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The Pickup Place / Re: Strat pickup heights
« on: April 23, 2017, 05:21:04 AM »
Thanks! That's about where they ended up and I like what I'm hearing.
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The Pickup Place / Strat pickup heights
« on: April 21, 2017, 01:20:16 PM »
Curious as to what y'all are using as a starting point for pickup heights. The guy who did the installation in my Strat left them very low and I don't feel they are optimized tonally (he likes them down there - I don't). I know string pull is low, etc. Like I said, just looking for a starting point from those who have gone before.
Pickups are Heavy Blues 2 neck and bridge, Area 58 middle.
Thanks!
Pickups are Heavy Blues 2 neck and bridge, Area 58 middle.
Thanks!
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The Pickup Place / Re: Experience/opinions wanted - Strat
« on: April 06, 2017, 12:43:53 PM »
I like it very much. I've tried a bunch through the years and most were quite good. But this one is the best of them. Very musical sounding, tight bass, sweet mids and highs, excellent detail. I don't split the coils on this, so no comment there.
My best friend likes them so much he has like three of them, including one is a Strat (the others are in a PRS, where it does sound very good with split coils).
Highly recommended.
My best friend likes them so much he has like three of them, including one is a Strat (the others are in a PRS, where it does sound very good with split coils).
Highly recommended.
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The Pickup Place / Re: Experience/opinions wanted - Strat
« on: April 06, 2017, 11:11:34 AM »
Thanks! I am going to install the 54 Pro this weekend in the neck of my h/s/s Strat. I expect it will never move from there. So it will be Thornbucker, Area 67, and 54 Pro.
And I'm going to put the HB2 in the bridge and neck of my Melancon. I had one in the neck briefly - loaned it to a friend who loves it in the bridge of his Strat - so I'm going that route. Area 58 in the middle, which sounds amazing in this guitar.
So glad I stayed with DiMarzio!
And I'm going to put the HB2 in the bridge and neck of my Melancon. I had one in the neck briefly - loaned it to a friend who loves it in the bridge of his Strat - so I'm going that route. Area 58 in the middle, which sounds amazing in this guitar.
So glad I stayed with DiMarzio!
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The Pickup Place / Re: Experience/opinions wanted - Strat
« on: March 28, 2017, 09:16:50 AM »
Thanks for a great reply!
And yes, the Thornbucker is in the bridge.
HB2 in the middle is an intriguing option I had not considered. And I agree on a brighter middle pickup. It's how it's bright, if you know what I mean. I ran an Area 58 in the middle of the s/s/s Strat for years but came to dislike it (or tire of it). I'm much happier with the Area 67 in the middle of the h/s/s Strat.
54 Pro - thanks for your comments there. I was learning that way but unsure. No longer. My friend's h/s/s Strat has 54s in both neck and middle and sound fantastic. But I already have too many pickups...for now anyway.
Your thoughts on the 54 in the middle and Area 67 in the neck have given me pause. I wasn't going to move the 67. But now I'm thinking I might.
One thing I learned last night - the s/s/s Strat temporarily has a Virtual Solo in the bridge and neck. My friend tried out my HB2 in the bridge of one of his Strats and I let him keep it. His HB2 has been shipped and then we'll do surgery yet again.
So he stuck a second Virtual Solo in my guitar. The neck VS is set way low for balancing. And it is balanced but frankly doesn't sound good to me. Driven hard is fine (but not great). Clean it sounds dull. The HB2 sounded much better there.
Current thoughts remain a little jumbled but your note was a huge help. I'm leaning toward HB2 in the bridge and 54 Pro in the neck. For now the Area 58 in the middle will have to stay but I like it there, and prefer it in the middle over the neck.
The h/s/s Strat (Thornbucker, Area 67, Area 58) was supposed to get the VS in the neck. Now I'm not so sure. We had thought it would balance better with the hum, but it balances fine now and doesn't sit too high. So I need to get out my screwdriver and play around with the VS in the s/s/s Strat and see if I can dial it in. But I suspect I'm going to have to buy one other pickup, probably another 54 Pro.
