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Messages - 123RnR

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16
The Pickup Place / Re: 2019 new models
« on: January 24, 2019, 10:51:34 PM »
all the ones I could notice were new or appeared to be new for 2019 
pricing is "list"



Humbucker

Dreamcatcher Bridge
DP282F
f-space only
129.99

IGNO Bridge
DP285F
f-space only
129.99

Rainmaker Neck
DP281
standard space only
129.99



Strat

Sugar Chakra
DP427
119.99


Tele

Notorious Neck
DP284
129.99

Notorious Middle
DP284S
129.99


Mini

Notorious Bridge
DP283
134.99


7-string

Dreamcatcher 7 bridge
DP724
139.99

Rainmaker 7 neck
DP723
139.99


edit to add:
Soapbar

Fantom P90
DP278
149.99

Fantom P90 w/ full size hum cover
DP279
169.99

Vintage P90
DP280
129.99

Vintage P90 w/ full size hum cover
DP286
149.99


YES!!! THE SUGAR CHAKRA = Dimarzio DP427 is Phil Collen's Signature Pickup!!!
I want more info!!!! :D
Thanks Darth!

17
The Pickup Place / Re: Which neck pickup should I go for now?
« on: January 21, 2019, 03:35:03 PM »
I have a Breed neck in a very bright guitar together with the Super Distortion. Keeps up easily in volume with the SD and has more output than a PAF-style pickup.

Cheers Stephan
PAF Pro isn’t all that boomy.

Super 2 can get a little hairy.

I highly considered the PAF Pro evolution variants like the FRED, PAF Joe, the Breed and others, but decided to place the order for the PAF Pro itself.


I really hope I nail the tone I'm looking for now. I'm a little worried really. Don't know what to expect. My mind says the PAF36th DP103 could do the trick, but I may benefit from extra output in the neck position. I did like the PAF Master in the neck, but truly needed more ''beef'' (bass), and power (output). The PAF Master seems like a pickup that's great to play with a single tube amp channel, and distort, and do everything with pedals n' stuff! I'm a man that prefers to use the clean channel for cleans and the gain channel for distortion, controlling volume, and intensity with my volume knobs. Let's see how it goes now! Really don't know what to expect. I already know I'm sacrificing the quality of the clean tones.


18
The Pickup Place / Re: Which neck pickup should I go for now?
« on: January 19, 2019, 07:21:06 PM »
I would suggest the Humbucker from Hell, but you said you want more output. I would suggest the PAF Joe, but I don't think it meshes well with the Super D. I would suggest a PAF Pro, but you said you do not want boomy bass, and the PAF Pro can have boomy and slightly muddy bass. You say you want more output and smoothness. The obvious choice to ME would be a Super 2 in the neck.

Thank you for the suggestions! It has definitely been a long neck pickup journey. About the PAF Pro, how boomy it is? I know 6.5 (like the Transition) is overkill, and the 4.5 bass of the PAF Master is too low for this guitar. 5.5 is the # in between. The PAF Pro is 5, the PAF36 (5.5), but those are just numbers. The real test comes from testing the pickup itself.

How will the Super 2 cleans be? I imagine a rocking machine.

19
Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: FRED
« on: January 19, 2019, 12:33:30 AM »
I love my Fred in the bridge of my basswood RG550 / edge locking trem/maple neck.  It is bright, but not thin to my ears. It's just waiting for you to pinch off a harmonic.  Kind of like a kid that had too much sugar.

Since it was /is not uncommon to see a guitar with PAF Pro's in both the neck and bridge, I wonder how a Fred in both spots would work.

I do wonder how the FRED fares against a PAF Pro in the neck position.

20
The Pickup Place / Which neck pickup should I go for now?
« on: January 19, 2019, 12:02:01 AM »
Hi there!
As some may know, I actually have a Gibson Flying V with a Dimarzio Super Distortion + PAF Master (neck) combination. It's the second bridge pickup I install on this guitar, and I'm going now for the 4th neck pickup installed on this guitar.

It's a long story, but this has been the situation. Guitar was bought with faulty active electronics, transformed into passive, had a APH-2 (Slash Alnico II Pro) Set installed, removed due to low output and unbalanced tone due to having one tone knob. Began a new phase with a Dimarzio Super Distortion and a Transition neck pickup. Had a love/hate relationship with both pickups, liking (and disliking) different things about them, but after some time I decided that the Super Distortion was going to stay, and the Transition had to go. Why?

Transition Neck
Pros:
Took high gain like a champ. Not a pushover!
Amazing Slash creamy tones while overdriven. Very nice output level

Cons:
I hated the clean/ceramic/lifeless tones.
Too modern hi-fi sounding compared to the hot vintage/classic high gain tone of the Super Distortion.
Too damn boomy, and dark sounding compared to the Super Distortion
Too smooth, without much ''attack''.


