Questions about the Air Norton

[Rex_Rocker]

I think I'll pick one up to match with my Custom. Got a couple of questions about it, though.

Which of the two coils is the hotter of the two? Is it the screw or the slug?

Still not sure if I wanna pick up the Air Norton or the regular Norton. Is the Air Norton any hotter than the '59N? It's on the vintage output section of the DiMarzio site with about as much output as PAF Joe. I certainly don't want another low output pickup. So... Air Norton or regular Norton?

Third... how does it sound coil split? I assume it would be nice because one coil is hotter than the other, but I'm thinking about making it coil splittable for a change if I can find a 1 Meg push pull pot.

Thanks!

 

[jeremy]

air norton is hotter than a 59n, but not a hot pup. using this in the neck?

 

[Rex_Rocker]

air norton is hotter than a 59n, but not a hot pup. using this in the neck?

Yes!

 

[freefrog]

Which of the two coils is the hotter of the two? Is it the screw or the slug?

If the two coils had exactly the same inductance, the hotter would be the one with the lower resistance, counter-intuitively.

Now, I remember a test about the Air Norton stating a slightly higher inductance and output for the screws coil. As if bobbins were not only wound with different wire gauges but also with a higher number or turns on the screws side.

AFAIK, the overall inductance of a Air Norton is higher than for a 59N but as the DM is aired, it's not necessarily louder.

 

[AdrianSD]

I find the Air Norton neck too dark sounding the only time I played one, it was in Ibanez RG paired with a Tone Zone, also dark. Very contrasting to the tone I'm used to.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I find the Air Norton neck too dark sounding the only time I played one, it was in Ibanez RG paired with a Tone Zone, also dark. Very contrasting to the tone I'm used to.

I plan to use it with a single 1 Meg volume, no tone.

That, and I tend to prefer smooth and fat (but not bassy) neck pickups.

 

[CB434]

I haven't used Air Norton specifically, it's said that the darker nature can be a positive in a 24 fret guitar to offset the pickup positioning (mimicking a 22 fret guitar better). Is that your experience or is it still way too dark?

I've used other Dimarzios and sometimes that sound can be good, but I'm currently much more attracted more to the brighter SD tones. Seems better for a wider range of music styles especially lower gain styles. There's always the tone knob to dial some highs out. When it's already dark, there's nowhere to go.

A 1M volume pot would be interesting to hear though.

 

[orpheo]

I have an air norton in a Les Paul (studio 1993), in neck and bridge, and I love that set. The neck pickup is warm, yes, but (in this guitar) not overly fat or heavy. Bridge is just about right for a slightly-hotter bridge pickup.

 

[Chistopher]

If you have tried a standard Norton, the Air Norton sounds similar to what you would expect if you swapped the stock A5 with an A2

 

[ErikH]

The Air Norton is an interesting pickup. It sings with high gain. Think of it like this, it is the closest in the DMZ stock lineup to the B1n in the EVH / Axis. If you're playing thru an amp like the 5150 / 6505 with the treble and presence up a bit, it will cut thru and sing but the highs will not be harsh. It will be very defined yet smooth. This is with a 500K pot.
With a Custom in the bridge and a 1Meg pot? Dunno how that will pair but the Custom may want to cut your face off... ceramic mag, enhanced highs. Yeah, that's gonna cut...lol.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

The Air Norton is an interesting pickup. It sings with high gain. Think of it like this, it is the closest in the DMZ stock lineup to the B1n in the EVH / Axis. If you're playing thru an amp like the 5150 / 6505 with the treble and presence up a bit, it will cut thru and sing but the highs will not be harsh. It will be very defined yet smooth. This is with a 500K pot.
With a Custom in the bridge and a 1Meg pot? Dunno how that will pair but the Custom may want to cut your face off... ceramic mag, enhanced highs. Yeah, that's gonna cut...lol.

I already have the Custom in there with 1 Meg. Yeah, the high-end is REALLY aggressive, but I kinda like that. The thing is the guitar is acoustically kinda thuddy. I haven't tried 500K, honestly, but I did try a 333K load (1 Meg volume, 500K tone), but it was still too blunt. It wasn't dark, mind you, it's just the guitar needs that extra little push in the attack.

