JohnnyGtar
Well-known member
Amazing pickup. Sounds killer in parallel, too. Don't wait. Just order one and slap in it a guitar. It's that good.
Amazing pickup. Sounds killer in parallel, too. Don't wait. Just order one and slap in it a guitar. It's that good.
tallcoolone
Well-known member
Johnnys right, get the Norton. It’s like $90 ya cheap bastid!
BlueParfait
Well-known member
This is why I gave up on that pickup
There is literally no middle ground. It's either almost the perfect pickup for a given guitar, or the worst. And for any guitar it sounds great in, IMO a Super D or a Super 3 sounded better anyways
B
bigviolin
Active member
Ya know what’s worse? I’ve been meaning to try the Norton for like 20 plus years now.
JohnnyGtar
Well-known member
Ya know what’s worse? I’ve been meaning to try the Norton for like 20 plus years now.
L
Lightning
Well-known member
One of my guitars has a DiMarzio PAF Pro it’s a great pickup I’ve had that pickup in that guitar for over 20 years
B
bigviolin
Active member
I hereby declare that sometime before years end I will purchase a Dimarzio Norton in either a raw cover or zebra form, likely F spaced.
So sayeth me.
I just paired one in the neck with a virtual hot PAF in the bridge in an old school pre-pro Charvel style build and it’s perfect. Killer combo!
C
chumbucket
Well-known member
I regret not stockpiling Virtual Hot PAFs when DiMarzio was still making them. The 36th bridge is good but I dug the VHPAF more for sure.
tallcoolone
Well-known member
FYI was searching for feedback on the OPs question b/c I always buy DiMarzios on Black Friday at 20% off. Did you get the Norton yet?
JohnnyGtar
Well-known member
DiMarzio is now making the Virtual Hot PAF again.
JohnnyGtar
Well-known member
Amen to that!
W
Wayniac3
Well-known member
Is it more of the 80's tones with that combo, or more towards early Ed tone (or something in between)?
Speeddemon
Well-known member
Negative;
-DP103 36th Anniv PAF neck
-Breed Neck; I put it in the neck position of my Gibson '67 RI Flying V. Absolute magic. And splits beautifully.
-AT-1; like a Norton, but slightly smoother top-end and thicker low-end, but still tight.
heath
Member
I hate it stock. Half-aired sounds much better, and an Alnico II magnet in it goes even further in the right direction. It still doesn't work with every guitar but it definitely has a better chance with more guitars post mods. It seems to prefer direct mounted basswood bodies with a maple cap, but sounds great in my les paul custom.
Agreed on these. I would also add the Evolution, Steve's Special, and the Illuminator. In the right guitars they sound really good. The Evo in a baritone is great fit as the mid forward push adds some clarity. The Steves Special in the original EBMM JP6 guitars was a great fit even though its a little scooped and the Illuminator reminds me of the Steves Special with more mids.
Speeddemon
Well-known member
The ToneZone wasn't great either stock in my Charvel So-Cal, a bit flubby and mild, but ever since I put it in my Ibanez S540 ('97, Japan made) with an FT-1 middle and an Air Norton neck pickup, it's been a great versatile combination.
I had a push-pull pot installed to split the FT-1 and Air Norton, but not the ToneZone. And for position 2, it automatically splits the TZ for more stratty quack, so essentially 9 different tones with a 5 position switch and a push-pull pot.
I've had the Evo's in that guitar; too bright/sharp. Evo neck in the Charvel (stock) was nice though, although I wanted more roundness.
PAF Pro: very meh and nasal. Super D was cool in the Ibby, but a bit much/hot...so for now the ToneZone seems to do the trick to beef it up a bit, without becoming muddy.
B
bigviolin
Active member
I’d say both depending your setup and settings. In other words, pretty balanced and versatile. The PAF pro maybe leans more 80s with the compression, while VHPAF is more open but beefy PAF tone.
garey77
Well-known member
I’m really enjoying the Titan set I put in my PRS. Been a Dimarzio user since the 90’s. Don’t get me wrong, I like all sorts of different manufacturers, but I think they put out some nice product.
Uzi Nein Millimetah
Well-known member
The new models look interesting. I may be doing a Warmoth Tele this year, so will have to check those out.
I've gotten into Dimarzios bigtime in the last 10 years, especially over the last 5 years when I discovered the D Activator set. Part of the reason I like it so much is that DAs are very bright for Dimarzios. I now have that set in 3 guitars. The high output helps them split well also.
Also bigly into the Evo2/Air Norton set.
Hard to believe it, but the first time I've owned a guitar with the Super Distortion was last year! I agree with the earlier poster, every guitar that works with the TZ will be even better with the SD. I don't think they've ever truly topped the SD, and it pairs very well with several neck pickups-----PAF Pro, Super 2, D Activator Neck, etc.
I've gotten into Dimarzios bigtime in the last 10 years, especially over the last 5 years when I discovered the D Activator set. Part of the reason I like it so much is that DAs are very bright for Dimarzios. I now have that set in 3 guitars. The high output helps them split well also.
Also bigly into the Evo2/Air Norton set.
Hard to believe it, but the first time I've owned a guitar with the Super Distortion was last year! I agree with the earlier poster, every guitar that works with the TZ will be even better with the SD. I don't think they've ever truly topped the SD, and it pairs very well with several neck pickups-----PAF Pro, Super 2, D Activator Neck, etc.
Uzi Nein Millimetah
Well-known member
It's mandatory IMO to bypass the tone control for a TZ to work. That changes it very noticeably, although it's never going to be the choice for a thicc sounding guitar to me. It was designed to beef up thin-bodied, Floyded shredders. Even then, I think its calling is as a lead pickup.
BlueParfait
Well-known member
update: I have since done a 180 on this pickup after just disconnecting the tone knob
It's now in my top 5s
