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DimarzioForum.Com => The Pickup Place => Everything you wanted to know about .... => Topic started by: CityofBlindingLights on June 02, 2009, 07:06:19 PM

Title: Evolution Neck
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on June 02, 2009, 07:06:19 PM
Fat, hot, warm, punchy, and harmonic-friendly. Sound familiar? It's the Evolution neck pickup. Steve Vai's signature neck pickup, it's meant to give a decent jolt of power when needed, but is also rather dynamic for a ceramic pickup and sounds great rolled back, especially with 250k pots to tame it up. Calibrated to match up with its hot brother, the Evolution bridge (another thread...), the Evolution neck is a great pickup overall.

If you want to hear it in action, listen to pretty much any Vai album Fire Garden and afterwards, or go to your local guitar shop and play a JEM7VWH, they come standard.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 03, 2009, 01:44:13 AM
My favourite neck pickup to date, IMO it's a rather hotter version of paf pro although the evolution neck measures at 294mv while the paf pro at 300mv but the evo neck is much hotter than the paf pro, most probably because of the ceramic magnet. It's aggresive and definitely bitey for a neck pickup and it's not muddy at all. I think IMO the evo neck suits well with Evo2 rather than the original evolution bridge. And the evo neck is a versatile neck pickup as well.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 29, 2009, 11:34:56 PM
http://www.dimarzioforum.com/user_uploads/luredmaul/EvoNeckClean.mp3

http://www.dimarzioforum.com/user_uploads/luredmaul/EvoNeckDirty.mp3

Clips

These clips where done quickly and with slight reverb only and without mastering.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 30, 2009, 01:48:05 AM
I wonder if you can make a clip of evo neck with the lead towards the bridge.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 30, 2009, 02:03:33 AM
I can....might be alittle while.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 30, 2009, 02:47:27 AM
I can....might be alittle while.
Alright, I just wanna know if it's more bity than it normally is. I emailed dimarzio they say there's no difference, the same thing as air norton but my air norton is flipped ;)
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 30, 2009, 04:13:17 AM
Most humbuckers are symmetrical and their sound does not change at all when installed backwards, but some have a slightly different sound if you install them in the opposite direction from normal. It’s not a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of taste for such a subtle difference, if you can hear the difference at all. Those models include the Air Norton™, Air Zone™, Evolution® neck, bridge and 7-string, FRED®, Humbucker from Hell™, DLX Plus™ neck and bridge models, Virtual P-90™, Blaze™ neck and bridge models and Tone Zone 7™.

The Steve’s Special™, the Bluesbucker® and the MegaDrive™ have distinctly different sounds if you turn them around, and there is no ‘right’ installation direction. The Bluesbucker® is brighter-sounding with the adjustable screw coil towards the bridge, while the MegaDrive™ is brighter-sounding with the adjustable screw coil towards the neck. The Steve’s Special™ is brighter-sounding if the coil on the pickup’s cable exit side is toward the bridge.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 30, 2009, 04:29:57 AM
Yeah, I just read that FAQ just now. But the air norton do have difference.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 30, 2009, 04:35:13 AM
 include the Air Norton™, Air Zone™, Evolution® neck, bridge and 7-string, FRED®, Humbucker from Hell™, DLX Plus™ neck and bridge models, Virtual P-90™, Blaze™ neck and bridge models and Tone Zone 7™. <------these all sound different but only slightly and some will hear it and some won't. I can tell the difference. I'll make up the clip for you in the next few days or sooner
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 30, 2009, 04:53:21 AM
include the Air Norton™, Air Zone™, Evolution® neck, bridge and 7-string, FRED®, Humbucker from Hell™, DLX Plus™ neck and bridge models, Virtual P-90™, Blaze™ neck and bridge models and Tone Zone 7™. <------these all sound different but only slightly and some will hear it and some won't. I can tell the difference. I'll make up the clip for you in the next few days or sooner

