Dimarzio guys - in here

[glpg80]

i currently have a tone-zone/air norton setup in my ibanez. the neck pickup gets that awsome deep tone that i know everyone knows about. i kinda like how the notes have an "aw" sound to them and it has always done this nicely.

also, the output is even with the tone zone - but there isnt that much of a difference.

when i get my ESP it will cover this tone nicely - it has a 59 in the neck which does that "note depth" thing pretty well. im still getting used to it from the demo model i have played - but i find that i wont need 2 guitars setup the same way with a neck pickup simillar to the air norton. i'd like diversity i need some opinions on this. to keep it in there, or not? i cant decide.

secondly - this is my plan.

i've got a PAF pro brand new in a box that i have had in my room for a while. just one of those pickups i havent really wanted to get rid of because i never knew if i would need it or not.

big closet paul gilbert fan. not really for his style but his playing is exceptional. 1 tone i miss is the early 80's mini humbucker/PAF pro parallel tone.

once i get the ESP - whats your opinion on a tone zone with a neck pickup series/parallel tapped PAF pro in the neck?

to be quite honest i've never played any guitar with a PAF in the neck - so im clueless as to the output. but i have always LOVED that "click click" sound from the pick and the tone that paul gilbert had. i could stick with the norton or the PAF pro paralleled tone either way. so give me some opinions and pluses or negatives please

 

[merlop]

i currently have a tone-zone/air norton setup in my ibanez. the neck pickup gets that awsome deep tone that i know everyone knows about. i kinda like how the notes have an "aw" sound to them and it has always done this nicely.

also, the output is even with the tone zone - but there isnt that much of a difference.

when i get my ESP it will cover this tone nicely - it has a 59 in the neck which does that "note depth" thing pretty well. im still getting used to it from the demo model i have played - but i find that i wont need 2 guitars setup the same way with a neck pickup simillar to the air norton. i'd like diversity i need some opinions on this. to keep it in there, or not? i cant decide.

secondly - this is my plan.

i've got a PAF pro brand new in a box that i have had in my room for a while. just one of those pickups i havent really wanted to get rid of because i never knew if i would need it or not.

big closet paul gilbert fan. not really for his style but his playing is exceptional. 1 tone i miss is the early 80's mini humbucker/PAF pro parallel tone.

once i get the ESP - whats your opinion on a tone zone with a neck pickup series/parallel tapped PAF pro in the neck?

to be quite honest i've never played any guitar with a PAF in the neck - so im clueless as to the output. but i have always LOVED that "click click" sound from the pick and the tone that paul gilbert had. i could stick with the norton or the PAF pro paralleled tone either way. so give me some opinions and pluses or negatives please

I've had the PAF Pro in the neck position in countless ibanez guitars... I think it sounds better in standard humbucking mode personally. Not enough output in parallel for me (and I pick hard)
But, I also don't use pedals out front(don't know if you do or not) But I used to have the Laney GH100+ Ibanez RG tone zone/paf pro set up. There is plenty of "presence" in standard humbucking mode.

I had this exact 3 2x12 GH100L stack like Paul has in this video... But that was a long time ago and many many musical styles ago.

 

[Khoi]

I say no for the PAF Pros...

I have them in my PGM100 right now (big Paul Gilbert fan as well!), but Paul doesn't use them much anymore. He mostly uses Tone Zones in the bridge and even a Tone Zone in his neck (his custom orange PGM has that configuration)

I'm gonna swap out my PAF Pros actually for a Tone Zone bridge and Air Norton neck actually

The PAF Pros just don't seem that clear to me, they a weird fuzzy thing going on that is hard to describe.


Here's his orange PGM that he plays a lot, both Tone Zones in the neck and bridge:

 

[tehuk]

Paul Gilbert actually used 2 Super Distortions running in parallel. Try the new Liquifire.

 

[Code001]

I don't understand what you mean by the "note depth" thing you're referring to. The 59 and Air Norton are really night and day. The 59 is fairly bright and is more open. The AN is fat, thick, compressed and awesome for leads. I much prefer the AN. I think you should try the guitar out first before deciding to mod it. I do hear that the 59 splits very well, though. You could add a push/pull where the volume is to split it.

 

[MrDan666]

I don't understand what you mean by the "note depth" thing you're referring to. The 59 and Air Norton are really night and day. The 59 is fairly bright and is more open. The AN is fat, thick, compressed and awesome for leads.

+1

The AN has that thick depth going on but the 59 certainly doesn't IMO.. The 59 will only do that when you roll the tone pot right down to around 2. The 59 has that very bright open tone so you need to use a tone pot to get it close to the AN in tone. It won't compress the way the AN does though, no matter what you do with it.

 

[Greazygeo]

A 59 bright in the neck? I've never thought of them that way. In the bridge sure.....

 

[Mudder]

I found the 59 to be a brighter neck pickup than something like the SD Jazz. It has really solid note to note definition that I like in the neck.

 

[glpg80]

not talking about the ESP? i've got my own plans for that guitar - totally different subject.

was talking about the ibanez? and a PAF pro? the air norton is smoothe. i've had it like that for a while - just asking opinions on the ibanez guys idk how this got off topic talking about the 59.