But I do like attacky bridge pickups matched with smooth neck pickups.

 

[soulforger]

Close to the Axis/EVH neck pickup, supposedly the Axis neck is an Air Norton with two screw coil windings or very similar to that. The reported target starting point for that pickup was a Custom Custom that Eddie had in the neck of his prototype which he liked so much he didn't want to change it....if you end up not liking the Air Norton, try a CC!

 

[Juanhanglo]

The AN is about as loud as a 36th Anniversary bridge, amd alot louder than a 59. It's a solid medium output pickup. Vintage is below 250 mv or so, 250 to ~350mv is medium, and over that high output.

In a general sense.

As a neck pickup, it balances well with any puckup equal or hotter than it.

In the bridge, I can be a little low in output. I'd use the norton for the bridge.

I did have an AN/Norton setup for a while that was really great. Not sure why I changed it. Lol

 

[Bowtomecha]

Close to the Axis/EVH neck pickup, supposedly the Axis neck is an Air Norton with two screw coil windings or very similar to that. The reported target starting point for that pickup was a Custom Custom that Eddie had in the neck of his prototype which he liked so much he didn't want to change it....if you end up not liking the Air Norton, try a CC!

It’s funny to me how he essentially wanted a custom custom in the neck and a wonky jb in the bridge and went to dimarzio for it lol..

 

[Rex_Rocker]

It’s funny to me how he essentially wanted a custom custom in the neck and a wonky jb in the bridge and went to dimarzio for it lol..

I don't think he went so much as Ernie Ball guitars typically had DiMarzio pickups in them. They probably hooked them up.

 

[freefrog]

The AN is about as loud as a 36th Anniversary bridge, amd alot louder than a 59. It's a solid medium output pickup. Vintage is below 250 mv or so, 250 to ~350mv is medium, and over that high output.

For the record, I've measured a peak voltage of 373mV from the strings played above a SH1N in a Les Paul (measured DCR and inductance: 7.59k, 4.27H) while a ceramic powered / P90 sized DiMarzio DLX in a Super Strat gave me only 310mV with higher measured DCR/inductance (it was a bridge model in neck position, measuring a solid 18.18k and 5.15H).

To me, a problem with output voltage is not only how it's measured but also how it depends on external factors: height settings, of course, but also pots resistance, cable capacitance (making the perceived output higher as soon as the resonant peak shifts down in the high mids) and... the resonance of the guitar : it's always interesting to hear a same pickup 1,5 times louder in a LP or Explorer than in a thin body with a bolt on neck, a Floyd Rose and all that kind of things...

Not claiming the Air Norton is not louder than a 59 neck: with an inductance over 6H if memory serves me, it wouldn't be surprising. I was just testifying about measured output voltages as really variable IME and being therefore a "touchy" question IMHO. Mileages may vary.

 

[Chistopher]

The Al Dimeola DP202 is a great example of voltage readings being misleading. The output on those was measured at a mere 275 mV, but is louder than the CC that it replaced.

 

[Chistopher]

It’s funny to me how he essentially wanted a custom custom in the neck and a wonky jb in the bridge and went to dimarzio for it lol..

Yeah, the older and wiser I get, the more I realize Eddie probably didn't really know all that much about building and modding guitars, despite what common mythology would have you believe.

 

[soulforger]

Yeah, the older and wiser I get, the more I realize Eddie probably didn't really know all that much about building and modding guitars, despite what common mythology would have you believe.

For sure, seemed like he messed with things until he liked the sound. Jim DeCola's story about designing the Wolfgang pickups for Peavey is a great example. Jim kept sending sets and Eddie would say ""it needs more of this or less of that", after a dozen or so sets Jim sent back the first ones he wound and Eddie said "that's it these are perfect" lol!

 

[Butch Snyder]

I had an Air Norton in the neck of an OLP EBMM Axis copy. Used an Air Zone in the bridge. Body was basswood with a maple cap and maple neck/fretboard. Absolutely phenomenal pickup combo. It was warm, bold, and meaty and could really drive an amp. It cleaned up well too. I used them with a 5ook vol/tone pots. I installed 500k push/pull pots for splitting. Honestly, I didn't use them split very much. I just liked the whole pickup sound better.