Blaze Custom VS Tone Zone 7 - I want chunk and scream.

Anonymous · #1 06-14-2001, 11:30 PM

The Mars near me has 2 Tone Zone 7s in stock, and I'm wondering if I should have one installed to try it out, or if I should just send it to DiMarzio for the Blaze Custom.

I want a pickup that'll sound muddy(Carcass) when I want it to, but articulate when I want it to, even with tons of gain(5150). The Blaze standard bridge doesn't have enough midrange for me. Pinch harmonics are important, too. My Super 3 doesn't pick those up very well.

(Edited by GZeusEcchiQryst at 11:45 pm on June 14, 2001)

Anonymous · #2 06-16-2001, 12:09 AM

Is it because I always come off as a total 'ace' that no one replies to my posts?
I'm making a major decision, and I don't want a series of event that lead up to me having no bridge pickup for a month.
PLEASE reply....
Once again, I come of as an 'ace.' I'm not one in person......

juiceofvenus · #3 06-21-2001, 12:41 PM

Haven't play any, but i'd say both could be usefull, only that the Blaze would be harsher & Zone a bit darker

tomizm · #4 06-21-2001, 03:09 PM

I've read your question, but dont have any usefull advice to give since Im having the same dilemma myself. *Just wanted to let you know you're not being ignored.

7 Dying Trees · #5 06-27-2001, 05:59 AM

if you are choosing between dimarzio pickups, then they do an exchange policy, so if you don't like one, then go for the other...

But that carcass sound man! I really love that, don't you think bill steer is one of the most underrated players out there?

Anonymous · #6 06-27-2001, 01:02 PM

I think he's one of the most unknown. Most peaople i know that are into Carcass really like his stuff, I just don't know too many peaople into Carcass.
I've decided the Stock Blaze is actually the best pickup I've ever heard, so I'm done.

7 Dying Trees · #7 06-27-2001, 01:07 PM

Yeah, sorry, that's sort of what I meant, he is too unknown outside of people into carcass, which is a shame... Top solo's though! They are just so cool sounding, and then there's michael amott... Are you into his new band arch enemy by any chance?

The stock blaze suits me fine as well, although the guy living downstairs from me doesn't share my enthousiasm about it (or any other pickup attached to any guitar)...

Anonymous · #8 06-28-2001, 02:20 AM

Old Arch Enemy is good, but I have Burning Bridges, which is just horrible.

7 Dying Trees · #9 06-28-2001, 05:24 AM

I'd agree with that one, but I listened to samples of the new album of their website and some of the stuff is totally cool!

but anyway, probably a topic for a different board...

Exotic Shredding · #10 06-28-2001, 10:40 AM

Dude, go with the Tone Zone 7. *Go to other 7 strings, i just posted a huge review of it. *Its under "my 2027 is completed" or something. *Its recent. *The Blaze custom is only slightly better than the Blaze bridge. *They suck in my opinion. *They dont have the definition, with the output. *The tone Zone is the pickup for you, if you want harmonics. *Especially of your amp is high gain. *Dude, i'm pullin' natural harmonics from almost every damn fret now. *No joke. *Maybe i post some sounds as soon as i get a chance. *The squeals are just that. *The pickups screams with articulation. Beautiful tone. *The mud you are gonna have to dial in from the amp. *Hell yeah it can be a very "heavy" pickup though. *Its got plenty of mids. Its tight though. *So if you are into all that fast 16th note Carcass style playing and stuff, yeah this pickup can do it for ya. *And at the same time, you could roll back your amp settings a bit, crank the highs and it becomes a shred pickup totally. *Its soooo clean with gain. *Every note just rings. *I am now also putting a Tone Zone 7 in my new custom. *Actually, the TZ7 is different from the normal TZ. *THey use different magnets in them. *Im curious to try a 6 string TZ now. *I love the TZ7 cause it sounds exactly (but with more harmonics) to a Gibson 500T pickup. *It is much clearer, and tighter though. *So go try a V or Explorer bridge to get an idea. *Check out my other post for more in-depth. *

bob oakman · #11 06-28-2001, 12:36 PM

Exotic's post makes me want to try a tone zone in the bridge on my axes. It's so hard to find the best of both worlds in a pickup.

