Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1

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george homme

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Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« on: September 28, 2016, 12:20:27 PM »
O.k I have a guitar which has the following specs

Alder with maple top Tele Body - Bolt on and Maple neck two hum buckers configuration and vintage 2 point tremolo bridge 25.5 scale. Also note that the hum buckers are body mounted in to the wood...no pick guard.

Its going to be my main instrument as currently I don t have another guitar.

So my question is this..

Which Pickup set its going to be more versatile for this guitar.?

1. DMZ Virtual Hot Paf (Bridge) + 36th Anniv. (Neck)

or

2. DMZ AT-1 DP224 (Bridge) + 36th Anniv. (Neck)

By versatile I mean a guitar that can handle Clean, Crunch, Mid gain and high gain as good as possible.....My style is Blues to Hard rock (i.e Van Halen - Alice in Chains)
« Last Edit: September 28, 2016, 12:24:04 PM by george homme »

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Offline greenlion

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2016, 08:11:41 PM »
I really liked the Virtual Hot PAF, but did not like the AT-1 at all (although I do like Andy Timmons' tone a lot). I wish they still made the Virtual Hot PAF. I think it will be much more versatile and will mesh with the 36th neck better.

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Offline jazzfromhell

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2016, 01:25:22 AM »
I really liked the Virtual Hot PAF, but did not like the AT-1 at all (although I do like Andy Timmons' tone a lot). I wish they still made the Virtual Hot PAF. I think it will be much more versatile and will mesh with the 36th neck better.

+100

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Offline darkbluemurder

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2016, 04:06:25 AM »
Having both pickups I would also say that the Virtual Hot PAF is more versatile. It's always easier to boost a signal than to cut it, and it is always easier to remove highs than to add them.

Cheers Stephan
Area 67, Area 58, Area 61, VV Pro 54, Injectors, VV HB2, Virtual Solo, SDS-1, Area T, Area Hot T, Area T 615, Virtual Hot T, Chopper T, Bluesbucker, Breed set, Air Norton, Super Distortion, DLX+ set, DLX-90, DP240, DP198, DP168, VPAF b, AT-1, Mo' Joe, FRED, Super 2; GS b

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Offline DarthPhineas

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2016, 06:49:08 PM »
I'd also go with the VHPAF. The AT-1 can be a little softer.

The VHPAF can be a little hard to find, but the 36th Anniv Bridge is really close.
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Offline RayBarbeeMusic

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2016, 01:43:50 PM »
Having both pickups I would also say that the Virtual Hot PAF is more versatile.

Completely disagree.  Have had plenty of both in various guitars, still have a VPAF in one guitar although I switched mags to A3.  Still have AT-1s in LOTs of guitars.

AT-1 much more versatile, covers more styles well.  VHPAF is just that... A PAF.  Like most PAFs, it can be RAGING BRIGHT in a lot of guitars unless your amp is very dark, in which case your neck bucker would be a blob of mud.  In a bolt on maple board Tele, I'd expect the VHPAF to be really, really bright, even with 250k volume.

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Offline darkbluemurder

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2016, 03:56:22 AM »
If the OP had asked which pickup balanced better with a neck humbucker I would have recommended the AT-1 in a heartbeat but that wasn't his question. Personally I would also choose the AT-1 over the VHPAF in this application for the exact same reasons you stated.

To get more versatility out of the AT-1 to me would necessitate to set up the guitar for alternative wirings for the bridge pickup. If the OP is open to that I agree that AT-1 would be more versatile than the VHPAF since the greater output makes a better foundation for split and parallel options.

Cheers Stephan
Area 67, Area 58, Area 61, VV Pro 54, Injectors, VV HB2, Virtual Solo, SDS-1, Area T, Area Hot T, Area T 615, Virtual Hot T, Chopper T, Bluesbucker, Breed set, Air Norton, Super Distortion, DLX+ set, DLX-90, DP240, DP198, DP168, VPAF b, AT-1, Mo' Joe, FRED, Super 2; GS b

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Offline headcrash

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2016, 06:17:05 AM »
I would also recommend AT-1, since a PAF style pickup in bridge position can be too quiet for a similar neck pickup.
Plus, in a guitar like the Tele of the OP a AT-1 will sound best for crunch to higain. I personally do like it for cleans and semi cleans, since it is not as shrill as many (PAFish) bridge humbuckers. All in all AT-1 is not as far awayfrom a PAF sound in general, it just isn't as glassy and will sound fuller. It does VH brown tones with ease!

In one of my guitars I have a AT-1 in bridge, which I can switch to parallel. This is a great sound, not single coilish at all, just a bit thinner and lower in output. Works great for crunch and mid gain sounds.

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Offline rumblebox

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2016, 09:28:18 PM »
I really liked the Virtual Hot PAF, but did not like the AT-1 at all (although I do like Andy Timmons' tone a lot). I wish they still made the Virtual Hot PAF. I think it will be much more versatile and will mesh with the 36th neck better.
My experience exactly. The AT-1 only sounded good almost touching the strings and got honkey as i backed it away trying to lower the output. I tried it because i love andy's tone, but i exchanged it for an Air Norton and I'm  completely satisfied. It acts like a very over-wound PAF type.

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Offline darkbluemurder

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2016, 04:06:29 AM »
It acts like a very over-wound PAF type.

Just to make it clear, you are referring to the Norton, not the AT-1, correct?

Thanks, Stephan
Area 67, Area 58, Area 61, VV Pro 54, Injectors, VV HB2, Virtual Solo, SDS-1, Area T, Area Hot T, Area T 615, Virtual Hot T, Chopper T, Bluesbucker, Breed set, Air Norton, Super Distortion, DLX+ set, DLX-90, DP240, DP198, DP168, VPAF b, AT-1, Mo' Joe, FRED, Super 2; GS b

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Offline rumblebox

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Re: Virtual Hot Paf or AT-1
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2016, 07:11:18 AM »
It acts like a very over-wound PAF type.

Just to make it clear, you are referring to the Norton, not the AT-1, correct?

Thanks, Stephan
Yes

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71 deluxe goldtop [BB1, CWP P90]
LTD MH-350NT [BB3,BB2,BB1]
RG450 [Air Norton, stock middle, Cruiser]
LTD M-100 [2 GFS vintage hot singles]
Dean Avalanche 7 [PAF 7's]