Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

[StrangeSound]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Or ask your store if they can order the pup just for you. I´ve thought I couldn´t get the Air Zone here but I´ve wrote an email and they said they can order it..so don´t miss a good pup that you like just because it´s not available YET.

So I support Peterku´s plan.

 

[The New Guy]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

If it's not too late to offer advise I have a SS / Paf Pro combo in my fixed bridge Ibanez...they compliment eachother very well. The SS is very good for chunky riffs, and articulate for solo work but not shrill...the Paf Pro is warm and smooth but clear as well, very nice for soloing as well. I have them wired so I can switch between series/parallel on both pickups and they both respond well to either. I've found both pickups to be very versatile. Hope this helps

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I think it will be very costly for me to order online and have it shipped here in Manila. And, I need the pickup change before Wednesday (last rehearsal before the gig on Friday)

Anyway, from all your replies and reading from the net, I narrowed down my choices into four choices:

1. Steve's Special/Air Norton
2. Steve's Special/PAF Pro
3. Tone Zone/Air Norton
4. Tone Zone/PAF Pro

Choice 1 I think is John Petrucci's combo while choice 4 is Paul Gilbert's. I like both but I liuke John Petrucci's tone better.

Will the Air Norton give me a warmer and ROUNDER tone with it's boosted mids versus the PAF Pro?

Thanks for all the replies!!!

 

[SwedeNuck]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Yes the Air Norton is warmer, the PAF Pro is more clean, crisp, and articulate. I really think you'll be happy with any of those combinations.

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Cool.

I guess I'd go with the SS/AN combo then. I don't really use my neck pup for cleans. I use my bridge pup for cleans and rhythm (clean and dirty).

Any other comment(s) on the AN vs PP?

 

[ranalli]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I think it will be very costly for me to order online and have it shipped here in Manila. And, I need the pickup change before Wednesday (last rehearsal before the gig on Friday)

Anyway, from all your replies and reading from the net, I narrowed down my choices into four choices:

1. Steve's Special/Air Norton
2. Steve's Special/PAF Pro
3. Tone Zone/Air Norton
4. Tone Zone/PAF Pro

Choice 1 I think is John Petrucci's combo while choice 4 is Paul Gilbert's. I like both but I liuke John Petrucci's tone better.

Will the Air Norton give me a warmer and ROUNDER tone with it's boosted mids versus the PAF Pro?

Thanks for all the replies!!!

I'm warning you wiht the TZ your tone will be anything but bright....that's one of the darkest pickups out there if not the darkest.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I dig the Paf pro and air norton in the neck, but I'm still undecided about dimarzio bridge buckers. I have yet to settle on one

 

[Majestic]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I'm not a fan of the TZ, but it's probably not going to be too bassy in a skinny-as-sh*t Ibanez with a floating trem, if that's indeed what he has.

In other words, I agree....the TZ won't be right. It won't be too bassy in a floating trem guitar, it'll just be too thick, too overwound.

The Breed is slightly more hollowed-out than the TZ, more "crunch" versus "chunk". That'll probably be barely bright enough in a floating trem guitar.

If they made an EVO with an A5 magnet, I'd jump all over that baby. My EVO in a hardtail absolutely kills, albeit it's a bit "hard".

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Ok. I guess the TZ is out of the picture.

How about the PAF Pro vs Air Norton?

Will the AN give me a ROUNDER tone versus the PP?

Swede, is saying the AN is warmer.

Thanks for all the replies!!!

 

[34029324079]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

glad you got that FRED out of your system. That pickup is hard to wire, I have had it rewired 3 times and it is still loose in my LP. In fact, my bridge does not even currently work!

I think pickups like FRED give a futuristic tone that is not so versatile and is great for shredders and possibly belongs on ibanez guitars?

I stopped with the shredding style awhile back, guess I just like a different tone than the Fred and so on.

If you want additional versatility but dont want to loose the ability to shred, I recommend the SH-4 by Seymour Duncan. very versatile and works good with the epi lp. depending on the amp, it can cover your bases IMO

 

[deadlock]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Not the Tone Zone...it's all bass and mids with no high end. I'm buying a FRED myself, but I have not yet installed it so I can't tell you much about it.