Then after the curiosity attacked, I decided I wanted to get the hell out (away) from ceramic neck pickups, back into Alnico V magnet pickups. Those are the ones that mostly ''work for me''. After almost deciding for the PAF36, I pulled the trigger on the PAF Master (Neck) Pickup Model.

This one has a very clear tone I like, very responsive to volume controls, and can keep up with the clarity of the Super Distortion very well (with only one tone knob). But while it's a very nice pickup, I do plan to remove it from this guitar, and store it for another project. The reason? There are some things that I do need that this pickup (or any other) haven't fulfilled yet in the neck position.

I do need more output (to overdrive/distort faster), more ''smoothness'' (the PAF Master can be on ''Full On Attack Mode''), and more bass without turning muddy, dark, and going into BOOM city. I use a Blackstar HT-40, an amp that has a ''tone knob'', but no bass, treble or mids control for the clean channel. That's why I need something to fill that void correctly.

I'm gettings lots and lots of recommendations but Dimarzio, Darth Phineas, and my former guitar tech recommended the PAF Pro for the neck position of my guitar.  My mind says PAF36th (DP103), and has the PAF Pro as second choice.   I do know about the PAF59's from Dimarzio, but I do plan to test them in the future, just not on this Super Distortion equipped guitar.

Which should be the next pickup I should go for?
I'll await your replies!

21
The Pickup Place / Re: Duncan Custom 5 but with more mids?
« on: January 11, 2019, 11:47:23 PM »
Put a ceramic magnet and turn it into the Duncan Custom SH-5. If not, ditch it and go with a SUPER DISTORTION.
And yes! Both of them are my favorite bridge pickups with 59' being my fav choice for the neck.

22
The Trading Post / SOLD!
« on: January 07, 2019, 07:03:16 PM »
SOLD!

23
PAF MASTER Neck & BRIDGE REVIEW

So… I woke up on my birthday to the sound of the mailman knocking on my door to be pleasantly surprised by a parcel from DiMarzio. It turns out they were nice enough to send me an evaluation set of the awesome new PAF Master humbuckers!!



PAF Master neck with the worn nickel cover and the bridge in the ever elusive double cream vintage glossy bobbins. Both standard spaced with vintage long legs and single conductor cables. Basically, a true vintage set.

Side note: This is the first time I’ve ever got the worn nickel covers from DiMarzio and I gotta say, I kinda like them!

Pic of the front of the neck pickup with the worn nickel cover
http://www.buddroyce.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/NeckFront.jpg
Back of the neck pickup.
http://www.buddroyce.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/NeckBack.jpg
Long legs with the awesome DiMarzio sun logo on the side!
http://www.buddroyce.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/BridgeSide.jpg

Seeing that the majority of my guitars are either routed for the triangular ears that are standard on most DiMarzio pickups, the number of guitars I could fit these pickups in were pretty slim. Since the pickups were probably a perfect fit in an old Les Paul that I don’t own. I decided to put them in the next best thing, My ESP Potbelly!!

http://www.buddroyce.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/HostDone.jpg

The setup: ESP Potbelly, 9-50’s strings (yes I'm weird that way), tuned E-Standard to a concert pitch of A432 (I said I was weird right?). The amp is my ever trusty Egnater seminar amp I built a few years back with a DiMarzio cloth covered cable in between. No effects, amp EQ set wide open.

First Impressions

Time to plug in the guitar, turn the amp to 11 and whacking the E power chord!! My first impression is…. :D (yes, the smiley face is the first impression. If a picture is worth 1000, an emoticon is worth at least 200). It’s got some really nice crunch, tight bottom end and enough roar to scare away little animals in the vicinity or at least my dog. It’s 110% Rock N’ Roll attitude.

In more detail

Compared to the PAF 36th, the bridge is definitely brighter with more bite and definition. The added upper mids gives the illusion of having more output than the 36th. The bottom end feels more defined and rounded than the 36th but doesn’t quite have the body that I’m used to having with the custom DiMarzio on the EBMM EVH. It’s great for everything from blues to Hard Rock but not so much for modern metal but definitely can pull off more of the vintage metal stuff.

I’m really impressed by how well the bridge pickup reacts to pick dynamics. Easing up on the attack almost feels like I’m rolling down the volume or cutting back on the presence, making it really easy to take everything down a notch or building up energy in a song really easy. What I used to do with my volume control with the higher output pickups I’m used to, I can do with my picking alone.

Switching over to the neck pickup with a decent amount of gain, the first thing that came to my mind oddly enough was… Slash.

I’m normally not one to refer to Slash and his tone but busting out pentatonics high up the fretboard just had a tone that screamed Sweet Child o’ Mine. Which is great for those that wanted that Slash sound but wanted to stick with the DiMarzio family of products. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the PAF Master was really DiMarzio’s take on the Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Slash pickups. It’s got nice body but with enough bite for a really smooth throaty tone. Dig the pick harder and you can hear the tone get a bit more aggressive, lighten the attack and it gets rounder. Very nice!!!!

