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The Pickup Place / Re: Mellowing out Air Norton neck in Charvel So-Cal?

« on: November 18, 2023, 09:45:27 AM »

@Schneidas,
I made sure of flipping it in the 'right' or darker direction; screw poles towards the neck.

In two other, warmer sounding guitars loaded with Air Nortons in their neck positions, I purposely put the screw poles towards the bridge, just like a bridge pickup.
I also found it made quite a noticable difference.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Mellowing out Air Norton neck in Charvel So-Cal?

« on: November 04, 2023, 05:41:12 AM »

Wiring the coils in parallel instead of series would make it brighter, not less bright.

Yeah, at the time I figured the push-pull pot should do parallel switching, but thinking back, maybe I should've done a coil split, since it has a tad more output.

@greenlion, you'd think so yes, but this is quite a bright guitar. I had a Breed Neck in there and while it had a bigger low-end/low-mids than the Air Norton, it was also a tad brighter, or jangly in the highs, to the point where I didn't like it. I guess I want some sort of beefy PAF tone from that guitar, but maybe I'm wishing for the impossible; to have a bright, alder bodied, maple neck+maple fb, Floyd-Rose equipped Superstrat behave like a Les Paul in that regard... 

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The Pickup Place / Re: Pickup similar to AT-1

« on: November 04, 2023, 05:35:22 AM »

I'd love it if there was a slightly less hot, less middy, brighter AT-1;

Hmm, that does kinda sound like a Duncan SH-14 Custom 5 would do the trick. It has definitely less mids, more balance than a JB, with bigger AND tighter lows, slightly less output and more high-end than an AT-1.

And the Breed Neck might be a good option too; I had it as a neck pickup in a Charvel So-Cal where it was thick and big, but slightly too jangly up top. Replaced it with an Air Norton.
I have the AT-1 in the bridge of a Les Paul Standard, where it replaced it a regular Norton, as I wanted a tad more beefiness in the lows, but sometimes I miss the wild crunch and harmonics of the Norton...The AT-1 comes close, but it's a bit more behaved and polite.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Mellowing out Air Norton neck in Charvel So-Cal?

« on: November 01, 2022, 08:58:14 AM »

Thanks man, I'll try the 1 MOhm resistor, see how that flies. 

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The Pickup Place / Re: Looking for a bridge pickup

« on: November 01, 2022, 08:57:27 AM »

Have you considered the AT-1?

I have experience with the Custom 5 myself and I agree it's a slightly more balanced and even bigger sounding version of the JB. Now, in a lot of cases I find the Norton to be DiMarzio's 'improved JB', although a Norton has leaner and tighter lows, but like the JB, harmonics jump from it.
And the AT-1 builds on that; bigger lows, still medium/high output, good harmonics, just more balanced/easy sounding, without becoming dull. I don't agree with the 'Treble 3.5' rating on the Dimarzio website. Treble is less than the Norton, sure, but not 1.5 points.
Either way, if the guitar can use some added body and warmth (like what a Custom 5 gives), the AT-1 will do this too.
And just like the Norton (and to a lesser extent the Custom 5), it splits beautifully as well.

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The Pickup Place / Re: New Tone Charts!?!

« on: November 01, 2022, 07:02:13 AM »

That is interesting. I was considering purchasing a Humbucker from Hell to replace the Air Norton neck, but I discarded it after I saw these charts because they indicate that has little bass at all and too much treble. On the opposite extreme of what I want to achieve.

What were you looking for out of that replacement then?
If you want a bigger sound than the Air Norton, that still has a good high-end for a neck pickup, may I suggest the Breed Neck?

In my Charvel So-Cal I found it too jangly, but since switching it to a Gibson Flying V '67  RI, it's damn perfect.
Makes the guitar sound bigger (closer to a Les Paul), without muddyness, which is what I was going for. And since it's all mahogany and ebony FB, the highs are sweet and not strident.

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The Pickup Place / Mellowing out Air Norton neck in Charvel So-Cal?

« on: October 31, 2022, 01:08:08 PM »

So the Air Norton is one of my favourite neck pickups; it's in an Ibanez S540FM, in a Burny Les Paul Standard and in a 2010 MIJ Charvel So-Cal Pro Mod.

And while I love its split-tones, in the Charvel I've come to find it too 'plingy' and bright in the top end when playing distorted leads (in a Maiden tribute, where it's my "Adrian Smith" guitar).
The guitar has an alder body, maple neck, maple fretboard, Floyd Rose with an FU big brass block and a DiMarzio Norton in the bridge. 1x 500k push/pull volume, no tone pot.
Originally it came with an Evo neck and ToneZone bridge, but I went through numerous pickup changes to come to the Air Norton/Norton combo.