As mentioned, buying or building another Strat is tempting. I do have a decent MIM I could mod. It plays well, but compared to my other guitars, the neck is a drawback. Nothing Warmoth can't fix. And mixing/matching my "leftover" DiMarzios might motivate me.
There is something about that 54 Pro that really sits strong with me. And my friend's guitar with two of them is running a Thornbucker in the bridge and they balance great. This is IMO his best-sounding guitar (and all of his/ours are really good-sounding), so I can see myself going this way.
During all this, I have come to truly appreciate Steve and Larry's work. Great designs, something for everybody, and fairly priced. I noticed that is all but impossible to buy these used. They've sold thousands and nobody is selling, even if they sit in a spares box. I will sell a couple of mine, maybe a 58 and 61 (and will still have at least one of each on-hand). I looked very hard at Kinman, Mojotone, and others, thinking I needed a change of maker. But I am happy I stayed in the family and discovered pickups I had not noticed. I got hung up on Virtual Vintage vs. Areas.
One more time - many thanks!
Greg
And yes, the Thornbucker is in the bridge.
HB2 in the middle is an intriguing option I had not considered. And I agree on a brighter middle pickup. It's how it's bright, if you know what I mean. I ran an Area 58 in the middle of the s/s/s Strat for years but came to dislike it (or tire of it). I'm much happier with the Area 67 in the middle of the h/s/s Strat.
54 Pro - thanks for your comments there. I was learning that way but unsure. No longer. My friend's h/s/s Strat has 54s in both neck and middle and sound fantastic. But I already have too many pickups...for now anyway.
Your thoughts on the 54 in the middle and Area 67 in the neck have given me pause. I wasn't going to move the 67. But now I'm thinking I might.
One thing I learned last night - the s/s/s Strat temporarily has a Virtual Solo in the bridge and neck. My friend tried out my HB2 in the bridge of one of his Strats and I let him keep it. His HB2 has been shipped and then we'll do surgery yet again.
So he stuck a second Virtual Solo in my guitar. The neck VS is set way low for balancing. And it is balanced but frankly doesn't sound good to me. Driven hard is fine (but not great). Clean it sounds dull. The HB2 sounded much better there.
Current thoughts remain a little jumbled but your note was a huge help. I'm leaning toward HB2 in the bridge and 54 Pro in the neck. For now the Area 58 in the middle will have to stay but I like it there, and prefer it in the middle over the neck.
The h/s/s Strat (Thornbucker, Area 67, Area 58) was supposed to get the VS in the neck. Now I'm not so sure. We had thought it would balance better with the hum, but it balances fine now and doesn't sit too high. So I need to get out my screwdriver and play around with the VS in the s/s/s Strat and see if I can dial it in. But I suspect I'm going to have to buy one other pickup, probably another 54 Pro.
As mentioned, buying or building another Strat is tempting. I do have a decent MIM I could mod. It plays well, but compared to my other guitars, the neck is a drawback. Nothing Warmoth can't fix. And mixing/matching my "leftover" DiMarzios might motivate me.
There is something about that 54 Pro that really sits strong with me. And my friend's guitar with two of them is running a Thornbucker in the bridge and they balance great. This is IMO his best-sounding guitar (and all of his/ours are really good-sounding), so I can see myself going this way.
During all this, I have come to truly appreciate Steve and Larry's work. Great designs, something for everybody, and fairly priced. I noticed that is all but impossible to buy these used. They've sold thousands and nobody is selling, even if they sit in a spares box. I will sell a couple of mine, maybe a 58 and 61 (and will still have at least one of each on-hand). I looked very hard at Kinman, Mojotone, and others, thinking I needed a change of maker. But I am happy I stayed in the family and discovered pickups I had not noticed. I got hung up on Virtual Vintage vs. Areas.
