21

The Pickup Place / Re: Air Norton Bridge Position

« Last post by darkbluemurder on November 16, 2023, 04:03:02 AM »

Yes.

I had it in 2H and HSS set ups with good results. Actually mine (F-Spaced) is sitting around idling at the moment. I have two candidates for it - coincidentally one a 2H and one a HSS - and I haven't made up my mind where it should go. Probably in the 2H with a DP240 mini in the neck spot. With the HSS I would have to flip the magnet to use the bridge coil in split mode and be humcancelling with the middle, and I am not looking forward to doing that.

Cheers Stephan

22

The Pickup Place / Re: neck humbucker (or BB) to complement PAF type bridge HB

« Last post by darkbluemurder on November 16, 2023, 03:57:20 AM »

Did you try a BB? The BB in the neck with a Tone Zone in the bridge really worked for me on a bright superstrat. I think the screw coil is the  active coil on it. Be aware that the BB plays like it has more output than listed, at least in my experience. In parallel, it can sound almost Fender SC like.

Correct, the screw coil is the active coil.

23

The Pickup Place / Air Norton Bridge Position

« Last post by RayBarbeeMusic on November 15, 2023, 01:10:25 PM »

Anyone else do this?  I'm just loving this pickup in the bridge position.  Output wise and tonally, it's in the PAF camp even though nothing like a PAF on paper.  Very open, articulate high end but enough grunt and growl in the lows to sound angry through a Marshall, but not muddy at all.  DiMarzio lists it as having slightly less output than a 36th bridge, but it comes off as hotter in practice due to the frequency response.  Pushes a marshall style front end harder.  More open highs, less squawk, more grunt/growl than the 36th bridge. Extremely responsive to pick attack, and very shred friendly in terms of tracking speed.

Really digging the hell out of it in 2HB guitars.

24

The Pickup Place / Re: PG-13 Middle in Bridge

« Last post by RayBarbeeMusic on November 15, 2023, 01:03:40 PM »

PSA Bump.  This is still by far the best mini for bridge position I've ever come across.  KILLS through marshall style amps.

25

The Pickup Place / Re: neck humbucker (or BB) to complement PAF type bridge HB

« Last post by LPBII on November 15, 2023, 12:12:12 PM »

Spend some time experiementing with the height of the 36thN in the neck position.  Also experiement with the height of the screws.  Lowrering the pickup itself and then raising the screws can help getting that bell like tone in the neck position. The 36th N can get bell tones.

I don't know if your guitar is 24 frets or 22 frets, but the position of the screw coil in relation to the scale length matters as far as getting a bell like chime out of the neck position pickup, in my experience.  Ideally, you want one of the coils under where the 24th fret harmonic would be. If its a 24 fret guitar, maybe try putting the pickup in backwards to move the screw coil closer to the bridge after the screws are adjusted higher than the slugs.

With the Duncan Designed, or even the 36thN, you could try an A3 magnet. A3 bar magnets under humbuckers give more chime. I actually learned that from somebody here.  A3 is low output but that's not really a concern in the neck position. Just adjust height to balance the bridge position, and then tweak the screw adjustement.

Did you try a BB? The BB in the neck with a Tone Zone in the bridge really worked for me on a bright superstrat. I think the screw coil is the  active coil on it. Be aware that the BB plays like it has more output than listed, at least in my experience. In parallel, it can sound almost Fender SC like.

I also built a mahogany guitar for somebody a few years ago and used the 36th N in the bridge with an Air Classic N in the neck. I was surpized how chimey the neck postion sounded. That set was perfect for that guitar

26

The Pickup Place / Re: neck humbucker (or BB) to complement PAF type bridge HB

« Last post by headcrash on November 14, 2023, 01:28:35 PM »

To continue story: This is the sound I'm after. With ne VHPAF (which I like more and more), I am quite there as far as the bridge pickup is concerned.
https://youtu.be/bwQiaPAVr2M?feature=shared

Meanwhile I found a Duncan Designed HB-101n for cheap, which is supposed to be Duncan's far east clone of a SH-1n.
It sounded quite bland, but not bad or muddy at all, just not like  similar to the sound in that video clip. So on with the search, and recently I got a PAF 36th neck (DP103).
Tbh, it doesn't sound too much different from the Duncan Designed HB-101n. Of course I don't have the direct AB comparison, but at least it is still nowhere near that quack (or bell-like tone, as I like to call it), that I hear from that video, ALBEIT I now have almost the exact same pickups in my guitar.

Funny enough, in my other Axis Super Sport, still the stock pickups in it, I definitely hear a lot more of that quack in the middle position.
Even more funny enough, the stock pickups in the "experimental guitar" by far do not sound as quacky like in that Axis Super Sport.
I even compared and setup both guitars as close to each other as possible (same string gauge, type, manufacturer, same distance pickups to strings, even set distance of bridge saddles to bridge humbuckers the same). No success.
Of course the stock pickups vary a little concer.ing DC resistance (don't have a LCR meter...), but I don't even get the problem child in the ballpark!

I mean, the problem child dies not sound bad, it's just not got that quack.

So I am running out of ideas...

One really positive thing I have to admit: I really start to dig that slightly-hotter-than-vintage-PAF bridge humbucker. It's really that awesome. I understand that the VHPAF is sought after.
And I am one of the biggest defenders of these stock EvH custom DiMarzios!

27

The Pickup Place / Re: Bridge HB to tame bright Basswood guitar?

« Last post by gregr on November 13, 2023, 10:49:58 AM »

I looked at the two usual places I buy pickups and surprisingly there were plenty on hand.

28

The Pickup Place / Re: Bridge HB to tame bright Basswood guitar?

« Last post by darkbluemurder on November 13, 2023, 08:57:04 AM »

Breed bridge is great to fatten up guitars that sound a bit bright and/or thin. Unfortunately it is only available as a custom model but at least it is not discontinued. I was lucky to get a black one which one dealer had as remaining stock before the price increase.

Cheers Stephan

29

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Bluesbucker

« Last post by darkbluemurder on November 13, 2023, 08:54:52 AM »

If I tried to play that probably both Hendrix and SRV would have broken down on the floor laughing

30

The Pickup Place / Re: Bridge HB to tame bright Basswood guitar?

« Last post by gregr on November 12, 2023, 08:54:38 PM »

Thanks (I’m being sarcastic because I have more pickups than guitars to put them in). Now I want a Breed Bridge. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.