Drop sonic in standard tuning

fredo · #1 07-29-2006, 11:54 AM

Hello, i ve got an alder body guitar with a mapple neck.

I m looking for the dsonic in bridge position, even if this pickup is mentionned for the dropped tuning i love it's caracteristic : big output and the sounic parameters look great.

Do you think it will work nice with a standard tuned gutiar ? I play a lot of metal, prog and shred so i m looking for a modern sound (dream theater, angra) and a good responce for lead.

I will couple it with an air norton.

Thanks

TonyT1000 · #2 07-29-2006, 12:21 PM

Should sound great. I have one in my Swamp Ash Warmoth. Somewhere between a Steve's Special and a Tone Zone sonically...

j.arledge · #3 07-29-2006, 03:04 PM

i have one and keep it in standard tunning . I love it , it is the best dimarzio for the sound i want . I have owned every high out pickup except three , the breed birdge x2n and super 2 . The drop-sonic i think gets a bad rep by the way it is decribed on dimarzio's site . People read that and think it must be for the nu-metal kids and blow it off . The pickup is a rock pickup yes but it does so much more then drop-tunned stuff . That is why john petrucci switched to the d-sonic and is now using it on stage .

the bass is much deeper and more clear then the tone zone . The highs to me are a little more present then a tone zone as well but they aren't sharp . They have a nice rounded quality that make solos smoother , but the mid and bass can have as much crunch as you want . It is deep thick and a harmonically rich pickup . You play rock , metal anything like that it should suit what your doing , drop tune or standard .

fredo · #4 07-29-2006, 03:36 PM

Thank it make me feel good with my choice.

And what about the placement of the pickup ? Wich side is the best ?

j.arledge · #5 07-29-2006, 03:44 PM

the bar side to the neck is they way i have mine . It is a bit more raw and seems to have a bit more output . the other way seems to have a bit more bass a little less power but is a little more defined .

i recommend installing it with the bar to the neck side first , that way you have enough leads , and if you dont like it you can flip it it with no problems .

TonyT1000 · #6 07-29-2006, 04:30 PM

I have mine with the bar towards the bridge. I like the definition it provides.

sniperfrommars1 · #7 07-29-2006, 05:09 PM

IM curious to hear it now, but for some reason i think it would sound too damned bright for standard key stuff.

j.arledge · #8 07-29-2006, 06:34 PM

here are the clips i have .

this one used a peveay 5150 , with a 2x12 loaded with texas heat speakers . the guitar is an ibanez rgt42 , the neck pickup is a paf pro . the riffs are done on the d-sonic and the fast stuff on the neck . there is no compostion to any of these , they are all just jam clips i recorded to demo the pickups so i could post clips for this exact type of thread .

the clips is in dropped d .

http://www.podsafeaudio.com/jamroom/...mode=song_hifi

this clip i just did with my my guitar port , i used line 6's version of a mesa recto , and had the entire eq set to around 5 , between 5 and 6 for everything(presence and gain)

this pickup is in my dean razorback , which is mahogany .
http://www.podsafeaudio.com/jamroom/...mode=song_hifi

this clip was also done with all the above but this one used line 6s jcm 800 amp version with line 6s pro-co rat for extra drive . Standard tunning too

http://www.podsafeaudio.com/jamroom/...mode=song_hifi

**elcid** · #9 07-29-2006, 06:39 PM

The drop sonic is made ONLY for Drop tunings, if you do not tune down to atleast C the universe WILL IMPLODE KILLING MILLIONS. Or maybe it's just a pick up and tuning has no real effect on it out side of marketing.

Mr.WizardNeck · #10 07-29-2006, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcid

The drop sonic is made ONLY for Drop tunings, if you do not tune down to atleast C the universe WILL IMPLODE KILLING MILLIONS. Or maybe it's just a pick up and tuning has no real effect on it out side of marketing.

Kill all humans!

**elcid** · #11 07-29-2006, 07:55 PM

Not just humans my friend. ALL LIFE AS WE KNOW IT WILL CEASE. Dogs and cats will be friends, the skies will rain blood, women will make sense. It'll be total chaos

fredo · #12 07-29-2006, 11:48 PM

Well it seem to have a lot of gain, a modern middle shape, what about the bass ? Do you agree with the comparaison as a "cross betwenn a tone zone and a steve special ", whitch could be really good ?

For sure it is a marketing strategy from dimarzio to focus the ads on the dropped tuning, but do you really think that it is too bringh or high with a classic tuning ? What make me think about this pickup is the high output, and because i think that the middle range of the TZ is too big, i m not sure to really enjoy the choice of the middle peak range.

marianozz · #13 07-29-2006, 11:58 PM

It rips, the "between SS and TZ" is spot on... with the bar towards the neck its a lil explosive, but with the bar towards the bridge it feel almost like drawing with a felt pen... its pretty precise...!

Another nice aspect of it is that both coils sound way different, so, put a north/south/both toggle in there and you have a LOT of versatility...

AirGuitar · #14 07-30-2006, 08:13 PM

Ive got a D-Sonic 7 installed in my RG1527. I wasnt very happy with the Blaze Bridge pickup in there, it was a little harsh on the treble, so i switched it out and im really pleased with the results.

I installed it with the bar towards the neck, and it gives quite a fat sound, nice rounded treble, lots of mids, and the bass isnt too flabby either. Its worked out far better for soloing than the Blaze. It doesent get muddy like the Tone Zone with loads of gain, and still manages to cut through.

Petrucci has the D-Sonic installed in all his guitars now, even the ones in standard tuning. Its quite bad marketing on Dimarzio's part to call it the D-Sonic really, when so many people are using it well in standard tuning.