Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

[misterwhizzy]

What's your experience with these Trembuckers? Also, since I'm too lazy to go measure for myself, does my PRS SE Custom 22 have trembucker spacing?

I get the impression these used to be a lot more popular around here than they are now. Where did all the attention go?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I've got the PATB 1 b&n in my Parker PM 20 pro, and the PATB 3 will soon be in a strat build again.

The PATB's were more popular when Despair and a few others posted in threads alongside myself. Once you get a few opinions the same then its more convincing - but since they've gone quiet its hard for a lone voice to make any impact.

The PATB series is characterised by its clarity under very high gain added to sweetness clean. Lots of pickups do one or other well but none apart from the PATB series do both.

The '3' is very much like either a '78 or a brobucker. The idea is to make a bolt-on neck strat style guitar sound fat like a Les Paul, but retain the spank you get from the longer scale. Its PAF-like, but will do heavier tones better than the '59 or any other vintage pup that SD does.

The '1' is like the Custom, but has the sweet lead tone of a JB to my ears. Does well clean too, but will push an amp harder than the 3. I've got an A8 in mine now, and it reminds me of the full but open tone of Tool.

The '1' neck version is a great PAF style neck pickup, and it stays uncluttered under higher gain like the bridge versions, which gives extra note definition in these situations

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I have an A4 PATB-1n / A8 PATB-3 combo waiting for the guitar getting back from the luthier, which it'll not be before late March/early April.

I'll be able to tell you a lot more after that.

HTH,

 

[Kam]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

Since the PATB-3 I bought from a forum bro may or may not have been stolen from the post office, I only have experience with the PATB-1n. I can echo AlexR's statements about it pretty much exactly.

The one thing I'll add is that the feel is very different from any other pickup I've played. It's extremely responsive to technique. And I mean that in a good way, not in a spotlight-on-sloppy-playing kinda way. I still maintain that I had no idea what my vibrato sounded like until I played the PATB-1n. It amplifies every little nuance exactly. It's very, very articulate.

Tone-wise, Alex nailed it. Kinda PAF-ish but with a clarity under gain that I've never heard from other SD humbuckers, with plenty of definition and with a bit of a more modern edge. Plenty of warmth, though. It reminds me of a '59 but with a bit more thickness. I've heard people describe it as slightly 'hi-fi' sounding, but I'm not completely sure what that means.

The other thing I'd like to add is that it sounds great when tapped. A little on the weak side perhaps, but very Stratty.

If the '3' ever shows up, I'll be sure to return with my impressions of that one, too.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

What about the 2/Dist?

 

[Despair]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

daemon barbeque has the PATB-2 tone covered well, he has a bunch of samples of it up on his soundclick page, too, including one with conventional Distortion panned to one side & PATB-2 to the other. It's like a standard Distortion, but has a bit more lower mid grind, a bit less grating on the high end. More compressed, absolutely screaming harmonics. To my tastes, a perfect blend of what I like about the Invader, Distortion and JB in one pickup. But some people find it not biting enough for thrash rhythm.

Another thing about the Parallel Axis series is they are ridiculously responsive not just to technique, but to volume & tone knob manipulation.

The Parallel Axis do a better job combining high gain performance with low gain & clean tones than most conventional pickups. There are pickups that match them for tone, but they tend to trade that articulation for tone, tightness for sweetness or vice versa, compression for dynamic range, etc. Parallel Axis tend to pull off a ridiculously broad range of tones excellently, not merely tolerable for a utility pickup.

The PATB-1b is ridiculous, able to jump from almost-A2 Custom Custom-like tones with the tone rolled off to sharper A5 tone similar to a Custom UOA5 (but with a bit more push & smooth high end) with it rolled up. It can pull off that squishy A2 feel, then when you tighten up your control it tightens up.

There are guitars and amps that favor other pickups, but the Parallel Axis is something that every guitarist ought to experience.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I have the Parallel Axis Trembucker™ Original PATB-1 in a mahogany body Hamer Centaura with rosewood board and Hot Rails in neck and middle. I like it just fine. I prefer the JB and I find the PATB-1 to be a nice option. Of all the Duncan bridge pups I've tried so far (Distortion, Pearly Gates, Full Shred, Invader, Screamin' Demon, Custom Five, LiveWire Metal), if there was no such thing as the JB then I would go with this one.



Alex, with regard to the PATB-1N, I've ended up going with a Full Shred neck to keep things tighter as I feel the Jazz and '59 in the neck are a big too mushy for what I want. With that in mind, how do you think the 1N would work in that setting, typically in a poplar or alder body? Thanks!

 

[AlexR]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I've not had a full shred neck, but this pickup is known for its tightness and clarity. The PATB 1n is perhaps not about clarity in the same way the full shred is......it has a great ability to keep clear with drive and ring out each note, but it is very like a vintage PAF generally

 

[skynyrd]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I had a PATB back in 1990 and it was a great pup, had it in a Kramer 605ST and then put it in my LP and clean or driven it kicked it.

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I have the PATB-1, PATB-2, and Crazy 8. They are all excellent pups.

