Tone Zone or Super 3?

[Dave Locher]

I had a Super Distortion in the bridge of my guitar last year, and it sounded really good EXCEPT there was a funny spanky quality to single notes. So I traded it out for a Carvin M22SD just to try one (and they were on sale REALLY cheap!). The M22SD sounds good EXCEPT I have lousy sustain. Notes just die out and then gradually come back as feedback. (I like the feedback, but the volume drop is horrible.)

So...I am considering trying a Tone Zone or a Super 3, neither of which I have ever played. The Tone Zone has the same EQ profile as the Super Distortion, but a bit less power. The Super 3 has more mids, less highs and lows, and a bit more power. Any thoughts as to which would better suit me? I want something that sounds a lot like the Super Distortion, with the same great sustain/feedback qualities, but without that weird spanky tone.

Guitar is Gibson scale with bolt-on maple/rosewood neck, amp is 1978 Randall RG100ES played on the crunch channel, and my sound is hard rock. I play punk and alternative, think Social Distortion and Foo Fighters and Green Day. (I am NOT trying to copy any of those tones, just a frame of reference for the style I play.)

Thoughts??

 

[Top-L]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Super 3 is legit, but it has an 80s metal sound to it. Really not much presense at all, it will work depending on your speaker/amp. It doesn't have the modern Dimarzio sound.

Tone Zone is good all arounder that works well when you want alot of bass response. Has the modern dimarzio sound.

Try both, or check out a D-sonic with the solid bar towards the neck.

I would try the D-sonic first, the TZ second, and the Super 3 third.

D-sonic is pretty great and can be flipped for down tuned guitars. Although the SD is a classic and I don't know what you mean by spanky tone. It might be from your guitar or amp.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Super 3 is legit, but it has an 80s metal sound to it. Really not much presense at all, it will work depending on your speaker/amp. It doesn't have the modern Dimarzio sound.

Tone Zone is good all arounder that works well when you want alot of bass response. Has the modern dimarzio sound.

Try both, or check out a D-sonic with the solid bar towards the neck.

I would try the D-sonic first, the TZ second, and the Super 3 third.

D-sonic is pretty great and can be flipped for down tuned guitars. Although the SD is a classic and I don't know what you mean by spanky tone. It might be from your guitar or amp.

By "spanky" I mean there is a bit of a poppy, almost Telecasterish or single-coil sound going on in there somewhere with the SD. I got the term "spanky" from another thread, where someone said they prefer the SD because they like a little spank. That's when it clicked for me and I went "Oh, it's something about that pickup!"

I will check out the D-Sonic as well. Thanks.
When you say "the modern Dimarzio sound" do you mean the Tone Zone is in the same general ballpark as the SD? Or more modern than that pickup?

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I like my Tone Zone way better than my Super 3. Both good pickups but that TZ is sweet!
I love it in my RG Prestige. I had the Super 3 in an RG Prestige I sold.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Green Day = JB, Social D = P90, Foo Fighters = PAF

Have you thought about trying a little less aggressive pickup than the Super D/M22SD? The Tone Zone would be a step in that direction, but I think you might have better luck with one of the medium-high output Seymour Duncan offerings.

Have you tried a JB yet?

If you insist on staying in the "Distortion" class of pickups, you should definitely take a look at the SH-6/TB-6 Distortion or the Black Winter. The SH-5/TB-5 Custom is also a great hard rock pickup and very versatile.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Green Day = JB, Social D = P90, Foo Fighters = PAF

Have you thought about trying a little less aggressive pickup than the Super D/M22SD? The Tone Zone would be a step in that direction, but I think you might have better luck with one of the medium-high output Seymour Duncan offerings.

Have you tried a JB yet?

If you insist on staying in the "Distortion" class of pickups, you should definitely take a look at the SH-6/TB-6 Distortion or the Black Winter. The SH-5/TB-5 Custom is also a great hard rock pickup and very versatile.

