Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

[AmpliFIRE]

Holy ****E!!!! This pup is perfect in the bridge position!!! Not too hot, with plenty of mids and bottom end. It defiently is the perfect "hot rodded PAF " tone IMO. The only drawback is that is not nearly as loud as the stock neck pup.

I would love to a/b it with a Custom, but I'm just not a fan of modifying pickups to fit in this guitar.

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

Holy ****E!!!! This pup is perfect in the bridge position!!! Not too hot, with plenty of mids and bottom end. It defiently is the perfect "hot rodded PAF " tone IMO. The only drawback is that is not nearly as loud as the stock neck pup.

I would love to a/b it with a Custom, but I'm just not a fan of modifying pickups to fit in this guitar.

it should be hotter than the EBMM neck pup which is a 280 mv pup
the EBMM custom dimarzio neck pup is a 14.6K and has the air design but is not as hot as the air zone at 323 mv
try lowering the neck pup or raising the bridge air zone for a better balance
you will have to either shim or route the cavity depending on if you need to lower or raise the pups since they are direct mount k:

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

I would love to a/b it with a Custom, but I'm just not a fan of modifying pickups to fit in this guitar.

I already have compared them
the custom is more present and cripser and ballsier overall
the AZ and the custom do both have a great low end growl with plenty of low mids and bass
in the axis the AZ will sound more tonally balanced due to the all maple neck and maple cap on the body.
BUT i am not sayin the custom would not kill in the axis
you may want to try a custom 8!
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=50905
this pup gives the AZ a real run for it's life!

 

[shred4Him]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

How does the virtual Hot PAF compare to the AZ and Custom?

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

How does the virtual Hot PAF compare to the AZ and Custom?

the HOT V paf has the tone of a air zone but is way more vintage sounding obviously
BUT it is the best hot rodded P.A.F i ever heard!
it has a lot more drive and fattness but the classic P.A.F signature is there
for me it blew away all the other boutique slightly overwound PAF's like
fralins 9K PAF
voodoo's 59
I dont think it is fair to compare a 9K to a 14K duncan custom or a 17K air zone though
BUT for the overwound PAF tone it OWNS!

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

it should be hotter than the EBMM neck pup which is a 280 mv pup
the EBMM custom dimarzio neck pup is a 14.6K and has the air design but is not as hot as the air zone at 323 mv
try lowering the neck pup or raising the bridge air zone for a better balance
you will have to either shim or route the cavity depending on if you need to lower or raise the pups since they are direct mount k:

really??? I always thought the stock EBMM pups were more in Line with the Tone Zone as far as output :scratchch . Actually, I called Dimarzio and they confirmed this for me.

I've messed with the heights of both pickups and to my ears they both sound best when screwed down as far as they can go...

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

really??? I always thought the stock EBMM pups were more in Line with the Tone Zone as far as output :scratchch . Actually, I called Dimarzio and they confirmed this for me.

I've messed with the heights of both pickups and to my ears they both sound best when screwed down as far as they can go...

the neck one is like a air norton and the bridge is like a tone zone on a stock EBMM axis
so you said the neck stock dimarzio was louder than the air zone right????
well the NECK dimarzio stock has about the same output as a air norton so it cannot be as loud as a air zone then?

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

the neck one is like a air norton and the bridge is like a tone zone on a stock EBMM axis
so you said the neck stock dimarzio was louder than the air zone right????
well the NECK dimarzio stock has about the same output as a air norton so it cannot be as loud as a air zone then?

yup...they said that the neck and bridge were very close in output. I definetly believe it because the neck has always seemed to be very hot to me. It's near impossible to get a clean sound without any break-up with that pickup.

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

yup...they said that the neck and bridge were very close in output. I definetly believe it because the neck has always seemed to be very hot to me. It's near impossible to get a clean sound without any break-up with that pickup.

back to YOUR ORIGINAL problem
you will have to RAISE the AZ to match the output of the neck pup then

 

[wildstar]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

the HOT V paf has the tone of a air zone but is way more vintage sounding obviously
BUT it is the best hot rodded P.A.F i ever heard!
it has a lot more drive and fattness but the classic P.A.F signature is there
for me it blew away all the other boutique slightly overwound PAF's like
fralins 9K PAF
voodoo's 59
I dont think it is fair to compare a 9K to a 14K duncan custom or a 17K air zone though
BUT for the overwound PAF tone it OWNS!

Off-topic, but the timing of your post was uncanny. I just put a Virtual Hot PAF in my Schecter (along with a Virtual PAF neck), and have been agonizing all morning, trying to decide if I like it better or not. I'm usually a straight-up JB/Jazz kinda guy, but have been itching to experiment. I'm not sure if I'm sold of the Virtual Hot PAF, but maybe I just need to tinker with the height and polepiece height some more...

