DimarzioForum.Com > The Pickup Place

Pickup similar to AT-1

(1/5) > >>

LoveMyIbanez:
Hey all. I have an AT-1 in an Ibanez AZ, and I love it! Seriously got me loving bridge pickups again after a long period of dissatisfaction.
I'm putting together a double 'bucker tele build, and I want something similar, but maybe a bit less compressed and ...maybe "nasally" in the mids would be the right word? Something similar, but more "open". Slightly lower output would be OK, but I love how the AT-1 can do everything from blues to Van Halen.

Would the Fortitude be a good option? Not looking for a huge change at all: versatile vintage+ attitude. "Worst"-case, I'll just go for another AT-1.

Thanks!

gregr:
From what I gather the Air Zone seems like a good candidate.

LoveMyIbanez:

--- Quote from: gregr on January 18, 2023, 09:02:13 AM ---From what I gather the Air Zone seems like a good candidate.

--- End quote ---
Thanks. I think the AZ is a bit darker than the AT-1, if I remember correctly. I definitely don't want to go any darker. Is the AZ more open-sounding and less compressed?
I should have mentioned as well: will be pairing with 36th PAF neck.

gregr:
The AZ is an air bucker, which is supposed to have a wide dynamic range. I don’t have any experience but from what I’ve heard I think you’re right in that it is darker.

This might not be of much use and you might not be interested in chasing Timmons’s tone but he recorded a lot of his material with a Duncan JB, which is a much brighter pickup that also has a prominent midrange relative to many of Duncan’s other models. It doesn’t have the vocal cocked wah sound of many DiMarzios however. I really like the tone of a JB with an A2 magnet. Another option is a Duncan Custom Custom which is a Custom with an A2 magnet. It will cover blues to VH who used one.

But when I think of the AT-1 I think of the big low end and very warm top end. Add the cocked wah tone and dynamics and you have the AZ, though it doesn’t have the same note definition on the upper strings, from what I can tell.

Besides a prominent midrange and an increase of dynamic range I can’t tell what else you’re looking for, to be honest.

LoveMyIbanez:
Thanks for your input Gregr. To be honest, I've never once heard a Duncan bridge pickup that I liked. I found them all to be way too shrill (except for maybe the Invader or Custom Custom). I think most Duncans sound better with at least one 250k pot, which is why I initially tried the AT-1 (JB with 250k pot description).

I like Andy Timmon's tone, but I dial it in a bit different: getting a pretty classic almost LP tones out of a bright-sounding basswood superstrat. It might be a little dark and bassy, but I like it enough that I'll probably just buy another. I've been really curious about the Fortitude, as it's often described as a chunkier, less-bright 36th PAF, but pretty much every review I've seen of it, they play Gojira-like metal chugging riffs.  ;D

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page