pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

[axeman81]

I'm almost set to order a GMW strat, but I want to hear your opinions on pickup selection. It's an alder body quilt top with maple neck/fretboard.
I'm either doing H-H or H-S. I haven't decided yet, but since my other two guitars have Duncans and EMGs, I'd like to give DiMarzio a shot this time. I've never played a guitar equipped with DiMarzio's, so my knowledge is limited to music recorded with it..mainly PG/RacerX and Vai.
The music I play is mainly metal but also some classic rock. So far I've been thinking about the X2N in the bridge and a HFH in the neck, but I am a little concerned that the X2N is a little too high output for the HFH to match. Since it is a strat, and I love the sound of a single coil in the neck for leads, it's basically why I like the concept of the HFH.

The other reason is that if I want to change configuration later it would be more flexible to have a H-H routing rather than H-S but maybe this is actually the other way around??? (with stacked single coils and whatnot?) [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

Maybe a PAF Pro in the bridge is a better match for the HFH, judging from the charts at DiMarzio's site it seems to have pretty much the same voicing as the X2N but less output.

Questions, opinions and most importantly; experiences are welcome! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Offrampmotel]

Re: pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

Well, I'm not too familiar with Dimarzios, but I did have a guitar with a Super Distortion in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck. They seemed to compliment each other pretty well. I think the PAF Pro sounded very smooth and mellow in the neck.

[taxistationary]

Re: pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

I like the Tone Zone for a bridge pickup the best. I've got a friend with an Ibanez Presitge 3120 that has a Tone Zone in a PAF Pro in the neck. Everyone rants and raves about these two pickups working well with each other, so I was eager to try them out. The Tone Zone seemed to over power the PAF Pro by a very noticealbe difference.

[axeman81]

Re: pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

thanks for the overwhelming response guys! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
I've decided to go for a Steve's Special in the bridge and Humbucker From Hell in the neck. Probably a push/pull volume knob to coil tap the bridge pickup.
This is gonna be awesome! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[psychlops]

Re: pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

Let us/me know how the Steve's Special sounds. I currently have a DiMarzio Evolution in the neck and bridge on my Dinky Reverse and I've thought alot about changing over to the Steve's Special humbucker. I've also read that the mids are knocked/scooped out considerably on the Steve's Special. So I'd like to know your opinion on that pickup once you get them switched over.

[jazzman]

Re: pickup opinions for my custom shop order?

To me pickups are always a matter of taste. What I like, you may not. It's a good thing they can be changed easily. I have a drawer I keep pickups in. They sometimes get rotated through my guitars.