Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

[ericcomposer72]

I'd been enjoying my mid-80s Kramer Pacer Deluxe (Ash?, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard) with a SD Hot Stack in the middle and a Dmz Cruiser in the neck.

That is, until my Mesa Mark III showed up. While it gets along brilliantly with my Evolution HB in the bridge, I feel the amp has a bit too much personality for the Cruiser's warm, sweet, bell-like ringing tones- which seem a little bit overwhelmed by the syrupy gain of the Boogie.

Would switching the Hot Stack (into the neck) & the Cruiser (into the middle) help this at all? I'm guessing what I'm looking for is a brighter sound from the neck to compensate.

Complicating things is the fact that I get a clean tone that I find out-of-this world with the Cruiser/Hot Stack pair together, as currently configured (with the same settings I'm using for a great high gain tone on my Mark III, which is a rarity to have both with one set of tone controls for both channels, but anyways...) If I do make a change, I want to start with something easy, because I'm reluctant to mess with this clean sound.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

The Hot Stack is EQ'd towards the highs and mids, so it you have the pickups in the guitar already, and a quick swap would be fairly easy, I'd think it would do what you think it will do. If you do try this, come back and let us know how it turns out.

 

[ericcomposer72]

Re: Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

The Hot Stack is EQ'd towards the highs and mids, so it you have the pickups in the guitar already, and a quick swap would be fairly easy, I'd think it would do what you think it will do. If you do try this, come back and let us know how it turns out.

awesome! Should be able to have this done next week. Will report back!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

im curious what you think once you swap, the cruiser isnt a dark pup

 

[ericcomposer72]

Re: Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

im curious what you think once you swap, the cruiser isnt a dark pup

I'm very curious, as well. Perhaps it's just a matter of a specific voicing working better (or worse) with my Mark III in the neck. No idea what to expect.

 

[ericcomposer72]

Re: Hot Stack vs Dmz Cruiser for neck?

Sorry to have been a tease- turns out, with the laundry list of things I gave my guy to do with my guitars, he forgot to swap the Cruiser & Hot Stack from the neck/bridge.


And now, I'm finding that all of that single-coil twang/resonance was in the Cruiser the whole time- it comes out when I just attack more aggressively with the pick, especially right between the neck and middle pickups. Turns out I'm happy for now, and don't think I want them swapped, after all!

I'll still post a clip, because I'm really digging this guitar now through my "new" Mesa Mark III red stripe DRG, and I had a Dmz Dreamcatcher put in the bridge. In love with that pickup. I'm not an expert, but it's almost vintage-sounding to me.