[gregr]

I’m emailing back and forth with DiMarzio but want to get some additional input while I wait for the next reply.

I’m currently using a Virtual Mini Neck with an Area Hot T the relative output is good but the mini is too warm.

I compared the Tele with another guitar that has an HFH and thought it could also be a good pairing, albeit a little fuller and a bit scooped compared the mini. The extra midrange of the mini compared to the HFH makes it seem almost as loud as the HFH.

The specs suggest that the EJs will be leaner than the HFH which will bode well for the Hot T. I’m wondering where the HFH sits relative to the EJ neck and bridge in terms of output and EQ. Based on demos the EJs seem to have quite a bit of push in the top end. This was particularly apparent in one that compares them to Burstbuckers, where the EJs cut right through.

Backing up a bit, I’m after a neck pickup that keeps the low strings bright and can cut like the Hot T. I fear that the neck version of the EJ will lack body and sound too uneven. At the same time I worry that the bridge version will be too hot.

I floated the idea in my last email about swapping in an Alnico 2 in order to drop the level and sweeten the highs of the EJs but haven’t heard back about it. I have reservations that an A2 could weaken the neck version too much, or warm the bridge version up too much, putting me back into the position I’m currently in with the mini.

[darkbluemurder]

I have never played any of the EJ models but I have a HFH. While this is a bright humbucker it still has a lot of bass. It is definitely hotter than the Vintage Minibucker. I have not tested them in the same guitar but I think the HFH is bassier as well.

In applications where I want a low output humbucker that splits well, the Bluesbucker excels. However, the low strings are not really bright or tight in humbucker mode.

The brightest full size humbucker I found suitable for the neck position is not a DiMarzio - it is the Seymour Duncan Full Shred neck (SH-10N). That would have the bright low strings, especially if you remove the 3 screws of the neck side coil under the bass strings (I got that trick from RayBarbeeMusic, who is also a member here). However, that pickup does not really have sweet highs. It has a lot of bite to it. In some guitars I found it harsh while in others it simply kills.

If you have a full size humbucker route in a tele, another cool option is the Fralin Twangmaster. Expensive, unfortunately. That pickup twangs like a single coil on the low strings because it is a split coil pickup (like a Precision bass pickup) and has good solid output. It would definitely not be weak against the Area Hot T.

Cheers Stephan

[gregr]

The Full Shred Neck is a good idea. I use their coils to make hybrids. I think I have a couple  lying around to cobble one back together.

I think I’ll get an EJ anyway seeing that I can exchange the mini rather than sell it at a loss.