Steve's Special a little thin

[chilln2music]

I have a Paf Pro in the neck and a Steve's Special in the bridge. The Steve's Special seems a bit thin with highs boosted a little much and the mids scooped. Can anyone recommend a different bridge pickup that would be a good with match the Paf Pro in the neck (love that pu!)?

[djohns74]

How about another PAF Pro?

[BigShred]

Originally Posted by chilln2music

I have a Paf Pro in the neck and a Steve's Special in the bridge. The Steve's Special seems a bit thin with highs boosted a little much and the mids scooped. Can anyone recommend a different bridge pickup that would be a good with match the Paf Pro in the neck (love that pu!)?

Chillin' with a PAF Pro in the neck and a Steve's Special in the bridge you're going to overload on treble and lose all mids (especially in a basswood guitar). The PAF Pro is already a bit scooped and the Steve's Special is especially scooped. Not the best combo unless you're playing a very thick mahogany guitar. Then maybe it'll brighten the tone up a bit.

I had a newer Ibanez S with a PAF Pro in the neck and a Tone Zone in the bridge. While I'm not a fan of the Tone Zone, this combo worked beautifully.

This is a quick sample I did by micing an Hughes & Kettner Switchblade with an SM57:

http://rapidshare.com/files/11040125...-micd.mp3.html

I haven't tried or heard the PAF Pro in the neck and the Breed in the bridge, but theoretically that seems like it might work well too. Best of luck!

[SonataGuitarist]

If you haven't tried a Tone Zone, do.

[j.arledge]

did you try flipping the steve's special around ? i didn't care for it when i got it so i though well i'll flip it around and see if it doesn't sound different , what do i have to loose. Sure enough it sounded a little different. it sounded a little thicker , because like you i thought it sounded thin.

[CityofBlindingLights]

Look into the DiMarzio Megadrive, although it's not on their site it's available for order through DiMarzio dealers. Think of it as a Steve's Special with the mids cranked up a bit for more crunch and grit, but still retaining a bit of clarity and cleanliness. Pretty versatile imo.

[wixomwhat]

Originally Posted by CityofBlindingLights

Look into the DiMarzio Megadrive, although it's not on their site it's available for order through DiMarzio dealers. Think of it as a Steve's Special with the mids cranked up a bit for more crunch and grit, but still retaining a bit of clarity and cleanliness. Pretty versatile imo.

Yep +1

[casper777]

If you like the sound of the SS, then you should definitively try the D-Sonic!!!

Basically it's a SS with more mids.. and it makes a huge difference... same output and "color" than the SS...

I think it has been made exactly for that reason... be less "thin" than the SS and that's why Petrucci switched to this pickup!

it sounds GREAT!!! more modern than a Tone Zone IMO... (it's a matter of taste I like ceramic pickups better).

[chilln2music]

Thanks for the replies.

Big Shred: Hard to tell with all the reverb but I do like the tone.

I was thinking the Tone Zone would be nice but would it be too bass heavy compared to the PAF Pro in the neck? BTW my guitar body is ash which leans on the brighter side I believe.

Right now this is my main axe:
http://left-handed-electric-guitar.j...th_th1_lh.html

[axemanrio]

I did not find the Tone Zone bass-heavy in my basswood RG2550E... in fact, the Evo neck in my guitar sounded slightly bassy compared to the Tone Zone. All round brilliant pickup, especially for rock.

[jallen]

I just put in a Evo in the bridge with a PAF Pro in the neck. I wasn't sold on the Evo but had it laying around and thought "What the hell." I am actually pretty impressed with the combo!