Dimarzio Norton vs. PAF Pro vs. MoJoe

[lttoler]

I am on the search for a bridge pickup for my HH Tele. I play in a cover band playing ALL styles from Rolling Stones to Metallica so I need something that's versatile. I rely on my bridge pickup about 90% of the time. For those of you that have used these pickups, what are the differences? Is the MoJoe the same as the PAF but more output? If so, how much more? Do they sound good coil split?

[_FR0D0]

You can't go wrong for the application you are describing with any of these pickups, but lets try to write about the differences:

Norton: is the the hotter of the tree but still a medium output pickup, is balanced but have a stronger emphasis in the upper mids, it's sometimes described as a better JB than JB.

Mo'Joe: is in the mid point of hotness between the tree, and is the most balanced of them.

PAF Pro: is a good all around traditional overwounded PAF pickup, it has a more traditional sound and emphasis in hight freqs.

If I were you I would go with the Norton, but you can't go wrong with any of them IMHO

[lttoler]

hum. thanks a lot for that! I am now leaning towards the Norton or MoJoe. Do they both sound good coil split? How do they sound on clean stuff???

[lttoler]

anyone?

[_FR0D0]

I can assure the norton split very nicely, from the mo'joe I don't have first hand experience with it split but Joe itself uses it that way if that say something to you.

[CityofBlindingLights]

Decent descriptions, but there's a little more you should know about the three; pickup tone is not based solely on output. You could get a PAF Pro to distort better than a Norton.

Output actually measures very little in the ways of distortion. What it really measures is how easily a pickup will throw a tube amp into overdrive, and how loud one pickup is compared to another.

Let's start with the PAF Pro. I wouldn't call it "overwound PAF tone." It's a very articulate pickup. In the bridge, it's a touch bright, but overall very balanced (moreso than the Mo' Joe imho) and is extremely versatile. It's a very organic pickup that can do just about anything you throw at it. It can scream and wail at ten, but then back off and clean very nicely at clean levels. The PAF Pro is known for a very vowel-like "awwwww" sound, think of a wah pedal left somewhere in the middle. The sound clips on DiMarzio's website are actually a decent indicator of what this pickup's like.

The Mo' Joe is a very unique pickup. It's got some amazing harmonics up the wazoo, and it's also very calibrated for loads of applications. This and the PAF Pro could be your best options for splitting (although that's not to say the Norton won't split well). If you've ever played a FRED, the FRED's got more sear, while the Mo' Joe has more grunt. It's a very growly pickup, which is much cooler than most people play it off to be.

The Norton is possibly my favorite bridge humbucker. It's rather bright (contrary to popular belief) but still has a lot of low end. It's also got lots of harmonics. I've described it best on the DiMarzio Forum once, lemme dig that up:

"The Norton is, for lack of better description, the bastard child that would occur if a Tone Zone got it on with a FRED. It's got the harmonics of the FRED, but the output and a bit of low-end balls of the Tone Zone. Although, it's a bright pickup overall. It's got the nice midrange crunch needed for good overdrive and distortion, and a very distinctly PAF aftertaste."

And I personally wouldn't compare a Norton to a JB, two different pickups altogether. I've also heard that the Norton nails the Brown Sound, although I disagree with that as well; the Norton is it's own beast.

[JohnnyGuitarCA]

The Norton RULES. Also, it's amazing in parallel.

[lttoler]

Well for some reason I'm leaning towards the PAF Pro or the MoJoe. I am used to using a JB in the bridge. Am I gonna lose a considerable amount of output and distortion?

[CityofBlindingLights]

Originally Posted by lttoler

Well for some reason I'm leaning towards the PAF Pro or the MoJoe. I am used to using a JB in the bridge. Am I gonna lose a considerable amount of output and distortion?

*SIGH* I'm going to quote the DiMarzio Forum's pickup FAQ:

-Pickup Output?
This is a common misconception. Many people believe that high-output pickups can't clean up, and that low-output pickups can't handle distortion. All that output really means is how easily a pickup can drive an amp into full overdrive or distortion. That's not to say, though, that an EJ Custom or Air Classic can't be used for thrash metal, or that an X2N can't be played clean. It just means that they'll be better suited for their respective jobs. Remember: Overdrive and Distortion come from either an amplifier's preamp or an effects chain, not the pickup itself.
All that really matters is that your bridge pickup should have equal or higher output than your neck pickup, because the neck pickup slot is closer to the antinode of the string, which vibrates more freely and is hence louder. In order to balance out your pickup set, put a pickup of the same or higher output in the bridge than is in the neck. You also need the middle pickup in three-pickup arrangements to have equal or less output than the neck pickup, as to why I honestly don't know.

[_FR0D0]

Originally Posted by lttoler

Well for some reason I'm leaning towards the PAF Pro or the MoJoe. I am used to using a JB in the bridge. Am I gonna lose a considerable amount of output and distortion?

SD don't publish their PU output specs, but JB should be something like 350mv in dimarzio's scale, so compared with the 320mv of the MoeJoe, the difference is not big at all, just turn your gain up a notch and start rocking!