Is there a way to mellow out/thicken the Air Norton (even if it means slightly mellowing/thickening) without lowering the output? So I'm not looking to lower the pickup height.

Would a 300k pot help here?

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The Pickup Place / Re: Options to replace Air Norton neck on mahogany J.Custom?

« on: October 31, 2022, 12:58:52 PM »

No problem  If the Gravity Storm it is not what I want for that guitar, I can use it on a S540FM. And I may also try the Air Norton at the bridge of that S540FM

I actually have the Air Norton in the neck of my S540FM and love it there. Has a ToneZone in the bridge. Very balanced guitar. That TZ came out of a Charvel So-Cal where I found it a bit too boomy/muddy in the lows.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Need humbucker that fits with single coils better than 36th Bridge

« on: September 08, 2018, 04:23:31 PM »

The guy is asking for something with less midrange, and you guys are suggesting some of the the middiest pickups Dimarzio makes...

Quite relative here. The AT-1's low-end is on par with it's mid-end. Maybe the Norton is a pinch more middy, but otherwise the Air Classic might be good...will be lower in output.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Need humbucker that fits with single coils better than 36th Bridge

« on: September 06, 2018, 11:34:56 AM »

If you can, try the Air Norton as well. Yes, as a bridge pup!

I've had it in a rather bright-ish Les Paul and as a bridge pup, it's on the medium output side of things, quite bright, but not shrill.
Since I play some heavier stuff than what you described, I wanted a tad more grunt, so I swapped it for a Norton and later on, for an AT-1.

Actually, the AT-1 might be a decent suggestion too, given that Mr. Timmons uses it in combination with singlecoils too... it has a slightly bigger low-end than the Norton, ever so slightly less mids, but overall a somewhat comparable feel... like a very improved Duncan JB, without the harshness, looseness and honkeyness. (That said, I owned 1 guitar where the JB worked like no other...)

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The Pickup Place / Re: Looking for fat neck humbucker for 24 fret super strat

« on: September 06, 2018, 11:30:12 AM »

DarthPhineas: How does A2P and PGn compare? I've a friend with A2P set installed and he's gonna loan his guitar next week. I'll most likely get a hold on the P-Rails as well.

I cover the A2P HERE and the Pearly Gates HERE.

Hi Darth,

Being a fan of both the Air Norton as a neck pickup, as well as the 36th Anniv. PAF, but wanting something slightly in between those and note; I tried and found Duncan's Alnico Pro II a bit too smooth and boomy...how you'd say the Pearly Gates neck would compare?

More on topic:
The Breed neck I found actually to be bigger *and* janglier sounding than the Air Norton in a 22fret Superstrat, but once I put that into a Gibson '67 RI Flying V it's pure magic. Thick, juicy, but with the right definition. Note that's an all mahogany guitar, 22 frets, ebony fretboard, fixed bridge (I put a black Gotoh bridge and a black aluminium (yes, European spelling=right spelling, bitches  ) tailpiece on that. It has a Super D in the bridge, that -while nice- could have some improvement...not sure how yet.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Which DiMarzio for 80s metal that will also work for clean stuff?

« on: December 03, 2016, 01:52:31 PM »

AT-1 or Norton.

I have a Norton in my Charvel So-Cal. Love it. AT-1 adds a bit more low-end. Sounds nice clean as well.

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The Pickup Place / Re: Pro track and Breed bridge

« on: June 20, 2016, 01:08:27 PM »

I think it will woof too much. Both pickups have some big, but not super-tight low-end and the mahogany and rosewood won't make that tighter.

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

« on: May 03, 2016, 02:15:59 PM »

The Breed is just too bottom heavy with an alder body and 010 strings IMO.

Once you add some maple (either cap or neck/fb) to the mix, it balances out.
Same happened for my ToneZone.

Vice versa, the Breed Neck was too jangly up top (with big bottom) in my alder/maple Charvel So-Cal, but fits perfect in an all mahogany+ebony Gibson V's neck position. Gives me that big Les Paul neck tone. 

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The Pickup Place / Re: Pickups for Les Paul

« on: April 28, 2016, 02:44:07 PM »

If the 498T is close to the Duncan Custom 5 (which I had in one Les Paul Custom, and now resides in my ESP Horizon NT-II...lovely guitar, lovely pickup), then the Norton will have more mid-crunch and sizzle.
The Custom 5 sounds wide and great; it sort of implies high-out characteristics, yet retains the Alnico V flavor for more classic rock stuff.

If you're worried about the Norton being too smooth, yet you would consider the Super D... 
The Norton definitely has more high-end bite/harmonics and hair going on than the Super D.