Gonna try DiMarzio ?

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I'm a bit wary about this spooky thread (IT'S CURSED! :laugh2: ), but I'll post anyway...

I found the Tone Zone to be a major "Honeymooner," meaning that I got tired of it after its "newness" wore off.

+1 with you for the TZ. For my part, it was the same thing with the JB too (high-mid spike ... got tired of it).
I tried PAF type PU (Virtual PAF for example) and modern PU (Tone Zone, Evo, DD, All the Duncan Customs series). I am now looking for a "middle of the road" bridge PU. At the moment I have a Fred PU, a good rock PU IMHO. But lacks balls and sound a bit fizzy (modern). I hope the Airzone could do the trick. (like a PAF Joe can do it in the neck pos.)

Ced777

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

The Virtual PAF neck is excellent if you are looking for the PAF sound. The bass is clearer and treble are less thin than usual PAF. They called this the "3D tone". Better clarity than the usual PAF or Gibson neck PU. But very vintage and no bite (round warm tone... the biting one is the Virtual PAF bridge). Beautifull clean, and good for creamy solo (but no rythm stuff).

Hmm, I got the virtual paf for the neck of my mohagany sz to do the chimey cleans, I'l be using the airzone for most of the rhythm work anyways most likely.

Now that they are on my desk I can't wait to put them in on wednesday :32:

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

Have you seen how close are the PAF Joe and Bluesbucker!?

PAF Joe: T 6.5 - M 5 - B 4.5 - output: 272mV - 8.26K - Alnico V
Bluesbucker T 6 - M 5.5 - B 4.5 - output : 265mV - 9,85K - Ceramic

Virtual Vintage technology for both. Airbucker technology for the Bluesbucker.

Someone try both of them?

Ced777

 

[B2D]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I've owned the following pickups by DiMarzio:

Evolution - Very tight bass, full mids and bright clear highs (specially on the neck) with lots'n'losta fatness in distortion. Doesn't really sound like Vai by itself at all. Probably the best DiMarzios ever made. P.S. Vai doesn't really run through THAT much stuff anymore... his rig has shrunk way down from what it was 10-15 years ago. check www.guitargeek.com

Norton - Got some nice tones out of it but a tad too much bass for me. It was described as having the TZ's lows and the FRED's harmonics. I found that to be pretty accurate but its more like 75% TZ and 25% FRED. It's good if you have a brighter guitar or one with not so much low end. It'd work well for a standalone pickup as well.

PAF Pro - like a vintage PAF with more mids and more blended highs, great cleans although sometimes the bass gets too mushy for me and the highs get pulled back too much with DS. I have a set in my FR MIA Strat and I'm going to either Evos again or a JB/Jazz set.

I've also tried out the FRED and the Super Distortion, as well as a Steve's Special and a Tone Zone but haven't really spent enough time to pass judgement on them. I initially didn't like the TZ or the SS though (again, too much bass) and the FRED sounded particularly raunchy and nasty with some amps and drives but the Super Dist sounded real good for hot-rodded Paul type tones.

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I've got a question for you guys. First off, just got the virtual PAF and the airzone installed in my ibanez SZ, After recording the stock pups to compare...I couldn't put down the guitar for a couple hours trying all the tone combinations along with the coil splittings and then through different pedals.

The virtual PAF is such a sweet sounding neck pickup. Makes the old stock one sound like muddy crap. My question is this: For the most part, is the bridge pickup going to be not as thick or bassy. I put the airzone in and it doesn't seem to be bassy at all. It sounds a lot better then the stock one but I guess I was expecting neck tone type girth. However playing some heavy power chord riffs with the air zone through my rocktron metal planet pedal, the strings and notes were much clearer and more defined...and oh yeah, the bass came right back thumpin through that pedal.

I guess I was just wondering if that was a normal thing for the bridge to be like that. I guess I can see why it would be like that for chugging rhythm so that it doesnt' muddy up and stays clear and articulate...but again, just wondering.

