Timberwolf
New member
Hiya,
So there is this little sweet axe, an early '90s Chery strat made in Korea which positively puts any MIM strat (and anything else in that region) to shame every time we bump into other guitars in a jam session kinda scenario. It looks pretty and has an amazing playability as confirmed by owners of Godins, G&Ls, MIM and MIA strats. The only thing letting it down whenever there is a direct contest with an MIA strat is, as you might proly guessed already, the stock pups. While they are not bad by any means, I feel the guitar deserves much better. The pups are fully covered ones, rather low output, tonally on the vintage side of the spectrum.
1. Bridge: C-. The weakest link in the standard SSS configuration is the bridge pickup. Doesn't take dirt too well, rather harsh.
2. Middle: B-/C. I rarely use it, so a little indifferent to that one. Sounds okeyish, but kinda unassuming.
3. Neck: B+. The best one of the three and the only one that holds its own with MIMs.
I don't wanna break a bank amidst the pandemic :sad: So been weighing my options rather carefully and decided to squeeze this project under $120.
For the allocated funds, the Fender Yosemite sound samples I found on YT had me particularly convinced. They seem to fit my style well, even a wee bit better than the Tex Mex set I have in another guitar. However I just missed a deal on them ($95) and immediately lost any interest in shelling $120, now that I know that they can be had for 25% less
There is also a DiMarzio DP404 (new old stock, only one piece) available for $40.
Since it's the bridge pup I'm unhappiest with and DP404 works well in that position, I figured I could start upgrading it first and see what opportunity presents itself next.
There is not much info on DP404 though - basically nothing on YT and only a post or two on other forums (very positive references though).
It seems this model has been out of production for a decade now (kinda getting a red alert here), substituted by DP414 and later by DP420.
I wonder if there is anyone here who can shed more light on DP404 specifically.
- How does it sound in bridge position?
- Which neck/middle pups gel well with it?
- What styles (both musical and playing approach wise) does it handle well?
- What are its shortcomings?
- What pots (250/500) do you recommend?
- Anything else
Appreciate your time and assistance
So there is this little sweet axe, an early '90s Chery strat made in Korea which positively puts any MIM strat (and anything else in that region) to shame every time we bump into other guitars in a jam session kinda scenario. It looks pretty and has an amazing playability as confirmed by owners of Godins, G&Ls, MIM and MIA strats. The only thing letting it down whenever there is a direct contest with an MIA strat is, as you might proly guessed already, the stock pups. While they are not bad by any means, I feel the guitar deserves much better. The pups are fully covered ones, rather low output, tonally on the vintage side of the spectrum.
1. Bridge: C-. The weakest link in the standard SSS configuration is the bridge pickup. Doesn't take dirt too well, rather harsh.
2. Middle: B-/C. I rarely use it, so a little indifferent to that one. Sounds okeyish, but kinda unassuming.
3. Neck: B+. The best one of the three and the only one that holds its own with MIMs.
I don't wanna break a bank amidst the pandemic :sad: So been weighing my options rather carefully and decided to squeeze this project under $120.
For the allocated funds, the Fender Yosemite sound samples I found on YT had me particularly convinced. They seem to fit my style well, even a wee bit better than the Tex Mex set I have in another guitar. However I just missed a deal on them ($95) and immediately lost any interest in shelling $120, now that I know that they can be had for 25% less
There is also a DiMarzio DP404 (new old stock, only one piece) available for $40.
Since it's the bridge pup I'm unhappiest with and DP404 works well in that position, I figured I could start upgrading it first and see what opportunity presents itself next.
There is not much info on DP404 though - basically nothing on YT and only a post or two on other forums (very positive references though).
It seems this model has been out of production for a decade now (kinda getting a red alert here), substituted by DP414 and later by DP420.
I wonder if there is anyone here who can shed more light on DP404 specifically.
- How does it sound in bridge position?
- Which neck/middle pups gel well with it?
- What styles (both musical and playing approach wise) does it handle well?
- What are its shortcomings?
- What pots (250/500) do you recommend?
- Anything else
Appreciate your time and assistance
