Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

[Sniper-V]

Hey guys,

I have some questions. I currently have these Duncan combos in my Les Pauls and PRSs: C5/59 , C5/AIIP , JB/59. I have been diggin the C5/AIIP as of late, but....

I have been curious about Dimarzio stuff. I have played on some Dimarzios that were factory equipment on some guitars and I wasn't really too impressed with the tone. Not only that, but have you seen the amount of pickups they run? I think they have way too many pickups that sound too similar to each other, but I have always been intrigued with Dimarzio user Joe Satriani's neck position tone in his live performances. I don't want to come across as a Satriani buff, I just really like his neck tone on a lot of the slower songs (Starry Night) that he does. I believe he is using FRED/PAF Pro (now the PAF Joe). I have heard and read some nice things about this combo.

What do you guys think about FRED/PAF Pro combo?
What Duncan pickups would this Dimarzio combo be similar to?
I really like my C5s in my guitars and I am pretty happy with my AIIP in the neck but was wondering how about a PAF Pro in the neck with a Duncan C5?
What combo Dimarzio would be comporable to the:
Bridge: C5, JB,
Neck: 59, Jazz, AIIP

Keep Rockin,
Sniper-V

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

man, i recomend a paf classic, fred
paf pro, paf joe
and super distortion super 2.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

Ok, for starters (so I don't sound too "I hate anything but Duncans!"), 2 of my favorite pickups are the Gibson 500T & EMG 81.

I have yet to use a DiMarzio that didn't sound dull & lifeless after a few weeks. Like every new toy, I love them for a few weeks. Then I start comparing them to an old standby (the JB for instance) and it just won't measure up. This has been the case with the Super Distortion, Evolution, Steve's Special, and Super 2. I also had an Air Norton, which was definitely the charmer of the bunch. I will probably end up with an Air Norton again, as it is pretty sweet in the neck & bridge.

There's a theory that DiMarzios sound better going through lots of processing & what not, and I firmly believe that. They never sounded dull until I played guitar straight to the amp consistently.

I will say that lots of people on here who don't like DiMarzios still say the PAF Pro is a good pickup.

 

[DirrtyCraig]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

One thing I noticed, and it is part of the reason I came here,,, The quality difference between a Duncan and a Dimarzio is just all too obvious. Holding a Dimarzio in your hand it feels just cheaply made, lower quality. Duncans are so solid and nice to look at and the quality you can feel it.

For sound, I don't think there is a comparison. All the Dimarzio Fred, Joe, Dave and Bobs sound about the same to me. BLAH.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

I've got a PAF Pro in a Yamaha Bridge position - I really like it. Without doing all the research though, I think these are some of the basic comparisons - and this is just a guess

DM PAF v. SD 59
DM PAF Pro v. SD Pearly Gates
DM SuperDistortion v. SD Duncan Distortion
DM X2N v. SD Invader
DM Fast Track v. SD Hot Rails

IS that the kind of list you are thinking about? I'd like to see that - and be sure to throw in the 500T/498/490's if anyone knows.

I agree that Dimarzio has too many too close, but there are a few good ones: The Superdistortion, the Tone Zone, PAF Pro all come to mind. I prefeer Duncans though.

 

[Bluzboy66]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

..........I have been curious about Dimarzio stuff. I have played on some Dimarzios that were factory equipment on some guitars and I wasn't really too impressed with the tone..........

This thread got me thinking..........over the years I've used pickups from just about every manufacturer. Those old DiMarzio Super Distortions were awsome in the their day, or maybe I was easily impressed as a youngin', who knows. I used to really dig those HS stacked singles too. Thing is, once I tried Seymours, I never really wanted to use DiMarzios again. Not that I think there's anything wrong with them. It's just that SDs seem to have more 'character', or something. Plus, I met Seymour at a guitar show in New York City back in 2000, and he was a real down to earth nice guy, not to mention, a smokin' guitarist. I got to watch him hand-wind Tele pickups on his old primative sewing-machine rig up close and personal........a real experience.
Putting a face on the product kinda sealed the deal for me.

...........I'm just thinking out loud at this point.

Mike

 

[Biu]

Re: Duncans & Dimarzios compare...

I'm a DiMarzio geek and I've found that the modern DiMarzio's have a very exaggerated modern voicing (depending on your style you will really really like it, or it will make your ears puke) and their vintage pickups have a very exaggerated sweetness.

I used to love the modern ones, but now I'm completely obsessed with their vintage line. I think why most people are turned off is because the DiMarzio's they usually come across are the super extreme distortion-style pickups.

You may want to look into the Virtual PAF, PAF, and maybe the Air Classic series. Most people seem to like the PAF Pro. I didn't like it for neck position, but then I'm very partial to neck single-coils and neck Alnico 2 humbuckers, so ignore my opinion!