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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: PAF Joe

« on: July 28, 2024, 07:30:34 AM »

hey there, it's been a while I wasn't here,
Still have my paf joe, which I love on my basswood body Ibanez and alder body Kawai aquarius.I bought 4 years ago a PRS custom 24, core series, from 2007. I tried last friday the paf joe in beck position in place of the PRS vintage bass.Well, what a disappointment, since I could rely to almost every "bad" comment regarding the paf joe: somewhat bright but the dull attack was unbearable to me. What a bummer that was...the vintage bass is back in the PRS and the joe in the aquarius...  

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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Evolution Neck

« on: February 13, 2019, 04:25:43 AM »

Thanks!
in order to match the fred output you can simply adjust the EVO height: pull it away from the strings

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The Pickup Place / Re: Another pickup suggestion request

« on: June 26, 2017, 03:53:50 AM »

I used to pair a paf joe with a virtual vintage 54 pro (DP408), they worked well together (I did not split the paf joe though)

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The Pickup Place / Re: Too boomy Evolution neck

« on: April 10, 2017, 03:35:10 AM »

I guess I understand what you all mean by boomy. But was the EVO neck installed on a 22-fret or 24-fret guitar?
I've noticed the position (also the wood of course, smaller impact tough) really changes the bass EQ of a pickup. I remember having tested a long time ago a JS1000 with a paf pro in it: I found it too boomy, but I bought many years later a paf pro which was in a 24-fret RG and I founded it too thin. The EVO neck for me is great because even the low notes are percussive enough and this is what I was searching for.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Experience/opinions wanted - Strat

« on: April 06, 2017, 11:05:48 AM »

I also have a 54 pro in the middle position of my Ibanez RG, coupled with EVO 2 and EVO neck. The 54 pro is sitting there for 10 years, it was advised by my luthier and it never moved from there. This one is a keeper! 
I'm not seeking for the quack in 2 & 4 positions as I do not split the HBs, but I do switch the neck HB in parallel wiring, and coupled with the 54 pro it gives a shining sound!
I moved it just for experimenting in another guitar on the neck position: the sound is georgeous too, but I still prefer the paf joe in neck in that other guitar (originally H-H-H guitar)

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The Pickup Place / Re: EVO 1 vs EVO 2

« on: May 04, 2016, 10:01:34 AM »

I've an EVO2 for 11 years in my RG (with 500k pots), it can do anything from blues to Pantera / Dream Theater (train of thought) if you adjust the tone/vol knobs. I've never tried an EVO 1 in my guitars but I've read many reviews that state that harmonics are a bit too overwhelming or hard to control.
the EVO2 has no issues about that and the tad more bass doesn't make it flubby on the lower notes, but this will depend on the wood in my opinion.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups for Les Paul

« on: May 04, 2016, 09:57:35 AM »

Thank you, that is VERY helpful!

The PAF Pro doesn't sound like what I want as it sounds more like a pickup I'd prefer in the bridge position, which kinda makes sense as the only time I've used one before was in the bridge of a Strat and I really liked it there. The 36th PAF sounds like a safe bet. The PAF Joe might be another option as the description makes me think of something that is between a 36th PAF and a PAF Pro but I may be entirely wrong in that.
...

 Tough choice 

the paf joe is quite close to the paf pro. I had each of them in the same guitar for a while and had plenty of time to compare them as I was searching for neck pickups for a while.
The paf joe:
- less bass,
- has not the hifi definition than the paf pro has,
- is more rock and roll to me
- has a "dirty" vibe with absolutely awesome overtone harmonics,
- slightly less output than the pro,
- has more balanced highs (I mean that the highs keep the same "dirty" feeling).

It's hard to describe but in my opinion the paf pro is an overall great pickup but without actual personality. The joe has more that rock n' roll dirty vibe, plus with a wha wha it is an absolute pleasure for either clean, dirty channel rythm or solos. On the other hand the joe lacks a bit of definition (that "dirty" vibe) and of output (depending on your amp: that was the case for me) for shred solos.

One another important thing I'd like to point out is that I had both pups in the neck slot of an ibanez RG w/ 24 frets. I went out to find that the joe a bit too bright in that position compare to the pro (the EQ values from DM confirm that). I ended up for something different (EVO neck: awesome too) in the RG but kept the joe in a 22-fret guitar and it is a miracle  (to me at least).

Today I've an F-spaced black paf pro for sale (France).

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The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups for Les Paul

« on: April 12, 2016, 04:51:23 AM »

take a look on the norton (DP160) for the bridge position.

On the neck side, I strongly recommend the paf joe, really great, balanced, not boomy and has some very cool overtones...

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The Pickup Place / Re: Need Thoughts from you Dimarzio experts...

« on: March 22, 2016, 12:52:20 PM »

For parallel:

If you want your bridge humbucker to sound like a lighter version of itself instead of two bright singles in parallel, when you wire your push/pull or however you put it into parallel, run a .0022uf cap in parallel with a 470k resistor between the 2nd coil's hot and the first coil's ground.  This is shorted when the pickup is in series as these wires are shorted to create series operation; in parallel mode it rolls off highs and lets those two coils see ~230k to ground, which is more what a single coil wants to see. 