If you, such an esteemed member of this board, think the Virtual Hot PAF is so cool, maybe I just need to listen and tweak a little more carefully...

Anwyays, back to the topic: I think DiMarzio has something pretty cool going on with their Airbucker pickups. There is some kind of openness or 3D quality (which is how they describe it) that's really kinda different from the JB/Custom school of pickups. No slight intended against those pups, of course! I haven't decided if that Airbucker sound is right for me, as I wrote above, but I definitely like it a lot.

Different=Good

My first post here. What a great board!

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

Off-topic, but the timing of your post was uncanny. I just put a Virtual Hot PAF in my Schecter (along with a Virtual PAF neck), and have been agonizing all morning, trying to decide if I like it better or not. I'm usually a straight-up JB/Jazz kinda guy, but have been itching to experiment. I'm not sure if I'm sold of the Virtual Hot PAF, but maybe I just need to tinker with the height and polepiece height some more...

If you, such an esteemed member of this board, think the Virtual Hot PAF is so cool, maybe I just need to listen and tweak a little more carefully...

Anwyays, back to the topic: I think DiMarzio has something pretty cool going on with their Airbucker pickups. There is some kind of openness or 3D quality (which is how they describe it) that's really kinda different from the JB/Custom school of pickups. No slight intended against those pups, of course! I haven't decided if that Airbucker sound is right for me, as I wrote above, but I definitely like it a lot.

Different=Good

My first post here. What a great board!

well you are coming from a JB right?
see the JB has a modern upper mid spike that can be addicting
and has harmonics out the wazzoo
BUT in the realm a PAF type tones the V hot paf is my favorite
try messin with it some more and do some taping of you playing it

 

[wildstar]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

well you are coming from a JB right?
see the JB has a modern upper mid spike that can be addicting
and has harmonics out the wazzoo
BUT in the realm a PAF type tones the V hot paf is my favorite
try messin with it some more and do some taping of you playing it

Will do. I'll let you know how it goes - maybe in a new thread? Don't want to hijack this thread.

Yeah, I'm coming from the JB. It's been a JB for so long, I can't remember anything else. I know I'm addicted to that upper-mid spike - that's exactly what I'm trying to get unaddicted to. My idea was to experiment with lower output, less colored pups. But maybe I'm a hopeless junkie...

If the V Hot PAF doesn't work out, I may put it in my Schecter baritone. The pup's clarity and unhyped tone might really clean up the super low end mud coming from the bari.

i could try the Air Norton in my regular Schecter... My wife's gonna kill me. If she catches me soldering a guitar on the dining room table again... oh boy.

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

Will do. I'll let you know how it goes - maybe in a new thread? Don't want to hijack this thread.

Yeah, I'm coming from the JB. It's been a JB for so long, I can't remember anything else. I know I'm addicted to that upper-mid spike - that's exactly what I'm trying to get unaddicted to. My idea was to experiment with lower output, less colored pups. But maybe I'm a hopeless junkie...

If the V Hot PAF doesn't work out, I may put it in my Schecter baritone. The pup's clarity and unhyped tone might really clean up the super low end mud coming from the bari.

i could try the Air Norton in my regular Schecter... My wife's gonna kill me. If she catches me soldering a guitar on the dining room table again... oh boy.

yeah the JB is a rodded PAF in that it has a more modern tone curve and way more output but this new V hot paf is not all that weak in output but has the traditional PAF tone curve and no mid spike

 

[papersoul]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

I have been trying the Air Zone in my LP and it is really nice and does not feel as hot as the 17K would have you think! It seems more like 13-14k.

It is a great pickup but still doesn't seem as fat as the WCR Goodwood I was using prior. I think the Goodwood is going back in for now but man Dimarzio makes some awesome pickups. They seem thick than most Duncans I've tried.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

I have not had the time to mess with it as much as i have wanted to since much of my practice is unplugged, but i just put one in my strat and the little bit i played it i thought it was sweet and better than the stock fender humbucker and the class o 55s are sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Dropped an Air Zone in my Axis...

WICKED LES wanna mod my TONE ZONE for me?

By the way, what do you think for hard rock - VPAF or AIR ZONE? I still the AZ is a tad compressed at those high ratings. The normal VPAF is too thin in the bridge. Greta pickuip over all.

I though of using the VPAF bridge model in the neck and ???? in the bridge of a PRS.

Opinion?

By the way - to the original post from AMPLFIRE - Dimarzio Pups are very underrated for classic tones and harmonic overtones. I think they are the most harmonically rich pickups I have played exc for maybe the nordstrand.