The Carcass guitar tone is really hot between 2 & 3k. I would think that you need pickups with the most gain possible. I’m talking a huge wad of wire wrapped around a super-conductor magnet. :biggrin: The problem is, as always, with that kind of gain and EQ curve you must sacrifice clarity and low-mid tone for the articulate stuff. I don’t know how to deal with that.

Anonymous · #12 06-29-2001, 02:17 AM

You might be thinking of early Carcass, they used 5150s on Heartwork, and maybe on Necroticism, but those sound alot like JCM800 tones.
I own a 5150, and a Peavey VTM 120 (JCM 800 copy).
I get good Necroticism tone with the lows on 8, mids on 3.5-4, highs on .45-5. Turn up the resonance, too. That depends on volume, though. That was with my Super 3, though, I'd have to turn my highs down for my UV.
I actually had my gain pretty low, too, about 4. It doesn't take tons of output or gain, just an amp that saturates well. The VTM has a switch that adds another gain stage, that helps, the 5150's lead channel (like the dual rectifier) is a SLO 100 copy, so it's all about saturation. Listen to the palm mutes and sustained chords, the chords fade out well, and the palm mutes aren't over the top, there's just alot of low end.
The amp should be vioced for alot of low end, too, don't try to force an amp like a Legacy into Carcass with a graphic EQ. Trying to force amps into being other amps is where mud comes from in my humble opinon (I'M a HO).
PS, sorry, I just hate ROFLMAODFWEORIDFSNGSDTRHSERTGHASERUERTNOIGERTIWUER TWERGJF An L337 Sp33k or however the f*** you do that. I remember in 7th grade, pinting people off AOL for saying LOL...

Anonymous · #13 06-29-2001, 02:21 AM

Oh, and I find the Blaze incredibly defined. Notes seperate incedible well, read my "OOOH!!! god!!" or whatever post in the Universe/jem section.
My Super 3, essentially a DiMarzio Invader, needed more gain to get good chunking, screamin tone with the 5150.

MorbidAngel · #14 07-02-2001, 02:01 PM

On Necroticism Bill Steer used a JCM 900 SL-X with a Marshall guv'nor pedal in front of the gain stage and in his S540 he just used stock IBZ pickups. He also used the guv'nor pedal in front of his 5150 on Heartwork, but not on Swan Song.

have you checked out Bill Steer's new band Firebird? they are not bad, Very "stoner" rock though.

and after Carcass broke up Jeff Walker, Carlos Regadas and Ken Owen formed a band called Blackstar, Now they are called Blackstar Rising, but they havn't released anything since 97 or so,

also in the rumor mill is that Carcass will be making a runion appearance at this years Millwake metal fest, but of course it's just a rumor

as they said back in the day,

"And on the Seventh day BILL STEER created God"

revsharp777 · #15 07-02-2001, 08:09 PM

A couple of years back, I read an interview with both guitarists of "Heartwork". *The said that the secret to their guitar sound on that album was a 25watt Marshall Valvestate amp with a 10" speaker. *I would've never believed had I not tried the same thing.

During my recent visit to the studio, I tracked my guitar parts by splitting my signal to 2 different amps. *One was a Mesa Triple Rectifier head into a 2x12 Marshall cab. *The other signal went to my Fender Bullet (15watt closed backed w/ an 8" speaker). *On each amp, I had a Sennheiser 421 & a Shure 57. *Now, the Mesa already sounded great by itself, but that Fender covered those "sweet spot" frequencies that made my tone just HUGE! *I recommend trying this out *because you might come close to the tone you're looking for.

(Edited by revsharp777 at 4:11 pm on July 2, 2001)