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

Bridge position is far less bassy than neck one. Neck pos. is bassy, bridge one is trebly and middy. It's why I love bassy bridge PU and trebly neck PU. Balanced to my ears.

I ordered an Airzone for bridge and.... a EJ Custom bridge for the neck pos. I emailed the Dimarzio's tech and he told me about the EJ Custom when I explained that I use the neck PU for clean stuff or high gain solo only.

The Virtual PAF bridge+neck is a perfect combo. But the VP bridge is a vintage one. Think PAF. Bite and mids, not very powerfull, no huge harmonics. But the combo (two PUs together) is very good.

Ced777

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I forgot to ask you Strykeback: are your 2 PUs balanced concerning the output and power? No too much volume drop from bridge to neck?

Ced777

 

[FretFire]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I have the Tone Zone/Air Norton set in my RG, which is an all mahogany bodied string-thru guitar. I haven't encountered the muddiness people talk about with the TZ in mahogany. I figure it has to do alot with the fact that this is a longer scale bolt-neck guitar, but I also eq my amp in a "bell curve" fashion. I love the way these two pickups complement each other, although I am curious to try a Steve's Special in the bridge at some point. I also hear the AZ/AN combo is gorgeous.

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the DiMarzio FS-1 is an excellent pickup for fattening up a Strat bridge position while still sounding essentially Stratty. Larry did a good job with that one. :approve:

I had a Super Distortion in a 70s SG for a couple of weeks, but I found it too harsh and ended up putting the stock pickup (a T-Top I think) back.

Tried the HS-3 in my Strat and it was the worst replacement pickup I've experienced - totally flat and lifeless IMO. Maybe that's the way Yngwie likes 'em. :laugh2:

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

The two are pretty well balanced when switching between the virtual paf neck and the air zone bridge. My guitar is neck through string through all mohagany so it should have plenty of base. Dimarzio's techs didn't want me to put an air norton in the neck because it would be too bassy. And the air zone is supposed to be one of their bassier pickups in the bridge.

I love the virtual paf in the neck though, I can't wait to have one of my friends try it out that has an old gibson custom...This v PAF is gorgeous sounding. The harmonics are easily there with the air zone its very well definied but yeah, like I said, I was just wondering if that was normal to have
a pretty big roll off of lows. Could this be a quick fix? Use the clean channel on my amp eqed for the neck, possibly kicking in an overdrive pedal if i want that, and then have the bridge pickup set for the distrotion channel? I'm trying to figure out a way to get the most ease and flexibility when switching between the two.

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

My guitar is mahogany + maple top. I'm pretty confident in the DiMarzio's tech judgement. He told me too that the AZ + EJ Custom (200mV) would be balanced.

It's pretty strange that you get few bass. But each guitar is different. What PU had you there before the AZ? Did you tried to adjust the height?

Ced777

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

the stock pup from ibanez was in there before the air zone and that one sounded like a strat, all high end and no lows...Both pups have about the same height of 3/32 or whatever its supposed to be 3 over something of an inch. Yeah dimarzios techs told me the virtual paf and the air zone or the air classic bridge model in the neck along witht he air zone. virtual paf's got 210mv while my bridge air zone has 323mv. Maybe i can get even closer with the airzone to the strings. How close is too close?

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

Don't get closer than 1 or 2 mm (even with the Airbucker technology I think).
It seems you have a bright guitar (no bass at all with the stock PU).

Ced777

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

its all mohogany! how can it not be bright? dimarzio was worried it would be too dark...I'l try moving it closer on the bridge.
The neck is plenty dark...shoot the pups were dark and muddy in the neck.

Is that 1 to 2 mm with the string having no tension or do I fret anywhere on the board for that measurement?

 

[Ced777]

Re: Gonna try DiMarzio ?

String with tension, no fret, tremolo neither pushed nor pulled.

Ced777