226

The Pickup Place / Re: HSS rock pickups for hi gain and QUACK!

« on: May 12, 2015, 07:02:44 PM »

AT-1/Injector/Injector is a great choice.

That.  Wire it so the AT-1 switches to parallel mode when it is in position 2 with the middle pickup.  Or, you can flip the magnet in the At-1 and wire both the AT-1 and the injector to split in that position.  That way you'll get a bridge side coil that hum cancels with the injector split.

227

The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 10, 2015, 01:07:28 PM »

Yeah try that resistor/cap trick I mentioned on the AT-1.  Makes it very usable in parallel. 

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The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 10, 2015, 12:04:34 AM »

I have but it was so long ago I don't remember. 

But I'll tell you a trick I use: 

Most higher output humbuckers in parallel don't sound so great or like a PAF.  Part of that is because of the load 2 singles in parallel want to see vs. what a humbucker wants to see, part if it is the high end of 2 singles in parallel, even when next to each other on the same plate, kind of kills that "humbucker" thing.  So what I do is, on the switch, you have the middle two posts of your 6 posts dpdt switch where one side is the negative of one coil and the other side is the positive of the other coil.  When the pickup is in series, these are connected by a jumper across the upper to posts of the switch.  Ok so wire a 470k (or 500 if you are using metal film and have one) resistor in parallel with a 1000pf cap across those middle two posts.  This affects nothing when the pickup is in series since those posts are shorted, but when you pull the switch to put it in parallel, it creates a ~250k resistance to ground, more what singles want to see, and the 1000pf cap rolls off the highs such that you now have something that is lower in output and brighter/tighter, but still sounds like a PAF. 

I've seen people complain about AT-1s not sounding so great in parallel, that trick cures it and makes them a PAF sounding pickup in parallel.  Ditto others. 

I'm somehow finding it difficult to appreciate the continued insinuation that I don't know how to wire a guitar because I didn't like the AT-1.

Not saying that at all.  I'm sure you know how to wire it, that's why I'm saying I bet it was defective given how far off your descriptions of it are.  Your take on other pickups doesn't seen far off, so I can't say it's the sound of your rig etc,, I'm really thinking the AT-1 had an issue.  It happens.

229

The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 06, 2015, 12:57:56 AM »

Slugworth:

Man not sure what you're hearing with the AT-1, you sure yours isn't defective?  It is WAY fatter/darker/harmonically more complex, and comes across much hotter than a VHPAF, which is basically just an overwound PAF.  I ended up putting A3 in my VHPAF to take some edge off, and that's with 250k pots.  Hot, middy, or dark it is not.  The AT-1 is far closer to the AZ in terms of output and dark/bright/mids, and I can't imagine it getting along with 250k pots unless the guitar or amp were REALLY bright.

Based on that and other places I've seen you say you used 250k with an AT-1, I'm thinking something is wrong with your AT-1. 

I still have and use both pickups in multiple guitars, along with AZs, Breed Necks, Norton, and I really have no explanation at all for your take on the AT-1 other than to say yours might have a defect.  I'd actually be rather surprised if it didn't, or if there weren't some wiring or grounding issue happening.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 04, 2015, 09:21:56 PM »

I've had both the VHPAF and 36th in the same guitar, the 36th bridge was actually the replacement in the DiMarzio lineup for the VHPAF. 

They are VERY similar.  I found the VHPAF to be slightly fatter in the highs and lows, but not night and day at all.  Not sure what Slugworth's rig is like but obviously he's hearing something different than what I am.  All kinds of things affect perception of a pickup's tone.  I'd put the VHPAF right next to and holding hands with the 36th on that list.

231

The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 04, 2015, 02:38:32 AM »

Comparing those 2: 

1) AT-1:  works well with 500k pots, fat vocal lead tone but with some bite on the highs, low mid hump for balls on chords, seriously complex harmonic content.  Comes across as having much higher output than DiMarzio's chart would indicate.  If combining with another humbucker or hotter singles that like 500k, i.e. Injector necks, heavy Blues, Cruisers, this works better.

2) Norton:  High mid emphasis, IMO does not like 500k pots. The highest I've used it with good results is about 400k but that guitar has an aluminum guard so there is lots of stray capacitance running around to darken up that Norton.  More like 250k-350k seems to fatten it up and take off the harsh in most guitars.  When combined with the right value volume pot, has a very vocal midrange, albeit brighter and not as fat as the AT-1.  Doesn't have the complex harmonics of the AT-1, more like what you'd hear on a PAF.  Very clear and articulate, comes across as lower output than the AT-1 in spite of DiMarzio's chart, but not in a bad way.  It sounds clear and clean due to the brightness.
Combining with Area 67/58/61/54, or similar singles that like 250-300k pots, this works best.

