P-90 size Tone Zone?

[Dave Locher]

Does anyone have direct experience with the P-90 sized Dimarizio Tone Zone pickup or Super Distortion pickup? How do they compare to the "regular" humbucker size? Do they really sound the same? If not, what are the differences?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P-90 size Tone Zone?

Not tried the DiMarzios but I have used the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop JB90. (Effectively, an SH-4 JB with its bobbins shaved down to fit under a P90 dogear style plastic cover.)

With the polepieces a quarter of an inch closer together, the string sensing "window" is narrower and so, too, is the sound. Not to a vast degree but noticeably slightly different. IMO, this is an acceptable price to be paid for not having to enlarge the pickup rout in a Junior or Special.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: P-90 size Tone Zone?

So maybe a little tighter, a little brighter than their full-size brothers?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P-90 size Tone Zone?

Affirmative. This might be precisely what you require.

 

[freefrog]

Re: P-90 size Tone Zone?

I'm late to the party but I lacked of time to reply sooner.

I have various P90 sized DiMarzio humbuckers, including a TZ. This one is currently in a home made "experimental" Super Strat, with a basswood body and a Kahler trem. It was previously in another Strat shaped axe.

Sum up of my feelings : to my ears, the P90 sized TZ has an ambiguous tone.

Mids might appear as slightly less muscular and highs as a bit more "refined" than with a regular HB, for the reasons mentioned by Funkfingers.

Now, the bassrange seems a bit fuller/spongier, probably because of the extended magnetic field mentioned by DiMarzio -unless it's due to the two rows of poles protuding below the baseplate, while the regular TZ includes only one row: twice long(er) screw poles = more inductance and bassier tone, IME...

IOW, such pickups have their own tone. They probably couldn't be recognized from regular HB's in a mix but they "feel" differently when played: more polite but also somehow rounder. They need a no load tone pot, IMO.

Last but not least: P90 sized DM's are really not my favourite, being a bit dull compared to most of my other pickups. But they sound really good when splitted and wired in parallel with a regular SC (=especially good emulation of a regular Strat in position 2 or 4).

FWIW.