I like the Air Norton better all around

 

depends on what amp/settings you use .

i'd still have to say the hum from hell is one of the best , but between the air norton and paf pro i think i'd take the air norton over the pro

 

i'd actually say Evo since that's what Vai uses. Between those two the Norton though. Over all of them I'd say a Bill Lawrence L-500R but you'd prolly have problems with volume balance between the lawrences and the dimarzios

 

i'd actually say Evo since that's what Vai uses.

And why do you say that?

 

Neither. The Humbucker From Hell or the PAF Joe though I'd lean towards the HFl more. I recently started using a Dimarzio Bluesbucker as well but I haven't spent enough time with it to really give a solid opinion on it.

I've had an Air Norton and a PAF Pro in the neck spot before but I've found that the HFH and PAF Joe are much more articulate than either of the AN or PAF Pro.

The HFH totally captures that bubbly kind of Yngwie tone. No matter how much distortion you use the pickup delivers an articulate and clear sound. It feels more like a single coil on steroids.

The PAF Joe is a bit darker sounding than the HFH and sounds more like the traditional neck humbucker tone. It definitely gives you a tubular type of tone just like Dimarzio claims it does.

Do a search on both pickups here or ask for more opinions on them. Just because the Air Norton and, to a lesser degree, the PAF Pro are the pickups da jour doesn't mean there aren't other pickups out there that can do a better job at giving you what you want.

 

Wouldn't a Paf Pro sound a bit more clear and woody. Vai used them on all the old albums before 1993. Gilbert still uses them for tons of sweeping. I like the Paf Joe even better because it's got a bit tighter low end.

I think the Air Norton sometimes sounds to dark.

 

the paf pro is more clear, but the air norton sounds bigger. especially for sweeps. i have used both and have swapped all of my paf pros for air nortons.


rich

 

the paf pro is more clear, but the air norton sounds bigger. especially for sweeps. i have used both and have swapped all of my paf pros for air nortons.

rich

What do you mean by "bigger". Does the AN get bassey? Given the pickups EQ's it seems like the AN may be more forgiving of non-perfect soloing technique?

 

paf pro in the neck is a good pickup but i find it gets a bit muddy and distorted on the low end.

Higher up it sounds awesome.

 

The title of this thread should be taken out and shot.

 

Agreed

 

Humbucker From Hell.

 

Evo neck.

 

I like the PAF Pro myself...

 

Teh PAF

 

I have used both the PAF Pro and the Air Norton. The Air Norton is a great all around neck pickup as someone stated before, but when it comes to shredding and sweep picking..it sounds a bit too thick for it. The PAF Pro I think is perfect for sweeping as it doesn't get muddy for me anyways. I just don't like thick sounding pickups for sweeping and shredding.

 

In the JS (22 fret neck) i like the sound of the Paf but on the 24 fret guitars i've tried i've prefered the Norton.

Theres a subtle difference but i think the Paf pro really shines on the JS/S series neck position.

 

I have both, I love both. Both are amazingly great for sweeping, arpeggios, shredding solos, etc.

Air Norton has a bit more "single coil"-ish sound; the PAF Pro has a bit more "humbucker"-ish sound.

So... you decide what tone you want!

 

I agree.

The reason I didn't like the Air Norton in the neck of my RG550 is that it didn't have that classic humbucker sound. If you listen to any good songs of old PAFs, you'll hear this distinctive "clicl" type sound (check out ZZ Top's "Brown Sugar" or Humble Pie (Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton) you'll see what I'm talking about). Paul Gilbert has a good tone like this on some of his stuff too.

But I guess if you're going for the typical shreddy-shred sweep sound, then an Air Norton would be all right.

A good comparison would be to listen to clips of Paul Gilbert back in the 80s and early 90s and listen to Petrucci's stuff now to hear the difference between the two.

 

I love my Air Norton but I can't compare it to the Paf Pro because I haven't played a paf pro