmonics. It still has that percussive quality that the PAF Pro has. I think the presence is all there just as the PAF Pro but if you ever thought the PAF Pro was icepicky, then the Mo'Joe has rounded that off just a smidge.
It's not thick like a Tone Zone, nor it is thin either. I would say it has a smidge less "wah" than the PAF Pro. I want to say it's a smidge flatter too whereas the PAF Pro has a hint more dimension. It has a nice growl with power chords.
The balance of this pickups EQ is a lot like a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom. It leaves you wanting just a little more bass but it has plenty of midrange to go around. It's the closest thing Dimarzio has to a Custom Custom.
This is a really cool pickup and the output is med-high. I have it paired with an Air Norton neck and it's well balanced.
Here's the thing. At this point, after only having it for 1/2 a day, I am inclined to say that it has a better clean/clean breakup sound than overdriven sound. The clean tone is amazing on this pickup. I can see why Satch would love it.
This pickup would fit into the "bright" category as a Seymour Duncan EVH or Custom Custom would fit. You would think that since Satch uses a fairly bright amp (JSX or Marshall JVM) that this combination would be really bright, but in some magical way it works without becoming harsh.
I used my Engl Screamer which is a fairly bright amp. I had the Bass set at 11:00, middle at 10;30, treble at 12:30, and presence at 1:00.
Then I set my bass at 11:30 mids at 12:00, treble at 12:00, and presence at 12:00 and started to achieve a nicer balance. How nice that you can add some bass to your sound and not become overpowering. It was still pretty bright but adding the mids back to a neutral position filled the tone out a little bit.
I compared this to a very similar guitar I have (RG3550) which has a Tone Zone + Air Norton. It's not as thick as the Tone Zone and stands out more in the mix.
Now here's the craziest thing... Just for kicks, I installed the Mo'Joe in my Gibson Les Paul Traditional std which has 57 Classics. I was blown away! It sounded really really good. It became thicker and more authorative, the low end filled out and it sounded very similar to a Burstbucker Pro! It paired well with the 57 Classic neck.
I still can't believe how cool my Les Paul sounds now. It has given me an itch to order a nickel covered Mo'Joe for my Les Paul. Could it be that I just stumbled upon something or is it because Joe Satriani once said that the inspiration for his guitar sound came from a Les Paul?
Now I have questions. Does Satch own a few Les Pauls? If so, does he have Mo'Joes installed in them?
I'm still scratching my head wondering why this pickup sounds better in my Les Paul than my basswood RG1570. It seems like the Mo'Joe was tailor made for a Les Paul.
Overall it's a very interesting pickup. I like it because it's basically a modded PAF Pro, but I love it because it makes my Les Paul sound so cool.
I want to add that my initial impression of this pickup was that it was a little thin, however, I discovered that is not the case. After recording a few minutes of it, I can tell that it comes through much meatier than I initially thought. This pickup has a lot of clarity and it's the way the presence stands out in this pickup that you get that impression. Underneath that presence is a fairly strong midrange and a moderate amount of bass. It's not a thin sounding pickup overall, but it's not going to be real thick like a Tone Zone.
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