Choosing neck pickups for D sonic and Tone Zone

[JoonasJ]

Hi There!

I got this Ibanez RG2550 as my main axe and i'm waiting to trade my ESP EC-500 to RG550.
Now i got those dmz/ibz stock pickups(very very lame in every level compared to my ex-washburns Distortion/59 set) in my RG and i want more "oomph, like Gilbert says it" and i'm going to get a Tone Zone for it and stick it in the bridge ofcourse. To that RG550 i'm getting D Sonic, because after reading all the reviews about it it just seems right for me.
I play a lot that "solo-nonsense " like vai, petrucci, satriani etc and metal. With friends we play thrash metal, rock and mindless shred or at least we try to...

Planning to play on standard E with my 2550, and tune the 550 into drop C.
I ain't got any extra money or desire to change pups all the time so i'm trying to get tones right on the first time. Which neck pickups would give variety and which would match with D Sonic when playing in drop C? I've heard that AN is the solution for everything but would Paf Pro or Paf Joe be clearer when playing metal? Which neck pickups would you guys recommend for me for these guitars? And are Tone Zone and D Sonic the answer for the variety i need?

Thanks already!

[toneboy]

I have a Tone Zone paired with a PAF Joe in the neck and I love it. It gets a really good bubbly sound. The way the bass is rolled off and the treble is bumped up makes it a really clear, defined neck pickup. I've tried an Air Norton and for me, it's too muffled.

[JoonasJ]

Hmm, that Paf Joe certainly sounds interesting. I'm a fan of that DT's "I&W" sound and i've read that petrucci used tone zone and humbucker from hell with his guitar when recording that album. With the combination u gave that can i guess be achieved. Are those in good balance when switching? No great volume drops?
It's so frustrating when here in Finland there ain't no good music stores so i can't do any compare in live...gotta just order those pickups blind.

[toneboy]

I also have a Humbucker from Hell in another guitar (which has a Tone Zone) and I while I like, it's not quite as strong as the PAF Joe due to its lower output. The PAF Joe also sounds a bit fatter because it's got slightly more midrange than the HFH.

As far as volume balance goes, I cannot speak for that because the guitars I've referred to have a single coil in the middle so I can't have the 2 humbuckers on that the same time.

Even though I live in the States, there are no stores around that have Dimarzios installed in guitars to try, at least not the ones I've been looking for. I just use the Tone Zone as my reference point then compare it to the specs on Dimarzio's site. That's worked for me so far.

[Orochimaru]

I use Humbucker From Hell in the neck of my S320 and I love it. I paired it with DiMarzio Evolution. Mine came from Rich and it seems like the poles were well set-up because when I switch from one pup to the other one I don't feel a big output difference. (I bought both pups from Rich)

The poles of the Humbucker From Hell are higher and the poles of the Evolution a bit low.

Anyway I use these pups in a S320 mahogany body with 13's strings and 3 steps down. Also I use a Hardwire Sc-2 Valve Distortion pedal.
I called my guitar Godzilla or Guitarzilla.

Both pups are awesome. I played them straight into a mixer once. No amp, no pedal, just my guitar plugged into a mixer and it sounded awesome. I convinced my friends a cheap Ibanez can sound good clean. They used to say only Fender or Gibson guitars can do the trick.

The Humbucker From Hell is awesome. The Evolution screams on the high frets and some people don't like that thing.

I went for Humbucker From Hell in the neck of my guitar and I don't look back. I simply love it.

My conclusion is it's important what wood your guitar is made of. Also I have to admit my guitar sounds way better with Hardwire SC-2 Valve Distortion. The amp is important for your sound too. The combo I have now made me happy with all the amps I played.

[mi2tom]

Paf pro......

[JoonasJ]

Yeah maybe i should go with D Sonic + Air Norton and Tone Zone + Paf Pro or Paf Joe. Many guys use those combos so guess cant go wrong with those

[jaxadam]

I was gonna say PAF Pro for sure or Humbucker from Hell, but you definitely can't go wrong with a PAF Joe!

Air Norton is a really great neck pickup as well.