[Strangeman86]

Big edit and simplification.  I'd love some suggestions for something voiced like a slightly higher output and more aggressive Norton with a tighter bottom end and all the harmonic content.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

[agt]

Air Zone?

Higher output or are clean tones important to you?

[greenlion]

Maybe the Transition Bridge or one of the Evolution Bridge pickups? Not exactly like the Norton, but may be the direction you are looking.

[Strangeman86]

The transition was where I was primarily looking, but I decided to give the Dominion a shot and ordered one last night.  We'll see in a few days what that yields in the context of my guitar (the demos of the Dominion sounded dark/thick enough to accommodate my needs).

[5150]

Let us know how you like the Dominion. I've kinda been on the lookout for something similar myself.

[Strangeman86]

Just got the Dominion in this past afternoon and soldered it up.  I'll do my best to be succinct in my initial impression.

Pros:
- Big, bold and unapologetic.
- Doesn't have the grainy/harsh quality that a lot of ceramic based pickups do (at least to my ears).
- Super tight lows.
- Midrange for days and days (seriously, I thought the gravity storm had a lot of mids) that aren't honky or quacky.
- The mids also have a great cocked-wah quality that adds some extra character to solos.
- Highs that are present and cut through well but aren't harsh.
- Has a great elastic/chewy sort of feel (listen to LoG's riffs, you'll understand what I'm saying).

Cons:
- Big, bold and unapologetic.
- Lots of mids which can make it hard to dial in a more delicate sounding clean.
- If your previous bridge pickup was not also metal oriented then you will likely need to vastly adjust your EQ/setup to suit the Dominion.
- Not the greatest note separation I've ever heard.

Overall:  A fantastic pickup if you're the sole guitar player and you want to stand out or if you need to be heard in a dense mix but be prepared for those mids!

[DarthPhineas]

I consider the Dominion to be one of the best DMZ alternatives to the JB.

[Strangeman86]

So I had another hair-brained idea and air'd out my Dominion.  But I also used the magnet from an Imperium (3/16" as opposed to the stock 1/8" with the little foam pad underneath it as well).  I know this is an oddly specific mod' and not everyone would be able to perform it (or willing to sacrifice two core components of a fantastic Imperium just on a whim).  But on to what you want to hear.  The Dominion, in the context of my guitar/amp/pedals is rather cave-man-esque and... tense is probably the best word I can come up with.  It does lose a bit of power, but the more powerful magnet makes up for that a bit.  The mids are just as warm and growling, the lows have a bit more authority and the highs are more open.  Everything relaxed so much, the note separation is quite a bit better and there's a more musical and 'singy' feel.  This is now the best mod' I've ever performed.  It's still not the most dynamic pickup in the world, but it's so much more fun to play now.