1

The Pickup Place / Re: One thread finally makes it past the first page and gets locked down.... Figures

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:58:54 am »

Agreed. I always wanted to try a double whammy or megadrive, or at least hear something about them.

have you tried google?   

I've had a megadrive review up on my site for 5 years.   

2

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio Dreamcatcher

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:56:27 am »

Any thoughts/reviews on this pickup?

google "dimarzio dreamcatcher review"

there's an interesting result dated Mar 11, 2020   

3

The Pickup Place / Re: Number of winds/turns per coil

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:54:26 am »

if you can't find it, it could be because Larry had it shut down.

he's literally threatened to take action against at least one online DiMarzio-themed resource for people discussing the engineering of DiMarzio products as well as posting photos of a DiMarzio product someone bought and disassembled.

let that sink in.  a place started and operated by a fan as a place for other fans to gather, not unlike this forum.  DiMarzio didn't start it and isn't funding it or even supporting it.  and Larry threatened to take action because someone bought a product, which makes it their property, and posted a photo of the bottom with the baseplate removed... which is something that anyone can figure out from the publicly available patent info... as in, it's no big secret.



anyway, good luck on finding the info you're looking for.   

4

The Pickup Place / Re: JP Neck Pickups

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:44:53 am »

I know that but this is a forum about pickups. We are supposed "want" to know the differences between those. All the details. Does that makes sense to you?

I mean yeah but Darth Phin is right - these are pretty minor changes in pickups that feel and sound very similar. The CL/LF is has the most treble and is the most aggressive overall, the Illuminator has a bit more low-mids and less low bass than that and a brighter but less extended treble (so a growlier rather than snarlier attack under gain), and the Sonic Ecstasy is basically the same tonal recipe as the Illuminator but a bit sweeter on the treble. They're all a great steak, so to speak, it's just a matter of whether you're a skirt steak (CL/LF), NY strip (Illuminator), or ribeye (SE) kinda person. Even JP seems to take them as just evolutionary steps bc every time a new pickup comes out, all of the guitars he still plays switch over to them (JP 15 started with CL/LF, got Illuminators, JP16 started with Illuminators and switched to SE, Majesty did the same).

Welp maybe right about the minor changes but for the record I own both Crunchlab and Illuminator bridge. Tested both on several guitars. Similar but not "that" close.

What I disagree with is telling someone not to sweat the details. Pickup forum bro. Stay curious.

in case it wasn't clear.  probably shouldn't sweat those details.

to break it down for the "bros" that are "curious", JP wants a homogenous result from whatever comes from the output jack of whatever guitar.  the "curious" will note that whenever JP changes up something with his EBMM model, there is generally a new pickup to go along with it.... to... yep, keep the result in line with the basic result he wants hitting his amp.

so, yeah "bro" they are close enough to throw down with some slight amp tweaks to get similar results without dropping $100 on new gear.  which, for anyone "curious" is also what it's about.  like most artist DiMarzio models, JP's cost a little more because he gets a piece of that action.  it's marketing for all the OCD players that thing the slightest bit of this or that will transform their tone so much that the dude ordering another beer will turn around and tell the bartender "Wow! that "bro's" tone really cut through my drunken stupor as the best thing since EVH!  why's that band been playing open mic night at the HoJo for 5 years when they should be on the main stage at OzzFest"

good luck on your tone quest, "bro".  if you're genuinely "curious", you'd be throwing down the $ and trying them out instead of flexing on a message board.

5

The Pickup Place / Re: D-Activator X wire gauge

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:31:05 am »

whoever you send it to for the rewind should be able to figure it out.... as they'll also need to inspect the existing wire for the type and build of insulation, among all the other details.

6

The Pickup Place / Re: On the search for Optimal pickup combo for Low-Tuned Guitars

« on: October 28, 2020, 07:28:34 am »

Tosin Abasi plays 7 and 8 strings.  not sure if his 8th string tuning goes as low as your detuned 7th string.  but he is known for clarity in his tones.

he was using the Ionizer sets when he was with DiMarzio.  I'm selling my Ionizer 7 set.  if interested, you can reach me through my FB, Twitter, or IG, which are all checked daily.

7

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: PAF MASTER SET REVIEW

« on: July 08, 2020, 04:31:21 pm »

So I'd say it's my opinion they are doing something that I like.

Fixed.

8

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzio Pickup Winding Machines

« on: June 18, 2020, 06:12:25 am »

I’ve read that pickup winding machines can be programmed to wind pickups uniform and scatter wound and everything in between. 

yes, they can.

I don’t hear much if DiMarzio uses scattering in their pickup designs. 

probably won't ever hear anything about that.  Larry essentially threatened action against a DiMarzio-themed FB group because someone posted a photo (or photos) of a disassembled DiMarzio product.  my thoughts on that aside (for now), it's an indication of how the company wants to protect their process.  not unheard of, although some companies approach is to different degrees.

