I'm looking for opinions on the Dimarzio DP420... I have a 404 in there now and I really dig it but I keep reading the 420 is totally an upgrade. Anyone have hands on experience comparing the two? Also, thinkin about the Area '61 for the neck as the pickup in there now is kinda lifeless. Looking for spanky hard rock tones...
Dimarzio question(s)
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Re: Dimarzio question(s)
Well I have never tried the Virtual Solo but I do have experience with the Virtual Vintage 54 Pro, the Area 67 and the Area 58, and the Virtual Vintage Blues. All are good pickups. But the main thing I've found out by doing endless pickup swapping is that pickups always interact with the tonal properties of the guitar they're placed in. You can have a certain set of pickups in one guitar and they sound great and full of life. You can take them out and put them in another guitar and you wonder what happened.
Well I have never tried the Virtual Solo but I do have experience with the Virtual Vintage 54 Pro, the Area 67 and the Area 58, and the Virtual Vintage Blues. All are good pickups. But the main thing I've found out by doing endless pickup swapping is that pickups always interact with the tonal properties of the guitar they're placed in. You can have a certain set of pickups in one guitar and they sound great and full of life. You can take them out and put them in another guitar and you wonder what happened.
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
Funny you would post this. That's the exact reason I started using this Dimarzio I've had for about seven years. I've always used Duncans in my other strats but my go to p'ups just weren't happening in this one strat. The 404 was just too thin and present in my other strats but in this particular strat, which is on the darker side. it's bold but not overbearing or peaky. Really nice. But others, including Dimarzio, say the 420 is better still. Just curious.
Funny you would post this. That's the exact reason I started using this Dimarzio I've had for about seven years. I've always used Duncans in my other strats but my go to p'ups just weren't happening in this one strat. The 404 was just too thin and present in my other strats but in this particular strat, which is on the darker side. it's bold but not overbearing or peaky. Really nice. But others, including Dimarzio, say the 420 is better still. Just curious.
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
I have the Virtual Solo in the neck position of my Strat-ish guitar. I think it's very good pickups. Obviously it's the most powerful singlecoil stack they make and it's designed for the bridge position but I love it in the neck. It's very fluid sounding. It is on the darker sounding side but just enough to make it sound fuller. It still has nice quack of singlecoils but it has a little P90 and humbucker sound to it which is good IMO. Probably my favourite stack eveer.
I have the Virtual Solo in the neck position of my Strat-ish guitar. I think it's very good pickups. Obviously it's the most powerful singlecoil stack they make and it's designed for the bridge position but I love it in the neck. It's very fluid sounding. It is on the darker sounding side but just enough to make it sound fuller. It still has nice quack of singlecoils but it has a little P90 and humbucker sound to it which is good IMO. Probably my favourite stack eveer.
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
I switch pickups like crazy, and the Area 61 for me just rules in Strats. It is easily my favorite noiseless neck single. I've had equally good results in ash & alder Strats. It is a bit too bright in the bridge, but I dig it in the middle also. I've got the Injector in the bridge of the alder & the dp420 in bridge of the ash. They're pretty different, but both work out well for my hum- free Strats.
I switch pickups like crazy, and the Area 61 for me just rules in Strats. It is easily my favorite noiseless neck single. I've had equally good results in ash & alder Strats. It is a bit too bright in the bridge, but I dig it in the middle also. I've got the Injector in the bridge of the alder & the dp420 in bridge of the ash. They're pretty different, but both work out well for my hum- free Strats.
arellanon
New member
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
This.^^^^^
But mine is in the middle position of my Carvin DC135. It's slammed down all the way to the guitar body with enough clearance for the wiring. Zhaggy made a good point of it sounding darker and full. I really enjoy using it and it has grown on me. : private::cool2:
This.^^^^^
But mine is in the middle position of my Carvin DC135. It's slammed down all the way to the guitar body with enough clearance for the wiring. Zhaggy made a good point of it sounding darker and full. I really enjoy using it and it has grown on me. : private::cool2:
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
Hey....slightly off topic here, but how do you find the Carvin DC135 tonally. I'm hoping to grab a s/h one that has a Breed already fitted in the bridge.
Hey....slightly off topic here, but how do you find the Carvin DC135 tonally. I'm hoping to grab a s/h one that has a Breed already fitted in the bridge.
arellanon
New member
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
Ok so as to not bust a total hijack I will offer you and the OP some comparisons between the pickup in mind and the other ones on the guitar.
