Duncan against Dimarzio

[DeMaio]

Hello guys..

I would appreciate it, if you could suggest me something to do with my pickups.I own an ibanez rg 550 (basswood), and i was ready to buy 2 seymour duncan pickups for my guitar and 1 dimarzio.Duncan Custom : bridge, sh-2 Jazz : neck and HS-3- : middle.I went to a store and the guitar technician told me that, i couldn't use HS-3- as a middle pickup.. (which is 96 mV), without having another paf pro Dimarzio at the bridge position.I told him that i wanted to put a Duncan Custom and he said that it doesn't have enough mV and i will have a problem with the volume of my middle and other pickups if i don't put a paf pro, or paf from Dimarzio (more than 300 mV). Seymour Duncan Jazz would be ok for neck he said.Furthermore he said that ibanez has dimarzio on their guitars because it servers them better.I believe that Duncan Custom could serve me well on my guitar.So is this all about guys? Will this problem let me down, or should i buy a new guitar because i cannot put the pickups i want to my guitar?:smack:
It is very important from me to learn the truth, thanks a lot for reading my post.I am looking forward to receiving your reply.:smokin:

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

The guy is either nuts, or he wants to sell you Dimarzio's for some reason. There is absolutely no shred of truth to anything you've posted. If that is truly what he said, he is simply dead wrong, or intentionally misleading you. The combination you've chosen is fine. I would personally prefer a VV or HS2 middle if you must go with Dimarzio for the center position. The Duncan Classic Stack Plus would be a fantastic middle pickup for that guitar, but there's nothing wrong with the combination you've chosen.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Ok since the other thread is a double post but I posted in there I'll quote myself here

Ok so basically what he meant was that the Custom will have too less output to match a PAF Pro which is quite much bullcrap imo, the fact that he mentioned mV doesn't make him look less informed as the output can not really be measured that way anyway as it changes with picking strength etc...

 

[DeMaio]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

frankfalbo maybe you know more than this technician and i believe that you tell the truth.I appreciate it.Kommerzbassist thanks a lot for your reply at my faulty double post.So if it can't be measured, and everything with my pickup selection is ok, maybe he just wanted to steal my money.. and you saved me.I respect it, you rock!

 

[mindbender]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Yes, I have a DUncan Custom in the bridge of one of my guitars and a PAF Pro in the neck. They are fairly close in output, with the Custom maybe even a little hotter.

 

[DeMaio]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Should i use 500k volume pots for all of them? 1 megs i think would be too much for the middle pickup.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

If you are deciding between 500k and 1M then I recommend the 500k. It would be uncommon to use 1M with those pickups.

 

[DeMaio]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

frankfalbo you are the man! I am trying to find how these top pickups you suggested me could sound at my guitar. A little confused yet !

 

[Folo]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Yeah, that salesman was full of sh!t. DiMarzios and Duncans can be mixed and matched, but I feel like the HS-3 may not be hot enough for the other two. You'll still get good quack in positions 2 and 4. The problem is you may notice a larger than desired output drop between the HS-3 and the others. That is a pretty common thing though for H-S-H guitars, so it may not be a big deal to you.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

None of those pups sound wrong...and of course I prefer Duncan in general.

But the salesman is exactly that, go tell the manager that the guy is making up crap and your not shopping there anymore!

 

[DeMaio]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Folo i am searching for it.I think that HS-3- maybe will not be hot enough for Jazz neck and Duncan Custom bridge.But what should i do for this? I was considering that this pickup had a clean sound, and could serve me well.. but if it is going to creat an output drop, what is going to happen... who knows... should i select another middle pickup for higher output? Do you have another solution for this?

Aceman the salesman was the same guy... so i think i will not shop there anymore.It's a good idea to stop buying from there.Thanks for your reply!

 

[greco]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

If you happen to be doing some casual shopping at that same store, ask the tech you talked to show you (and explain) what he is talking about using a multimeter to prove his theory.

He should turn somewhat pale at that point.

Good luck and enjoy the new pickups...whatever you choose in the end.

Dave

 

[brit84]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

/\ did something similar once, some guy was saying somtihgn about mixing different poweramp tubes, i hate it when guys at the store dont think you know anything. I told him to try mixing 34's and 6l6 in his amp

 

[DeMaio]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Greco that's right, he was trying to explain me what is wrong about the pickups, but i didn't find a good point.Brit84, sure they do this, it's all about the money i think.Despite the fact that you all say that Jazz : neck and Duncan Custom, will sound at my guitar, mr Folo told that it could cause a similar problem to the volume tonality (middle, maybe 2,4 will be good) because it has a low output.Also if i use a 250k volume pot for the HS-3- (maybe it will be, better for stronger and smoother sound some say) will then the sound when it plays alone and with others let me down? At last will all this be ok, or should i look for another solution.Thanks a lot for helping me

 

[Jay 77]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Folo i am searching for it.I think that HS-3- maybe will not be hot enough for Jazz neck and Duncan Custom bridge.But what should i do for this? I was considering that this pickup had a clean sound, and could serve me well.. but if it is going to creat an output drop, what is going to happen... who knows... should i select another middle pickup for higher output? Do you have another solution for this?

Aceman the salesman was the same guy... so i think i will not shop there anymore.It's a good idea to stop buying from there.Thanks for your reply!

Don't have much experience with DiMarzio, but the SDS-1 I have has a good amount of output. Perhaps you should go with a Duncan SSL-5 or 6.

 

[Folo]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

Folo i am searching for it.I think that HS-3- maybe will not be hot enough for Jazz neck and Duncan Custom bridge.But what should i do for this? I was considering that this pickup had a clean sound, and could serve me well.. but if it is going to creat an output drop, what is going to happen... who knows... should i select another middle pickup for higher output? Do you have another solution for this?

Aceman the salesman was the same guy... so i think i will not shop there anymore.It's a good idea to stop buying from there.Thanks for your reply!

It all depends what pickup positions you use for different sounds. I personally like having a little bit of a drop, because I often use the middle position for cleans, and the neck for solos which gives a little bit of a volume boost. If the difference isn't too much, it is possible to compensate by adjusting pickup height, but keep in mind that also changes tone in addition to volume. I usually stay away from the middle position with gain sounds, and go with bridge or neck, but some people like the middle position with gain. Another factor to consider is that there is more physical vibration of the string the further you get from the bridge, so you will have balance with progressively lower output pickups from bridge to neck.

I wouldn't discourage you from using the HS-3, especially if it has the sound you are going for. Just remember that it is similar to a vintage pickup in terms of output.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Duncan against Dimarzio

I prefer a very mellow pu in the middle position -- you get much better cluck and quack that way.

But Frank and everybody else are right, this guy is either incompetent or a fork-tongued creep trying to sell you more DiMarzios.