The J90C in this is a little bright, any recomendations for a new pickup?

[Rich#6]

My model 6 was too bright and i put a j-90c in it and it sounds better,but I got a l500l and put it in a ps-2 and I really like that tone.but I dont know if it would sound the same in the model 6?

Probably pretty close. I think the ps-2s were alder which is close in tone to the model 6s poplar.

[triplehold]

Nice axe! A Dimarzio F-spaced Tone Zone will do the trick for sure, a zebra one would look sharp.

[toejam]

Another vote for the Tone Zone. A JB works better in mahogany guitars than alder, IMO.

[Matt_B]

Who makes the tonezone pickups? What do they run price wise? whats their output?

The output for a Tone Zone is 375 mV. Dimarzio does categorize it as high power but it's low end of their scale. For example a PAF Pro (standard pup in Jems for many years) has 300 mV of output and a Super Distortion (THE standard high output pup for years) has 425 mV of output.

The thing that most folks love about the Tone Zone (myself included) is the "awww" tone is has. In other words it has a nice mid/upper mid bump in its tone curve which gives it a pretty smooth and punchy tone. Now, to say it's smooth doesn't mean it's dark. It still has bite but to my ears, it's a smooth bite and not piercing.

[Rich#6]

EVH used a custom dimarzio that is very close to a Tone zone in his musicman guitars.

[toejam]

EVH used a custom dimarzio that is very close to a Tone zone in his musicman guitars.

It would basically be an Air Zone... the lower output version of the Tone Zone.

[Matt_B]

EVH used a custom dimarzio that is very close to a Tone zone in his musicman guitars.

It would basically be an Air Zone... the lower output version of the Tone Zone.

...and you can easily convert a Tone Zone to an Air Zone if, after playing the Tone Zone for a while, you want something a little more tame.

[oklaSTAR]

Well I put a tone zone w a 250K pot and that seemed to make the difference. It sounds good now. Thanks everyone for your input.
I think I may trade the tone zone for an Air Zone though.... its not as articulate as I would like.
Derek

[Matt_B]

Well I put a tone zone w a 250K pot and that seemed to make the difference. It sounds good now. Thanks everyone for your input.
I think I may trade the tone zone for an Air Zone though.... its not as articulate as I would like.
Derek

I can tell you from experience that the distance the Tone Zone is from the strings makes a huge difference in clarity. How close do you have it to the strings?

As I mentioned previously, you can convert a Tone Zone to an Air Zone. As I recall, it's really easy to do. I just requires removing a metal spacer underneath one of the bobbins to create the "Air" gap which will decrease the output and mellow it out a bit.

[Rich#6]

use a 500k pot 250s are for singles to cut the highs. The Tone zone doesn't have a lot of highs so you are choking them with that pot.

[Matt_B]

use a 500k pot 250s are for singles to cut the highs. The Tone zone doesn't have a lot of highs so you are choking them with that pot.

That's a very good point.

While what is articulate enough for you can only be assessed by you, I will say that I only use 500K pots with Tone Zones and for me, that works as far as being articulate.

[Dred]

Or you could add a cap to the volume pot to let those highs bleed through a bit more so it's not-yet-500k but has more bite.

I'd go with the 500k option though.

To make this "more custom" and "your own" you could swap out the magnet in the pup, but that's a waste of money and time if you'd rather do something more productive. Still a thought though! You may very well consider it, it will give a considerably different sound to the pickup.

Just a few thoughts.

[oklaSTAR]

I can tell you from experience that the distance the Tone Zone is from the strings makes a huge difference in clarity. How close do you have it to the strings?

As I mentioned previously, you can convert a Tone Zone to an Air Zone. As I recall, it's really easy to do. I just requires removing a metal spacer underneath one of the bobbins to create the "Air" gap which will decrease the output and mellow it out a bit.

I will check that out and let you know.

[oklaSTAR]

use a 500k pot 250s are for singles to cut the highs. The Tone zone doesn't have a lot of highs so you are choking them with that pot.

I appreciate the input, but I will point out again, that this guitar in particular is the brightest, nasty sounding, screetchy squonky entirely too many highs, sounding thing you have ever heard. My wife would walk by while I was playing it and say "what the hell is wrong with that thing?"
That is why I put a tone zone in it in the first place. I'm not a big fan of the tone zone, I just needed to kill the highs on this guitar in particular. I think I may trade the pickup in on a Air Zone while I still can.

Does anyone know the "for sure" truth of taking out the piece of metal to make this an air zone? Is that a confirmed thing, or just a rumor?

thanks,
Derek

[Matt_B]

Does anyone know the "for sure" truth of taking out the piece of metal to make this an air zone? Is that a confirmed thing, or just a rumor?

It's can say with 100% confidence it's not a rumor. That's how Dimarzio's "Air" technology works. By creating a gap in the magnetic field (the air gap), the pickup's output is reduced and it becomes more dynamic.

I just remembered, you have to take out both metal spacers and replace them with a non-ferrous material (e.g. wood or plastic) to get the "Air" going.