Sone people say that scattering of the coil winds reduces capacity and increases clarity and dynamics of the pickup. 

yes.  the short version is that it can add a little more space within the windings of the coil, which does reduce the distributed capacitance with opens up the character a little.

there's more that can be said about "scatter winding" but it's become a point of contention over the past several years.  many pickup companies do it.  some call it different things.  one company in particular made the process part of the marketing plan, which seems to put blinders on a lot of people to how it's nothing new and how it's not uncommon.

Does anybody know how they wind their coils or is it a company secret?

see above

9

The Pickup Place / Re: HFH vs Super 2 vs 36th

« on: June 18, 2020, 06:00:36 am »

to revisit the OP from SIX YEARS AGO:

Looking for a neck humbucker for a darky and boomy mahogany Epiphone Les Paul, tuned to standard E. 10-46 strings. I will be wiring it to a switch for split or parallel for clean tones, so I'm focusing on finding something that will handle high gain dirty tones and not get mushy or flub out, specially I'm the lows (think of G and A barre chords, for example).

I do have experience with the HFH, but sort of find it a little rigid and stiff sounding. I'm intrigued by the output of the Super 2, but am concerned about it sounding too saturated. I'm also intrigued by the open vibe of the 36th neck, but am concerned about how it will perform with high gain.



#1. Any opinions on those options?

And

#2. Am I overlooking another option?


Thanks

the result was #2, which was going with the Duncan "Seth Lover' in the neck.

the thread can go back to the nether regions.

10

The Pickup Place / Re: Curious: Dry vs wet sounding pickups?

« on: June 18, 2020, 05:56:05 am »

some people think his tone has been shiite on everything after Eat 'Em And Smile.

I would be one of those people.

yep.  he complained about the overly-processed vibe on DLR's Skyscraper and then went off to abuse the Eventide H3000 on P&W and Slip Of The Tongue, effectively putting a hex on Whitesnake they still haven't recovered from.

11

The Pickup Place / Re: Injector Bridge in neck position?

« on: March 10, 2020, 08:30:08 am »

Has anyone ever tried the Injector Bridge in the neck position? I ask because I was looking at the eq chart on Dimarzios website and it has a very similar eq chart to the HB 2 just a tad more bass, which is fine with me. I have a HB 2 in the neck position in one of my strats which tbh I do like but at times find myself wanting just a touch more output. I'm trying to retain the aesthetic of my strat to hence why I'm not going for a rails design.

grab one and try it out.  you can be the expert on the topic.


I will say that "neck" and "bridge" and "calibrated set" weren't really a 'thing' prior to marketing aftermarket pickups in a way to separate a guitar player from their money.  we pretty much all know the original Gibson PAFs were all wound to the same goal and whatever was picked out of the stack could end up in either position and resulted in the tones that people are chasing 60 years later.

so put what you want where you want it.... er... that might have come out wrong.... 

12

The Pickup Place / Re: JP Neck Pickups

« on: March 10, 2020, 08:25:56 am »

Air Norton
Liquifire
Illuminator
Sonic Ecstasy
Rainmaker

Anyone kind enough to share your experiences with those? I'd like to know the differences as well as the direction of his tonequest.

have tried:
Liquifire
Illuminator
Sonic Ecstasy
Rainmaker

but not:
Air Norton



I'd suggest not sweating the differences.  all variations of the same goal.  tweaking amp settings and playing technique can get them all in the same ballpark.

13

The Pickup Place / Re: Everyone is a professional pickup winder these days

« on: March 10, 2020, 08:23:44 am »

independent experts are how the "current" big hitters started.  the key point is "amateur".


one guy that I saw had started advertising literally as he got the materials and was still in testing and prototype phases.  there is a LOT more to it than simply knowing what gauge of wire and what magnet and what DCR to wind to.  specs are interesting to keep tabs on, but when I see people obsessing over a magnet type or a DCR, I'm likely to tune them out.

14

The Pickup Place / Re: Press Release : DiMarzio releases Fortitude Pickup

« on: March 10, 2020, 08:19:25 am »

Did anyone get one yet? If so, review?

nope.

tried to work with dimarzio on this, but at this point I'd rather slam my no-no bits in a car door than interact with the Office Coven in Staten Island

If so, review?

sounds like it's up to you to do the heavy lifting.

15

The Pickup Place / Re: Dimarzio Super Distortion Van Halen 1 First Album Sound

« on: February 06, 2020, 03:48:04 pm »

EVH was always concerning of people copying him and his sound.  He was so popular, he is not going to give out a free product endorsement.  Allegedly, Frankenstein had a PAF pickup from a vintage Gibson.  He also wound/tinkered around with his pickup windings.  His Marshall is magic.

Edward's story about which pickups and guitars he was using on certain albums also changes every time someone asks him the same question....

^^^  these are the things to consider  ^^^


plus.... if there are people that are dead-set on hearing an edgy gainy ceramic-based humbucker, remember a '79 ad that Seymour Duncan ran.






Eddie got mad at what he was using being outed and called Seymour and the next month "(Van Halen)" was dropped from that same ad in the same magazine.