DiMarzio Forum
DimarzioForum.Com => The Pickup Place => Topic started by: nitro on January 29, 2020, 07:29:32 PM
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Your thoughts for the First Album Van Halen 1 sound Dimarzio Super Distortion
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are we sure it was a Super D?
and if so, on certain songs or the entire album?
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When I listen to Van Halen 1 I hear a ceramic magnet pickup crunch/sizzle
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When Eddie did the first interview for guitar player magazine and he talked about he didn’t like dimarzio pickups because they were to distorted that interview was done after the first album was recorded so I believe he used that pickup for Van Halen 1 and for Van Halen 2 he switched to a less output humbucker because Van Halen 1 has a lot more edge sizzle then Van Halen 2.Ed talked about taking a dimarzio pickup and putting a paf magnet( alnico 2 or?)but that was After Van Halen 1 was recorded in 1977 and released in 1978
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I'm not sure why. But if I wanted Van Halen sound copy without buying expencive replicas. I would go with Norton on bridge. XD
Edit:
But it makes sence for him to play Super Distortion for 1st album. Since in that time pickup market was limited.
But today you can have tons of stuff to replicate sound without spending 200$ on pickup. ;)
If I wanted something like that, Norton or Satriani range would be my starting point.
But again, makes sence for him to play Super D. in that time.
Since choice was pretty much; Gibson Classic 57 or DiMarzio Super D. xD
And we all know that Classic 57 would not work for that. ;)
But today. U have Norton, U have Satriani range. ;)
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Eddie's comments are generally all over the place and generally not to be too terribly taken as canon.
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I believe him for some reason. Since in that time pickup market was limited to 3 models overall. xD
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EVH was always concerning of people copying him and his sound. He was so popular, he is not going to give out a free product endorsement. Allegedly, Frankenstein had a PAF pickup from a vintage Gibson. He also wound/tinkered around with his pickup windings. His Marshall is magic.
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Edwards sound changed from album to album the first album was the most aggressive
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Edward's story about which pickups and guitars he was using on certain albums also changes every time someone asks him the same question....
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EVH reminds me of gainier Satriani. XD That more gainish over-effected overdrive sound.
I guess Super Distortion would do it. ;)
EVH is high gain with too much effects. So Super D. is okey for that. ;)
Pretty much Satriani with more gain. ;)
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Look at all of Edwards signature pickups all of which are 14k and above also the pickups that were in the Ernie Ball and the peavey that’s not low output like a paf .
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My conclusion; he started on something like Crunch Lab or Super Distortion. Or pickup like that. High gain muddy beast.
Later he switched something tiny bit less nasty, but still gainy, and bright. Like Norton or Mo Joe.
So if I needed to put names.
I would guess he started on Super D.
And in terms of 2nd pickup.
If you said it's Gibson branded, I guess something like Norton, and bright - Burstbucker Pro comes to my mind.
Clear and bright, low wind, but still nasty. ;)
So let's just put some clips. Maybe it will give you idea why I said this. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkQrhhcl6Ac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyrt-c_GDvk
Hm.
Based on clips ....
What would have Norton brightness, low wind, and Crunch Lab nastiness if it is a pickup made in 1980s and Gibson branded. XD
Burstbucker Pro only comes to my mind. ;)
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Edwards sound changed from album to album the first album was the most aggressive
Agree to that, although at least in the early DLR era the tones were similar and player dominant. from my purely subjective perspective, "I" was the most aggressive, Women and Children First the darkest, and 1984 the cleanest, with all others falling somewhere in between.
5150 changed but I think that was mainly because Sammy's voice was in a different range. The tones were still dynamic and articulate. OU812 sounded much more processed to me. After that the sound became more gainy.
VH III sought to get more of a back to the roots tone but there is nothing I like about that album.
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EVH was always concerning of people copying him and his sound. He was so popular, he is not going to give out a free product endorsement. Allegedly, Frankenstein had a PAF pickup from a vintage Gibson. He also wound/tinkered around with his pickup windings. His Marshall is magic.
Edward's story about which pickups and guitars he was using on certain albums also changes every time someone asks him the same question....
^^^ these are the things to consider ^^^
plus.... if there are people that are dead-set on hearing an edgy gainy ceramic-based humbucker, remember a '79 ad that Seymour Duncan ran.
(https://www.dimarzioforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdarthphineas.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F09%2FSeymour-Duncan-EVH-Custom-1979.jpg&hash=1e2cbdf876d188eea1bb91c79b836bc409314e8d)
Eddie got mad at what he was using being outed and called Seymour and the next month "(Van Halen)" was dropped from that same ad in the same magazine.
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If it helps you, I couldn't find list of DiMarzios which were available in late 1970s and early 1980s. -.- I did try to google it day or two ago. Didn't found anything usefull. -.-
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My understanding was, from reading a bunch about it as well, that he most likely used a Mighty Mite 1300 ceramic humbucker also called Screamer. That was a Super Distortion copy, specs over the internet state they're around the Super Distortion resistance as well 13 to 13.5 kohm, but the coils of the 1300 aren't as thick as Super Distortions, which would surely have an impact to the sound, which is easily seen if you google the images. I believe both are supposed to have a thick ceramic magnet. I found conflicting information about who was actually producing these for MM, should be Schaller, but some state it was actually Duncan. I don't think however MM actually ever built their own pickups, fwiw.
Oh and while I have no first experience with the 1300, owners compare it favourably to the Super Distortion, and state it sounds a bit brighter on the top end and leaner on the bottom. VH himself said so many different things it is nigh impossible to know for sure, though. Good luck.
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MM does have pickups now. But they are cheap stuff from Indonesia. Something like cheaper version of Wilkinson pickups.
I doubt they had USA made pickups in 1970s.
I also think most likely someone else did build them. ;)
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Mighty mite are NOW made in the USA check
It out.
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I had their pickups, and as I said, they sounded worse then Wilkinson. XD