Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly

alex1fly

Well-known member
Between an Evo 2 and a Steve's Special for the bridge my alder strat for rock and metal. From descriptions and clips, they both sound great. The Steve's Special sounds like it would be a really interesting pickup - and I love John Petrucci's tone on the Falling Into Infinity album, though I read he used that pickup to balance with his Mark IV (and tons of other gear), which I don't have.

The PATB3 in there now is okay, I just want a different flavor, something more modern. EQ isn't really a concern. Has to work for complex chords and one-note leads. Both pickups seem to fit the bill, and I've read everything on this board, harmonycentral, dimarzio's site... you know how that goes, its just time to make a decision :)

Will be going through a Spider III and soon a Pandora box (thanks Dan-Ola! :yourock:) with mainly quieter home jamming and various riff recording.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

I could see the SS working real well with the Mark IV...as the SS is a little scooped in the mids...which is why is some way people think it sounds modern. I don't think it would match well with your amp. I'd recommend the EVO2, tho another bro on here put an EVO neck in the bridge and said it was real nice.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Yeah, I'm kind of leaning away from the Steve's Special. Though now I'm looking at the Fred/Mo Joe. I just want a cool tone, articulate for high gain rhythm and complex chords with muting and pedaling on the lower strings. The Evo2 and Fred/Mo Joe all have the vocal wah thing going on that sounds cool for leads IMO - if its anything like the wah effect of the VPAF.

I like Petrucci (hence the Air Norton S), Vai (Evo 2), and Satriani (Fred/Mo Joe). It's all kind of the same vein of playing and tone... probably can't go wrong with any of them.

Here's what I gather: Evo2 is a solid hard rock/metal pup that can clean up and is responsive to playing nuances. Fred is tight, has unique mids, sort of PAF based, and is responsive to controls and playing style, but is a different kind of animal. Mo Joe is a Fred but a little hotter, more aggressive, and has slightly less highs. All have a vocal effect, sound good through mixes and processing/distortion, and lend themselves well to styles that combine rhythm and lead playing.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Though I admit that the main reason I'm leaning away from the Steve's Special is so that I can more easily narrow choices down and make a decision... I actually added two more choices... interesting, but not surprising :)
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

I've installed the EVO2 on my prs ce22 for a while and it's one of the best pickup I've ever tried. Tight, singing and with a softer top end than the EVO1.
Now has been replaced by a DuncanCustom simply because I was searching for a different sound, but the pickup in itself is great.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly said:
The PATB3 in there now is okay, I just want a different flavor, something more modern. EQ isn't really a concern. Has to work for complex chords and one-note leads. .
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for the complex chords and solo's the SS is the best bet
it is super articulate/defined even though it is considered a high output pup
the evo2 is a great pup also but will not handle bigger chords and track note to note lines as cleanly, you can play lines as fast as you can and the pup will not mush out
try the SS/air norton set for the JP tones:cool2:
 
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Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

I have an evo 2 in my ibanez which is mohogany. while the wood is is a lot of the tone i will describe as besti can what i hear. i think it actually sounds more like satch than vai. May bemy a mp too but i ahve it with an air norton in the neck and i think it is quite a versital set up and the 2 nd position on the 5 way swich is very nice as well, I have never used a steves special so i cannot really help you there.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Well Patrucci used a tone zone, then switched to the SS which sounds the best in my opinion and he used that on Scenes From A Memory at least, and now uses the d-sonic
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Man, it's so hard to decide. Steve's Special, Evo2, Mo Joe, Fred. They all seem so awesome, and I love the tones I've heard from all of them. The reviews are all great too. I kind of want to try a Fred, because it sounds like something I've never tried before. I like the description from DMZ's site, about its distinctive tone and tight rhythm tracks, as well as upper midrange harmonics with distortion. But then, Steve's Special's "clean distortion" is appealing too, as well as Evo2 because lots of people on these boards recommend it.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Evo 2 definitely! Steve's Special is a nice pickup but mid scooped & doesn't sound great in all guitars. I played the Evo 2 in a strat in fact. Better than the original Evolution. My Charvel prod strat has an Evolution neck and I think the Evo 2 + Evo neck make an unbeatable combo.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Mo Joe is out in favor of the Fred - I've been listening to a lot of Satch and I dig his older tones more when he was using the Fred... Crystal Planet, Surfing With the Alien, Strange Beautiful Music. Actually I don't think I've heard the Mo Joe, since Strange Beautiful Music is the last album of his that I have, and its from 2002, while the Mo Joe was introduced in 2006. But I'm digging that Fred!

