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19K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  potter78 
#1 ·
I have three RG3120's, which all have a TZ in the bridge. They all had PAF pro's in the neck, but I replaced one with an Air Norton.

On the 3120 with the Norton, I was thinking about replacing the TZ with a Steve's Special, just to have a bit of a different tone from the other 3120's, but I'm a little 'nervous.'

I've read all the reviews on Harmony-Central, but I was hoping someone here could give more insight into the difference between the two pickups and, more specifically how the SS will sound in a mahogany guitar like the RG3120.
 
#3 ·
Weak? Really? See, everyone has a different opinion of this damn pickup. Some of the people on Harmony Central claim it's really high output, some claim it's not high output, but closer to medium, some people claim it's good for a particular thing, some people say the complete opposite. My head is going to explode! lol
 
#4 ·
Ive got a SS in my EBMM JP (or very close to it, i beleive the JP version has slightly less treble). Its a very hot pickup capable of a scooped crunchy sound. Its very cutting, and as the Dimarzio page says, all the notes remain pretty clear when playing.

If i want to play a heavy rhythm section, i almost always pick up the JP because the SS does a really good job of metal tones, while still remaining clear.

The TZ has loads of mids compared to it, and isnt quite as crunchy. I love lead playing on the TZ, but it does muddy up pretty quickly with a lot of gain.

Ive only played these through basswood guitars though, so there would be difference in mahogany. It should give you a general idea though :).
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the info!

Yeah, the Tone Zone is very mid-heavy, which I love. I just figured, since I have THREE RG3120's, why not change the pickups in at least one of them for a different tone. I guess I'll just go for it and try the Steve's Special.

Thanks again.
Sounds like a good plan. Ive got different bridge pickups in all my guitars, and i really like the variety (though i have an Air Norton in the neck on most of em!).

Just so you know, the direction of the SS has quite an impact too. I remember reading a post by Rob Balducci mentioning how he prefered the pickup one way round to the other.
 
#6 ·
The Tone Zone and Steve's Special are almost opposites. The Tone Zone is a mid-heavy pickup, whereas, the Steve's Special is scooped. I've got no experience with the Steve's Special (I despise scooped mids), but I imagine you'd have a hard time cutting through the mix with it.
 
#8 ·
I found the steve to be tooo hollow sounding
very little mid body
on the postive side the steve is very articulate and had defintion beyond belief
i can dime the gain on my 5150 and play a big sus 2 or 4th chord and still hear all the notes clear!
they are clean man and track your lead real fast!
 
#9 ·
I dunno about the Steve's Special but seeing that it's based on the Blaze II bridge, I can say that while the scooped sound is nice and clean, it doesn't have that 'big' sound that I get with my TZ equipped J-Customs. The scooped sound is great for leads but doesn't really do it for me for rhythm sounds.
 
#10 ·
it is a lot like the blaze bridge pup and i agree with you about the "BIG" sound
the S.S does not have the full big tone like a TZ at all
unless you play a mesa amp which is what John Pettrucci used when the S.S was made
the TZ he played back then had too much mids for his amp so he had steve blucher make him a mid scooped pup and the S.S was born and it is very similar to the blaze
 
#15 ·
can someone tell me by what scooped?

I havent tried a SS but i do have a tone zone which i just reinstalled in my s470, and i dont find any problem with muddyness on high gain, I love the big sound you get from it and im a big fan of the dimarzio dual resonance, i'll have to try it on a marshall mg agian cause i dont remember liking it too much on that.
 
#16 ·
I recorded this video yesterday of me playing through my JPM90HAM (SS) and my RG METAL-1 (TZ). I don't change amps settings and both guitars have pretty similar specs (only difference is the maple top on the JP) so I guess it gives you a good idea of the difference between the pick-ups sound. Hope it helps:

 
#18 ·
The SS seems to be cleaner. It doesnt has that much gain wich is good if you tend to play rather clean stuff. I think this pickup would be perfect for Panama from Van Halen.

On the other side it seems that the TZ is much heavier. And is better for heavy metal rythm playing.

Hope i summed it up right.
 
#20 ·
I've never played a SS but I have played a Megadrive a lot. The two according to Dimarzio are close to the same pickup, that's why they only advertise the SS. The MD is not weak at all, nice tight bottom plenty of highs for solos and never had a problem get mids from my amp if I need them. The MD is one of the best prog pickups I've played.
 
#21 ·
air guitar: i think the bridge in EBMM is not that close to SS

i have SS also. awsome pickup, but i'd think twice if was to put it in a thick maple-top guitar, or a basswood guitar.
but in an RG mahogany it works like a charm. i play it through a m/b quad.
it isn't weak, it just appears to be weak, and it cuts through the mix nicely. it never muds up. it isn't that typical electric guitar sound
 
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