(Now that I think about it, the bridge pickup through a modded JCM800 did have that Appetite For Destruction vibe to it).

It’s not quite as smooth and liquid like the Air Norton or liquifire but definitely can hold its own with the shredders. Especially for those looking for something closer to what Joe Satriani has without being too much like Joe, although I can totally see him using the bridge pickup in the neck position.

Going to the clean channel and staying on the neck pickup, it has the same bell like top end I found in the PAF 36th but with more body. Very nice for blues and jazz without any harshness. The low notes are clear and well defined without getting muddy. Multi note chords ring through without the notes getting lost. This gives the bluesbucker a run for the money as my go to pickup for clean tones.

The bridge on clean is a bit harsh as most bridge position humbuckers normally are, but crank up the gain on the clean channel and it’s got this fantastic sound when you just want a semi-clean tone with just little bit of break up. Here I can really feel how much my picking affects the tone. The notes break up while picking harder and then quickly clean up as I ease up. Normally I don’t typically use the bridge pickup on clean much but the PAF Master is slowly making me change my mind.

That’s it for my initial impression of the pickups. I’ll definitely have to give it another go, but I can definitely see the PAF Master set as having a permanent home in my guitars and definitely a pickup I’ll be recommend to others. If you wanted something like the PAF 36th bridge with a bit more attitude and bite while still maintaining that vintage PAF vibe, this is it!! Now if only they made a 7 string version.


Hi there!
I hope you're well!
I own the PAF Master (neck) pickup and as of January 2019, it's installed on my Gibson Flying V.
What can I say about this pickup?

It's a Dimarzio ''PAF'' whatever. While some may diss Dimarzio as a vintage style pickup maker, I have to say that this pickup is actually vintage responding. You can clean it up and get it to break-up with your volume knob, something I have managed to prove on my Blackstar HT-40 and Marshall MG15CD amps.
It's a pretty ''clean'' pickup, but with ATTITUDE. With this I want to express that it's an aggressive pickup. Want something smooth for your neck pickup? Look elsewhere. This is aggressive lead/lead/lead tone all the time. Having owned the Slash Alnico II Pro set, I really do have to differ with Budd Royce comparison of Slash's AII Pro set to the Dimarzio PAF Master. Just in the neck, the Slash APH-2 pickup was smooth, big, woodier sounding, and even more ''tamed'' than the PAF Master. The PAF Master definitely has a different kind of tone more in the vein of ''Victim of Love'' by The Eagles. The tone/brightness can keep up at ease with the Dimarzio Super Distortion I have in the bridge, while always being in the vintage tone realm.

What kind of pickup is the PAF Master for? For all the guitar players that want to control their tone with their volume knobs, and the intensity of the distortion with their pedals. YES! This is the kind of pickup you can use in one channel (already overdriven) amps, and take it off to HEAVEN (or HELL) with your OD or distortion pedals. I can nail Gary Moore tones with it, of course with a more aggressive tone, but it can clean up so nicely!

My veredict at the moment, while I don't plan to keep it installed on my Flying V, I do believe I'll purchase the bridge pickup in the future, and install the set on my Gibson SG.

CONS:
The neck pickup can be bass lacking. It's preferred if you don't like that much bass in the position, want clarity in your bass strings tone, and you have an amp with a ''BASS'' knob.

That would be all for now. Feel free to ask any questions, and I do hope my honest review somehow helps forum members and online visitors alike. YES! I was also looking for information about the PAF Master, and there's so little. Feel free to make an account here, and ask any questions while I still have it installed!

24
The Trading Post / FS: Dimarzio Transition (NECK) DP254N
« on: November 21, 2018, 01:53:27 PM »
$80




Please INBOX for more photos and purchase information!

25
I am aware of what Tracii really uses and cannot speak about that in this forum.

As I tried to indicate, the PAF Master and PAF 59 sets were disappointing to me and I did actually send them both back (a huge rarity for me).

Hello Darth! I have the PAF Master in the neck of my guitar now. I like the clarity, is not muddy, clear notes, and "can work" with the Super Distortion in the bridge. It's a pickup that can change his character while playing with the knobs. I like it, but it still ain't a "MASTER". As you wrote, there's something dissapointing or lacking in these pickups. They're hollow sounding and would benefit from bigger bass, and higher output levels. It also sounds and acts like a bridge pickup in lesser scale than the Transition. Is that the Dimarzio pickups nature?

