Yet another pickup suggestion thread

Smitty · #1 02-06-2008, 07:55 PM

I've done my homework on DiMarzio, music ians friend, harmony central, and here on jemsite. I just got a new Schecter custom shop: mahogany body, maple top (beautiful! flamed/quilted/burled all at the same time!), mahogany set neck, 24 frets, ebony fretboard, quilt maple dot inlay!, and tone pros tune o matic bridge. Got 2 humbuckers, 3 way, and coil tap in the tone control. Came with Duncan JB in the bridge and '59 in the neck. JB is ok, hate the '59. Even though the guitar is mahogany, the ebony fretboard adds a TON of brightness, especially in the neck position. Plus, I'm a DiMarzio dude. I feel terrible playing on SD's

So, I love a nice warm tone, and I've decided on the Breed bridge pickup. I'd like some last minute opinions on a Breed in mahogany though. I'm also considering the Air Zone, but I'm also dead set on the Breed.
My problem is the neck pickup. I'm stuck between the Air Norton or Breed neck. DiMarzio claims that the AN is warmer and a little less output than the Breed, but they're both great pickups. I need both pickups to mix well together in the middle selection of the pickup switch, and I need them to have awesome coil taps, and sound super sexy when together, coil tapped. I need smooth, clean, warm tone, but I need to cut through. I hate "clankiness" in the neck pickup. I need warm butter all the way. Thanks!
smitty

kotornut · #2 02-06-2008, 08:27 PM

First, if I am going to make an educated guess I will need to see picks of this beast.

Smitty · #3 02-06-2008, 08:35 PM

Smitty · #4 02-06-2008, 08:37 PM

Her name is Amber
smitty

Smitty · #5 02-06-2008, 08:41 PM

Happy?

So much maple, I love it! I love that top...it's flamed at the cutaways, and has random quilts and burls all everywhere else. It's also got flame maple neck and body binding. The maple top itself is really thick.
This really is the best guitar I've ever played, but I just need some new p/ups and a pro setup.
So, in a nutshell, I need opinions about a Breed bridge model in mahogany, and also I'm not sure if I want a Breed neck model or Air Norton.
smitty

kotornut · #6 02-06-2008, 11:42 PM

Well, the Breed might be a bit thicker than you want with a mahogany body. I would suggest something like a D-Sonic to thincken up the bridge but not too much.

Air Norton is fine for the neck IMO.

Smitty · #7 02-07-2008, 09:18 PM

Sounds good. Though, I'm not a fan of the tone of the D-Sonic. I'm pretty dead set on the Air Norton though.
smitty

kennydoe · #8 02-07-2008, 09:56 PM

All the Ibanez Mahogany J-Customs use the TZ/AN combo.

I love it in my 8670...definitely worth a try in you nic guitar.
~Kenny

Smitty · #9 02-07-2008, 09:58 PM

The problem is, I've heard loads of crap about the TZ. All the sound clips sound like Paul Gilbert.
Care to elaborate on the tone of it? Thanks man!
smitty

kotornut · #10 02-07-2008, 10:49 PM

Yeah, remember that those Ibanezes have maple necks and are bolt on construction as well as having a thinner body than this Schecter.

Maybe you would want to try the Super 3 it's hot and not to muddy. Evos are good int he bridge of these guitars too. Have you used the pick up selector at dimarzio.coim?

Smitty · #11 02-07-2008, 11:32 PM

Yup, but I always get the Super Distortion or D-Sonic, which I just don't like.
Evos are good, maybe a little too Vai-ish though. We'll see. I'm looking mainly for very warm, thick tone, but I still need clarity...not Steve's Special clarity (I like my mids!) but still I need to be an Fmaj7#11 chord with gain on 7 and be able to hear it. (I'm talking about an F bar-chord, but with open b and e strings. beautiful chord!)
I'm a prog/fusion player, so I need crunch for rhythm. The Breeds still seem pretty awesome, even the neck, though the Air Norton does seem to be liked by more people, and that's probably for a reason.
I use a Carvin V3 with EL34s and vintage 30 speakers, if that helps.
The Evo 2 seems pretty cool.
Thanks for all your help so far!
smitty

kennydoe · #12 02-08-2008, 12:29 PM

hey

i wrote and recorded this this morning with my JC-RG8670 - Mahogany with Ebony fretboard. TZ in the bridge position.

The rhythm and lead tracks are both TZ. THe lead track i flipped the 'high gain' switch on my amp (Peavey Transtube 112) and added delay.

The solo is mostly improvised - I am not a great recording guitar player, so please forgive my wretched fingers. I hope this gives you an idea of the sound of TZ in Mahogany

http://www.invisibleband.com/kennydoe-2.8.08-mix 2.mp3

kennydoe · #13 02-09-2008, 12:02 PM

Wow....my wretched playing brought this thread to a screeching halt!

I shouldn't ever solo. Certainly not for that long.

waylay00 · #14 02-09-2008, 12:06 PM

Sounds great to me Kenny

Smitty · #15 02-09-2008, 01:01 PM

Man, you're too hard on yourself! It sounded great.
The tone is ok, but I'm looking for a bit less harshness. But of course, I have a set mahogany neck, so that will add more warmth, but the Tone Zone just doesn't seem like my thing. The amount of power seems great though. Thanks alot for making that sound clip, man!
I'm stuck in between Breed, Norton, or Evo 2 for the bridge. All seem like great pickups, and I can't decided if the thickness of the Breed would sound good or not. The Air Zone is also a close competitor, but after listening to its brother, the Tone Zone, I'm pretty sure I don't want it.
smitty