Show Posts
16
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.
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.