Members dimibetan Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 Until now I haven't decided yet the set of humbuckers for my HH Strat (Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard) project. Before I was leaning to Duncan Jazz/Custom (Custom with ceramics) set-up. But, from the forums I asked, they recommended the 59 rather than Jazz for the Custom. Some also recommended the DiMarzio Air Norton /Tone Zone combo - best for Strats, they say... Now, I'm turn to two humbucker sets. Actually, I was looking for a set that would go best from Jazz to Blues to Metal (also drop tuning). Maybe I am just ambitious of having a set-up that would accommodate most genre. But for these sets, maybe you guys can tell me which is close to what I am saying. Thanks in advance.... Edit: I also wanted to add, which is great (of course, the bridge pickup) for pinch harmonics... and great cleans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members matt rhoades Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 I got the dimarzio combo on my ibanez i love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dimibetan Posted December 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 anyone else care to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dimibetan Posted December 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 bump... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dman11 Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 I'd go for an Air Norton with a regular Norton in the bridge. The Tone Zone is so overused, while the regular Norton has better, screaming harmonics and a great low end but more balanced than the TZ. It's in the strat in my avatar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LesPaulFetish Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 I'm not sure about the DiMarzios and cleans, I just got a Fast Track 2 and the cleans are nothing to write home about, but of course the high gain stuff is great. Bit of a catch 22, I don't think high output pickups are really designed with jazz in mind but it will work. If you play mostly low gain stuff and some high gain, I'd go with the Duncans, if mostly high-ish gain I'd go DiMarzio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 i voted dimarzio, purely because i've owned/played the other combo and i'd like to hear the dimarzio option. duncan custom/59 might suit a gibson style better (slash used the custom to record the classic GNR stuff) and those dimarzio buckers are meant to be thicker sounding i'd think either set would be great though ps. get a series-parallel switch and either set will cover everything you're wanting them to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Help!I'maRock! Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 i think a more comparable combo would be a Dimarzio PAF/Air Norton set. you may also want to consider the Air Zone instead of the Tone Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PunkKitty Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 I have a Tone Zone/PAF Joe combo in one of my Carvins. It's a great combo. I love the Tone Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftyaxeman Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 I'm using a set of 59's in my Les Paul & love them, now I'm going to use a set in a HH strat build I'm in the process of completing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 For more modern tones, I gotta go with Dimarzio. That's a great combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dimibetan Posted December 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 i think a more comparable combo would be a Dimarzio PAF/Air Norton set. you may also want to consider the Air Zone instead of the Tone Zone. I heard they say Air Norton sounds thin on bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thecornman Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 Air Norton and Norton have the same curve and almost have the same output. Will the neck pickup overpower the bridge in this set-up?I think I'm in the mostly-low-some-high stuff. But I can still use coil tapping on high out pickups right?How about splitting, will that also get what I want?I heard they say Air Norton sounds thin on bridge. The Norton would work just fine with the Air Norton! All the Dimarzio's being talked about are 4-conductor so you have lots of options with them! The Air Norton would not sound thin in the bridge at all! It is basically a hotter Paf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Help!I'maRock! Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 Air Norton and Norton have the same curve and almost have the same output. Will the neck pickup overpower the bridge in this set-up?I think I'm in the mostly-low-some-high stuff. But I can still use coil tapping on high out pickups right?How about splitting, will that also get what I want?I heard they say Air Norton sounds thin on bridge. I have the Air Norton in the bridge of my Ibanez. Definitely not thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 Both of those combinations are good but you will get better cleans in your bridge with the duncan custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 How about splitting, will that also get what I want? Splitting will get you authentic single coil tones, but parallel will get you just about the same kind of tones and it will still be hum-cancelling. I'd bet a Tone Zone sounds great in parallel (humbuckers are typically wired in series) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mister Zero Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 slash used the custom to record the classic GNR stuff Incorrect. Alnico Pro 2s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mister Zero Posted December 14, 2011 Members Share Posted December 14, 2011 If clean to mid gain is your main thing, I'd go for a Dimarzio Air Classic in the neck and a 36th Anniversary PAF in the bridge. Let the amp do the work for high gain stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 Splitting will get you authentic single coil tones, but parallel will get you just about the same kind of tones and it will still be hum-cancelling. I'd bet a Tone Zone sounds great in parallel (humbuckers are typically wired in series) Good point. I forgot about wiring in parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members craigny Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 Love the duncans but i vote Dimarzios all the way man......fanboy here...the ToneZone is the best all around guitar pickup IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dimibetan Posted December 15, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 bump... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 I was hardcore SD for a long time. They make good pickups, but one I heard the Tone Zone/Evolution combo they put in the Charvel So Cals, I am a convert. I mean there are some nuanced differences, but my Charvels sound like Les Pauls. The Tone Zone is my current favorite bridge pickup. Great when overdriven, from AC/DC to crazy high gain, and clean it sounds like a nice full bridge bucker should. I've never tried the Air Norton neck, but the Evolution is awesome. Great for light overdrive that's full but still got a lot of attack. Even better cleans, and the pair make for a sweet middle position. My current favorite clean sound. I'd go DiMarzio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 Incorrect. Alnico Pro 2s. actually he did. he switched to Alnico 2 Pros after Use You Illusion for the early stuff, he used an SH-5 Custom at the bridge and alnico 2 pro at the neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Help!I'maRock! Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 actually he did. he switched to Alnico 2 Pros after Use You Illusionfor the early stuff, he used an SH-5 Custom at the bridge and alnico 2 pro at the neck source? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted December 15, 2011 Members Share Posted December 15, 2011 source? I just searched da interwebz and i can't really find any evidence so i may well be wrong about that. I remember when my friend was 14 he was a BIG Slash fan and i went with him to the guitar shop to get new pickups installed in his Epiphone Les Paul Standard. He asked the tech guy to fit "whatever pickups Slash uses" which the tech guy assured us was an SH-5 in the bridge and an APH-1 in the neck (before he did Slash's Snakepit, when he supposedly switched to both APH-1s). Maybe he just tried to sell whatever he had in stock to an impressionable teenager to make his life easier. Either way, the SH-5/APH-1 was a great combo and actually totally nailed that hard rock tone. He still uses that to this day (15 years on).I feel like the SH-5 is designed to be like a PAF/'59 made for playing hard rock/metal. Does the 80s metal thing well. Lots of bite, punchy lows, not overly middy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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