DMZ PAF Pro - surprise! (have I missed something??)
- Thread starter marcello252
- Start date
Ashurbanipal
Well-known member
Aside from some Jems, several Gilbert models had a pair, the PGM100 and 300, iirc.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
They're smaller than the average Duncan/Gibson magnet. So a piece of paper would've made the issue of dropping a standard-sized magnet inside a DiMarzio worse.
Plus that would kinda make it of an airbucker. And I personally hate the airbucker or whatever "technology". Fantastic way of watering pickups down, IMO.
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Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Some pickups need to be watered down. The Tone Zone comes to mind.
Juanhanglo
Active member
I have a 520qs, and literally every pickup I tried it sounded better than in any other guitar.
It had a norton/ air norton set for 15 years or so, until I got the bug to swap things around. Full shreds sound amazing in mahogany rgs too.
it now has a mo'joe/ paf joe set, which are really paf pro variations. I have breeds in another rg as well. Killer too.
All that, and I've never tried the one that started it all!
im thinking about a breed neck in bridge/paf pro combo next.
maybe I'll get a fred too so I can have all the variants.
technically, the tone zone has a fred coil.............grrrr
marcello252
Well-known member
meaning Weakening ?
devastone
New member
Yeah, those 520s sound great. I ended up finding a 2nd one and put a set of Planet Tone Santorums in it. PT is local so I wanted to try them, they sound great too. I originally bought the 520s because they were the cheapest MIJ RGs that I came across and I was going to have custom bodies made, but I'm not in a rush to do that now.
ErikH
Well-known member
And that created the Air Zone. One of my favorite DiMarzios.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
I love my RGs
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Never tried the Air Zone. Not really interested, TBH. But I don't see any benefits of watering down a Tone Zone, personally, unless the airbucker thing somehow makes things brighter, which I doubt, honestly. It's not like the airbucker increases the dynamic range of a pickup either. If anything, I'd bet it decreases it.
I guess it's kind of like the JB plus A2 magnet thing. I know people dig it. I don't think I ever will or will even understand why people dig it, but that's just me. I don't like dark pickups.
I hate to be radical like that, but I mean... I genuinely don't understand what benefit there is from decreaseing the output of a pickup without widening the EQ response (like you would from underwound pickups) and not increasing the dynamic sensitivity either.
Then again, please take this as a grain of salt. I've not tried the Air Zone, and maybe I don't understand how the Airbucker thing works really.
ErikH
Well-known member
Incorrect assumption. The Air Zone is brighter than the Tone Zone. Has less bass, is actually more open sounding and has a wide range of dynamics. And it splits incredibly well. Can't always go by specs and assumptions. Between the two, I will take the Air Zone every time.
Find a used one and try it. Play with the height adjustments, tweak settings. It's a great pickup.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I'd actually love to hear what a Tone Zone sounds like with a Ceramic magnet like the Super Distortion. I bet that pickup would DESTROY.
ErikH
Well-known member
If it's a double-thick ceramic like in the Super Distortion, that could be a very fat pickup. With a regular size ceramic, could be interesting.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
True, you're right. Regular Ceramic would be cool.
marcello252
Well-known member
since I've never heard a *zone would you pls compare it to a JB, or a Duncan Custom, which I know ? thx
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
The regular Tone Zone is like a fatter, darker JB. The high mid spike seems to have been shifted to the low mids.
It's not really close to a JB. It's just what I would compare it to. It was, after all, made to approximate EVH's broken JB.
I don't like it, TBH. It does seem almost unusable in anything but a super thin, wiry guitar tuned to E.
It's not THAT bassy, IME. It's just super low-middy.
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ErikH
Well-known member
The Tone Zone is really really really close to the bridge pickup that came in the EBMM EVH Sig (still used in the current Axis). It was one of the final 2 pickups Ed was deciding between. He liked both a lot and couldn't decide. Steve Lukather told him to pick the one he (Steve) liked. That choice went in the guitar and the other one became the Tone Zone. Paul Gilbert used the Tone Zone for a bit in the 90's.
devastone
New member
The TZ has a lot of low end, well, lower mids, whatever, but it also has some sizzle on top, it's not that dark contrary to popular belief/internet lore.
The JB is thin on the bottom and mostly upper mids, the A2 shifts that down some and tames the high end, it's a good combo and apparently Seymour's favorite pup, which lends the question of why it was never a production offering.
The JB is thin on the bottom and mostly upper mids, the A2 shifts that down some and tames the high end, it's a good combo and apparently Seymour's favorite pup, which lends the question of why it was never a production offering.