I have an HS-2 at the neck, the Virtual Solo in the middle, and a Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 at the bridge. The Virtual Solo is the darkest, warmest, fullest pickup of the three. The HS-2 is the most transparent; I mean really, really transparent. It's somewhat bright though and has great tone shaping all throughout the range of the tone knob. The VVHBII sounds like a beefed up single coil; it;s bright and retains some of those single coil dynamics. It reminds me of the SSL-5 on the bridge of my Strat.
The Virtual Solo is slammed down away from the stings as much as possible while the other two pups are slammed rather high. I am certain that this parameter is shaping the response and tone of the Virtual Solo tremendously. I have never tried the pickup up high close to the strings so I cannot comment on the difference. The reason I slammed it down is because, as Zhaggy mentioned, it is the stacked single coil DiMarzio makes with the most output in mV. The HS-2 is at the neck because it sounded great in the neck on my ESP MV-200 while the VVHBII is second only to the Virtual Solo in mV output so I decided to try it at the bridge. Quite frankly the guitar sounds very unique since it is a three pup guitar and each pickup is so different.
AlexR, the DC135 you speak of with a H/S pickup layout sounds really cool; on the Carvin forums we usually compare the Breed with the Carvin C22B and the FRED with the Carvin M22T. I have no experience with any of those pups but I hear nothing but praises for the C22B and I bet the Breed is just as good or better. Do you know what is at the single coil neck?
Ok so as to not bust a total hijack I will offer you and the OP some comparisons between the pickup in mind and the other ones on the guitar.
I have an HS-2 at the neck, the Virtual Solo in the middle, and a Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 at the bridge. The Virtual Solo is the darkest, warmest, fullest pickup of the three. The HS-2 is the most transparent; I mean really, really transparent. It's somewhat bright though and has great tone shaping all throughout the range of the tone knob. The VVHBII sounds like a beefed up single coil; it;s bright and retains some of those single coil dynamics. It reminds me of the SSL-5 on the bridge of my Strat.
The Virtual Solo is slammed down away from the stings as much as possible while the other two pups are slammed rather high. I am certain that this parameter is shaping the response and tone of the Virtual Solo tremendously. I have never tried the pickup up high close to the strings so I cannot comment on the difference. The reason I slammed it down is because, as Zhaggy mentioned, it is the stacked single coil DiMarzio makes with the most output in mV. The HS-2 is at the neck because it sounded great in the neck on my ESP MV-200 while the VVHBII is second only to the Virtual Solo in mV output so I decided to try it at the bridge. Quite frankly the guitar sounds very unique since it is a three pup guitar and each pickup is so different.
AlexR, the DC135 you speak of with a H/S pickup layout sounds really cool; on the Carvin forums we usually compare the Breed with the Carvin C22B and the FRED with the Carvin M22T. I have no experience with any of those pups but I hear nothing but praises for the C22B and I bet the Breed is just as good or better. Do you know what is at the single coil neck?
UberMetalDood
New member
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
I have an American strat with a Virtual Solo in the bridge and an Area 58 in the neck. The Area 58 is one of the best neck pickups that I've heard in a long time. My favorite still remains the Virtual Heavy Blues II neck and Virtual Heavy Blues middle with a Virtual Solo bridge, but I'm totally digging my setup right now.
I used to have a Virtual Solo Pro, the predecessor to the Virtual Solo, and it was awesome too but could get a little screechy in the top end at times. The Virtual Solo is almost exactly the same except it cures that and doesn't have as pronounced of a "wah" sound as the Virtual Solo Pro did.
I have an American strat with a Virtual Solo in the bridge and an Area 58 in the neck. The Area 58 is one of the best neck pickups that I've heard in a long time. My favorite still remains the Virtual Heavy Blues II neck and Virtual Heavy Blues middle with a Virtual Solo bridge, but I'm totally digging my setup right now.
I used to have a Virtual Solo Pro, the predecessor to the Virtual Solo, and it was awesome too but could get a little screechy in the top end at times. The Virtual Solo is almost exactly the same except it cures that and doesn't have as pronounced of a "wah" sound as the Virtual Solo Pro did.
arellanon
New member
Re: Dimarzio question(s)
I certainly do not get much "wah" if any out of my Virtual Solo. So I guess you and I have similar experiences with this killer pickup.
:friday:
I certainly do not get much "wah" if any out of my Virtual Solo. So I guess you and I have similar experiences with this killer pickup.
:friday:
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