duncans or dimarzios?

rastachild · #1 04-22-2006, 11:53 AM

may be kind of a foregone conclusion on this site, but in general, do you prefer duncans or dimarzios? i used to be a staunch dimarzio man in my formative years, but recently have been favoring duncans, particularly the jb and '59n. i read somewhere that duncans are more treble oriented while dimarzios seem to be more bass and mid oriented. would you guys say this is an accurate assessment? i've only had limited experience with each, but i would say it is fairly accurate (there are always exceptions of course). anyway, vote and state your favorite pickup.

pickups i own or have tested:

dimarzio
fred
tone zone
norton
paf pro
paf
evolution (bridge & neck)
mo joe (just got it, haven't installed it yet)
axis dimarzios

duncans
jb
59n
59b
custom
custom custom
custom5
seth lover
jazz
pearly gates (bridge & neck)

and actually, i really dig the bill lawrence L500. that's one hell of a bridge pickup too.

Eddie_UV777 · #2 04-22-2006, 11:57 AM

Well i voted dimarzio

**elcid** · #3 04-22-2006, 05:30 PM

Duncans, they have the JB

Distantshore · #4 04-22-2006, 06:32 PM

dimarzio man myself.

The Extremist · #5 04-22-2006, 08:24 PM

fred > jb (IMO)

**elcid** · #6 04-22-2006, 08:59 PM

I broke out my TI-85 and your math is wrong

FredX100 < JB

SpikeSocietySucks · #7 04-22-2006, 10:46 PM

Dimarzios are deffo Warmer pickups that Duncans, also, Dimarzios have more variation in tone, where's all seymour duncan pickups are different flavours of the same tone.

The only problem I have with DiMarzios is getting well defined Rythm sound of of transistorised amps.

Duncand Seem to work in cheap guitar / amp combinations, Dimarzios seem to be the reverse.

**elcid** · #8 04-22-2006, 10:51 PM

So my Les Pauls and Orange Amp or my Explorer and 64 Princeton with Duncans are considered cheap gear?

mi2tom · #9 04-23-2006, 12:45 AM

I like dimarzio with effects but I like duncans in clean

ChopTart · #10 04-23-2006, 10:16 AM

Air Norton > '59 IMO

shredfreak · #11 04-23-2006, 10:35 AM

I don't know which one I like more. I have Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge position and Dimarzio PAF Pro in the neck position and I like that combo very much.

**elcid** · #12 04-23-2006, 11:23 AM

Maybe the bridge position of your guitar is cheap, and the neck portion isn't.

isida.d · #13 04-23-2006, 05:38 PM

someone told me that all duncans sound like modified paf's and with output each one sounds progressively more distorted than the last but is based on the same tone, aka jb to custom to distortion. etc

The Extremist · #14 04-23-2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcid

I broke out my TI-85 and your math is wrong

FredX100 < JB

better get that thing fixed!

rastachild · #15 04-23-2006, 10:37 PM

well the fred and jb are two completely different pickups for different applications, imo. jb is much hotter and higher output than the fred and seems a tad bit more compressed. the fred has that upper mid boost which lends it to some crazy harmonics, but i've found that i really only like the fred in basswood and mahogony guitars. i've got one in an alder ibanez rt and it sounds kind of lifeless. i haven't had the opportunity to put the jb in basswood or mahogony yet, but i will eventually. jb seems very versatile to me, crisp, articulate and cutting. some people complain about its high end being a tad harsh, but i haven't experienced that (at least not in alder).

and the dimarzios i've heard have been warmer, but warmer can also mean less articulate and sometimes muddy (fred being the exception). i'd like to try a breed though, heard lots of good things about it.

and the statement about duncans working only in cheap guitars and amps is ridiculous and uninformed. both manufacturers make some really good pickups and some that are not so good, depending on what sound you are going for.