26
News & New Guys / Re: I'm doing a TED Talk!
« on: November 08, 2018, 11:38:20 AM »
Guys!

I'm doing a TED talk on November 11th, 2018 at Penn State Berks. It won't be guitar or pickup related but very something that's very general. Event is sold out but here's the live stream link, figured I'd share it with you guys here!

https://livestream.com/tedx/psuberks?fbclid=IwAR1_U0zAWmMGKKUr2H5t8PQ2K9yooNO3-6PZ23tCU29KpTUNLWU3iZu8r7Y



Congrats man! Amazing achievement! Just read about the topic. It's definitely going to be interesting!

27
Found the PAF Master and the PAF 59 pups to be disappointing, based on the expectation based on DiMarzio’s marketing.

How was your experience with them? Tracii Guns uses the PAF59 in the neck + Super Distortion in the bridge. It shouldn't be that bad, but I hate the fact that they're not wax potted, and are only offered in cream. Only one of my guitar could have cream, and it definitely ain't the one I'm looking pickups for.
There's not much information about those pickups...

BTW!

28
Hi guys,

I bought a Squier HH Jazzmaster Affinity a while ago because I liked the look, feel and playability of the guitar and could not resist at a price below €200. As you might have guessed the electronics are not the best so I switched it out for good stuff and installed a set of Transition pickups that I bought used for a good price. Reviews say they are versatile, so I figured they would be either perfect already or a good starting point to tweak from. Here's my conclusions. Hope you guys who have experience with pickups swapping can help me out. Thanks in advance!

- Transition bridge DP255: I really like this one. It's warm and fat sounding, but not muddy. It is indeed very versatile and dynamic. I think I will keep it. But because we are tweakers at heart: If I could find a pickup that's similar with just a bit more highs than it would be perfect. Norton maybe?

- Transition neck DP254: I don't really like it. The high are rounded off way too much and it has too much of a boost in the bass. Switching from bridge to neck results in a muddy mess. I need a neck pickup that has a lot more highs and less lows/low mid. PAF Pro? 36th neck? Bluesbucker? Air Classic? Which would you pick as the most logical companion to the Tranistion bridge?
Thanks guys! Bluesbucker it will be! If the combination with the Transition does not work well then I can put the neck pickup in the bridge. I have a feeling that the Transition neck could be a very good bridge pickup.


Hi SuperFuzz! Glad to know I'm not crazy about the Transition neck pickup. All you said about it, is true. I got a PAF Master to replace the Transition in my Flying V guitar. I also believe that neck pickup acts and truly is a bridge pickup. A guitar with two tone knobs is needed to get the best out of that pickup (I think). I really don't like it at all, but I'm sure metalheads could use them. YES! It can get pretty heavy!

29
The Pickup Place / UPDATE!
« on: November 02, 2018, 04:47:27 PM »
Purchased a PAF Master (neck) pickup on Reverb.com today.
I read good feedback on Air Classic neck and the 59' PAF.
Anyone here have experience with them?  I'm a little worried about the output thingy, and not having enough bass, but I believe is better than too much bass. 

Let's see what happens!

30
You could also use a concentric pot to effectively make a 3 pot guitar into a 4 pot set up. They can be fiddly to use though - IMO better for staying at one setting.

Hi! First time I read about those pots. I definitely would prefer to keep it the way it's (2 volume/1 tone knob) since I already have a very balanced guitar with a one volume/one tone knob combination. It's a DBZ Bolero with a Duncan Custom SH-5  + 59n'J humbucker in the neck. I would love to have a similar combination with my Flying V, but I still haven't had luck. I definitely want to go for something lower output and more complimentary-balanced to the Super Distortion in the bridge. Compared to the Super Distortion, the Transition (neck version) feels very modern, EMG like, dark, bass heavy, muddy, dry, and dead in the highs. I definitely want/need something brighter in the neck position, and I'm scared that the PAF36th (DP103) is so similar to the Transition that I get the same results. I was considering the PAF Master due to the attack, clarity and vibe I get from the clips I have seen; but I worry it will not have enough output or the right amount of bass to match the Super Distortion in the bridge.

One worth mentioning - I have changed it out on a couple guitars as it is a little too dark for my tastes, but the Gibson 490R neck pickup is a very warm, dark sounding neck pickup. It kind of sounds like a lot of other neck pickups with the tone rolled off. If you want something that is fairly dark, but also liquidy even with the  tone fully on, this could be a good option for you. My opinion is that it is exceptional for leads, and takes gain very well. I do not like how it sounds clean or for rhythm - like I said, darker than I prefer but it sounds exactly like what you are describing.

I have one on my Gibson SG Standard. I definitely don't want to go in that direction. I played 5+ years with that guitar (the SG), but I really would prefer something more bright, ''alive sounding'', and with more output than the 490r. Where would that take me in the Dimarzio realm? Something vintage/old school sounding preferred. Modern sounds have certain pros, but it's not the right vibe for this guitar in the neck position.

I appreciate both of your answers in this forum. Looking forward to your replies!


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