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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Breed
« Last post by darkbluemurder on December 10, 2025, 08:23:26 AM »Glad to see the set is back in the regular line up, albeit as a special order model with longer production time.
Recent Posts
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The Pickup Place / Re: My review of the Super PAF Ceramic
« Last post by nienturi on December 10, 2025, 12:51:55 AM »Hi guys, long time no post on my end (happens when we get old). I ordered a Super PAF Ceramic and installed it in my Kiesel Delos which has 2 bridge Cruisers in the neck and middle. It replaced the Air Classic that I was running. The sound, for me, was too compressed (less openness than the Air Classic). I'm currently playing classic rock in my current band and recording progressive rock at home and various jams. It just didn't have the openness that the Air Classic has, and for me, it was an exchange for another (a PAF 7 for the neck of my 7-string Delos with an Air Norton 7 in the bridge). It was just too much squeeze for me, as I find myself going to more vintage pickups these days. Some will like it, but for me it wasn't to be.
Yours in
Walt
Thanks for your review.
Nevertheless the result was too obvious; results from air classic to Super PAF are, you know, inevitable
If i were you i would pick something more "real" PAF oriented like Virtual Hot PAF, Fortitude, PAF 36th bridge 
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The Pickup Place / Re: My review of the Super PAF Ceramic
« Last post by darkbluemurder on December 09, 2025, 11:57:45 AM »First of all, welcome back!
Going from an Air Classic to a Super Distortion type pickup is quite a radical change in output and compression, and it is a substantial volume mismatch to the Cruisers which are quite low output.
If you want a bit hotter than PAF level, Air Norton is worth considering.
Cheers Stephan
Going from an Air Classic to a Super Distortion type pickup is quite a radical change in output and compression, and it is a substantial volume mismatch to the Cruisers which are quite low output.
If you want a bit hotter than PAF level, Air Norton is worth considering.
Cheers Stephan
34
The Pickup Place / Re: Quacky Neck PU for Super 3 Bridge PU?
« Last post by Mr. Lime on December 09, 2025, 02:44:46 AM »I just realized I did a post 3 years ago on the Duncan-Forum praising the Air Norton with a ceramic magnet to have a kind of stratty sound. Since it's my only AN it still has to have the swapped magnet in it.
Seems I forgot what I did and I now have the ceramic AN in the SG - this explains why I like it much more than the AN I had in an Ibanez J Custom so the A5 magnet is the wrong reference here.
Last week I ordered a Gravtiy Storm neck pickup but it will take up to 5 months until it's delivered so my comparison will take some time till I can give advice.
The Norton sounds great with a ceramic magnet for the bridge position as well!
EDIT: Also the Satchur8 seems so be very close to the Gravity Storm neck. Just swap the A8 for ceramic and do the airing..
Seems I forgot what I did and I now have the ceramic AN in the SG - this explains why I like it much more than the AN I had in an Ibanez J Custom so the A5 magnet is the wrong reference here.
Last week I ordered a Gravtiy Storm neck pickup but it will take up to 5 months until it's delivered so my comparison will take some time till I can give advice.
The Norton sounds great with a ceramic magnet for the bridge position as well!
EDIT: Also the Satchur8 seems so be very close to the Gravity Storm neck. Just swap the A8 for ceramic and do the airing..
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The Pickup Place / My review of the Super PAF Ceramic
« Last post by wxs3 on December 08, 2025, 03:21:54 PM »Hi guys, long time no post on my end (happens when we get old). I ordered a Super PAF Ceramic and installed it in my Kiesel Delos which has 2 bridge Cruisers in the neck and middle. It replaced the Air Classic that I was running. The sound, for me, was too compressed (less openness than the Air Classic). I'm currently playing classic rock in my current band and recording progressive rock at home and various jams. It just didn't have the openness that the Air Classic has, and for me, it was an exchange for another (a PAF 7 for the neck of my 7-string Delos with an Air Norton 7 in the bridge). It was just too much squeeze for me, as I find myself going to more vintage pickups these days. Some will like it, but for me it wasn't to be.
Yours in
Walt
Yours in
Walt
36
The Pickup Place / Re: 3 New Pickups from Dimarzio: Super PAF, Muscle T's
« Last post by darkbluemurder on December 05, 2025, 03:54:19 AM »That should be a great match for the Hamer. 90s Hamers are great great guitars.
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The Pickup Place / Re: 3 New Pickups from Dimarzio: Super PAF, Muscle T's
« Last post by kookaburra on December 04, 2025, 06:10:17 PM »I also had the idea that the Super PAF was just a cosmetic shift. However, I wasn’t looking for higher output anyway.
I did take advantage of the recent sale to buy a 36th Anniversary bridge for a 1995 Hamer Special FM. It’s in the mail currently.
I did take advantage of the recent sale to buy a 36th Anniversary bridge for a 1995 Hamer Special FM. It’s in the mail currently.
