Re: rock: dimarzio gravity storm neck
Nice upload. I take it, it's not your favorite pickup in the world? Heh, it's all good. They're not for everyone, that's for sure. I probably wouldn't recommend them to someone looking for their first pickup upgrade either, but they're still interesting though. I like them, they just need a little context.
I feel like the Gravity Storms were made in direct contrast to the Evolutions. The Evos were made to really scream, and cut, and be punchy and loud. The Gravity Storms seem like a result of Vai reflecting on that sound, and wanting something in the opposite direction. A little 'yin' to the Evo's 'yang', if you will. The Evos are sharp, the Gravity Storms are smooth. They're more rounded, somewhat warm and creamy, and the output has been rolled back a little in comparison to the Evos (although, they're still high output pickups). If the Evolutions are your screaming 80's hair band metal singer, then the Gravity Storms are more like an opera singer. Still loud, but much more refined, and a lot fatter. :14: But what they aren't, is a raspy, throaty blues singer.
They're sort of in weird place. They're still made for lead guitar work, but they lack the bite that a lot of aggressive pickups have, because the top end is rounded off. But then they're too hot to be grouped with a lot of warmer and rounder pickups with more vintage style outputs. They're sort of in this middle ground, and I don't have a good pickup to compare them to. Which is kind of why I like them. They're a bit unique. But there are some nice tones to be gotten out of them once you get a good feel for them.
I've been meaning to do a comparison video, since I have both the Gravity Storms and the Evolutions, but I haven't gotten around to it. I want to do it right, and that requires swapping them into the same guitar, but man, I'm pretty lazy.
