16

The Pickup Place / Re: Medium to high output dark sounding bridge pickup

« on: April 27, 2016, 08:23:43 AM »

Breed Bridge

This. 

Medium output. Dark-ish. Mild mannered. No ice-pick, no harshness.

17

The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups for Les Paul

« on: April 27, 2016, 07:54:56 AM »

As someone who has one Les Paul Custom with a Super D-36th PAF neck combo, another Les Paul Custom with a Duncan Custom/59 Hybrid and 36th PAF neck combo and another Les Paul Standard with a Norton (b)-Air Norton (n) combo, I can attest that for what you're looking for

Bridge:
Either Super D or Norton. Norton if you want more mid crunch and 'kerrang', Super D if you want more boldness and 'thunk' in the low-end. Norton is not thin sounding, but significantly tighter and way more open sounding (Alnico V vs. ceramic). Norton is more medium-high output, with the Super D having the edge there, being actually high output.
If you also use coil-splitting, the Super D isn't that great, while the Norton has one of the best split-tones available!
For EVH tones on a Les Paul=Norton.
For Ace Frehley tones=Super D.

Neck:
36th PAF neck. You  may find the Air Norton being slightly too smooth and bell-like, while the 36th PAF retains a sparkly high-end better and is better 'nuanced'.
Although if you are considering the PAF Pro, then I *would* suggest the Air Norton, because to me the PAF Pro is too focussed in the mids/high mids, with a too thin/tight low-end and too much of that cocked-wah tone, whereas the Air Norton in the neck sounds thicker/wider.

I've tried the Duncan Jazz & SH-1n '59 in the neck as well and didn't like them at all:
Jazz=anemic, scooped, too modern. No character whatsoever. Too hi-fi.
59n=too muddy and boomy in the low-end.

Duncan Alnico II Pro was allright, thick and focussed, but could use more high-end. It was smoother than the Air Norton by a landslide. I took that out of the Duncan-equipped LPC and put a 36th PAF neck there.
Only Duncans I want to try in that guitar's neck position are:
-SH12 Screamin' Demon
-Pearly Gates
-SH1N 59n, but with A2 or A4 magnet

18

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The AT-1

« on: September 08, 2015, 12:27:48 PM »

Couple med-high gain demos.

https://youtu.be/u70PIa0aUG8
https://youtu.be/trn4hnd11S4

It seems to have some nice 'spongey' qualities, maybe a tad too loose in the lows, but to me it also seems to lack some bite that I'm looking for.
Then again, it would probably pair awesomely with an EVH 5150 III 50W head and Vintage speakers; bite aplenty.

19

The Pickup Place / Re: neck match for Super D

« on: September 01, 2015, 02:17:44 PM »

I like the breed neck better than the paf pro. It's got a bit more mids and splits coils better in my opinion. Its very fat and creamy and pairs better with high output pickups better than the 36th paf. Just my 2¢, you really can't go wrong, I own all the pickups mentioned in this thread and they are all fantastic

While I agree with you on two points
-The Breed neck has indeed a better (more bodied, and dynamic) split tone than the the 36th PAF
-the Breed neck pairs better with more high output pickups, because of its own juice

I want to point out that the Breed neck can sound less awesome in the wrong guitar. The 36th PAF is in some respects perhaps less complex, but the base tone that it *does have*, is very organic and nice. And the split-tone is alright, but just not that awesome as the Air Norton's or Breed Neck's.

20

The Pickup Place / Re: Most Alnico sounding Dimarzio Ceramic pickup

« on: September 01, 2015, 02:12:41 PM »

The Transition would be a good candidate. The lower power stuff like the PAF Master or PAF 36th could also fit the bill.

But the PAF 36th *is* alnico, right? Not ceramic.

I have the DP103 neck pickup in two of my Les Paul Customs; beautiful organic tone!

21

The Pickup Place / Re: Neck Humbucker trick for removing mud/boom

« on: June 16, 2015, 03:55:15 PM »

Thanks, Ray! The Screamin' Demon is another pickup that works great in the neck (for brighter guitars than LPs maybe), and it's got two rows of different screws. 

+1!
Put a Demon in the neck of my ESP Horizon NT-II. Lovely open sound; and when split, it's one of most beautiful bright singlecoil sounds with character.

22

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Air Norton

« on: February 07, 2015, 08:27:50 AM »

Here is a link to a thread in the LP Forum. See reply #12 for a description of Air Norton in the bridge and Bluesbucker in the neck.

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140916&highlight=nash

I have that combination in a guitar that is acoustically rather dark sounding and it works very well.

Cheers Stephan

I can imagine. When I had the AN in the bridge of a bighter Les Paul, the combination was nice, but almost too vintage-y bright. You know, certain Les Pauls have that jangle, where others are way darker.

23

Guitar Lounge / Re: Charvel Pro Mod SO-CAL: How to block tremolo?