To me, the PATB-1 is very similar to the Tone Zone, it is one of my favorite off the shelf designs. The PATB-2 is a fire breather, great for what it does, but I don't generally need to get that ferocious these days, but if I was going for those tones, that would be the pup.

The Crazy 8 is my go to pup, the best of everything I could ever want in the bridge. Some spank of the '78, a percussive thump, dynamic response, clarity when clean, dirty, or under high gain. It sings and growls, and it handles all ranges of gain really well. It excels for rhythm or lead. It is the perfect one for me.

 

[efnaka]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

How about the PA-STK1n? Does it blend well with a the PA distortion? Anyone have tried this?

 

[skyydogg01]

I can only comment on the crazy 8 and the previous 2 posters nailed it. It takes anything you throw at it and mixes well with my 59 neck in my prs se singlecut korina.

To answer your question about spacing, I would probably go with the regular spacing. My crazy 8 is a trembucker and the e strings are kind of on the inside pole of the string. My singlecut is a wrap-around bridge. Is yours wrap-around or tremolo?

 

[skyydogg01]

One thing I forgot to mention, the crazy 8 doesn't work as well in a strat as a JB. Crazy 8 has worked very well for me in mahogany and korina.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I have the PATB-1, PATB-2, and Crazy 8. They are all excellent pups.

To me, the PATB-1 is very similar to the Tone Zone, it is one of my favorite off the shelf designs. The PATB-2 is a fire breather, great for what it does, but I don't generally need to get that ferocious these days, but if I was going for those tones, that would be the pup.

The Crazy 8 is my go to pup, the best of everything I could ever want in the bridge. Some spank of the '78, a percussive thump, dynamic response, clarity when clean, dirty, or under high gain. It sings and growls, and it handles all ranges of gain really well. It excels for rhythm or lead. It is the perfect one for me.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to do the Crazy 8, because I just can't justify the cost. In fact, I'm having a hard time convincing myself to pull the Rio Grande, because I figure that a $150 pickup has to be good. But the feel of it just isn't right. I put a Distortion neck in this guitar, and I can't say enough good things about it. I love the clarity, and the Muy Grande just doesn't match up properly.

I thought about putting the Distortion bridge in this guitar also, but I've got a fire-breather with the Custom 8 in my Les Paul, and I don't think I want to go that route with the PRS. I was thinking something a little more hi-fi sounding that held together in any situation, and then I remembered reading about the PA-TB1. I was thinking of a bit of a vintage vibe to this guitar, but after thinking about it for a while, I just don't think that's what's going to happen. I guess the 59/Custom8 combo in the Les Paul can do that well enough.

Maybe I should just go full on modern. Maybe the PA-TB1 is the trick.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

How about the PA-STK1n? Does it blend well with a the PA distortion? Anyone have tried this?

Its a low output s/c type pickup, and the PATB2 is MASSIVE. I'd say there would be a huge volume drop there.

 

[J E C]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

What is the Crazy 8 ?

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

I use Kiko Loureiro's songs to hear the tones of his PATBs (I don't know which one he uses yet,either 1 or 2). String to string definition is very clear and dry,almost reminds me like Nuno's L500 tones but with sweeter lead sound like JB. But the drawback (according to his songs I heard) is I can feel it isn't mean to do speed riffing or downtuned chug.

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

What is the Crazy 8 ?

You could search and you would find that the Crazy 8 is a Seymour Duncan Custom Shop double coil, humbucking, bridge pup designed with input from the forum. It had a reduced, bulk price during its initial introduction to forum members at that time.

It took many, many polls, lots of voting and discussion to come up with the end result. MJ did her magic and it was magic...possibly one of the best pups ever made, by anyone, anywhere. It is not common as it is a custom shop item...so you won't see them in GC, etc.

It is a AlNiCo 8, parallel axis design (Specs are here)

There are a few forum pups like this in the custom shop, the Crazy 8, the Brobucker, and the Stra-Bro.

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

Unfortunately, I'm not going to do the Crazy 8, because I just can't justify the cost. In fact, I'm having a hard time convincing myself to pull the Rio Grande, because I figure that a $150 pickup has to be good. But the feel of it just isn't right. I put a Distortion neck in this guitar, and I can't say enough good things about it. I love the clarity, and the Muy Grande just doesn't match up properly.

I thought about putting the Distortion bridge in this guitar also, but I've got a fire-breather with the Custom 8 in my Les Paul, and I don't think I want to go that route with the PRS. I was thinking something a little more hi-fi sounding that held together in any situation, and then I remembered reading about the PA-TB1. I was thinking of a bit of a vintage vibe to this guitar, but after thinking about it for a while, I just don't think that's what's going to happen. I guess the 59/Custom8 combo in the Les Paul can do that well enough.

Maybe I should just go full on modern. Maybe the PA-TB1 is the trick.

You know you want a Crazy 8....I think I still have a few from the inital run, I'll send you a PM.

 

[J E C]

Re: Tell me about the Parallel Axis pickups...

Thanks Binnerscot. Good to know, that answer cleared up a number of questions that I've had.