JB was actually the first pickup I had in this guitar. It was too thin for my taste in this guitar. This guitar does not have a lot of low end. It's bright.

 

[Toejam]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I love the Super D, but it can be a little bright in certain guitars. The Tone Zone will definitely give you more bass and low mids. I've never tried a Super 3.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Dave, what size strings are you using?

 

[TeleJr24]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I tried an Air Zone in the bridge of a strat style guitar with a maple neck and it had way too much bass. The Air Zone is suppose to be a vintage Tone Zone. I'm not sure about that since I never tried the Tone Zone. But if your guitar is really bright, maybe the Tone Zone will work for you.

I thought about putting the Air Zone in my Ibanez 540s cause it can be bright with the tremolo and all, but I like the JB that's in there right now.

 

[devastone]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I like both pickups, but they are different. FWIW Phill Collen from Def Leppard uses the Super 3. I've used it and it's really smooth with lot of output and dark highs but still gets harmonics easily. The TZ has more high end and is more open, but it has a lot of low end, it usually takes playing with the height to get the sound you want out of it, but it's a great pickup when you do.

You might also check out the non-air Norton, it's like a TZ with less low end so it stays tighter, great pickup.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Dave, what size strings are you using?

10-52, standard tuning, since the late 1980s. Might try 11-54 soon.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I love the Tone Zone. It is definitely thicker and less highs than the SuperD (Which has more hoighs than a lot of people think. That Maple neck might be the issue there too….

But for what you want, I really think the Super 3 is the way to go.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I'm a fan of the Super 3 ( https://m.facebook.com/darthphineas/posts/760655914030393 ). It really surprised me as being much more versatile than I expected from the web sites description. It does use the thicker magnet, so it stands a little taller, which can be an issue for some direct-mount scenarios.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I love the Tone Zone. It is definitely thicker and less highs than the SuperD (Which has more hoighs than a lot of people think. That Maple neck might be the issue there too….

But for what you want, I really think the Super 3 is the way to go.

Why? (Genuinely curious, not being sarcastic)

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I am not going to be a smart ass and decorate my speech with grandiose terms such as 'presence', 'modern DM sound', 'bass response', 'overtones' etc.

From my experience, the Super 3 in my RG Prestige (basswood) is bright, dirty although not as dirty as D Activator. The Tone Zone in contrast (Charvel, alder body), is dark, kinda dull, almost driving me to raise the high end faders on my rack EQ.

I also have experience with SD Custom 5 in an alder bodied Strat. To my ears it yields that spanky tones you are after, if I understand you correctly. In essence, it is a merge of humbucker sound and single coil sound. So, it's heavy but also has sweet Stratty tones, if you get me.

 

[devastone]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

I would never call a Super 3 bright, it's a rather dark pickup, but as always, YMMV.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

Because what devastone said….

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

So the Super 3 is less bright than even the Tone Zone? I'm looking for a cheap used one online right now to try out based on advice from the two of you.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

So the Super 3 is less bright than even the Tone Zone?

Yup.

Had a similar post semi-recently,albeit it's about a Strat(Alder/Mpl).
Have & used both,general consensus was the TZ had a better solo voice.
S3's dark & fat,but tight.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Tone Zone or Super 3?

So the Super 3 is less bright than even the Tone Zone?

that's a tricky one to define.

on paper, it would lead people to think it's a really dark and congested pickup. I was totally ready to not like it and was looking for a replacement before I even gave it a try. before I was able to even narrow down some options, the Super 3 really grew on me. I don't consider it dark, as much as dense. and it's not as congested as compressed...which plays into being dense. but... it's not at all sludgey or muddy. in fact, pretty darned tight. I think I'd like to define the high end as present, which is to say that it's a little bold without being rounded and without being shrill. it's a really interesting pickup, as it comes together in the mix better than one would think when looking at specs or maybe even just jamming in your room.

lemme put it like this. I have access to literally dozens of pickups just sitting around and can access to most any pickup I'd like... and the Super 3 is on the very short list of a bridge pickup for a new build I'm working on.