46

The Pickup Place / Re: I'm like a throwback to 2006 - Looking for suggestions

« on: September 10, 2015, 02:13:31 PM »

The PG bridge is relatively hot for a PAF, and it is bright. It has some cut. I had to use 250k pots with a PG bridge on a strat.

 The PG neck is warm. The PG set are like opposites on the same guitar, and that provides for a wide range of possible tones from warm to bright.

47

The Pickup Place / Re: I'm like a throwback to 2006 - Looking for suggestions

« on: September 10, 2015, 11:04:32 AM »

You owe it to yourself to try the Air Classic.  There's not a more musical pickup made and its not too hot.

48

The Pickup Place / Re: neck match for Super D

« on: September 10, 2015, 11:01:03 AM »

While this is a somewhat old topic, it looks like we could use a little traffic and this topic interests me:

I don't use a neck pickup too often, but when i do it's for bluesier stuff ala Allman Bros. That creamy fat tone. Not muddy.

All the Brothers (Duane, Dickey, Warren, DDT, Derek, Jack, Jimmy...) used the neck pickup a fair bit for both leads and chords. Neck pickup use is a big part of the ABB sound. In most cases they are using a stock, and covered, PAF, in both positions. 

Even when Dickey uses a strat, which he does quite a bit, he uses the neck position with an unknown (to me) rail pickup there.  Jack Pearson also used rail pickups in his strats, although he often used the bridge position much more than the others.

It is reported that Dickey's rig can sound harsh and bright in the hands of others but as soon its in Dickey's hands the tone is warm and creamy. Another case of "tone is in the hands". To get closer to that creamy sound at less than arena volume, many of us could probably use a slightly stronger neck pickup, such as the Breed neck, or the PAF Pro.

Duane found a set of PAFs in one of his gold tops that he transferred to other guitars when he found a new number one. These probably had a bit more output needed for slide work.  It is said that he wasn't 100% happy with any guitar until he found a tobacco burst les paul in the last months of his life.

49

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

« on: May 02, 2015, 03:09:05 PM »

Some other Dimarzio pickups with some PAF properties but more power to consider:

Breed neck
Liquifire

50

The Pickup Place / Re: Single coils for Trower and Gilmour tones

« on: May 02, 2015, 03:02:14 PM »

The standard Gimore pickup is the Duncan SSL-5, which is a hot single. 

A Blue Velvet may work for both, anyway, considering your amp.

Trower often uses a Fuzz Face type device between the strat and the amp. This approach lets you control the tone more with your guitar volume when using low output pickups. Cranked up it drives the fuzz face which in turn drives the amp harder, and backed off it cleans up. Trower for many years used a JCM 800. Now he uses a Vintage/Modern. With a Soldano you should not need either a fuzz or a loud pickup, just set your gain in a spot that allows you to clean up or push it.

You may want a noisless set with the high gain amp, though.

51

The Pickup Place / Re: HFH vs Super 2 vs 36th

« on: November 19, 2014, 10:15:00 AM »

I use the Bluesbucker as the neck pickup in my TZ loaded Charvel. Its a great neck pickup with a high output bridge humbucker. It has a lot more power and body than a traditional strat single coil but its much more clearer than most traditional neck humbuckers.

52

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Air Classic

« on: October 30, 2014, 09:40:43 AM »

Thread revival it seems. I'm thinking of getting a matched set for my LTD Xtone PS-1. I'm looking for a more jazzy tone with this guitar. Dimarzio recommended the 36th anniversary PAF neck in the neck position, and the Air Classic bridge in the bridge position. Anyone willing to share some insight on that???

The 36th is bright and tight. The neck model even more than the bridge model. So they are recommending it for the neck position to maximize articulation in that guitar for how you want to use it.

The Air Classic is more musical and sweet so it will pay nicely in the bridge position for what you want.

53

The Pickup Place / Re: Old timers...Virtual Hot PAF vs 36th bridge?

« on: September 13, 2014, 10:31:39 AM »

As far as the 36th being as bright as the Pearly Gates, I would say yes. Bright and tight (for a PAF) is how I describe the 36th. The 36th in the Bridge is not thin though. As far as output, the 36th does have more than the avarage PAF but not quite as much as the Pearly Gates as I remember them. I would say the Pearly Gates compares more closely to the PAF Pro or the Fred in output. DiMarzio says that the 36th is as loud or louder as the VHPAF, but other say no its not.

54

The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups that have left you less than impressed?

« on: August 03, 2014, 10:48:02 AM »

Lace Sensors: Just so bland and lifeless.

Fred: A strange combination of compressed and weak.

Duncan Designed version of JB: A loud, inarticulate but thin, mess. Don't like the regular JB either but not for the same exact reasons.

Most ceramic mag pickups.  Many ceramics sound great with high gain, but that's not my only game.

55

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

« on: July 17, 2014, 02:45:57 PM »

I have that combination on two of my guitars. My number one is two vintage spec true single coils in the neck and middle. The Bridge pickup is an Air Classic that auto splits to the slug coil in position 2.  The Air Classic balances well with the true singles. I have the second tone on the the bridge humbucker and its 500k. I have found that the True Velvet neck is really good in the neck of such a set up  because it sounds good both clean and dirty. Many true singles don't sound so good dirty but the TV does. I'm a blues player mostly and when I do rock its more of the classic rock/blues rock genre. The Air Classic is perfect for classic bridge humbucker tone balancing true singles in the neck and middle, and an HSS strat is perfect for live playing.

On edit: Corrected an error. It splits to the slug coil, not the screw coil.

56

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Air Classic

« on: February 08, 2014, 02:48:58 PM »

Its not muddy. I think its warmer because it doesn't have an upper mid spike.

57

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Air Classic

« on: February 07, 2014, 09:31:11 PM »

I havn't tried the AC in the neck position.  Give me a couple weeks, though, and I will have tried the AC in the neck of a LP.  I can say that in the bridge position it is warmer, and more dynamic, and more touch sensitive than the 36th.

I'd definitely like something quieter and with more touch response and dynamics with the volume/tone controls.

^^This the AC does well, at least in the bridge position

The Bluesbucker is pretty loud for a neck position pickup unless your using a high output pickup in the bridge position. I have a BB in the neck of a superstrat and a TZ in the bridge barely balances it. 

I have no experience with the EJ neck.

58

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Air Classic

« on: May 29, 2013, 11:06:36 AM »

It may be a little late, but yeah I have insight on this wonderful pickup.  It is my favorite humbucker and use it in multiple guitars.  I have a set of custom made PAF clones as well and the Air Classics sound very close, but with better picking dynamics.  It is the touch response that sets the Air Classics apart from the herd of PAF clones.  You can get the type of dynamics and draw out musical tones best illustrated by early Alman Bros live recordings with the Air Classic.  It's a very musical sounding pickup with good clarity. You can hear every note in complex chord. Might be a bit polite for those that like their sound a bit rude though.