DiMarzio Forum
DimarzioForum.Com => The Pickup Place => Topic started by: aizenx on February 24, 2026, 02:20:45 PM
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Hey guys,
I'm looking for opinions on a good neck pick up to put in my HS superstrat. I currently have a Tone Zone in the bridge. Really, I'm just looking for something that's powerful enough to keep up with it, that isn't too bright, and has great sustain. I play mostly distorted tones, but occasionally I'll play cleans similar to Andy Timmons (nothing too clean, as I usually have 'some' gain on it). I love my other guitar that has a full size Air Norton in the neck. Would the S version work here? What about the BC1 (supposedly a modified Air Norton S). Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance! :)
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Andy Timmons relies on the Cruiser Bridge for his clean tones, either with a compressor or an overdrive pedal with the volume rolled way back that has a treble bleed. This pickup is the second brightest (and second weakest) rail pickup that DiMarzio makes.
Bear in mind that with rail pickups the top end drops very quickly as the output increases. By the time you get to the Pro Track cleans become more suited for jazz, though unfortunately they’ve already lost articulation. Luckily that sounds like a non-issue for you. So that out of the way, yes, the Air Norton S or BC-1 will pair well with the Tone Zone in terms of output and sustain. They are almost the same pickup; if I were to choose between the two for the neck position I would opt for the slightly tighter Air Norton S.
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Yeah, the Cruiser Bridge is great in the neck, but the Air Norton S might balance the outputs better.
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I plan on trying the Chopper in an upcoming HS build, mainly because I have one in the parts drawer.
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While I agree, the Cruiser Bridge is an excellent Neck pickup, it does not balance well with hotter bridge Humbuckers IME.
I tried it with a Breed Neck in the Bridge and the volume and "fatness" difference was just too obvious. In the end, the Fast Track 1 was a much better match and is the minimum I would choose for a medium-hot Humbucker in the bridge.
With a ToneZone, you might need something even more, like a Pro Track or Air Norton S.
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It is also my experience that the Cruisers are rather low output. I could never use them in combination with anything similar to an AT-1 in output as Andy Timmons does. Apparently it works for him but for me the output differences between the bridge HB and the Cruisers would be too much. I would need a hefty amount of compression on the clean tones to make it work.
Cheers Stephan
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Andy doesn’t use the AT-1 by itself in humbucking mode for cleans. And yes, he seems to always use the Cruiser in conjunction with a pedal of some sort. What I don’t know is whether he uses a pedal with the Cruiser for high gain solos which he doesn’t also use with the AT-1. I suspect the answer to this question is no.
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Back to topic: in order to have a suitable balance with the Tone Zone in the bridge, I would also lean to the Air Norton S as a compromise between clarity and high output. The Chopper could be an alternative, even though I only ever used it in the bridge position. Be sure to use pots of at least 500k.
Cheers Stephan