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The Pickup Place / Re: My Dimarzio Al DiMeola Neck (DP201) Review
« Last post by LPBII on January 07, 2024, 09:46:24 PM »Thanks for posting Race. It's been awhile. Great player and he got great tones, even live.
Recent Posts
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The Pickup Place / Re: Gravity Storm Neck in an HSS?
« Last post by gregr on January 07, 2024, 05:02:19 AM »I want to switch over to the singles to clean up so a difference in output is actually desired. I am concerned, however, that the HS-2 will be *too* underpowered.
Since I have them on hand I put an Area 58 in the neck, an OEM DiMarzio single that I pulled from the middle position of a Music Man HSH Silhouette to use in the middle, and put an A2 magnet in the JB. The output from each position is pretty much on the money: the mismatch between the singles and the JB2 is just about right, though the JB2 was lowered a hair below where I like it.
I would be surprised if the Gravity Storm Neck isn’t weaker than a JB2, so an Area 67 will likely work and then the Area 58 would go in the middle. If I’m steered away from the GS then I’ll probably go with yet another Screamin’ Demon, but where’s the fun in that?
Since I have them on hand I put an Area 58 in the neck, an OEM DiMarzio single that I pulled from the middle position of a Music Man HSH Silhouette to use in the middle, and put an A2 magnet in the JB. The output from each position is pretty much on the money: the mismatch between the singles and the JB2 is just about right, though the JB2 was lowered a hair below where I like it.
I would be surprised if the Gravity Storm Neck isn’t weaker than a JB2, so an Area 67 will likely work and then the Area 58 would go in the middle. If I’m steered away from the GS then I’ll probably go with yet another Screamin’ Demon, but where’s the fun in that?
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The Pickup Place / Re: Dimarzio Virtual Hot PAF (DP214) Review
« Last post by Vaughn on January 07, 2024, 12:05:01 AM »Awesome review!
Thanks
Thanks
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The Pickup Place / Re: Dimarzio Virtual Hot PAF (DP214) Review
« Last post by buddroyce on January 06, 2024, 09:59:08 PM »I always loved the Virtual Hot PAF. Thanks for the review man!
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The Pickup Place / Re: Gravity Storm Neck in an HSS?
« Last post by greenlion on January 06, 2024, 08:05:07 PM »In my experience, almost any humbucker in the bridge is going to overpower pickups like the Area67 or Area58 in the neck/middle. Even humbuckers like the PAF Pro and Fred overpower them and sound unbalanced. I have had more luck with the Cruiser Bridge in the neck, or an Area 61, or a Virtual Vintage 54 Pro. I use the same resistor trick on the singles to let me use them with 500k pots.
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The Pickup Place / Dimarzio Virtual Hot PAF (DP214) Review
« Last post by nienturi on January 06, 2024, 01:20:18 AM »So this is my tribute to my favourite Dimarzio; Virtual Hot PAF
https://www.tonejourney.com/post/dimarzio-virtual-hot-paf-dp214-review
Hope you like my review and hope dimarzio will bring Virtual series humbuckers back someday
https://www.tonejourney.com/post/dimarzio-virtual-hot-paf-dp214-review
Hope you like my review and hope dimarzio will bring Virtual series humbuckers back someday
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The Pickup Place / Re: Gravity Storm Neck in an HSS?
« Last post by gregr on January 05, 2024, 06:36:12 PM »Thanks for the input.
The JB in this guitar sounds great, but it’s too hot and compressed for my tastes. I rocked a JB for many years but my playing has changed. These days I sing the praises of the Screamin’ Demon ad nauseam. I always feel compelled to say that the output of this pickup is a wee bit less than that of a Duncan 59. It is squarely in the vintage output camp, though it is quite aggressive. I also like the Duncan Custom 5 as well as the Custom Custom, all of which are devoid of honk, not that the JB bothers me, provided it is in the right guitar played through the right amp. It is honk that borders nasal that I cannot stand.