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

glad you got that FRED out of your system. That pickup is hard to wire, I have had it rewired 3 times and it is still loose in my LP. In fact, my bridge does not even currently work!

I think pickups like FRED give a futuristic tone that is not so versatile and is great for shredders and possibly belongs on ibanez guitars?

I stopped with the shredding style awhile back, guess I just like a different tone than the Fred and so on.

If you want additional versatility but dont want to loose the ability to shred, I recommend the SH-4 by Seymour Duncan. very versatile and works good with the epi lp. depending on the amp, it can cover your bases IMO

I'm gonna install a Custom/A2P on my Epi LP soon enough. It's going to be my main axe.

The deal with the Ibanez is that for the gig on Friday, I'm going to do a solo (just me and a CD for the backing tracks) and then play with my band about an hour after. The solo has a lot of whammy parts (Top Gun Anthem and Summer Song) that's why I'm using my Ibanez RG 350DX.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

cool, the custom will rock in that les paul

 

[jimo]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I have a Tone Zone in a basswood body, Floyd Rose, type guitar---and it sounds good Dirty but sounds horrible clean. It is VERY bassy and you have to adjust your amp accordingly. It seems a lot of pickups, the hotter you go the more bassy and less tonefull they get. A lot of this "hot" pickup stuff started when amplifiers didn't have master vol. and you had to hit the front end pretty hard to get them to distort. Now there isn't any reason to do that, in my opinion. You can use a weak pickup with good tone and still get all the gain you need, IMHO---YMMV----------cheers!-----JIMO

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I have a Tone Zone in a basswood body, Floyd Rose, type guitar---and it sounds good Dirty but sounds horrible clean. It is VERY bassy and you have to adjust your amp accordingly. It seems a lot of pickups, the hotter you go the more bassy and less tonefull they get. A lot of this "hot" pickup stuff started when amplifiers didn't have master vol. and you had to hit the front end pretty hard to get them to distort. Now there isn't any reason to do that, in my opinion. You can use a weak pickup with good tone and still get all the gain you need, IMHO---YMMV----------cheers!-----JIMO

The thing here is that we don't usually bring our amps to every gig and most of the time, we don't get to bring it. 95% of the time, we plug in to whatever amp the organizers have. I want to be able to sort of "carry the heaviness" of my sound in my guitar that's why I want a hot bridge pickup. It also helps that I have my Marshall Shredmaster so I can sorta sound "marshallish" even I've I plug into a Fender or Peavey.

Btw, on Friday, I will be plugging into a Fender Stage 160 DSP. So it should be okay.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I think you need to check out the Norton bridge. It's basically in between the Tone Zone and Fred in tone. Sort of the JB of the Dimarzio line. It gets no attention, but it's an incredibly versatile and great-sounding pickup.

 

[fretburner]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I think you need to check out the Norton bridge. It's basically in between the Tone Zone and Fred in tone. Sort of the JB of the Dimarzio line. It gets no attention, but it's an incredibly versatile and great-sounding pickup.

I actually considered that pickup but I thought the scooped EQ of the steve's special would be more to my liking. I was just worried it won't cut through the mix.

 

[overture2005]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

why not a set of the Breed

 

[ranalli]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

glad you got that FRED out of your system. That pickup is hard to wire, I have had it rewired 3 times and it is still loose in my LP. In fact, my bridge does not even currently work!

WHy is that harder to wire than any other pickup?? They're all the same....

 

[34029324079]

Re: Fred vs Steve's Special vs Tone Zone -- URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

I am not a guitar tech person - but I have had three people rewire that pickup. All of em say there is something between the nickel cover on the pickup and the way the epi les paul is and...they look at the wiring diagram from dimarzio and continually screw up my guitar (hence the bridge in my guitar does not even work at this point)

could just be mistakes from three incompetent guitar techs that just took my money and the bridge screws up a few months later but whatev, I don't know any more, I just want that fred out!

yikes