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« Last post by buddroyce on October 17, 2018, 06:47:42 pm »
A super switch would be your best bet.
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« Last post by gtrjunior on October 17, 2018, 03:50:49 pm »
I’ve got a handful of these too. You’re description is accurate. When I first got them it was difficult to get used to them. In time, I of course did and I preferred them over a traditional picks as well. Right now I’m using a Steve Clayton pick. I forget which type but it got a slippery surface and it’s 1.40(?) thick.
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« Last post by Strangeman86 on October 17, 2018, 12:13:33 pm »
A short expositional onslaught: Dragon's Heart picks (in this case the 'original' formulation) are made of an extremely tough thermoplastic called polyamide-imide with a 12% graphite filler for reduced friction. They have three distinct picking surfaces for different timbres (a super pointy edge, a more 'traditional' edge and one that's completely rounded off) and because it was easier to make one model than three (and because the polyamide-imide apparently takes a ridiculous amount of time to melt down and form).
Pros:
- Three distinct options for how you want to pick (I prefer the more traditional edge as I like the mix of speed and attack).
- Super low friction strikes (I had to adjust my picking technique a bit, but now that I'm used to it I don't want to use any other pick).
- Supposed 1000-ish playing-hour durability (each player's results will likely vary).
- Beveled edges help it feel/perform more like a thinner pick.
Cons:
- The graphite rubs off little by little as you play and gets on the strings and ones fingers (not a terrible thing, but certainly not desirable either).
- It's 2.5mm thick and not everyone player enjoys such a stiff pick.
- At $12 plus shipping (almost $4) it's not cheap.
Overall, a great pick and concept. Super fast with a nice round attack that doesn't hold on to the strings (it essentially just 'gets out of the way' of the strings vibrating, lets notes sing a bit more). I haven't sampled the other models, which have slightly different formulas (the Pure is just the polyamide-imide and is supposedly warmer sounding, the hardened model has glass fibers in it and is supposedly brighter and the GT model has carbon in it, is the most durable and has a feel/attack somewhere between the original and the hardened models). I'm reasonably sure I won't get anywhere near 1000 hours out of this pick (I've got about 1.5 hours on it now and can see the primary downward strike area starting to slightly change shape), but it can easily be flipped over and used that way as well. It's still stupidly more durable than any other nylon or plastic-ish pick I've ever used (that includes cellulose, tortex, ultex, nylon, dunlop's stubby picks, etc...). Certainly not for every player, but certainly worth a try if you routinely tear up regular picks.
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« Last post by ToneGrinder on October 17, 2018, 08:21:27 am »
Good call, marcwormjim... that does seem logical. Any concerns about impedance mismatch running the split coils in parallel? Would it be better to split the coils and run them in series?
Also, do I need anything other than a standard 5-way switch (Fender style or 2502N), like a super switch?
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« Last post by marcwormjim on October 17, 2018, 12:54:07 am »
The stock switching for an Ibanez 2502 5-way has all of that with the bridge and neck split in parallel for position 2, if you want to rule that out.
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« Last post by ToneGrinder on October 16, 2018, 04:23:34 pm »
Building a Partcaster (Soloist body) and plan on using an AT-1 in the bridge and a Chopper in the neck. I would like to keep it simple in terms of switching - I don't need it to do everything (I have other guitars), but would like a little versatility. Here is what I'm considering so far: 1 Volume, No tone pot, 1 5-way blade switch if I can get away with it. Pos 1: Bridge in series Pos 2:  Pos 3: Bridge and Neck together in series (some will say it's too muddy, but it's worth a try to get that fat, boosted tone) Pos 4: Neck in parallel Pos 5: Neck in series Any ideas for Position 2? Also, can I do everything above with nothing but a 4 pole 5-way switch? I thought about Bridge and Neck in parallel for position 2, but from everything I have read, the differences in impedance may make that a poor choice (16.3 vs. 9.16 KOhm).
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« Last post by 123RnR on October 15, 2018, 01:18:59 pm »
WTB: Nickel or Zebra PAF Master (neck) pickup.
Anyone!?
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« Last post by 123RnR on October 15, 2018, 10:35:31 am »
The Super Distortion would overpower the PAF Master about as much as the original PAF. I'm pretty sure you can get away with just one tone control on your guitar although that would really vary from person to person. I rarely if ever use my tone control but there are some guys that know how to work the tone control really well.
That's nice to know. According to the clips I hear, the PAF36 seems to be a darker, smoother, (jazzy?) type of pickup. I hear more clarity on the PAF Master. I also have found success with Alnico V neck pickups, and I definitely want clarity, attack, and an "alive" sound in the neck pickup. I definitely haven't had with the Transition. As I wrote on another thread here, I believe it's made for longer neck scale guitars. It's cold, dry, boomy, something that a brighter, longer scale guitar could fix. I also need that they balance well. I had a Slash Alnico II Pro set in this guitar that I couldn't find a way to work for me because of a low output bridge for my style of music (worked while I plated on a pop cover band), and because there was huge differences in the EQ. If you played the neck pickup, the tone knob could be rolled, and sound on-point. Change to the bridge pickup and it got muddy, without enough attack or clarity until you got the tone knob numbers up. That fixed issue! That means that it's a set that needs a two tone knob guitar, the Flying V only has one. I really need a pickup that could get the job properly done, balancing fine without the use of the tone knob. I use my volume knobs for clearing or gaining distortion volume, and raise the tone knobs as another volume increaser. In two tone knobs guitar, I set them...neck mellower, bridge with more attack, but prefer to not move the tone knobs.
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« Last post by buddroyce on October 15, 2018, 02:25:18 am »
Personally I think you'll be fine. As marcwornjim said, you can always lower the pickup. I would definitely suggest going with a 500k pot for the Gravity Storm although I think you might already have one if you have a HSS strat. Dropping one of the tone controls and putting in a second volume control just for the humbucker could also work for you as it'll let you dial in the humbucker independently from the singles.
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« Last post by marcwormjim on October 14, 2018, 11:42:19 pm »
You can always lower the pickup. Note that the GS neck and bridge are two different magnets, voicings, and that only the bridge model has the virtual-vintage screws embedded in the bobbin.
Anecdotally: I had a GS set in a Parker Fly and couldn’t lower the pickups enough to match the output of my Fly with an Air Norton in the bridge and PAF Joe in the neck. So I put an AN in the other Fly and transplanted the GS pickups into a guitar where I could lower them enough to get the voltage I preferred.
Just food for thought.
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