Why is Vai using an black and dif. PU on your JEM?

[Tubarão Guitars]

Why is Vai using an black and dif. PU on his JEM?
Link: http://www.satriani.com/gallery/2003_G3/DSCN3840.jpg

This attachments manager is sick!

Tubarão

[Jammy]

Which jem is that?

[Andelusion]

It looks like flo, or maybe flo2 since there's a sustainer there. Does Vai have any other guitars with the sustainer pickup in? Those are the only 2 i can think of..

[kangaroo]

Oh yeah I saw him use that one on the G3 tour, I was thinking it might be the Fernandes pickup that comes with the sustainer kit or something.

[IbanezroadstarII]

Originally Posted by kangaroo

Oh yeah I saw him use that one on the G3 tour, I was thinking it might be the Fernandes pickup that comes with the sustainer kit or something.

naw... then you'd only have to change the neck pup. Maybe he just found a pick up he really liked and it happened to be black.

[MM]

It's FLO III.

It's an EVO pickup. Just happens to be black.



Mikey
vai.com

[Azrael]

Just a question. I have an RG3120 prestige with PAF Pro neck and Tone Zone bridge now.
If I put and evolution in my bridge position ( tone zone but is to muddy for me and I don't like it's sound ) will that give me a vai-esque sound?

[Tubarão Guitars]

Originally Posted by MM

It's FLO III.

Hey, thanx a lot Mikey!!!
Tubarão.

[IbanezroadstarII]

bah!!!!!!!!!

[Drew]

Not especially, since it's in mahogany, not alder.

However, I can tell you that an Evo7 KILLED in the 2027 I put it in- it has the basic feel of a vai-type tone (that "screaming" lead guitar sound) without actually sounding very much like Vai himself- a very unique, but VERY good tone. surprisingly, when you roll off the volume on a high gain patch, it gets very bluesy in an almost allman bros/lynard skynard southern rock sort of way, too.

Evos rock in mahogany. Clean, the TZ was better, but it was worthless under gain, IMO- good for rhythm chunk, but that was about it. My vote is make the switch.

-D

[dex]

........or get a good versatile pickup that can actualy do more than scream under gain......
I seriously can't understand why people like the Evo's so much as they are so harsh, I want to cry.
What I think happened is in 1992 when Steve hooked up with Devin Townsend and was introduced to many "noise" bands (+ the grunge era was kicking around as well) made him try and come up with a harsher sound so he asked DiMarzio for help.
Chancess are Evo's were the worst pickup of the bunch but he wanted "harsh" and harsh is what he got.
What I don't understand is why 11 years after parting ways with Devin and 4 mellower albums later he is still using them????
Now listening to Terria - I can see why and how Devin would use Evo's but listening to Steve's music I can't for the life of me comprehend why is he sticking by them.
Weird.

ilia

[jono]

Jeez, dex and you say that the pickups are harsh?!?!?!

I love the sound of the Evos especially in basswood or alder, but one thing dex says is that these pickups do is scream, and I'd completely agree

In truth I think they're a bit like a "Vai in the box" and will lend any guitar a bit of Vai's tone, but that's not always what you want. I personally think they sound better in a more neutral wood like baswood or alder, but if you want extra honk try them in a mahogany guitar

[littlegreenman]

Yes, the evo's cut, but I don't think they're harsh, they are still a smoother more mellow pickup than the Tone Zone, Breed, Super Distortion etc. Depending on your amp and woods, I've even found the Air Norton to be a harsher pickup than the Evo. The evo's are clear and smooth through both my amps, that's why I love them

[Kontalonis]

On another note: Why is the sustainer coupled with an actual single coil instead of the usual white spacer?

[MM]

Originally Posted by Kontalonis

On another note: Why is the sustainer coupled with an actual single coil instead of the usual white spacer?

It's not. That's an empty single coil cover.

Mikey
vai.com