38
The Trading Post / FS: DiMarzio Fortitude DP290 Humbucker - Mint
« Last post by dregsfan on December 03, 2025, 06:39:21 PM »This is a DiMarzio Fortitude DP290 humbucking pickup (standard string spacing) that I purchased new. I installed it just to see if I wanted a full sized humbucker in a particular guitar I have. I quickly decided it just didn’t look right on that guitar to have anything other than the original 2 slanted single coil pickups. So, this pickup was only on the guitar for a very brief time. However, it was a fun experiment and sounded great (it was installed in the neck position).
Due to its brief time in the guitar and being that I installed, and un-installed it myself, it’s in pristine condition. I’m always careful and conscientious when doing any work on my instruments.
It has a black cover, which can be taken off or changed of course, and it comes with mounting screws and springs. It will ship in the original plastic box it came in.
Here’s a well done review on the Fortitude pickup.
https://youtu.be/b553cf0_FCA?si=SrjJG7QkKjBhZkn8
Again, it’s in excellent condition and sounds great both in full humbucking mode and also when coil-splitting and it’s standard string spacing.
NOTE: I have 48 positive and 0 negatives Feedback Score in TalkBass’s classifieds.
$55 Free shipping (conus), PayPal
Thanks
Due to its brief time in the guitar and being that I installed, and un-installed it myself, it’s in pristine condition. I’m always careful and conscientious when doing any work on my instruments.
It has a black cover, which can be taken off or changed of course, and it comes with mounting screws and springs. It will ship in the original plastic box it came in.
Here’s a well done review on the Fortitude pickup.
https://youtu.be/b553cf0_FCA?si=SrjJG7QkKjBhZkn8
Again, it’s in excellent condition and sounds great both in full humbucking mode and also when coil-splitting and it’s standard string spacing.
NOTE: I have 48 positive and 0 negatives Feedback Score in TalkBass’s classifieds.
$55 Free shipping (conus), PayPal
Thanks
39
The Pickup Place / Re: Quacky Neck PU for Super 3 Bridge PU?
« Last post by Mr. Lime on December 01, 2025, 06:12:49 AM »I rather mean the kind of blooming of notes played usually associated with a Strat neck PU.
Not to be mistaken with the glassy SC sound, which I'm not after. The Air Norten does have that blooming effect I mean while the HFH is missing it - at least in this Gibson SG and the amps I tested it with.
So my resume is that bright pickups just sound thin in this guitar.
Several years ago I tried all kinds of phase switching, series and parallel wirings and how useful all of that is really depends on the guitar and the pickups used.
Usually I find series OoP wirings on the bridge PU more useful. I tend to dislike parallel wirings of humbuckers in itself.
As I already tried some very bright pickups, I'm afraid the Super 2 will disapoint me as it's probably kind of a high power Humbucker from Hell model.
What I really need in the SG are mids and only moderate bass and treble.
I like the recommendation of the EMG 81 since to my understanding the 81 always was ment to be in the neck postition and the 85 in the bridge. I always liked the 85 in the brdige more than those 81 but would rather try a 60 in the neck.
Don't know why would someone put it other way around as most guitars with EMGs are sold with 81/85 for bridge/neck..
I recently tried it with my Engl 580 preamp and the Air Norten performs quite well in the bass frequencies.
The Liquidfire and Gravity Storm are probably the best bets, see the technical comparison attached.
Not to be mistaken with the glassy SC sound, which I'm not after. The Air Norten does have that blooming effect I mean while the HFH is missing it - at least in this Gibson SG and the amps I tested it with.
So my resume is that bright pickups just sound thin in this guitar.
Several years ago I tried all kinds of phase switching, series and parallel wirings and how useful all of that is really depends on the guitar and the pickups used.
Usually I find series OoP wirings on the bridge PU more useful. I tend to dislike parallel wirings of humbuckers in itself.
As I already tried some very bright pickups, I'm afraid the Super 2 will disapoint me as it's probably kind of a high power Humbucker from Hell model.
What I really need in the SG are mids and only moderate bass and treble.
I like the recommendation of the EMG 81 since to my understanding the 81 always was ment to be in the neck postition and the 85 in the bridge. I always liked the 85 in the brdige more than those 81 but would rather try a 60 in the neck.
Don't know why would someone put it other way around as most guitars with EMGs are sold with 81/85 for bridge/neck..
If the Air Norton has too much bass in the neck spot (for me it would), LiquiFire is an option.
Cheers Stephan
I recently tried it with my Engl 580 preamp and the Air Norten performs quite well in the bass frequencies.
The Liquidfire and Gravity Storm are probably the best bets, see the technical comparison attached.
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The Pickup Place / Re: Quacky Neck PU for Super 3 Bridge PU?
« Last post by darkbluemurder on December 01, 2025, 03:57:53 AM »If the Air Norton has too much bass in the neck spot (for me it would), LiquiFire is an option.
Cheers Stephan
Cheers Stephan