[Ascension]

Over the years have run both Duncans and Dimarzios at times but for the last few years have been almost exclusively Duncan. Last year i bought a 2015 Carvin ST 300 with a set of Dimarzios ( crunch lab / Liquifire set). Thought I could make the Liquifier work but hated the Crunch lab as just could not get anything I could use other than full on crunch tones. Pickup for me would not clean up open up with touch like I needed it to so swapped it for a Gravity Storm Bridge. Pleased with the big organic open tones of the gravity storm but in the end the Liquifire is just to hot dark muddy and really does not split well. What I need is a big sounding pickup that holds up well under gain that is articulate and not muddy + will split well.
 I can just drop a Duncan Sentient in and be done with it and have a Duncan set in Zebra of a Becker Perpetual Burn and a floor custom Zebra Sentient on hand but want to see if there is a Dimarzio that will get me where I need to go for the neck. Suggestions guys??

[buddroyce]

Why not just try the Gravity Storm neck to replace the Liquifire?

[Ascension]

Seriously considered it. The Gravity Storm Neck is a Ceramic mag  pickup and I have never really cared for the response of ceramic in the neck. I'm looking for a big open tone that still holds up well under gain and sings + splits well in this particular guitar. I'm a working player doing mostly modern worship stuff and have to be able to pull off anything from metal to country on the fly. I will run this one with a couple other Carvin Kiesels. My 17 Keisel with a Duncan Perpetual Burn Bridge and the stock  AP11's and a 1993  solid KOA  DC 127 running a Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid and a Sentient. Like the big chewie Gravity Storm bridge but don't know that the ceramic Gravity Storm neck will respond like I need clean and to touch.  Will go back and listen to some more on line tones with the GS neck. My issue is I know what I can grab and drop in from Duncan that will get me close but just want to do some thing different here if I can.

[darkbluemurder]

Breed neck should be brighter than Liquifire. Never had a direct comparison but I had the Breed neck and the Air Norton in the neck position of a bright guitar, and the Breed neck is brighter. Big tone it does have. No idea how it splits - the particular guitar is not set up for the splits to be run individually. It does lose quite a bit of output though. If you want the split tone to be in balance with the full humbucker mode, only the Bluesbucker achieves that.

Cheers Stephan

[Ascension]

Stephan thanks for the input. Looks like you are about as well versed on Dimarzios as i am Duncans so helps a lot. The Bluesbucker is one i'm looking at hard seems close to some thing like say a PG neck Duncan.  What i wish i could find is the pickup that came stock in the Yamaha Pacifica 1421. Unique to those guitars and there were less than 200 built. Had one in the Pawn Shop I was working for and I LOVED the tones out of that guitar but could never cross it over to any production Dimarzio.   
 Was one just like this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWwrF61J4SQ

[Ascension]

Took a hard look at the wiring on the guitar today. When I got her it had an aftermarket superswitch installed and in listening and then looking at how it's set up wonder how it is splitting these pickups. I'm getting buzz in 2,3 and 4 and then full humbucking in 1 and 5.  Ordered a stock 3 way from Kiesel today and am going to install it to evaluate where it is tone wise then work from there. Dropped the Liquifire today and that helped balance the output  and also open it up and get some of the the wooliness out of the bottom. Thinking of going to the 3 way lever then adding a push pull tone pot as a master split and then working from there. Wondering seriously if the split tones being anemic are some what related to how that super switch is set up.  This gives me a fresh start and a known base to work from. Really like the Gravity Storm in the bridge so let's see what i can do with the Liquifire after getting this part sorted out. Thanks for the input guys.

[gtrjunior]

I have used the bluesbucker in the past too and can say that it really has a big, round singing and well....bluesy tone.
I didn’t split it so I can’t comment there but it is a great pickup, for sure.