232

The Pickup Place / Re: Chopper - Cruiser - Cruiser in a Strat

« on: May 04, 2015, 02:28:05 AM »

I generally don't like the Chopper with 500k, but the cruisers demand it, so if you already know you like the Chopper with 500k, go for it.  The Cruiser is an interesting pickup.  If you find the chopper too bright, you can always use a resistor to drop the load until it sounds ok.

233

The Pickup Place / Re: Looking to try something between a 36th PAF and Tone Zone

« on: May 02, 2015, 06:17:34 PM »

Having used everything in question here, I'm going to give you an order that goes from one to the other:

36th bridge
Breed Neck
Norton
AT-1
Air Zone
Tone Zone. 

That is also pretty much the order from bright to dark as well, and in order of low-end content (the breed neck is *NOT* boomy in any way).  There is of course more going on.  The harmonic content of the AT-1 is something that is hard to describe, it is very complex in a way nothing else really is.  The AT-1 also has more low mids and less high mids than a Norton, which is very focused on the high mids, and the breed neck to me is like a more balanced Norton.  The AT-1 is not dark though.  Its....well you have to hear it.  No way to really describe it with words.

Also, I would NOT recommend an Air Norton in the bridge, it will rip your head right off.

234

The Pickup Place / Re: What is "normal" turnaround time for pickup installation?

« on: April 22, 2015, 06:16:43 PM »

Full guitar setup I did for a buddy of mine, which included new bridge installation, new tuners, fret leveling, new electronics and of course new set of DiMarzio pickups set us back only couple of hours, of which the fret leveling took the majority of the time.

I'd like to observe that and critique the results.

235

The Pickup Place / Re: One year with the Air Zone and 54 Pros = :(

« on: April 21, 2015, 12:24:03 AM »

If you hate the quack thing stay away from Areas, Cruisers, etc. 

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The Pickup Place / Re: What is "normal" turnaround time for pickup installation?

« on: April 19, 2015, 08:07:59 PM »

Turning the truss rod does cure fretting out assuming the neck was back-bowed and the fretting out was on the lower frets. 

All that said, $90 for what amounts to not even a setup seems high, I wouldn't charge anything close to that for filing slots and adjusting the rod.  Also, 6 weeks is more like refret turnaround. 

Sounds like whoever that was has more business than they need.  If you can go elsewhere and get competent work done, do it.

237

The Pickup Place / Re: One year with the Air Zone and 54 Pros = :(

« on: April 16, 2015, 06:33:32 PM »

Rail types = anything with 2 parallel rails. 

Areas:  61, 67, 58, 54, Injectors, Heavy Blues 2.  Does *NOT* include the HS series, nor the old virtual vintage, although they confuse things with the way they name the 54. 

What I've started doing is using a hotter middle pickup, and in the position where the neck/middle are in parallel usually, I wire a super switch so that the bridge and neck are in parallel as I like that sound better.  This gives me a nice beefy middle pickup that still quacks when in parallel with the bridge, but sounds great by itself for blues tones, the Tele-like bridge+neck combo, and I add a switch or push/pull to get the neck/middle parallel spot if I want, although I really only like that combo with a clean sound. 

238

The Pickup Place / Re: One year with the Air Zone and 54 Pros = :(

« on: April 14, 2015, 05:53:44 PM »

I was referring to the Area series, the Injector being the only one that I think works well with 500k.  If you're using a rail type in neck or middle, definitely use 500k.

239

The Pickup Place / Re: One year with the Air Zone and 54 Pros = :(

« on: April 08, 2015, 02:14:02 AM »

You could try:

1) 500k pot but instead of running at 500k, try various resistors across it (1M, 2.2M, 3.3M, 10M) and see which gives you a nice increase in openness without sounding too bright. 

2) If you go 500k full on for the air zone (not a bad idea) use Injector necks in the other two positions.  They work great with 500k pots.  54s might be too shrill.

3) keep the 250k or try some combination of (1) and, as suggested above, pop a Norton in the bridge.  I recently put one in the bridge of a strat in similar circumstance and like it a lot there, whereas I pretty much hated it in other circumstances.  It comes alive in that application. 

240

The Pickup Place / Re: HSS configuration. what works best for you?

« on: August 15, 2014, 08:59:18 PM »

If you're looking at a Norton to add girth, look elsewhere.  Girth does not describe a Norton.