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

[fretburner]

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

why not a set of the Breed

From what I've read, it was supposed to make my Ibanez sound like an LP. I don't want that. As much as possible, I want it to sound very different, perhaps "over the edge" as opposed to my Epi LP. My Epi LP will soon have a Custom bridge and A2P neck pup. I could be very wrong though.

 

[ranalli]

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

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

Yeah...I hate to tell you but it sounds like those guys didn't know what they were doing...either that or your pickup is defective.

 

[parc]

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

my advice:
1: neck: fred bridge: norton or tonezone
2: neck: paf pro bridge:tone zone (like RG3120)
3: neck: air norton bridge: norton or tonezone
4: a set of breed
5: DP158F+DP159F

 

[ranalli]

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

my advice:
1: neck: fred bridge: norton or tonezone
2: neck: paf pro bridge:tone zone (like RG3120)
3: neck: air norton bridge: norton or tonezone
4: a set of breed
5: DP158F+DP159F

Didn't the original poster ask for pickups that are trebly?? I don't think any of those except possibly the PAF Pro are trebly at all....

 

[fretburner]

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

I just bought and installed the Steve's Special and Air Norton on my Ibanez RG350DX yesterday. I will test it on my JTM60 and will have to adjust pickup heights later this evening. I just tested it on a microamp if I got the wiring/switching right and tuned the guitar to pitch because it took me around 3 hours to get it done. It was my first time to install pickups. But I have changed switches before.

The wirings on the Ibanez is reversed!

I got the wiring diagram for my guitar on the website and the neck and bridge wirings were reversed AND the the RED DiMarzio wire goes to where the WHITE Ibanez wire was!

It took me a lot of time figuring that out. First of, I have to write the original wiring. The Ibanez only has 3 wires -- black (ground), red and white. The DiMarzio has 5 (including the bare wire) -- Bare, Green, White, Black, Red. As with the instruction, I soldered Bare+Green together and White+Black together. And so I thought I should solder the DM red to where the Ibz red was, but after testing it (switching then touching the pole pieces) I found out it was wrong! For the bridge position, ONLY the coil closest to the bridge sounded (so It was split) then on the next position, the FULL humbucker sounded+the middle SC. And so, by trial and error, I finally nailed it:

RED DiMarzio Wire goes to where the Ibanez WHITE wire was!

The Black+White DiMarzio wire goes to where the Red Ibanez wire was. Green+Bare still goes to the ground of course.

By the way, at first I was intimidated when I saw that the switch on my Ibanez was different from the switch from the DiMarzio schematics. My switch has all solder points on ONE side while the DiMarzio schematics has solder points on BOTH sides.

I just adjusted the pickup heights to the height of the orginal middle SC pup and tune the guitar. I will do the real pickup height adjustments later tonight.

I will write a review when we are through with the gig on Friday. Cheers!!!



P.S. I can't thank you all enough for responding to my questions. You all really helped me a lot. Thank you for your patience.

Next upgrade: Custom/A2P on my Epi LP! Wooohooo!!!

 

[devastone]

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

I have a SS and PAF Joe in an Ibz 550, it's a good sounding combo, I think you'll like it. The SS is more "hi-fi" sounding, but it can cut thru.

-R

 

[fretburner]

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

Positions 2 and 4 sound VERY weak. What could be the problem here?

I'm having doubts with my wiring now because of this so I don't think it's right to make an assesment of these pickups. It might be unfair. Damn!

 

[SwedeNuck]

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

They are going to sound that way when compared to full on buckers. Those positions will be straight single coils off of the humbuckers and will only be half the power in output that you're used to hearing.

 

[fretburner]

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

The thing is, when I go to position 3 (middle, single coil) I still get a very strong sound (though weaker than the humbucking modes). Did I do it right? Or sould I interchange RED and GREEN?

By the way, this means that my bridge and neck humbucking positions are okay? I mean, the sound that I'm getting with positions 1 and 5 are what I'm supposed to be getting out of these pickups?

 

[SwedeNuck]

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

I can't hear them so I can't tell you, I can only assume that they sound like full humbucking pu's. If they sound right like that I'd say the wiring problem is in your switch, something's not where it should be.

 

[fretburner]

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

So I should switch the green and red then?

RED and Bare should go to GROUND and GREEN to HOT?