Duncan vs Dimarzio

[Grandturk]

I've got a ToneZone on the way. I'm going to stuck it in the bridge of my Floyded Strat which right now is a little dark sounding. Hopefully it will brighten it up for me. I was thinking Custom based on what I heard from that pickup in one of my ProMods, but hey, for $35 I figured I'd try the ToneZone.

[leevan_lee]

I have a Kelly STD too and find it very bright in general. You might want to look for a pickup described as dark.

hey spiv, what pickup do you suggest to give it warmth and thickness? yeah the guitar is extremely bright.

[Spivonious]

hey spiv, what pickup do you suggest to give it warmth and thickness? yeah the guitar is extremely bright.

I don't know. I put a Duncan Distortion in mine and love it, but I wouldn't call it warm. Definitely thick though.

[roodyrocker]

I have lots of Duncans and Dimarzios and currently the Tone Zone/Air Norton combo is one of my favorites. One thing to watch out for with the Tone Zone is the low E tends to get flubby on clean sounds but for distortion its outstanding!

[Trussrod]

hey spiv, what pickup do you suggest to give it warmth and thickness? yeah the guitar is extremely bright.

Duncan has a chart with equalization info on all their humbuckers. It might be worth a look.

I haven't purchased a Dimarzio since the early 80's. Their super distortion seemed like a good choice back then but the sound didn't grow on me so I got rid of it. Haven't purchased any humbuckers from them since.

[Rupe]

As has already been said, it really depends on the guitar. I love the Tone Zone in some guitars, while in others it sounds muddy and lifeless. The PAF Pro works well in the neck in my experience if you want a thicker, more midrangey (woo woo) tone, but don't expect to get any chime on your cleans (unless you split it or blend with a middle pickup).

[ulijdavid]

I like some of the Dimarzio pickups (yes, pretty general statement). I do find the Dimarzio's to have defined sweet spots in reference to the pickup height. I found the super distortions to be very powerful, but tend to be muddy if they are too close to the strings. I usually set the distortion further than normal from the strings. At that point, it doesn't seem as powerful, but the notes tend to have more clarity during fast runs and strummed chords.

With that said, you can get that same sound, power, and clarity without much fuss from the Duncan Full Shred.

[Grim]

FME, there isn't a Duncan that is as bassy or meaty as the Tone Zone. You said you've tried a custom - perhaps try an Alternative 8. very "different" sounding pickup. Apparently it's fat like the custom but has more definition and crispness to it than a Tone Zone. FMU, It's almost like a merge of a Distortion, JB and a Custom.

[Grim]

I like some of the Dimarzio pickups (yes, pretty general statement). I do find the Dimarzio's to have defined sweet spots in reference to the pickup height. I found the super distortions to be very powerful, but tend to be muddy if they are too close to the strings. I usually set the distortion further than normal from the strings. At that point, it doesn't seem as powerful, but the notes tend to have more clarity during fast runs and strummed chords.

With that said, you can get that same sound, power, and clarity without much fuss from the Duncan Full Shred.

What's your opinion on the full shred? I've always viewed them as Duncan's version of the PAF Pro. I've never heard one in the bridge

[toejam]

FME, there isn't a Duncan that is as bassy or meaty as the Tone Zone.

Try an Invader. Or just listen to Master of Puppets to hear what one sounds like.

[Hellbat]

I had a full shred in a basswood Ibanez RG and it sounded a little 'hollow' in the mids to me but the bass and top were nice and clear.

[ulijdavid]

I have only had the Full Shred's in mahogany bodied guitars - a Kramer Nightswan and a neck thru all mahogany Gibson V clone. I think what Hellbat stated would be the sound with alder, basswood, ash, etc. But for the darker tone from a mahogany type body, the sound was nice and balanced.

JH-1571.jpg

[Grim]

Try an Invader. Or just listen to Master of Puppets to hear what one sounds like.

I have tried an Invader in alder and all I got was fuzz.

Not meaty at all.

And I played with the thing, but found no value in it.

[horns666]

I have tried an Invader in alder and all I got was fuzz.

Not meaty at all.

And I played with the thing, but found no value in it.

So, basically you're looking for something meaty to play with ..to invade your fuzz..?

We could do this..!

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

And now, Grim has been BillZ'd.