Evo 2, Steve's Special, Fred. Leaning towards the Fred, Evo2 has gotten a lot of suggestions. Would the Fred match up well enough with the Air Norton in the neck? Evo2/Air Norton seems like a relatively popular combo, as well as SS/Air Norton, and I want to make sure the pickups sound like they belong together.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly said:
Mo Joe is out in favor of the Fred - I've been listening to a lot of Satch and I dig his older tones more when he was using the Fred... Crystal Planet, Surfing With the Alien, Strange Beautiful Music. Actually I don't think I've heard the Mo Joe, since Strange Beautiful Music is the last album of his that I have, and its from 2002, while the Mo Joe was introduced in 2006. But I'm digging that Fred!

Evo 2, Steve's Special, Fred. Leaning towards the Fred, Evo2 has gotten a lot of suggestions. Would the Fred match up well enough with the Air Norton in the neck? Evo2/Air Norton seems like a relatively popular combo, as well as SS/Air Norton, and I want to make sure the pickups sound like they belong together.
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They will match up well. FRED has good output. Trust me when I say this though. There is no better Dimarzio neck pickup than the PAF Pro! With the FRED you pair it up w a PAF Joe. There you got PAF Pro sound but a better match w the FRED.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Why not go EVO instead of EVO2/mo joe/fred?? Is that too high output for what you want to use it for? Cause contrary to what many think, the EVO cleans up incredibly well.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly said:
But then, Steve's Special's "clean distortion" is appealing too, as well as Evo2 because lots of people on these boards recommend it.
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I emailed DiMArzio about the pickup I had in my Alder bodied Valley Arts Strat. I had put a DiMarzio "Megadrive" in it back in 1995 and didn't see it on the website around 2003. They said the closest to it was the Steve's Special. I wondered who this Steve might be :dunno:

I found that Leslie West likes the MD pickup to and it is in one of his signature guitars. Not that that matters but he is tonefull player and it pleased me to think he liked it to.

Now DiMarzio will make one of these for you if you ask them, and I think it's an awesome pickup for an Alder bodied strat.

I have used Evo2 and thought it was like haveing the tone rolled down in that all the highs were just cut off. I tried it in a few different guitars from Mahogony to Basswood and thought it sucked hard.

SO to answer your question in my experience I would say the Steve's Special, even though I have not actually used that one.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly said:
Man, it's so hard to decide. Steve's Special, Evo2, Mo Joe, Fred. They all seem so awesome, and I love the tones I've heard from all of them. The reviews are all great too. I kind of want to try a Fred, because it sounds like something I've never tried before. I like the description from DMZ's site, about its distinctive tone and tight rhythm tracks, as well as upper midrange harmonics with distortion. But then, Steve's Special's "clean distortion" is appealing too, as well as Evo2 because lots of people on these boards recommend it.
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dude at $40 each used try em all!:doh: LOL!!!!
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

I've been watching some forum classifieds, but its hard to find what I'm looking for Sad And eBay is a joke now... hardly any used pickups, all new! Unless there's another place to buy them used? I can't do 65 a pickup just to try them.

I'd like to get a Cruiser for the neck (ala Andy Timmons), a Fred and a Steve's Special and see which I like more for the bridge. The Evo 2 sounds like it would work well but the Fred and SS seem more unique. I'll decide about the middle after I'm happy with my neck and bridge.
 
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Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Rid said:
Steve Blucher...got a Steve's Special in my Kramer...never tried any version of the EVO that I liked though....they grate me ears:D
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I agree, go for the Steve's Special.

I do like the Evolution neck in my Heartfield though. 24fret neck, rosewood fretboard, basswood body, floyd and that pickup is just a great combination :)
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

alex1fly said:
I kind of want to try a Fred, because it sounds like something I've never tried before. I like the description from DMZ's site, about its distinctive tone and tight rhythm tracks, as well as upper midrange harmonics with distortion. But then, Steve's Special's "clean distortion" is appealing too, as well as Evo2 because lots of people on these boards recommend it.
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You need another guitar. Slap a FRED in one guitar and play screaming solos with it.
Slap a Steve's Special in another guitar and use that one to record all your rhythm parts, and get that clean, defined tone on your complex chord voicings.

That works great in the studio. Live of course, you'd have to find a compromise between the two. Or use EQ to get the other sound that your live guitar won't give you. Or get another pickup altogether to play live, let your live rig sound like mush and don't care about it.
 
Re: Evo 2 or Steve's Special?

Kosh Naranek said:
You need another guitar. Slap a FRED in one guitar and play screaming solos with it.
Slap a Steve's Special in another guitar and use that one to record all your rhythm parts, and get that clean, defined tone on your complex chord voicings.

That works great in the studio. Live of course, you'd have to find a compromise between the two. Or use EQ to get the other sound that your live guitar won't give you. Or get another pickup altogether to play live, let your live rig sound like mush and don't care about it.
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Amen, brother. I may stick one whichever one doesn't work as well with the Cruiser in my girlfriend's strat. We've been planning on selling it for a while, but now I may have an excuse to keep it!
 
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