One more time - many thanks!
Greg
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The Pickup Place / Experience/opinions wanted - Strat
« on: March 27, 2017, 08:53:52 AM »
Is anyone running a Virtual Solo in the neck position? Thoughts? I have an extra one and want to not waste it.
One choice - h/s/s Strat running a Suhr Thornbucker in the neck, thinking the VS might match up nicely. A "vintage" Strat neck pickup can be too strident for what I play.
Another choice - VS in the middle of my s/s/s Strat (Heavy Blues 2 in the bridge). I still want some quack but am okay with it not being purely vintage-sounding.
I bought a Virtual Vintage 54 Pro. Choices are either neck or middle position of a s/s/s Strat. I'm thinking the 54 might enhance quack a bit in the middle to make up for the non-vintage bridge pickups.
I have an Area 67 in the middle of my h/s/s Strat and like it. What changes can I expect if I replace it with the 54?
Is the Area 67 a good choice in the neck? Or would you use the 54 there?
Lots of questions but figured it was best to combine. All comments welcome.
The facts - I'm not looking for vintage tones and prefer a VS or HB2 in the bridge (tonally). Please keep recommendations to DiMarzio silent pickups. Lots to choose from and I'm very loyal and happy with these products. Style is a mix of several - pop, new country, classic rock, blues. No metal. I do use high-gain tones but spend 95% of my time with club clean and light crunch tones.
One choice - h/s/s Strat running a Suhr Thornbucker in the neck, thinking the VS might match up nicely. A "vintage" Strat neck pickup can be too strident for what I play.
Another choice - VS in the middle of my s/s/s Strat (Heavy Blues 2 in the bridge). I still want some quack but am okay with it not being purely vintage-sounding.
I bought a Virtual Vintage 54 Pro. Choices are either neck or middle position of a s/s/s Strat. I'm thinking the 54 might enhance quack a bit in the middle to make up for the non-vintage bridge pickups.
I have an Area 67 in the middle of my h/s/s Strat and like it. What changes can I expect if I replace it with the 54?
Is the Area 67 a good choice in the neck? Or would you use the 54 there?
Lots of questions but figured it was best to combine. All comments welcome.
The facts - I'm not looking for vintage tones and prefer a VS or HB2 in the bridge (tonally). Please keep recommendations to DiMarzio silent pickups. Lots to choose from and I'm very loyal and happy with these products. Style is a mix of several - pop, new country, classic rock, blues. No metal. I do use high-gain tones but spend 95% of my time with club clean and light crunch tones.
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The Pickup Place / Re: Successful Strat extreme makeover
« on: March 17, 2017, 04:12:17 PM »
Very cool! I had thoughts of getting one for the middle as well, but think I'll go with the VV 54 Pro. Obviously I need more Strats...
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The Pickup Place / Successful Strat extreme makeover
« on: March 17, 2017, 10:51:59 AM »
As mentioned earlier, my height adjustment progressed to a need for pickup surgery! My Melancon Pro Artist was running DiMarzio Areas - 61 in the bridge, 58s neck and middle. These had served me well for several years.
But something was driving me to make a change. I just could not find ear-pleasing tones any longer. This is the best Strat I've ever played - not the guitar's fault. And it has seen several pickup swaps (including a h/s/s pickguard - Melancon 'guards are a 10-hole pattern, not Fender compatible).
Last night, the Area 61 gave way to a DiMarzio Virtual Solo. The neck Area 58 gave way to a Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2. Both changes were made after asking a lot of questions and listening to countless demos.
Frankly, I think I just needed a change. But man! I got this one WAY right! The Virtual Solo seems to lie somewhere between a hot Strat and a humbucker. Maybe even a touch of Tele bridge in there. Whatever, I can now play it clean without rolling off the tone (wired directly to the bridge). And under gain, it sings wonderfully. Most thrilling to my ear bones!