That's what I'm trying to say, that's why  I install my air norton backwards. I just wanna know how the evo neck sounded flipped.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: CityofBlindingLights on June 30, 2009, 01:58:55 PM
LuredMaul, it has to do with which coil senses the string at what distance from the node. Please see the dimarzioforum FAQ regarding dual resonance technology. All dual resonance pickups should sound different when installed backwards.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 30, 2009, 02:01:45 PM
I understand this; I was merely pointing out that there IS a difference thought he didn't understand.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 30, 2009, 10:34:54 PM
You try emailing steve and see, he'll tell you there's no difference at all, he'll say that all dual resonance pickup will sound the same except for D sonic and certain other pickup. Or maybe he's got too many to reply that he doesn't have time to explain.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: buddroyce on June 30, 2009, 10:56:33 PM
You try emailing steve and see, he'll tell you there's no difference at all, he'll say that all dual resonance pickup will sound the same except for D sonic and certain other pickup. Or maybe he's got too many to reply that he doesn't have time to explain.

It's likely that he means that there isn't a big enough difference to be called different sounding. The D-sonic for example has a completely different sound if flipped backwards. The Air Norton and other Dual Resonance pickups will still sound more or less the same with some minor variations like a tad bit brighter but not drastically different like a whole lot brighter if you flip it.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: LuredMaul on June 30, 2009, 11:38:55 PM
You try emailing steve and see, he'll tell you there's no difference at all, he'll say that all dual resonance pickup will sound the same except for D sonic and certain other pickup. Or maybe he's got too many to reply that he doesn't have time to explain.

It's likely that he means that there isn't a big enough difference to be called different sounding. The D-sonic for example has a completely different sound if flipped backwards. The Air Norton and other Dual Resonance pickups will still sound more or less the same with some minor variations like a tad bit brighter but not drastically different like a whole lot brighter if you flip it.

This is true
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on July 05, 2009, 10:38:28 PM
Alright', I'm free yesterday and change the direction of the evo neck and you know what. There's not much difference to be called it different at all, just with the lead towards the neck is a bit louder but in terms of tone it's the same.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: ACH91332 on May 11, 2010, 12:48:23 AM
Anyone know what its like in the bridge?
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: mi2tom on June 02, 2010, 11:24:53 AM
Watered down evolution bridge.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: jazzywolf on August 08, 2011, 09:17:26 AM
Evo neck is somewhat close to Paf Pro. Both have some single-coil hi-end and pick attack and cut through the mix easily. However, the Evo neck also has more midrange and low end, which makes it a bit louder, fuller, fatter, and punchier than Paf Pro. The lows are brighter and the overall sound is more aggressive than the Pro, probably due to the Ceramic magnet.

If you like Paf Pro and is looking for something a bit fatter and more aggressive with a great pick attack, the Evo Neck may be a good choice.

It is a great match for the Evo 2 in the bridge...
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: satch_jr on March 01, 2016, 08:10:46 AM
Evo neck is somewhat close to Paf Pro. Both have some single-coil hi-end and pick attack and cut through the mix easily. However, the Evo neck also has more midrange and low end, which makes it a bit louder, fuller, fatter, and punchier than Paf Pro. The lows are brighter and the overall sound is more aggressive than the Pro, probably due to the Ceramic magnet.

If you like Paf Pro and is looking for something a bit fatter and more aggressive with a great pick attack, the Evo Neck may be a good choice.

It is a great match for the Evo 2 in the bridge...


I will second that as this is exactly my situation: I had a paf pro and was looking for something slightly fatter and more aggressive (more pick attack). The EVO neck seemed a perfect fit on the paper, I asked to DiMarzio for confirmation (I gave my experiences with other pickups, the likes and dislikes) but I wasn't advised an EVO neck as I disliked the air norton (I was pretty surprised to say the least): I was suggested the illuminator and the transition neck. Didn't help me much this time. Some guys on forums suggested the gravity storm neck  along with the EVO neck which really seemed to match my research. I eventually went for the EVO neck and I'm very happy because this is the perfect match for what I was searching for.

I also have an EVO 2 in bridge and I also second the fact that they match perfectly together.
Title: Re: Evolution Neck
Post by: satch_jr on February 13, 2019, 04:25:43 AM
Thanks!
in order to match the fred output you can simply adjust the EVO height: pull it away from the strings