DiMarzio pickups user input

[Allen Garrow]

Looking for user input. I've been playing the old school UV's for years with the stock Blaze pickups. I'm playing a 91 UV777GR and have had the new UV's and been able to A/B the two. Granted all the extra paint surely colors the tone slightly, along with the wood density issue. However the new blazes have a different tone to them,,,it feels thinner,,, DiMarzio says they have changed nothing as far as winding and stuff. The only mod they made from old school to present is the base on which it is built upon. Old P/U's were built on a Brass foundation and the new ones are built on a Phenolic/fiberglass sort of thing. Claiming this alteration effects nothing but helped almost eliminate feed back. They still sound different to me,, and that has been the case with many of the old UV's PWH,UVMC's,GR's. The old UV's have a pretty consistant sound,, the old school growl.

I'm buying a new 1527. I have no idea what to expect from the stock p/u's on it. In the event I don't care for the sound has anyone tried the new line up of 7 string offerings from DiMarzio. Particularly the Tone zone 7, and PAF 7. This combo the tech from DiMarzio recommended. He also agreed that the Tone zone 7 in Bridge position and the Paf 7 in the neck would be cool,,, and would work well together.

I guess what I'm looking for in some user results on the newer p/u's for 7 string. I like the idea of lower power which will help keep the tone warm. I've tried the Evo 7's and found that they were to crispy for my music,,,they worked great Megadeth covers played on low B. But not my stuff.
Has anyone tried these in an RG body mount situation?

~A

[The Dark Wolf]

I have an RG2027. Played the stock pickups, played with the AN7/TZ7 combo, and now play with the AN7/Blaze Bridge combo.

The RG2027 IS mahogany, however, and I think that GREATLY changes things. That being said...

The stock Ibby pups were cool. Nice sound, not too hot, not too cold, not too much of anything. Versatile, slightly sterile, and were definitely middle-of-the-road, but in a basically positive sense.

The TZ7... good sound, and maybe would work GREAT for you. Not the best in mahogany, however, IMO. I did like the sound, but it was just too middy and round for my tastes. Almost too warm. Still, it's a fantastic pickup, and even with all that darkness (mahogany, TZ7, I tune to Gb!) I never had problems with mud/clarity. Always sounded clear and tight, just too round and midrangey (sounded perfect live and cranked, however).

Tried the Blaze bridge, whoa! Love it. It's perfect for mahogany. That "thin" sound you mention, well, not in mahogany. The mid scoop helps the pickup to shine. Ends up sounding balanced, to me. Lots of bass, ultra-clarity, good treble and presence, and a very sweet, smooth upper midrange character, that is neither "warm" nor "clear" completely, but a great blend of both.

The AN7, sheeeet... 'nuff said. Best neck pickup out there. Sounds fantastic.

So, I have the TZ7 installed in my basswood backup 7, but I haven't got the new electronics I ordered for it yet. I'm curious to see how it will sound. I should be getting them sometime this week/next week (backorder) and then I'll post if this thread is still around.

[Scott of Actual Time]

Originally Posted by Allen Garrow

DiMarzio says they have changed nothing as far as winding and stuff. The only mod they made from old school to present is the base on which it is built upon. Old P/U's were built on a Brass foundation and the new ones are built on a Phenolic/fiberglass sort of thing. Claiming this alteration effects nothing but helped almost eliminate feed back. They still sound different to me...

i've owned both the old and new versions of the Blaze [and feedback as the pickups got older was a big problem with the old ones]. i never heard any differece, but this was in mahogany and not basswood like UVs, and i never did a careful comparison.

Originally Posted by Allen Garrow

I'm buying a new 1527. I have no idea what to expect from the stock p/u's on it. In the event I don't care for the sound has anyone tried the new line up of 7 string offerings from DiMarzio.

i believe they are the stock Ibanez V7-7 and V8-7, and if so you should expect a bland stock pickup sound. you'll find tons of old threads on this bbs about pretty much all the different DiMarzio 7 string pickups -- search in this Pickups & Wiring subheading and in the whole forum.

Originally Posted by Allen Garrow

This combo the tech from DiMarzio recommended. He also agreed that the Tone zone 7 in Bridge position and the Paf 7 in the neck would be cool,,, and would work well together. I like the idea of lower power which will help keep the tone warm.

if you play a medium-high gain sound, the TZ7 in the bridge is exactly what you want to keep the tone warm -- it's on the lower side of high output, lower than the Evo7 and the Blaze, but it still has enough output to give a great crunch sound.

in the neck, you might consider the Air Norton 7. it has more output than the PAF7, but a rounder smoother tone since the PAF7 has a midrage peak. if you like really smooth neck pickup sounds, i'd recommend the AN7.

Originally Posted by Allen Garrow

Has anyone tried these in an RG body mount situation?

because all the non-UV 7-strings since 1997 have direct mounted the pickups to the body, pretty much all the advice you'll read is from direct mounting. including mine above.