 

[glpg80]

Paul Gilbert actually used 2 Super Distortions running in parallel. Try the new Liquifire.

any videos of the time erra in which he ran a SD in the neck? thats interesting - never heard that one before. i have heard he is/has run a TZ in the neck though.

 

[Code001]

Paul Gilbert actually used 2 Super Distortions running in parallel. Try the new Liquifire.

any videos of the time erra in which he ran a SD in the neck? thats interesting - never heard that one before. i have heard he is/has run a TZ in the neck though.

Paul has pretty much tried every major DiMarzio pickup in various configurations throughout his career. He also was a big user of the Humbucker from Hell in the neck position. The PAF Pro is closer to the 59 than the Air Norton.

 

[glpg80]

yeah thats true.

i guess i just need to wait. one tone that really stands out in my mind was a live video of that red ibanez with all the stickers on it - it had the neck pickup tone that i thought the paf pro would give me paralleled.

guess i need to do some more research then - seems like im in for a little more of a tone search than i thought lol. i thought it would be cool to have that "puck puck" presence tone in the ibanez and a modded 59 tone in the ESP.

thanks for the comments so far guys keep them coming if you can

 

[Khoi]

yeah thats true.

i guess i just need to wait. one tone that really stands out in my mind was a live video of that red ibanez with all the stickers on it - it had the neck pickup tone that i thought the paf pro would give me paralleled.

guess i need to do some more research then - seems like im in for a little more of a tone search than i thought lol. i thought it would be cool to have that "puck puck" presence tone in the ibanez and a modded 59 tone in the ESP.

thanks for the comments so far guys keep them coming if you can

Here's a quote directly from Paul about his Dino RG:


I also asked about the pickups in the dinosaur sticker RG750 and here is his response:

> Also off topic what kind of single coil pickup did
> you add to your RG750 (with stickers)?

The middle and neck pickups are Ibanez pickups. I did
a short instructional DVD for their "Jumpstart" guitar
package, so I played the Jumpstart guitar on the DVD.
Even though it`s an inexpensive guitar, I loved the
pickups! So I had them put a couple in my RG750. The
humbucker in the bridge position is a DiMarzio Tone
Zone.

Thanks for looking so closely at the details!

Paul

 

[glpg80]

thats cool - ive got two single coil ibanez pickups out of a junker ibanez that i saved. they really do sound pretty good. im debating currently sticking those or dimarzio cruisers in my charvel atm. change of plans now i believe.

i may put an ibanez single coil in the center of the prestige, and see if i can find an ibanez humbucker somewhere.

 

[Ayrton]

I think Paul may have replaced the jumpstart singles with areas by now. I did not dig around for the thread, but I think that came up over on the Racer X board.

Anyway, I like the PAF Pro in the neck, but not so much in the bridge.

 

[Code001]

I think Paul may have replaced the jumpstart singles with areas by now. I did not dig around for the thread, but I think that came up over on the Racer X board.

Anyway, I like the PAF Pro in the neck, but not so much in the bridge.

I'll agree with not liking it in the bridge. I mainly play metal, and I like some compression going on. The PAF Pro stayed fairly even and open with some bite to it. Some people really dig it, but it just wasn't for me. I replaced it with an Evo 2, and now it's too compressed.

 

[sixstrings]

Man the PAF Pro is my favorite Dimarzio pickup. There's no other pickup like it. If it were a toss-up between a 59 and Air Norton, the Air Norton would definitely be my choice. I find the 59 to be boomy and muddy, plus I think Dimarzios have a more alive sound than Seymour Duncans do. Both the Air Norton and PAF Pro make incredible neck pickups, however, I really like the sound of a PAF Pro in the bridge.

I've used the PAF Pro in the bridge and neck of both strats and Les Pauls and I like it a lot either way. The Tone Zone, on the other hand, is my least favorite Dimarzio pickup. I think it has its place, but only in guitars lacking the deep low mids and bass that it offers. I don't think that's a good route to take.

Guitars with basswood bodies seem to soak up some overtones. I think it dulls some of the highs. That's why I like a pickup with a little bit more highs in basswood guitars. The FRED is an incredible pickup and I really liked the way it sounded in my JS1000. I took it and put it in a strat and it opened up a bit. It's also a great pickup.

I say go with a PAF Pro bridge and Air Norton neck.

 

[glpg80]

I think Paul may have replaced the jumpstart singles with areas by now. I did not dig around for the thread, but I think that came up over on the Racer X board.

Anyway, I like the PAF Pro in the neck, but not so much in the bridge.

yeah bro the first time i saw you was over at the RX boards - you are really well known over there.

im doing more research on the topic. thanks again for everyones replies.

-matt

 

[Ayrton]

Too further complicate things, I put that new Andy TImmons model (AT100) in my custom PGM. The guitar is hard ash, and sounds fantastic.

 

[sixstrings]

Wait, did you ask your liberal buddies at the SD forums what pickups they think you should try? It might be a good place to start