1

The Pickup Place / Re: PAF pickups that are close in brightness to singles?

« on: Today at 03:39:56 AM »

Hi,

I have two guitars, one is a Strat with a set of Heavy Blues 2 / Area 61 / VV 54 Pro, and the other is Firebird Studio with PAF Master set. There is a colossal difference in brightness between, and I'd like to reduce it somehow. I used to have yet another guitar where I put the Air Classic NECK in the bridge position, and I remember that being much closer in brightness to the singles. I still have that pickup, so I was thinking of replacing the Masters; I'd put the Air Classic Neck in the bridge, but what would pair well with that pickup in the neck position? Is EJ Custom a good candidate, and would I go then with the bridge or the neck model?

Keep in mind that the guitars themselves may be very different in brightness due to the construction and woods. Also, the VV Heavy Blues 2 in the bridge position is still a very bright pickup. I personally prefer the Injector bridge. That one would reduce the brightness but since you were not saying the Heavy Blues 2 was too bright I do not advise changing it.

Since you already have the Air Classic Neck why not try that in the bridge first to see whether you like it there.

As regards bright and tight neck pickups that is a quite difficult task. The one I liked most so far is the Fralin Twangmaster. That one would reduce the brightness difference between the guitars to almost nothing. I also have used the Seymour Duncan Full Shred neck but with mixed results. In one guitar it sounded great (well it still does), in another ok, in one too thin and in one too fizzy so it is guitar sensitive.

No experience with the Air Classics, PAF Masters or EJ models, unfortunately.

Cheers Stephan

2

The Pickup Place / Re: Dimarzio Steve Morse Bridge DP200 Review

« on: September 18, 2024, 05:52:57 AM »

Many thanks, very informative.

Cheers Stephan

3

The Pickup Place / Re: Rick Derringer pickups description from Steve Blucher

« on: August 15, 2024, 03:22:21 AM »

As a series model it is discontinued but still available from the custom shop, see here: https://www.dimarzio.com/faq

Cheers Stephan

4

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: DLX Plus

« on: July 09, 2024, 09:00:50 AM »

Meanwhile I found out that the DLX Plus neck (DP-162) is a great bridge pickup, too. Similar to the DLX Plus bridge but a tad brighter, a tad more high midrange and a bit tighter in the low end. Can be easily tamed with the help of the tone control. Highly recommended.

Cheers Stephan

5

The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups for dark guitar

« on: July 08, 2024, 05:40:26 AM »

I have a guitar that was dark with almost all pickups I tried. The big problem was the neck spot - everything PAF and remotely PAF sounded like a big mudfest. Bridge pickups were less of a problem - most I liked though none I loved.

The first marked improvement I got with a Lollartron (bridge) in the bridge and a Lollar Firebird in the neck - much clearer overall. The set I ended up with in that guitar was a set of Fralin Twangmasters which are split coil humbuckers (just like Precision bass pickups). That cured the muddy neck pickup syndrome for good. The bridge, however, is a lot brighter than a typical PAF - sounds more like a hot rod tele so if you are going for a humbucker tone that would not be my recommendation.

Full shred neck model works well in some guitars but I disliked it in others.

Cheers Stephan

6

The Pickup Place / Re: Rick Derringer pickups description from Steve Blucher

« on: July 08, 2024, 05:32:11 AM »

Thanks for posting info on a very rare set, really appreciated.

Cheers Stephan

7

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Area 58, 61 and 67 Strat Pickups

« on: May 02, 2024, 07:22:59 AM »

Yep - but when you get to the point where it's too sharp, simply go one step back.

And I agree it is guitar dependent.

Cheers Stephan

8

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: FRED

« on: April 29, 2024, 02:19:23 AM »

That may well be correct - the guitar it is in is not specifically bright. Not dark either, though.

9

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: FRED

« on: April 26, 2024, 04:25:27 AM »

Love the FRED in the bridge with a 250k volume pot - clear but not sharp highs, full mids, nice harmonics, a lot of fun to play.

10

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Area 58, 61 and 67 Strat Pickups

« on: April 26, 2024, 04:23:23 AM »

I guess I mentioned before but I strongly prefer a 250k volume pot or lower for 67, 58 and 61 (and Virtual Vintage 54 Pro), regardless of the position. Same goes for any of the higher output models (Injectors, Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 and Virtual Solo) in the bridge position. For the Injector neck in the neck position, I prefer a 500k volume pot.

What I did not mention previously is that all of the Area models are sensitive to the tone control loading. If you have a 250k tone pot and want more brightness, try a 500k. Want still more? Try a 1meg or a no-load pot.

Cheers Stephan

11

The Pickup Place / Re: Input

« on: March 18, 2024, 05:17:34 AM »

If the PAF Pro is muddy then PAF Joe would be a step up in brightness. So would be the Humbucker From Hell but that one has way more bass than the chart would indicate. Personally I like the Bluesbucker.

For the bridge, almost anything from DiMarzio will be less bass / low mid heavy than the Tone Zone. If you do not need high output, Mo Joe is worth considering. For higher output, Transition bridge is great. I love it in my PRS S2 Standard 24 but that is a rather dark sounding guitar to begin with. If your guitar is on the brighter end, then it may be too bright. In that case, Air Zone, AT-1 or Dominion could work well.

Good luck,
Stephan

12

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzioForum Pickups FAQ

« on: March 11, 2024, 08:48:00 AM »

Now as you've mentioned it I noticed it before, too. But I have no idea what this means - certainly not "uncovered" as this does not make sense for the Area series.

Cheers Stephan

13

The Pickup Place / Re: PAF Pro Review

« on: March 08, 2024, 04:44:09 AM »

I could be wrong, but seem to recall that originally the PP was developed for Jazz/Rock guitarist Bill Connors. 

That is correct - that was mentioned in one of the 80s catalogues.

Cheers Stephan

14

The Pickup Place / Re: Evolution Neck in an HSS?

« on: February 19, 2024, 03:46:32 AM »

I’ve tried it in few guitars now, but I just can’t get on with an Area 61 in the neck*. It’s just too sharp and bright and not all that fat. Maybe I need heavier strings than 10-46. I put an Injector neck in there and it’s a lot better. Position 4 with the VV54P still works pretty well.

You probably have a very bright guitar there. In my #1 I like it just fine in the neck. Injector neck is the logical step up.

Even still, I’m wanting to try a little fatter with an HB2. How well can this pickup clean up with a treble bleed, say in the 270pF range? Will I get any chime out of it?

I have that pickup in the neck position of my Pinecaster tele with a 500k volume pot and a 220pf treble bleed, and it cleans up well. Actually I rely very much on that sound for one song.

Cheers Stephan

15

The Pickup Place / Re: Dimarzio PAF 57

« on: January 26, 2024, 03:26:23 AM »

Ok - now they have 5 PAF variants:

36th Anniversary
59 PAF
57 PAF
Air Classic
PAF Master

Each in bridge and neck versions.

Cheers Stephan