« on: December 31, 2014, 06:29:33 AM »

I just tightened the springs until the bridge was against the body, it's still pretty level.

Kids, don't try that at home! 

You've basically put too much tension on the strings, even with a level trem. And probably making dents and pits in the guitar's body by that.

24

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

« on: December 22, 2014, 01:51:26 PM »

Tonezone results vary on p/u height placement. Too much bottom end for most applications, might be good in alder body maple neck/board with floating trem?

Alas,
it came stock in my 2010 (or 9?) Charvel So Cal's bridge position. Had this loose low-end thingy going on; subtle, but I wanted something tighter still (and keeping the lovely harmonics), even though it's an alder bodied, FR-trem equipped, quartersawn maple neck (maple FB) guitar. That would say bright, right?
My pup swaps have been described on this forum ad nauseum, but long story short; there's a Norton in there now. Much better.

25

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

« on: November 15, 2014, 05:40:55 AM »

Air Norton: too smooth, kinda dampening all notes, didn't like it at all

Have you tried flipping it? It becomes a bit brighter and open sounding. I agree it's kinda smooth, but too me not too smooth.

Less than impressed with:
Seymour Duncan '59 Neck in a Les Paul Custom (with maple cap). Boomy, muddy, indistinct mids.
The GFS Vintage '59 Alnico PAF that replaced it (at 1/3rd of the price!) was much better.

Note: the '59N in my ESP Horizon NTII was a much better match, although it could use more juice. Replaced it with a Duncan Distortion neck, but after a few weeks, replaced its ceramic magnet with an Alnico 5 for more character. Pretty happy so far. Replaced tje bridge JB in that guitar with a Duncan Custom 5 (SH-14). Best move ever!  Love that pickup!

Seymour Duncan Jazz Neck (in a HSH superstrat, w/floating trem.) What a lifeless, hifi POS!
It made a Evo Neck sound vintag-y, juicy PAF like by comparison! (and that's saying something!)
Replaced it with a Duncan Distortion neck (hey...a theme!), couldn't be happier at the time. Sold that guitar eventually though.

DiMarzio Super Distorion S (in neck position (in a HS superstrat, w/floating trem.)); too big, bold, boomy.

26

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

« on: March 10, 2014, 02:03:29 PM »

Another Breed bridge player here.

I use it in a Korean made Brian Moore i3, which is a very very bright guitar. It came stock with a SD JB and Alnico II Pro Neck pickups which I first replaced with a Tone Zone in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck. Later I replaced the Tone Zone with the Breed bridge. It gave the guitar a fat midrange coupled with a weighty low end and enough definition in the high end. In addition the Breed is not fizzy in this guitar, which came as a pleasant surprise since I had it in a strat before where it had a bit of that slight fizz on top of the notes. Not in this guitar. Its output was not much less compared to the Tone Zone. It cleans up well enough so the hot output is not a problem in any way.

I like it better than the Air Norton in the neck position so I hope that somebody is going to post something about the Breed neck when used in the neck position.

Cheers Stephan

I'm confused; are you asking how the Bridge Bridge model would work in the neck, or how the Breed Neck model compares to the Air Norton in the neck position of a bright guitar?
If the latter; the Breed Neck sounds wider (more warm low-end), but also more jangly up top.

27

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

« on: January 05, 2014, 03:46:49 PM »

Cool discovery today:
The Breed neck, when coil-split, has amazing mojo! Like a Texas Special singlecoil type of tone.
Beefy and jangly at the same time. 

I wasn't overly fond of the Breed neck's high-end when it was in my medium/bright Charvel So Cal neck position (alder body, maple neck and fretboard), but since I put it in my all-mahogany Gibson Flying V (ebony fretboard), it rules! Like a beefy Air Norton tone, and like the Air Norton it splits asymmetrically, which means more output, compared to an evenly split pickup.

28

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

« on: October 28, 2013, 12:37:47 PM »

Does the Norton sound different (in the bridge position) when you flip it, so that the screw-pole pieces face the neck?

29

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Air Norton

« on: October 28, 2013, 12:36:59 PM »

Can more people attest to that the AN should sound brighter with the screw-pole pieces towards the bridge, when it's in the neck position?
I currently have it set-up in my Burny Les Paul, because the previous owner cut the leads really short (like 3") and while that was fine when I tried it in the bridge position, now in the neck position -with self-soldered leads added- it's not. Of course I could solder longer leads to it, but meh...

Also, how do other people feel about its split and parallel tones?
I love how it adds some bluesyness when split, whereas parallel I found it a bit bland.

30

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The AT-1

« on: October 28, 2013, 12:29:43 PM »

Not really, that intro sounds WAY too twangy.
You'd rather want something more PAF-ish and brighter IMO.
Actually I think that tone sounds quite singlecoilish.

Yep, I was under the long impression that that intro was done on a Tele, but heard mention of a Les Paul a few times...who knew?