wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

WICKED LESTER

New member
he is a LONG TIME dimarzio user(air zone/air norton,ebmm evh custom wounds) and now he is loading his sig guitars with duncans custom-custom/59n set :)
great guitarist who will now have a even better tone!
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Hey Everyone,

Neil Zaza here.

First of all, I gotta say it: I love the Duncans in my guitar!

When we were designing my signature axe, the Cort NZS-1, I decided that I was going to analyze every aspect of my tone and leave no stone unturned regardless of any company relationships I had had in the past. It was all about the tone and how the various components of the axe made playing toneful and inspiring.

We started right at the very source of the electronic tone- the pickups. Trust me when I say that we tried every pickup within our reach and the winners were absolute standouts. My guitar would not sound as good without Seymour Duncan pick ups in them. The tone they provide is rich and full while at the same time very defined and articulate.

I am very proud to now be part of the Duncan family. Seymour is a true legend and artist without peer.

It's all about the tone.

Neil
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Neil welcome to the forums!

Yeah every time I put other pick ups in my guitars I always wind up switching back to Duncans. (although I'm sure I didn't try nearly as many as you did for your new Cort hehe) The best way I think I can describe SD's is that they give me the opportunity to musically express myself better than any other pickups. Its that Seymour mojo!

Oh, just checked out your site. Very cool how you describe your gear, especially how you can click on each piece. I dig that Keeley proto-type TS-9! I've been procrastinating but want to get mine Keeley modded sometime soon.
 
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Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Hey Neil:

Thanks for posting and welcome to the User Group Forum.

For any of you who want to hear what Neil sounds like (and see what he looks like), click here and scroll down to the NAMM 2005 video. The soundtrack is Pure Neil.

Enjoy.

- Evan
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

didnt you post one of his videos some time back evan? from a concert in japan
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

zaz said:
Hey Everyone,

Neil Zaza here.

First of all, I gotta say it: I love the Duncans in my guitar!

When we were designing my signature axe, the Cort NZS-1, I decided that I was going to analyze every aspect of my tone and leave no stone unturned regardless of any company relationships I had had in the past. It was all about the tone and how the various components of the axe made playing toneful and inspiring.

We started right at the very source of the electronic tone- the pickups. Trust me when I say that we tried every pickup within our reach and the winners were absolute standouts. My guitar would not sound as good without Seymour Duncan pick ups in them. The tone they provide is rich and full while at the same time very defined and articulate.

I am very proud to now be part of the Duncan family. Seymour is a true legend and artist without peer.

It's all about the tone.

Neil


Neil, you always had a great tone and i love your playing!
but i must admit i was a bit shocked to see you switched over to duncans?
the reason i say this is because i know you absolutely loved the EBMM EVH sig guitar in stock form(dimarzio EVH custom wounds)
anyway glad to see you chose duncans for your new cort sig guitar and i wish you the best of luck in all you do :)
BTW, i just started using duncans myself(JB/JAZZ) set and cant express how happy i am with them!
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

I worked the Galaxy Theatre show at NAMM for Atomic Amps which Neil used for that showcase. Getting to hear Neil play standing right next to the amps on stage, I can surely attest he had some of the best tone of all the great players that night! That blue Cort you used Neil was gorgeous! And not too mention Neil has got to be one of the nicest players I have met in ages.
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Evan Skopp said:
Hey Neil:

Thanks for posting and welcome to the User Group Forum.

For any of you who want to hear what Neil sounds like (and see what he looks like), click here and scroll down to the NAMM 2005 video. The soundtrack is Pure Neil.

Enjoy.

- Evan

now you guys know why i consider him one of the most UNDERRATED guitarist/writers out there!
neil plays with such passion and soul and has great technique.
I love his vibrato :32:
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

InstituteOfNoise said:
I worked the Galaxy Theatre show at NAMM for Atomic Amps which Neil used for that showcase. Getting to hear Neil play standing right next to the amps on stage, I can surely attest he had some of the best tone of all the great players that night! That blue Cort you used Neil was gorgeous! And not too mention Neil has got to be one of the nicest players I have met in ages.

wow! i wish i could have been there :)
yeah i always heard he is real down to earth and just loves music.
these are the kind of musicians i always admire.
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

I believe Neil was hands down the favorite and won many new fans, even though a lot of folks liked seeing Yngwie, Nuno, Lynch, DeMartini and such.
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

You guys are too kind. Trust me, it is all done with smoke and mirrors and Duncan pickups!

Neil
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

im also shocked to know that he picked rosewood fretboards on his sig guitar. i know that he preferred maple over rosewood.

damn... the sweep picking part on "im alright" is killer!
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

As I know of, it isn't a rosewood but an ebony fingerboard. I think ebony is similar to maple in the sense its bright but in a different way.

Neil's song "I'm alright" is one of my favorites. Awesome intro in the video link!
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Here's another video that shows Neil at the Cort factory working with Chris Cho on the design of the guitar. It's pretty cool. You get see Neil's first exposure to the SH-11 Custom Custom, which he ended up using on the NZS-1 (shown below).

nzs1_s.gif


Click here to read a great interview with Neil, by Lisa Sharken, in which he talks about the development of the NZS-1.

Enjoy!
 
Re: wow neil zaza is now using duncans!

Neil, I remember seeing you in Dayton, Ohio back around 1991 or so. Can't remember the name of the place, but it was a killer show for sure. I chatted with you for a few minutes about your gear......you were playing through a 1x12 Marshall combo, I think it was the artist (3203) maybe. Anyway, I just remember you shredding it up back then and I was amazed! Cool to see you using Duncans now.
 
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