So for standard Dimarzio wiring R+ B -, W+ G-, run the cap/resistor between the tabs where the black and white wires are soldered. 

This trick works great for getting a 'vintage' sounding humbucker sound in parallel with pickup that is a hot humbucker in series.

that's definitely interesting!!! thanks for sharing that info!

So I've tested this with my paf joe. I already had a push pull to switch to parallel the neck pickup in the past, without the additional cap and resistor. I must say I was used and I liked that brighter sound, I don't think I'm gonna keep the additional R and C. I'll see...

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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Evolution Neck

« on: March 01, 2016, 08:10:46 AM »

Evo neck is somewhat close to Paf Pro. Both have some single-coil hi-end and pick attack and cut through the mix easily. However, the Evo neck also has more midrange and low end, which makes it a bit louder, fuller, fatter, and punchier than Paf Pro. The lows are brighter and the overall sound is more aggressive than the Pro, probably due to the Ceramic magnet.

If you like Paf Pro and is looking for something a bit fatter and more aggressive with a great pick attack, the Evo Neck may be a good choice.

It is a great match for the Evo 2 in the bridge...

I will second that as this is exactly my situation: I had a paf pro and was looking for something slightly fatter and more aggressive (more pick attack). The EVO neck seemed a perfect fit on the paper, I asked to DiMarzio for confirmation (I gave my experiences with other pickups, the likes and dislikes) but I wasn't advised an EVO neck as I disliked the air norton (I was pretty surprised to say the least): I was suggested the illuminator and the transition neck. Didn't help me much this time. Some guys on forums suggested the gravity storm neck  along with the EVO neck which really seemed to match my research. I eventually went for the EVO neck and I'm very happy because this is the perfect match for what I was searching for.

I also have an EVO 2 in bridge and I also second the fact that they match perfectly together.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Need Thoughts from you Dimarzio experts...

« on: March 01, 2016, 03:26:22 AM »

For parallel:

If you want your bridge humbucker to sound like a lighter version of itself instead of two bright singles in parallel, when you wire your push/pull or however you put it into parallel, run a .0022uf cap in parallel with a 470k resistor between the 2nd coil's hot and the first coil's ground.  This is shorted when the pickup is in series as these wires are shorted to create series operation; in parallel mode it rolls off highs and lets those two coils see ~230k to ground, which is more what a single coil wants to see. 

So for standard Dimarzio wiring R+ B -, W+ G-, run the cap/resistor between the tabs where the black and white wires are soldered. 

This trick works great for getting a 'vintage' sounding humbucker sound in parallel with pickup that is a hot humbucker in series.

that's definitely interesting!!! thanks for sharing that info!

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The Pickup Place / Re: new neck pickup: gravity storm or EVO neck?

« on: December 22, 2015, 07:00:01 PM »

never tried the illuminator and this one is hard to find for sale on selling websites. It is possible but this is a special order and the 30 days return policy is not possible (actually it's the same with the GS)


I once had a norton, but I didn't try it in neck...

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The Pickup Place / Re: new neck pickup: gravity storm or EVO neck?

« on: December 21, 2015, 04:50:40 AM »

I wrote a review of the Super 2 back in February, seen here ( https://www.facebook.com/darthphineas/posts/742150002547651 ).  It definitely has punch and power. When I read that some guys also use it in the bridge, I can see that too.

If you like the PAF Pro but want a little more, the Illuminator that has been mention is a good option as well. I like it better than the LiquiFire.  It's more open and has a little more bite.

Yep, thanks for the super 2 review: i guess this one's not for me. The Dimarzio Tech advised me an Illuminator, but I like neither of the AN of liquifire...

I think I'll give it a try to the EVO neck and return it back to the retailer if I don't like it

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Center Stage / Where angles sleep - dimarzio double whammy

« on: December 16, 2015, 08:51:01 AM »

Hello

Here's an archived I rediscovered recently, the original tone was from my ibanez which was loaded at the time with a DP150 double whammy in neck position.
This is an improvisation with some mistakes, which makes it human

https://soundcloud.com/mathiasremy/where-angels-sleep

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The Pickup Place / Re: new neck pickup: gravity storm or EVO neck?

« on: December 14, 2015, 12:58:13 AM »

I haven't tried the ones you're  asking about, although the PP is one of my all-time favorite neck pickups.

I'm gonna throw two ideas out there:

- Super 2: think early Paul Gilbert. Very aggressive neck tone; plenty of bite and clarity. Perfect for shreddy legato/tap, sweeping and alternate picking. Not necessarily fatter than a PP though.

- Tone Zone: yes, it can  actually be used in the neck with great results. Michael Romeo uses one and Gilbert had two in his blue HAM guitar and that guitar has the fattest, chunkiest tone I've ever heard from him. Very fat but still with plenty of attack, bite and punch. Nothing like the AN (which I hate).

thanks for the ideas.
I don't know the super 2, it seems quite bright on the paper. If it isn't fatter than the PP, then I guess it's not for me.
I used to put a TZ in a neck position once, well I kinda liked the double whammy in neck bu the TZ: the attack was ok but the EQ was so that it had too much bass