Upcoming Dimarzio 7-string pickups

[cmartin]

Does anyone have any knowledge or flat-out guesses about what Dimarzio has in the works in regards to their 7-string pickups?

Breed? Nothing?

[jay ratkowski]

I am pretty certain an Air Norton 7 is in the works... if it's not out yet....

Steve's Special 7? *I think I heard news of one...

Maybe a Breed.... *I wouldn't mind a retooling of the EVO-7

[darren wilson]

Hopefully they've got some 7-string compact humbuckers in the works... HS-2, HS-3 and/or Fast Track would be welcome additions.

Here's why... i'd love to get a 7-string (RG7420 or 7620, maybe an S7420) and put in a Sustainer unit. The Sustainer MUST go in the neck position. Every 7-string Ibanez makes has a humbucker in the neck position, and the only 7-string single DiMarzio makes is the Blaze single, which is probably unsatisfactory for me on its own. I'd like to have something to fill the other half of the humbucker's hole.

As a result, other options i'm considering are 1) just getting a six-string and tuning down to B; or 2) getting a cheap/used 7-string and having a new body made with a H-H-S pickup arrangement.

[jay ratkowski]

Warmoth can build you a 7-string body with virtually any pickup configuration... I know a guy who is getting one built from them... Might be a lot better than going with a poor quality 7 just for spare parts.

[bob oakman]

Darren, I’m with ya’ on the sustainer idea. *Mind you, I have no experience with them. *I just want to put one in because of what I hear Vai do with them. *That is part of the reason I am researching customs. *I just don’t want to drill a ****
for a switch in my UV777PBK. (I want a switch for the sustainer in a place that has no pick guard or routing in the body)

The one thing I have going for me is that I love the sound of a single coil in the neck position.

[jeffrey]

whee! my first post on the new board. :cheesy:

I called DiMarzio not that long ago inquiring about one of my favorite pickups in a 7 string fashion, the PAF Pro. The very nice gentleman I spoke with took the time to answer all my questions (that speaks volumes friends) and informed me that DiMarzio intends to release it's entire line in 7 string version, it's just taking longer then they thought.

'Intends' and it actually happening are different things. But it's a good sign.

[tommy west]

That will be great to see! I must say the Evo7 is very nice, contrary to most reviews I've heard. Sounds like my Jem7Vwh to a degree---has that burst of extra "juice".

Hope they *get them in the works soon.

[darren wilson]

Bob: Fernandes sustainer modules generally have mini-switches to activate the Sustainer and select modes, but Sustainiac recommends using push-pull pots on their units so you don't have to carve up your existing guitar. Vai's is probably a transplanted Fernandes unit, so probably doesn't have the same versatility.

There are a couple of minor differences: Fernandes has a gain control and a three-way switch to select the mode, which includes a "mix" mode which blends the fundamental and harmonic modes.

Sustainiac omits the gain control becuase it's probably superfluous, and you can have the option of having a "mix" mode if you choose... but with push-pull pots you're still limited to only two choices. You can add switches if you like, but i'd personally go the push-pull route. The Sustainiac Stealth+ can also be used as a single-coil pickup on its own.

[David Ho]

Seems like this thread somehow drifted towards sustainer-on-a-7-strings but what da heck...

I have a Fernades Revolver 7 for a while now. *The only neat thing about this guitar is, oh well, the sustainer. *Turn it on and you can abuse the whammy bar for minutes and the note still keeps going... However, it is no comparison to my UV777BK when it comes to playability, comfort and looks. *It is a fine guitar but I guess being a UV owner I became a bit more picky. *So now I struggle with the idea of how to put the best of both worlds together. *Honestly, I haven't got a clue.

The Revolver 7 has a huge rare-route cavity to house the large size electronics. *Forget about a direct swap because there is no way you can fit all that in a front-cavity UV. *Even you do, you still need extra space (route) for the 9 volt battery, unless you plan to take off the pickguard every time the battery died. *Alternative? I've looked at the RG7620 but that cavity is still not big enough. *A 7621 is better but what's the point to have a sustainer without a whammy bar? *Conclusion: unless you have someone who can professionally reroute and refinish the body, your only choice is probably sustainiac, which will cost you the same amount of dough for a new Fernades Revolver 7. *A custom body would work, too. *However, you have to come up with a complete design first, and going this way would cost a bit more. *If someone has a beat-up player shape UV7 for sale let me know

For now I want to replace the stock humbucker on the Fernandes with an Evo-7. *I can't stand the sound of the stock p/u.

[darren wilson]

A Sustainiac Stealth unit is only US$199 plus an extra $50 for a 7-string version. (Or US$229 for the Stealth+ which acts as an active pickup as well).

Last time i checked, that was a LOT cheaper than a Fernandes Revolver 7.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled topic...

(Edited by darren wilson at 9:47 am on Dec. 11, 2000)

[alienx]

Oh yeah, I would really appreciate an Air Norton and more variety in single sized humbuckers for the 7-stringers. I still hope Dimarzio will bringe an HS-3 or even the YJM in 7-string version... :cheesy:

[bduersch]

No guarantees, since I don't always know what I'm talking about, but I wouldn't expect a Steve's Special 7 since the Blaze is (theoretically) based upon the Steve's Special. I don't, however, see a lot of similarity myself.

They day they make an Air Norton 7 is the day I can start playing 7 strings exclusively!

--Brent