[darkbluemurder]

Matt put it well.

Slugworth, I really was not questioning your guitar wiring abilities - sorry if it came across that way.

Cheers Stephan

[Matt_B]

This past week I've been playing a new guitar that came stock with a Tone Zone in the bridge. It's been a little while since I've spent some serious time with said pickup and in this guitar (thin maple top, swamp ash body, maple fingerboard, 1 volume no tone) it sounds really nice. The high is pretty smooth and the low end isn't overwhelming.

That said I'm still thinking I want to try something a little thinner/brighter so my quest continues though I'm leaning a little more towards the AT-1 side.

[slugworth]

If you just want something a little thinner/brighter than the Tone Zone, why not just install a coil split switch? Then you'd have the best of both worlds. The full on Tone Zone, which you now know you like, and the ability to switch to the split thinner/brighter version.

[Matt_B]

I definitely don't want to split the pickup. A single coil is not what I'm going for. That's too far to the other side. I thought about trying the TZ in parallel but I haven't researched if others have tried this and what the result was.

[Matt_B]

I found a great video on You Tube that demonstrates the difference in sound between series and parallel for the Tone Zone, both clean and dirty.

From what I heard it might be just what I'm looking for. At the very least I can try wiring it up with a switch and see what I think of the parallel tone. If it works out I'll just put in a push/pull pot.

[Matt_B]

So Ray, have you ever tried a Tone Zone in parallel and if so, how do you feel it compares to a PAF?

[RayBarbeeMusic]

I have but it was so long ago I don't remember. 

But I'll tell you a trick I use: 

Most higher output humbuckers in parallel don't sound so great or like a PAF.  Part of that is because of the load 2 singles in parallel want to see vs. what a humbucker wants to see, part if it is the high end of 2 singles in parallel, even when next to each other on the same plate, kind of kills that "humbucker" thing.  So what I do is, on the switch, you have the middle two posts of your 6 posts dpdt switch where one side is the negative of one coil and the other side is the positive of the other coil.  When the pickup is in series, these are connected by a jumper across the upper to posts of the switch.  Ok so wire a 470k (or 500 if you are using metal film and have one) resistor in parallel with a 1000pf cap across those middle two posts.  This affects nothing when the pickup is in series since those posts are shorted, but when you pull the switch to put it in parallel, it creates a ~250k resistance to ground, more what singles want to see, and the 1000pf cap rolls off the highs such that you now have something that is lower in output and brighter/tighter, but still sounds like a PAF. 

I've seen people complain about AT-1s not sounding so great in parallel, that trick cures it and makes them a PAF sounding pickup in parallel.  Ditto others. 

I'm somehow finding it difficult to appreciate the continued insinuation that I don't know how to wire a guitar because I didn't like the AT-1.

Not saying that at all.  I'm sure you know how to wire it, that's why I'm saying I bet it was defective given how far off your descriptions of it are.  Your take on other pickups doesn't seen far off, so I can't say it's the sound of your rig etc,, I'm really thinking the AT-1 had an issue.  It happens.

[jazzfromhell]

I found a great video on You Tube that demonstrates the difference in sound between series and parallel for the Tone Zone, both clean and dirty.

From what I heard it might be just what I'm looking for. At the very least I can try wiring it up with a switch and see what I think of the parallel tone. If it works out I'll just put in a push/pull pot.

Yes!!

My two main guitars right now has Tone Zone and AT-1 in the bridge positions. Both are wired to push/push parallel switches. I love the sound of the TZ in parallel (cant say how much it sounds like a PAF though), it thins it out just enough and its a sound I use ALL the time when I dont need the full beef of the TZ.

FWIW The AT-1 on the other hand is just unuseable this way; way WAY too thin and screetchy for me (not saying others cant dig it though).

Guitars are Floyded basswood Ibanezez.

[Matt_B]

To be clear I don't expect a parallel Tone Zone to just like a PAF. If it did every one would be talking about it. The reason I asked is that the YouTube clip I heard, which I take with a grain of salt, seemed to indicate that the TZ in parallel had some of that high end zing that a PAF has.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Yeah try that resistor/cap trick I mentioned on the AT-1.  Makes it very usable in parallel. 

[Matt_B]

I spent that past week playing a new guitar with a Tone Zone in the bridge and few nights ago I went back to an old guitar with a PAF in the bridge.

After that little comparison period I'm going to stick with the PAFs in most of my guitars including the new one. For my needs I find them far more versatile especially with an Axe FX Ultra. I can do a lot to my tone with pre and post distortion EQ.

Thanks for all the input. It helped me make a decision.