Swapping magnet in Dimarzio Evolution

A

andyg_prs

New member
Hi,

I've got a Dimarzio Evolution (neck) that dominates the Dimarzio Tonezone in the bridge. It has a ceramic magnet.

Then just to make things worse, because I found the mids to pronounced in my mahogany bodied guitar, I did the "half air" mod, which had the desired effect of reducing the mids, but the overall output of the pickup is also reduced.

I'm think getting a Tonezone for the neck is probably the right move - but happy for suggestions.

I was wondering, seeing as I am now confident opening up pickups, as the Evolution is already "fully aired" - so the magnet doesn't touch the pole pieces of either coil - is there any value in popping an Alnico 5 magnet in there?

I have one from an old Custom 5 that I believe was faulty (I'll have to check the resistance now that I have a multimeter). It was super thin sounding in my Vigier Excalibur - I know the custom 5 is supposed to be scooped, but this had almost no bass either....v thin and scratchy sounding. Anyhow, I'd have to check the physical dimensions of the magnet.

I know ultimately you don't know until you try, but how much impact on power/tone would you imagine swapping the existing ceramic magnet in the Evolution for an Alnico 5 would be?

Thanks,
Andy
 
So, you half-aired the Tone Zone and the Evo neck is overpowering it?

Yes, an A5 would be a good swap for the Ceramic in the Evo neck. Regardless of its stock "aired" status, you'll still see a reduction in output by swapping to the A5.
 
Masta' C said:
So, you half-aired the Tone Zone and the Evo neck is overpowering it?

Yes, an A5 would be a good swap for the Ceramic in the Evo neck. Regardless of its stock "aired" status, you'll still see a reduction in output by swapping to the A5.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I haven't actually tried the half-aired Tonezone with the Evo neck yet...but the Evo used to overpower the Tonezone before it was half-aired.....so it's bound to be more of a mismatch now.
 
It might be good to do a matched set - either Evo bridge and Evo neck, or TZ bridge and AN neck, or something else "tried and true".
 
alex1fly said:
It might be good to do a matched set - either Evo bridge and Evo neck, or TZ bridge and AN neck, or something else "tried and true".
Click to expand...

I would have, but the Tonezone in the bridge was much too nasal....and my "tried and trusted" go to of a PRS HFS/VB set had the same issue in the bridge - too nasal.

Cheers,
Andy
 
I think A5 in the Evo Neck is a great start. If that doesn't work, there are other magnets you can try, but A5 is a logical next-step-down from the stock Ceramic and you might like the voicing better with the half-aired TZ.

A second TZ in the neck will definitely be overpowering and probably way too dark/muddy, even half-aired. The Air Norton is a classic match for a TZ bridge and gives a similar tone, but not my favorite personally.
 
Merry Christmas! Actually I just dug out the SD pickups that I took out of the Vigier Excalibur. According to the specs it is a TB5 / SH5 set. http://www.vigierguitars.com/catalog/index.php?id_product=43210&controller=product&id_lang=1

It was the bridge, so trembucker that was faulty, and I've just confirmed there is no continuity between the black and white wires. The bridge humbucker has a label with "TB5"

The neck humbucker was fine...it has a label that says "D.C" though. Duncan Custom? However, when I look it up, the position options are bridge or trembucker....no mention of neck.

So was this never intended as a neck pickup and it's just the way Vigier used it?

It says a Ceramic magnet.....does that mean this is less likely to be a good match for my half aired tonezone that I have in the bridge?

Thanks,
Andy
 
The SH-5 is medium high ceramic bridge pickup. Not the best choice for the neck spot.
Maybe it has a 4 con and you could try it parallel wired, which sounds quite straty.
 
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I just landed a new Dimarzio Air Norton at a great price.....so I think that might be my first experiment. Previously with the Evolution neck, Tonezone (non-modded) I found v little difference in tone between the neck alone and the neck bridge combo....hoping with a better matched set I'll get the expected effect....where the neck/bridge sounds like a 50/50 mix of both pickups.
 
Something sounds funny. I used a tone zone with an evo neck for quite a while and they balanced well. What spacing from the strings are you running them at?
 
I don't think an EVO neck should be overpowering a Tone Zone. Are the pickup heights reasonable, wiring confirmed and the TZ confirmed to be working correctly?
 
Hi all, overpowering could simply be my interpretation of the expected neck/bridge position sound.

All was professionally installed and I have since confirmed correct functioning of the pickups.

The Evo does strike me as quite a hit neck for the TZ. It’s certainly not in the recommended pairings from Dimarzio but of course they are almost infinite.

Anyhow, I’ll report back once I’ve tried out the Air Norton in the neck. I have a few other options to try out too.

The tone hunt never ends...!
 
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