Anyway, I could easily put yet another Demon in it but for this guitar I want a hotter, more vocal sound with softened highs, but not too honky. I like that the GS is described as having single coil characteristics, since I’m mixing it with singles. As such I’m hoping I can get a decent response from the single coils without compromising how I dial the bridge pickup. This is why I’m gravitating (pun intended) towards the heavier low end response of the HS-2. The HS-4 might be better provided the top coil can deliver some top end sparkle.
I used the Air Norton in the bridge for a while and didn’t like it. It was overly bright and I didn’t care for the anemic low end and didn’t have enough midrange to pull it over the finish line. The warmth of the GS Neck is the reason I think it can work. Less highs will result in a fuller tone which I find necessary in the bridge position, unless the bass is too weak resulting in a pickup that is overly honky. I also use The Breed Neck in the bridge of another guitar and really like it. That pickup has more grunt than honk. It’s quite a bit hotter than the GS Neck, however. If the GS Neck behaves anything like the AN then it’s a non-starter.
The JB in this guitar sounds great, but it’s too hot and compressed for my tastes. I rocked a JB for many years but my playing has changed. These days I sing the praises of the Screamin’ Demon ad nauseam. I always feel compelled to say that the output of this pickup is a wee bit less than that of a Duncan 59. It is squarely in the vintage output camp, though it is quite aggressive. I also like the Duncan Custom 5 as well as the Custom Custom, all of which are devoid of honk, not that the JB bothers me, provided it is in the right guitar played through the right amp. It is honk that borders nasal that I cannot stand.
Anyway, I could easily put yet another Demon in it but for this guitar I want a hotter, more vocal sound with softened highs, but not too honky. I like that the GS is described as having single coil characteristics, since I’m mixing it with singles. As such I’m hoping I can get a decent response from the single coils without compromising how I dial the bridge pickup. This is why I’m gravitating (pun intended) towards the heavier low end response of the HS-2. The HS-4 might be better provided the top coil can deliver some top end sparkle.
I used the Air Norton in the bridge for a while and didn’t like it. It was overly bright and I didn’t care for the anemic low end and didn’t have enough midrange to pull it over the finish line. The warmth of the GS Neck is the reason I think it can work. Less highs will result in a fuller tone which I find necessary in the bridge position, unless the bass is too weak resulting in a pickup that is overly honky. I also use The Breed Neck in the bridge of another guitar and really like it. That pickup has more grunt than honk. It’s quite a bit hotter than the GS Neck, however. If the GS Neck behaves anything like the AN then it’s a non-starter.
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The Pickup Place / Evolution Neck in an HSS?
« Last post by gregr on January 05, 2024, 02:50:05 AM »I’ve been wanting to do an HSS for a while now. It’s been a long time since I last did one.
I’m looking for a humbucker with a bit more output than a PAF and single coils to clean up. I also want the neck pickup to get me in the ballpark of John Norum/Yngwie Malmsteen using a mid gain amp with a TS-style OD or a high gain amp.
At the moment I’m looking at the Gravity Storm Neck in the bridge. There’s a JB in the guitar now and I forgot just how fun they are to play. I’ll probably run it with an A2 for a while just to get my jollies. Ultimately I’d like something a bit lower in output with less midrange emphasis and without the strange low end that the JB has. I don’t quite know how to describe it. I’m thinking the Gravity Storm Neck will provide enough contrast with some authority, but still get along with the singles, tonally speaking. Again, I want to go from a fair amount of crunch to edge of breakup by switching over to the singles and clean up even more using the volume control. I’d like the single coils not to sound overly thin and brittle. I do plan on using 500k volume and tone controls and loading down the singles with a 270k resistor, give or take.