The Heavy Blues 2, originally bought for the bridge, ended up in the neck. It is sublime! Hard to describe. More polite than the typical Strat neck pickup (always a great tone), warmer with a feathery edge that shimmers without being overly bright. Yeah, need more words for this one.
Other positions also benefit from these changes. In short, it's a new guitar! I haven't yet run it hard - will fix that starting after work and the weekend - but the hour I did run it (and heard it played by my friend who did the wiring) definitely thrilled me.
I have used DiMarzios for a long time now and decided to stick with them (I had looked at others, like MojoTones, Kinmans, and others) this time around. For me, this was a great decision to stay with the family.
More changes are coming. Virtual Vintage 54 Pro for the middle of the Melancon and my h/s/s Warmoth Strat. Maybe another for the neck of the Warmoth. My friend has his h/s/s Melancon set up with 54s neck and middle and I played that for a few minutes, then handed the guitar back and mumbled something about having to order more pickups.
Any thoughts? Will be selling some very nice Areas probably. Before I buy/build more guitars to re-home them.
But something was driving me to make a change. I just could not find ear-pleasing tones any longer. This is the best Strat I've ever played - not the guitar's fault. And it has seen several pickup swaps (including a h/s/s pickguard - Melancon 'guards are a 10-hole pattern, not Fender compatible).
Last night, the Area 61 gave way to a DiMarzio Virtual Solo. The neck Area 58 gave way to a Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2. Both changes were made after asking a lot of questions and listening to countless demos.
Frankly, I think I just needed a change. But man! I got this one WAY right! The Virtual Solo seems to lie somewhere between a hot Strat and a humbucker. Maybe even a touch of Tele bridge in there. Whatever, I can now play it clean without rolling off the tone (wired directly to the bridge). And under gain, it sings wonderfully. Most thrilling to my ear bones!
The Heavy Blues 2, originally bought for the bridge, ended up in the neck. It is sublime! Hard to describe. More polite than the typical Strat neck pickup (always a great tone), warmer with a feathery edge that shimmers without being overly bright. Yeah, need more words for this one.
Other positions also benefit from these changes. In short, it's a new guitar! I haven't yet run it hard - will fix that starting after work and the weekend - but the hour I did run it (and heard it played by my friend who did the wiring) definitely thrilled me.
I have used DiMarzios for a long time now and decided to stick with them (I had looked at others, like MojoTones, Kinmans, and others) this time around. For me, this was a great decision to stay with the family.
More changes are coming. Virtual Vintage 54 Pro for the middle of the Melancon and my h/s/s Warmoth Strat. Maybe another for the neck of the Warmoth. My friend has his h/s/s Melancon set up with 54s neck and middle and I played that for a few minutes, then handed the guitar back and mumbled something about having to order more pickups.
Any thoughts? Will be selling some very nice Areas probably. Before I buy/build more guitars to re-home them.
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The Pickup Place / Re: What Model/Date are these Dimarzios?
« on: March 10, 2017, 09:03:37 AM »
Those are very old...more recent pickups have ID info. I can't help, but can tell you these look just like my old Dual Sound pickups, which I believe were the first pickups set up for coil splitting. I bought some of these when they were newly introduced in the mid- to late-70s. So I'm guessing you're in that era. Some suggest using a meter to read the coils. That alone might get you an ID. The PAF and Super Distortion were other variations and I'm fairly sure did not bear any labeling.
Not much help but hopefully a voice in the distance is better than silence.
Regardless, these are great pickups and I would find a home for them and play them loud!
Not much help but hopefully a voice in the distance is better than silence.
Regardless, these are great pickups and I would find a home for them and play them loud!
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The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio pickup advice - Strat
« on: March 06, 2017, 11:11:14 AM »
Yeah, I want to get a 54 Pro soon. I do have another Strat...
Thanks! My Virtual Solo arrives tomorrow and should get installed this week. Can't wait!!
