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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Review: Injector Neck in the bridge position, Area 61 in the neck position

« on: April 02, 2015, 02:52:13 PM »

I've been meaning to do this for a while but I got distracted by playing other guitars.

That said yesterday I received the Injector Neck and Area 61 I ordered and installed them last night. For reference my rig is just a Fractal Audio Axe FX II run through a pair of M-Audio monitors. My main dirty amp sim in a Marshall JCM800 through a pair of 412s (25 watt speakers in one, 30 watters in the other), SM57s on both cabs and a Tube Screamer up front. My clean sound is just a Fender Twin with a 212 cab with an SM57 on it.

The guitar in question ('06 American Deluxe Strat) had a VV '54 Pro in the bridge and Area 67s in the middle and neck. The '54 Pro wasn't bad but I wanted something with a little less treble because the high E sounded a little thin in the upper registers. To that end the Injector Neck worked out great. The extra output, bass and mids of the pickup, compared to the VV '54 Pro are an added bonus. It still has that single coil tone in there too so my Strat still sounds like a Strat abeit a slightly beefier one. With distortion the pickup sounds great to me. The upper mids really make the guitar sing and its has a brightness that sounds articulate but not piercing. For what it's worth I generally like a bright tone. For reference I use 500K pots with 36th Anniversary PAFs. All in all I'm really happy with the Injector Neck in the bridge position.

As for the Area 61, I'm not sure about that one yet. I like the Area 67 enough. For cleans it really captures that "Jimi" tone well and sound fine dirty though it's delicate. The Area 61 definitely did what I expected, based up its specs vs the Area 67's, but it might be a little too boomy with distortion and I'm not sure how I feel about the clean sound. I know some folks like the Area 61 in the neck so it's not a horrible choice for the position but it may not be for me. I'll just have to spend more time with it.

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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: PAF Joe

« on: January 14, 2014, 10:17:34 AM »

I really like it in the neck position due to its enhanced treble (compared to most humbuckers) and slight bass cut. It gets a nice bubbly sound with distortion and clean, it's smooth and clear. My reference points are other neck pickups I have tried or have like the Air Norton, PAF Pro, Humbucker from Hell, 36th PAF Neck and the Chopper.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Vintage Dimarzio PAF Pickup

« on: February 10, 2010, 01:44:19 PM »

I will believe that an older Dimarzio sounds different than a new version of the same type of pickup just because it's made differently, not because it's "aged". Any variance in magnetism between old and new magnets could can easily be attributed to a host of other factors besides time passing.

The only way to be absolutely sure of precisely how much magnetism a pickup magnet loses over time is to measure a specific pickups when brand new than remeasure it every X years.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Vintage Dimarzio PAF Pickup

« on: February 10, 2010, 07:30:11 AM »

Like I said, believe what you want. I'd be happy to sell anyone some "vintage" Dimarzios that have been "aged to perfection". I am a firm believer in the philosophies of a Mr. P.T. Barnum.

Magnetism FAQ

Will magnets lose their power over time?
Modern magnet materials do lose a very small fraction of their magnetism over time. For Samarium Cobalt materials, for example, this has been shown to be less that 1% over a period of ten years.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Vintage Dimarzio PAF Pickup

« on: February 09, 2010, 07:21:54 PM »

I don't know how much of a premium you would fetch for the older dimarzios. No idea if there's anything special about them. I mean I'd assume that a Super Distortion from the 70's would sound the same as a Super Distortion that was just freshly wound by dimarzio.

Well, it wouldnt sound the same, that much I'm sure of. Every pickup undergoes changes with aging, and mostly for the better in regard to vintage PAF's..

Pickups made in the 70s were made with more consistent materials so they don't age nearly as quickly as those made during the 50s. Look it up for yourself. Magnets don't mellow anywhere near as quick as they did back in the beginning. We're talking about the magnet losing around 2-3% of its magnetism over a a few (2-3) decades. If you think you can hear a difference and are willing to pay more than so be it but I will let science dictate my purchases and not false mojo.

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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Virtual Vintage '54 Pro

« on: December 15, 2009, 07:36:41 AM »

I've had the VV 54 Pro in my Strat (ash body, maple neck, 250K pots with a 330 picofarad treble bleed) for about 5 days now and here are my thoughts so far.

When played clean through a Fender Twin (or the Axe-FX's simulation of it), this pickups sound bright and clear, like a good Strat should, but it doesn't sound too thin. The bass and mids are there but they're not overpowering. When this pickup is combined with an Area 67 (in the middle position), it has that classic glassy Strat tone with just a little more oomph but not too much.

When played with slightly distorted sound (the Axe-FX model of a Marshall Plexi), the Strat characteristics come shining through. It's got that standard vintage Strat tone but again, it's not too thin nor is it too thick.

Finally, when the pedal is put to the metal and it's played through an Ibanez Tube Screamer and Mesa Triaxis (again, the Axe-FX's version of both), the pickup really screams. Please note that I'm using the Tube Screamer sim to not only boost the signal into the Triaxis but I'm also using it to shave off some of the high end as well as add a little midrange (3 dB at 638 Hz) to thicken things up.

Overall, I'm very happy with this pickup so far and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants classic Strat tones with a little more oomph. It's a great alternative to the Area 58 or Area 61.

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Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Virtual Vintage '54 Pro

« on: December 03, 2009, 11:46:23 AM »

I'll be installing a VV 54 Pro in the bridge position of my Strat very soon so I'll post my review of it after that's done and I've played it for a little while.