7 string players: Evolution or Blaze?

tone_connoisseur · #1 04-14-2005, 12:59 AM

I want to replace the stock pickups in my 7620. I was wondering what most people thought about the Blaze. Is it really better as far as making the low B not sound so muddy? Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

Shep · #2 04-14-2005, 01:51 AM

blaze.... it's the starting point for 7-string guitar

GTR-MAN · #3 04-14-2005, 02:31 AM

I have blaze in my UV777BK , and I love them. Got Evos in my VWH, and they rock too, but like the way the blaze sound in the UV better.

Shakma!! · #4 04-14-2005, 02:47 AM

I got blazes in all 3 of my guitars. Love them

megadeth · #5 04-14-2005, 04:44 AM

TZ7 and AIR NORTON7 will be a good combo too. btw i have them for sale

urkoman · #6 04-14-2005, 05:55 AM

Blazes for me.

Drew · #7 04-14-2005, 11:24 AM

Blaze fan here too. Basically, the Blaze bridge pickup in basswood is THE seven string bridge pickup tone, simply because 90% of recorded seven string guitar was done with this pickup and this body wood, in a stock UV. I've never played an EVO7 in basswood, but it kills in mahogany. I've heard it's a little bright in basswood, but through the right amp it might work nicely.

I've got a tone zone 7 in my 7620, and I'm split. It blew in mahogany, great cleans, good for crunch rhythm, but all lower mids so it was useless for leads. In basswood, it was quite a bit better, but still weaker in the highs and too tubby in the lower mids for me, with little true bass, just a strong lower midrange. Useable for leads, although for some reason the treble was still a little grainy, good for heavy rhythms (great for heavy rhythms, actually, due to it's inherent EQ shape it let you scoop the mids a bit and run the presence higher), but not quite what I was looking for.

the Blaze, on the other hand, kills. It's got great treble clarity and well defined bass, and because the mids are slightly scooped on their own, you can run them a bit higher on the amp for leads while still holding onto a fairly "dark" lead tone.

A nice compromize might be the Blaze custom, a blaze with more mids. I'm thinking of throwing one into my 7620 to see how it sounds.

-D

rrhea · #8 04-14-2005, 11:48 AM

Drew,

That was one of the best explainations of pickup tone I've ever read. Excellent!

So is the Blaze custom just a TZ in disguise? I mean, with the added mids it seems to have about the same EQ shape as the TZ, right?

I love the ToneZone in my 6 string RG, and I was thinking about a TZ 7 for my RG 1527. Now I am spilt between the Blaze or B Custom for my 1527.

RR

Allen Garrow · #9 04-14-2005, 12:12 PM

Like Megadeth said,, Tz7 and An7 good combo as well. As far as blaze vs Evo,,,I go with Blaze they seem warmer as a body mount to an RG7. I have a Blaze (N) and a Blaze custom (B) in one of my 1527's and they are awesome! The Bc seems a little bit louder than the Blaze.

~A

marianozz · #10 04-14-2005, 12:27 PM

What about those "Dimarzio New 7" that come with the 7620? do they suck?

i dunno why Ibanez wouldnt put Blazes in it since they are Dimarzio anyway... I could understand if they were V7/V8 like in the 2027

Chud · #11 04-14-2005, 12:48 PM

I'm thinking of putting a Blaze pickup in the bridge and neck, so anything put here is great.

Cheers guys

Flobanez · #12 04-14-2005, 12:55 PM

Im happy with Blazes in all my 7's. My S 7420 however has stock Ibanez p-ups.....
Blaze's sound great for me.

Jem7RB MK · #13 04-14-2005, 01:18 PM

I'll go against the grain here, I had an Evo7 in the bridge of my old UV, and i tried most of the DiMarzio range and Seymours, The Evo gave me THE sound I was looking for, Some heard it and said it was bright, Which is something i loved about it, Some said it was way too harsh in the neck (then i told them it was a blaze and i had fibbed) they then reveresed thier opinions on the bridge

Rob

Drew · #14 04-15-2005, 12:56 PM

It'd be a little too much of an oversimplification to call a Blaze Custom a Tone Zone in disguise. I've never played a BC, but I'd expect it to be brighter, and probably with a bit more upper midrange than the TZ's lower mid emphasis and fairly weak highs (although it has strong prescence, which I actually disliked - it gave it a little to much "fizz" for leads.)

If you already like the TZ in basswood, you'll probably like it in seven string form, too. But, at the same time, the variety might be nice, too. Keep in mind the regular Blaze is slightly scooped in the mids and I play a VERY middy amp (Mesa/Boogie nomad), so this could have a lot to do with why I wasn't 110% sold on the TZ...

It's really a complicated relationship, body woods to pickups to amplifiers... For me, I like bright guitars driving dark amps. The Blaze in basswood works quite well for this. Although, I'm kinda curious to give an Evo a try in basswood, too. Like I said, it screamed in mahogany.

-D

kennydoe · #15 04-15-2005, 08:20 PM

I liked the blazes when i first got my UV, but eventually i found that they were good at one thing...rock. I needed something more versatile. I put an EVo7 in the bridge and a PAF7 in the neck because that combination has worked for me in my other guitars. I am SO much happier with the evo7. It's thicker and much more versatile. Having similar pickup configs from gutiar to guitar also means less moneying when i switch during a gig.

~K

PS: If you want to hear it in action, PM me you email addy - i taped some gigs recently and i have good samples as mp3s