duncan and dimarzio
- Thread starter siva
- Start date
the Hs 3 for the neck is low output... meaning it wont be louder then yuor bridge pickup. sounds inbalanced to me. but if you have 3 hs-3 ala YJM ..then its not a prob.
i usually use a boost or up the volume/drive when i flick to the neck... the hs-3 sings man..
i used to use a SD '59 and dimarzio super dist combinaton it kicked ass.... but i feel using same brand for the guitar will yield better sounding options. as my Neck pickup and bridge sounded worlds apart... it was like a ibanez RG on the bridge and a Lespaul on the neck.
i usually use a boost or up the volume/drive when i flick to the neck... the hs-3 sings man..
i used to use a SD '59 and dimarzio super dist combinaton it kicked ass.... but i feel using same brand for the guitar will yield better sounding options. as my Neck pickup and bridge sounded worlds apart... it was like a ibanez RG on the bridge and a Lespaul on the neck.
pooo
New member
Assuming you choose the Hs3 for the neck and the tonezone for bridge, the tonezone is gonna drown out the Hs3 all the time. The volume drop when you toggle between the two pickups would be very noticable, especially since the Hs3 is one of the lowest output, if not the lowest output pickup at 93mv. I emailed Dimarzio about such a combination before, and they recommended the Air Zone for the bridge, as according to them is essentially a vintage version of the tonezone.
embryo
New member
siva said:
Good topic! The Duncan Rails are a pretty loud and bold sounding humbuckers in a single coil package. Best for Vintage Strat owners who want a humbucker character without carving up the gtr. Yikes! This also means that you are intending to do compromise by losing the classic fender twang.
Tone Zone is nice pickup hotter than a PAF and more upper mids and less highs than a PAF Pro.
I think the combination will find the Duncan Rails sounding more powerful than the Tone Zone. Hmmmmm....
HS3 as used by Malmsteen are slightly higher than the HS2 thus it's also darker sounding. Great for shred stylist but usually avoided by classic purists.
Personally I recommend a PAF Pro coupled with HS2 to achieve a balance between Classic tones and Modern versatility. Add a push pull pot for coil split or out of phase and 5 way selector with custom configurations and you've got yourself quite a "SAK" Swiss Army Knife for a guitar.
penta-tonic
New member
well give any gd player a guitar n he will be able to do anything. not really much need for a swiss army knife guitar. no offence tho.
subversion
Moderator
nothing wrong with mix-&-match, i certainly enjoyed having both Dimarzio (Fast Track2/ PAF) & Duncan (Lil '59) in my Ibanez:
subversion
Moderator
the SSH guitar of any make is already a versatile unit, any swapping of pickups is simply to address a certain lack in definition/ fine tuning.
for a Fender, you'd do well to invest is a humbucker which has a stronger bass signal as fender guitars are inherently bright sounding. do you have any brand favourites?
for a Fender, you'd do well to invest is a humbucker which has a stronger bass signal as fender guitars are inherently bright sounding. do you have any brand favourites?
subversion
Moderator
i do own the Custom Custom, it has a crisp midrange response like the JB but the alnico magnets in there ensures that a vintage vibe is available when the need arises.
subversion
Moderator
low/ medium output pickups can pull off a good metal tone if you supplement it with a good amp. of course, hotter pickups would do the job better because there's more output on offer but it's not exclusive.
for a good overall combo, i'd say:
neck- Duncan Alnico II Pro
bridge- Duncan JB
if you insist on more bass in the bridge, the Custom is a good, balanced humbucker. it's a humbucker based on the '59 model but given added personality. i'm from the Duncan camp, so this is a Duncan perspective. i've had enough of Dimarzios, despite them being a good brand name...
for a good overall combo, i'd say:
neck- Duncan Alnico II Pro
bridge- Duncan JB
if you insist on more bass in the bridge, the Custom is a good, balanced humbucker. it's a humbucker based on the '59 model but given added personality. i'm from the Duncan camp, so this is a Duncan perspective. i've had enough of Dimarzios, despite them being a good brand name...
thor666
New member
i've tried both screaming demon and jb... and my opinion is that siva probably should go for a jb first... imo jb is a bit more versatile than a screaming demon.
JB is more easily to get driven whereas Screaming Demon is more difficult... I think a little from two different camps.
JB is more easily to get driven whereas Screaming Demon is more difficult... I think a little from two different camps.
thor666
New member
siva - imo hot rails would be good if you play strats and u like the stock strat pickup sound. (without the hum).
i do think the 59 & JB would be a very good choice for now. if you dislike them you can always swap and sell off those pickups second hand.
on the other hand i can see you probably want some strat tones based on ur OM of iron maiden? heh. :wink:
i do think the 59 & JB would be a very good choice for now. if you dislike them you can always swap and sell off those pickups second hand.
on the other hand i can see you probably want some strat tones based on ur OM of iron maiden? heh. :wink:
subversion
Moderator
screamin demon is difficult to drive? nope. i own one in my Ibanez RG & it's one of the sickest pickup i rely on for black metal. of course it's easily adaptable to a fusion setting, one-trick pony it is not...
Hot Rails is the pickup to avoid if you already like the strat single coil tone, it has lots of bass (similar to Duncan's Invader) the last thing you'd hear from this pickup is a strat twang. if you like the twang factor without the hum, Cool Rails is the one to invest in.
Hot Rails is the pickup to avoid if you already like the strat single coil tone, it has lots of bass (similar to Duncan's Invader) the last thing you'd hear from this pickup is a strat twang. if you like the twang factor without the hum, Cool Rails is the one to invest in.