In the neck I’m looking at either an Area 67 or an HS-2, which, despite the low output seems to have a bit of grunt. I’m under the impression that a pair of HS-2s without the dummy coils will excel at the middle + neck position over a pair of Areas. I’m also thinking that I could use an HS-2 without the dummy coil in the neck for clean and edge of breakup and then enable the dummy coil for high gain, where the drop in output won’t really matter(?). I know the HB2 works well with humbuckers, but I’m looking for something that has some brightness and something relatively even through the mids. The 54P may even be a bit too much. In general I prefer the 67 over the 58 because of the higher resonant frequency. The 58 in the neck seems to be better suited for blues, which I don’t play. I prefer the 61 over the 58 in the neck if I want that kind of sound, but that’s neither here nor there.
I never hold out much hope for the bridge + middle position when using a humbucker, but if anyone has any insight let me know. I would likely use an Area 58 in the middle if I were to choose an Area.
I know the reduced string pull is a highlight of the Areas, but honestly, players have been using A5 pickups for well over 50 years. I realize the HS series are very low in output, but will this really be a problem?
Any insight/suggestions/alternative ideas are welcome. Maybe the Gravity Storm is the last thing I want, I don’t know.
EDIT: I changed the topic title from a Gravity Storm to an Evolution. I’ve convinced myself that I need something brighter.
I’m looking for a humbucker with a bit more output than a PAF and single coils to clean up. I also want the neck pickup to get me in the ballpark of John Norum/Yngwie Malmsteen using a mid gain amp with a TS-style OD or a high gain amp.
At the moment I’m looking at the Gravity Storm Neck in the bridge. There’s a JB in the guitar now and I forgot just how fun they are to play. I’ll probably run it with an A2 for a while just to get my jollies. Ultimately I’d like something a bit lower in output with less midrange emphasis and without the strange low end that the JB has. I don’t quite know how to describe it. I’m thinking the Gravity Storm Neck will provide enough contrast with some authority, but still get along with the singles, tonally speaking. Again, I want to go from a fair amount of crunch to edge of breakup by switching over to the singles and clean up even more using the volume control. I’d like the single coils not to sound overly thin and brittle. I do plan on using 500k volume and tone controls and loading down the singles with a 270k resistor, give or take.
In the neck I’m looking at either an Area 67 or an HS-2, which, despite the low output seems to have a bit of grunt. I’m under the impression that a pair of HS-2s without the dummy coils will excel at the middle + neck position over a pair of Areas. I’m also thinking that I could use an HS-2 without the dummy coil in the neck for clean and edge of breakup and then enable the dummy coil for high gain, where the drop in output won’t really matter(?). I know the HB2 works well with humbuckers, but I’m looking for something that has some brightness and something relatively even through the mids. The 54P may even be a bit too much. In general I prefer the 67 over the 58 because of the higher resonant frequency. The 58 in the neck seems to be better suited for blues, which I don’t play. I prefer the 61 over the 58 in the neck if I want that kind of sound, but that’s neither here nor there.
I never hold out much hope for the bridge + middle position when using a humbucker, but if anyone has any insight let me know. I would likely use an Area 58 in the middle if I were to choose an Area.
I know the reduced string pull is a highlight of the Areas, but honestly, players have been using A5 pickups for well over 50 years. I realize the HS series are very low in output, but will this really be a problem?
Any insight/suggestions/alternative ideas are welcome. Maybe the Gravity Storm is the last thing I want, I don’t know.
EDIT: I changed the topic title from a Gravity Storm to an Evolution. I’ve convinced myself that I need something brighter.
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The Pickup Place / Re: Revisiting the Super D
« Last post by kookaburra on January 04, 2024, 05:18:36 PM »I’m about to reinstall a Super D in a Hamer Special FM. I pulled the Super D for a PAFish pickup in the bridge, but I’m reversing course!
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The Pickup Place / Re: My Dimarzio Al DiMeola Neck (DP201) Review
« Last post by nienturi on December 28, 2023, 07:21:53 AM »That's amazing! Thanks for sharing man!
ADM neck is long lost jewel. I hope people may rediscover it
