I needed something special, something beefy, but not as hot as a CC. The CC is kinda too dirty for me. I also wanted a clear neck that worked well with my PRS 24 fret. I told him how much I love the APH1, but that my Virtual PAFs have been the most responsive so far.
We talked about how I play rock n roll, but need versatility for Jazz, funk and R&B. I like to split and use all these other tricks - etc etc etc
Well, he made me what he calls the "Slug-bucker". A 10.5k scatterwound A3 mismatched bridge, and a matching 7.9 neck.
Mind you, Zhang loves clean tones, and tests HB's mostly thru his Fender amps and a beautiful LP. He overwound them a touch for me, since I am using a PRS for these pups. He also loves to raise the screw pieces up HIGH (yes, I said high), I keep them relatively in line with the radius and not too high up.
EARLY REVIEW - I have not gigged with them. Used them thru a solid state, a boogie, and a Marshall. Have not used them for recordings yet. These are the most unique pups I have heard. Not as modern as the high output dimarzios, or Nordstrands which I was considering. The neck is woody as hell, as is the bridge, though it has a very little compression for a 10.5k wind. It has that old G Lynch thing, with a little EVH sponge.
I literally put these pups between the APH1 and Virtual PAF. The bridge is beautiful. Clear, fattened lows, and has that Pearly Gates touch of sizzle. This might be the A3 and scatter speaking. They shred well, but have the A2-ish sponge that a JB might be lacking. The neck is woody as hell and backs off well for jazz. Neck has nice mids and a touch of compression when pushed. Does jazz pretty well with the tone backed off. The pups have some P90 character to them in the clarity and woodiness (is that a word?).
I am still deciding on the neck because I think I wanted more power in the wind, but let me see. The bridge is definitely something I can use. It's loud and has just enough thickness, powers over the neck version and pushes the amp with a nice vintage kick. It has the modern clarity, but that classic sizzle is a nice new thing for me. They are VERY TOUCH responsive.
The bridge is a beautiful thing, I am still figuring out the neck. The beaty of working with David is he aims to please - he will work til you like it. I am a little curious of an A4, esp in the neck. However, I prefer the A3 sizzle and sponge. I think I know now why EJ picked A3s for his new signature strat. The neck model reminds me of the SD jazz with some of the A2pro sponge/spank.
I CANNOT comment til I play them over a band. When you have a band like mine, trust me that will be a great test!
I must say the 10.5 Bridge Slug-bucker is a thing of beauty. Frankly, since we did it to my needs, I call it the "O"-bucker (yes, I am that ego-centric). I have to say, I have never played a fuller, yet clearer, more responsive pup that does ALL styles (yes I said ALL) like the 10.5 model. It does metal to jazz, has classic tone and modern clarity, brings out nice harmonic overtones, and cuts like a PG when needed. It's fat in the lower mids and gives you some nice chunk while still remaining in the vintage range rather than pure metal.
I think this whole board feels 10k is the magic range, and guys like Lynch probably concur. I don't always feel 9k is enough for some of us loud gun-slingers, so I got something I could use. Best part - David/Zhang could give you any wind, color combo, magnet, etc that you want.
Having compared Andersons, Suhrs, Duncans, Voodoos, and Dimarzios - my faves for good tone that does rock are the Duncan APH1, Jazz, C5, and hmm maybe the CC. From Dimarzio it was the Virtual PAFs. These David Plummer slug-buckers are right between the 2 brands for my ears. D's winds have much more sizzle than the Voodoos, and his price is a nice thing!
We talked about how I play rock n roll, but need versatility for Jazz, funk and R&B. I like to split and use all these other tricks - etc etc etc
Well, he made me what he calls the "Slug-bucker". A 10.5k scatterwound A3 mismatched bridge, and a matching 7.9 neck.
Mind you, Zhang loves clean tones, and tests HB's mostly thru his Fender amps and a beautiful LP. He overwound them a touch for me, since I am using a PRS for these pups. He also loves to raise the screw pieces up HIGH (yes, I said high), I keep them relatively in line with the radius and not too high up.
EARLY REVIEW - I have not gigged with them. Used them thru a solid state, a boogie, and a Marshall. Have not used them for recordings yet. These are the most unique pups I have heard. Not as modern as the high output dimarzios, or Nordstrands which I was considering. The neck is woody as hell, as is the bridge, though it has a very little compression for a 10.5k wind. It has that old G Lynch thing, with a little EVH sponge.
I literally put these pups between the APH1 and Virtual PAF. The bridge is beautiful. Clear, fattened lows, and has that Pearly Gates touch of sizzle. This might be the A3 and scatter speaking. They shred well, but have the A2-ish sponge that a JB might be lacking. The neck is woody as hell and backs off well for jazz. Neck has nice mids and a touch of compression when pushed. Does jazz pretty well with the tone backed off. The pups have some P90 character to them in the clarity and woodiness (is that a word?).
I am still deciding on the neck because I think I wanted more power in the wind, but let me see. The bridge is definitely something I can use. It's loud and has just enough thickness, powers over the neck version and pushes the amp with a nice vintage kick. It has the modern clarity, but that classic sizzle is a nice new thing for me. They are VERY TOUCH responsive.
The bridge is a beautiful thing, I am still figuring out the neck. The beaty of working with David is he aims to please - he will work til you like it. I am a little curious of an A4, esp in the neck. However, I prefer the A3 sizzle and sponge. I think I know now why EJ picked A3s for his new signature strat. The neck model reminds me of the SD jazz with some of the A2pro sponge/spank.
I CANNOT comment til I play them over a band. When you have a band like mine, trust me that will be a great test!
I must say the 10.5 Bridge Slug-bucker is a thing of beauty. Frankly, since we did it to my needs, I call it the "O"-bucker (yes, I am that ego-centric). I have to say, I have never played a fuller, yet clearer, more responsive pup that does ALL styles (yes I said ALL) like the 10.5 model. It does metal to jazz, has classic tone and modern clarity, brings out nice harmonic overtones, and cuts like a PG when needed. It's fat in the lower mids and gives you some nice chunk while still remaining in the vintage range rather than pure metal.
I think this whole board feels 10k is the magic range, and guys like Lynch probably concur. I don't always feel 9k is enough for some of us loud gun-slingers, so I got something I could use. Best part - David/Zhang could give you any wind, color combo, magnet, etc that you want.
Having compared Andersons, Suhrs, Duncans, Voodoos, and Dimarzios - my faves for good tone that does rock are the Duncan APH1, Jazz, C5, and hmm maybe the CC. From Dimarzio it was the Virtual PAFs. These David Plummer slug-buckers are right between the 2 brands for my ears. D's winds have much more sizzle than the Voodoos, and his price is a nice thing!
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