Thanks! My Virtual Solo arrives tomorrow and should get installed this week. Can't wait!!
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The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio pickup advice - Strat
« on: March 03, 2017, 03:21:23 PM »
Thanks! Great info and confirmation. I will go ahead as planned.
I did try an Area 61 in the neck of this guitar a year or so ago. At first I loved it, but that didn't last. I was happy to re-install the Area 58. Still, I might try it again at some point, maybe in my h/s/s Strat.
Virtual Solo will be here Tuesday. I will leave the 250K pots for now, but think they'll be fine.
I'm still curious about an Injector bridge and an VV 54 Pro somewhere - neck or middle.
I did try an Area 61 in the neck of this guitar a year or so ago. At first I loved it, but that didn't last. I was happy to re-install the Area 58. Still, I might try it again at some point, maybe in my h/s/s Strat.
Virtual Solo will be here Tuesday. I will leave the 250K pots for now, but think they'll be fine.
I'm still curious about an Injector bridge and an VV 54 Pro somewhere - neck or middle.
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The Pickup Place / DiMarzio pickup advice - Strat
« on: March 03, 2017, 08:44:41 AM »
Guitar is a Melancon Pro Artist S, chambered. Despite that, the guitar sounds pretty vintage-y. Music style is p&w, so think rock/pop/blues/country (we cover a lot of stuff).
Current setup for many years - Area 61 bridge, Area 58 neck/middle. 7-tone wiring, tone control wired directly to bridge (this is a 2-knob guitar).
These have served me well, but I am feeling the need to make a change. I'm looking to go warmer, maybe more bluesy. I really don't run pristine cleans - club clean and light crunch are used the most, but also higher-gain tones are needed at times. I'm mainly a Fender amp sort of guy (Axe-Fx II).
On hand is a VV Heavy Blues 2 (just purchased) that I was going to put into the bridge. But YT demos have me thinking, as a couple used the HB2 in the neck and the tones were amazing! Yesterday I ordered a Virtual Solo thinking that will go into the bridge instead.
Current thoughts - HB2 neck, Area 58 middle, and VSolo bridge. I do like some quack but not going for vintage. Definitely want some fatness and warmth from the bridge and am not after a vintage voicing there. I do have an Area 61 that could go in the middle, not sure how much that will cost me in "quack."
Current pots are 250K. Guitar is a touch dark - would I be better served switching these out? Answers to this question seem to go both ways, but I'll gladly switch them given good reason. I guess I wonder if the change is needed if all I need to do is turn up the treble or presence a bit. Am I missing something in this process?
I'd appreciate any thoughts and advice.
Current setup for many years - Area 61 bridge, Area 58 neck/middle. 7-tone wiring, tone control wired directly to bridge (this is a 2-knob guitar).
These have served me well, but I am feeling the need to make a change. I'm looking to go warmer, maybe more bluesy. I really don't run pristine cleans - club clean and light crunch are used the most, but also higher-gain tones are needed at times. I'm mainly a Fender amp sort of guy (Axe-Fx II).
On hand is a VV Heavy Blues 2 (just purchased) that I was going to put into the bridge. But YT demos have me thinking, as a couple used the HB2 in the neck and the tones were amazing! Yesterday I ordered a Virtual Solo thinking that will go into the bridge instead.
Current thoughts - HB2 neck, Area 58 middle, and VSolo bridge. I do like some quack but not going for vintage. Definitely want some fatness and warmth from the bridge and am not after a vintage voicing there. I do have an Area 61 that could go in the middle, not sure how much that will cost me in "quack."
Current pots are 250K. Guitar is a touch dark - would I be better served switching these out? Answers to this question seem to go both ways, but I'll gladly switch them given good reason. I guess I wonder if the change is needed if all I need to do is turn up the treble or presence a bit. Am I missing something in this process?
I'd appreciate any thoughts and advice.
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