RayBarbeeMusic
Active member
Re: Dimarzio Norton + 36th Anniv PAF + Strat = Good?
SSS is a completely different animal than HH, that's a whole other can of worms.
If what you want in your neck humbucker is articulate, the 36th is fine. There are other things that go farther in that direction, i.e. a more clear high end OR less low end clutter or both. Here's sort of a list if articulate neck humbucker is what you want:
DiMarzio Super 2: Not really paired with a Norton bridge, but if you have a searing hot bridge like X2n, Super 3, etc, this will still more than keep up with it and then some. Extremely high output but with a big low end roll off that keeps it from becoming anywhere near as muddy as other high output buckers can be in the neck.
PAF Joe: Less muddy version of the PAF Pro designed specifically for the neck position. Still not what I'd call real articulate in the low end, but definitely moreso than other medium powered buckers that have been thrown around as neck position solutions (PAF Pro, Air Norton, Breed Neck). If you were going to get a PAF Pro, I'd get this instead. I switched out a PAF Pro for a PAF Joe in one of my guitars neck positions and it improved the clarity a LOT without sacrificing output. I ended up switching the PAF Joe for a Smit's Buckerlite and the result is F'ing amazing.
Duncan Jazz: Very clear on the high notes, can have almost single coil like articulation. Still somewhat boomy in the low end, you can somewhat cure that by backing that side off quite a bit.
Duncan Full Shred Neck: Similar to Jazz but a hair clearer.
DiMarzio EJ Special Neck: Similar to Jazz or Full Shred but another step more clear and less muddy.
DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell: Not nearly as "single coil-like" as DiMarzio claims, but another step more clear than an EJ Special neck and 2 steps more clear than the jazz. Not really noticeably more high end, but less boomy in the low end. Lows still don't have the single coil thwack and articulation on low notes but are very woody sounding and not boomy. HFH uses 41 ga. wire so don't let the sub 6k DCR fool you, the output is on par or slightly more than a PAF.
Smit's HWP Buckerlite: Somewhat similar to the DiM HFH. In the normal winding it has less highs than the HFH so is fatter in the high notes, but also has less lows and is less boomy in the lows. I'd describe it as very even across the spectrum, it is neither bright nor muddy in any way. He'll also adjust the wind or magnet to preference; I've had him wind me a 5.5K version and a 3k version. Larger wire is used here, larger still on the 3k, so again, don't let the DCR fool you. DCR is not output. The output is on par with any PAF.
Smit's HWP "Stealth Mini": This is something that isn't on his site but that I've had him make for me a couple times. It is a mini bucker that sits under a hole-less full sized cover and mounts in a full sized humbucker route. Sound depends on wind, but I've had the normal neck mini he makes done that way and a much lower wind version. They are both less boomy than commercial full sized buckers in the neck, and the low wind version is extremely articulate Part of this is that the minis "see" a smaller area of the string similar to, but not quite as tight as, a single coil would. Very similar to a Lollar Firebird for the lower wind version, but it fits and looks right in a normal sized route.
Lollar El Rayo: 40 ga. wire, 3.6k DCR, again, output is on par with a PAF. Bright and non-muddy.
Reminder: DCR is not output. Don't be fooled by low DCR numbers and think output is low. The Super 2 is ridiculously high output with a DCR under 9k. Humbucker from Hell is PAF output or slightly more with a DCR of about 5.9K. A Buckerlite in normal form has a similar DCR to a HFH, and in the neck is just as loud as the Super 3 I have in the bridge (granted, I keep the buckerlite close to the strings, but the Super 3 isn't backed off into the wood either). Low DCR on a neck pickup tells you either there aren't a ton of turns on the bobbins or a larger gauge wire is being used, either of those things leads to a more clear, less muddy tone in the neck position.
SSS is a completely different animal than HH, that's a whole other can of worms.
If what you want in your neck humbucker is articulate, the 36th is fine. There are other things that go farther in that direction, i.e. a more clear high end OR less low end clutter or both. Here's sort of a list if articulate neck humbucker is what you want:
DiMarzio Super 2: Not really paired with a Norton bridge, but if you have a searing hot bridge like X2n, Super 3, etc, this will still more than keep up with it and then some. Extremely high output but with a big low end roll off that keeps it from becoming anywhere near as muddy as other high output buckers can be in the neck.
PAF Joe: Less muddy version of the PAF Pro designed specifically for the neck position. Still not what I'd call real articulate in the low end, but definitely moreso than other medium powered buckers that have been thrown around as neck position solutions (PAF Pro, Air Norton, Breed Neck). If you were going to get a PAF Pro, I'd get this instead. I switched out a PAF Pro for a PAF Joe in one of my guitars neck positions and it improved the clarity a LOT without sacrificing output. I ended up switching the PAF Joe for a Smit's Buckerlite and the result is F'ing amazing.
Duncan Jazz: Very clear on the high notes, can have almost single coil like articulation. Still somewhat boomy in the low end, you can somewhat cure that by backing that side off quite a bit.
Duncan Full Shred Neck: Similar to Jazz but a hair clearer.
DiMarzio EJ Special Neck: Similar to Jazz or Full Shred but another step more clear and less muddy.
DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell: Not nearly as "single coil-like" as DiMarzio claims, but another step more clear than an EJ Special neck and 2 steps more clear than the jazz. Not really noticeably more high end, but less boomy in the low end. Lows still don't have the single coil thwack and articulation on low notes but are very woody sounding and not boomy. HFH uses 41 ga. wire so don't let the sub 6k DCR fool you, the output is on par or slightly more than a PAF.
Smit's HWP Buckerlite: Somewhat similar to the DiM HFH. In the normal winding it has less highs than the HFH so is fatter in the high notes, but also has less lows and is less boomy in the lows. I'd describe it as very even across the spectrum, it is neither bright nor muddy in any way. He'll also adjust the wind or magnet to preference; I've had him wind me a 5.5K version and a 3k version. Larger wire is used here, larger still on the 3k, so again, don't let the DCR fool you. DCR is not output. The output is on par with any PAF.
Smit's HWP "Stealth Mini": This is something that isn't on his site but that I've had him make for me a couple times. It is a mini bucker that sits under a hole-less full sized cover and mounts in a full sized humbucker route. Sound depends on wind, but I've had the normal neck mini he makes done that way and a much lower wind version. They are both less boomy than commercial full sized buckers in the neck, and the low wind version is extremely articulate Part of this is that the minis "see" a smaller area of the string similar to, but not quite as tight as, a single coil would. Very similar to a Lollar Firebird for the lower wind version, but it fits and looks right in a normal sized route.
Lollar El Rayo: 40 ga. wire, 3.6k DCR, again, output is on par with a PAF. Bright and non-muddy.
Reminder: DCR is not output. Don't be fooled by low DCR numbers and think output is low. The Super 2 is ridiculously high output with a DCR under 9k. Humbucker from Hell is PAF output or slightly more with a DCR of about 5.9K. A Buckerlite in normal form has a similar DCR to a HFH, and in the neck is just as loud as the Super 3 I have in the bridge (granted, I keep the buckerlite close to the strings, but the Super 3 isn't backed off into the wood either). Low DCR on a neck pickup tells you either there aren't a ton of turns on the bobbins or a larger gauge wire is being used, either of those things leads to a more clear, less muddy tone in the neck position.
