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Why Does Everyone Like/Use the Tone Zone ?

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air norton combo alder bodied bridge pickups clean tone david mccarroll duncan distortion emg active mahogany body mesa nomad output pickup palm mute pickup combo pickup height pinch harmonics robben ford string pickup versatile pickup
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#22 ·
elcid said:
I had a TZ in my RG3120 and I couldn't get it out of there quick enough. I found it very muddy.
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I tend to blame the mahogany on that one, not the TZ by itself... I wish i had kept my 3120 longer to tweak it more, but still, i remember hating the Paf Pro on it way more than the TZ...

If anyone has trouble with it mudding up, back it away from the strings, maybe more so than other pups...

And yeah, pinch harmonics are unbelievable on this sucker...
 
#24 ·
I don't quite like the Tone Zone too. Its too middy/bassy for my liking and lacks the upper brightness. I disagree that it sounds like a JB, coz the JB is much brighter sounding, and has less bass and low mids. I ended up choosing a D Sonic, which is like a JB but has better bass and a warmer/fuller sound. As I mentioned before, the D Sonic is like a cross between a Steve's Special and a Tone Zone. Very nicely balanced pickup and well defined. It sounds good clean too, even with the volume max.
 
#25 ·
i had the tone zone in a few different guitars. i actually liked it in the rg3120tw i used to own. it wasn't my dream tone, but definitely great for metal. i found that i didn't like it's tonal characteristics when i turned down the volume knob a third or halfway. it became real muddy then. i also had it in an alder bodied rt450 and it sounded horrible. very muddy in that guitar with very high output. screwing the pickup down to the body helped, but it still sounded subpar. i'm thinking it was wired incorrectly, because it didn't sound anything close to the way it sounded in the rg3120.

but even in the rg3120, i found it to be a little too bass heavy. great for full on distorted rhythms and leads, but not much else.

the duncan jb sounds completely different than the tone zone imo. those 2 pickups emphasize different frequencies. the jb is more upper midrange and has a more 'flabby' bottom end (which to me sounds more vintage) and slightly more highs. the jb also seems less compressed and more raw sounding. i find the jb to be more versatile of the two, but it really boils down to personal preference.

and i also agree about the v8, it is a very decent pickup with balanced eq, high output and clarity. my friend uses it in his rt650 and i think people would be very surprised that he is able to squeeze so much tone out of that pickup.
 
#26 ·
i don't feel like reading the whole thread so pardon me if i repeat anyone else's sentiments.

i have a TZ in my Mahogany JC and it's really rich sounding...but then again, that's in mahogany. it might be a different animal in basswood.
 
#28 ·
exellent pup, I use it in the bridge for big chord "British" overdrive - really awesome for that - not much good for lead but I like using it for rhythm.
 
#29 ·
David McCarroll said:
You're kidding???? I get pinch harmonics even when I DON'T want them with the TZ!
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+1 here!

The trick to using a TZ in the bridge is to keep the pickup height at about 5/16" below the strings when using .011 or .012 ga. or 1/4" below for .009 and .010 ga. You'll be hard pressed to dial in a muddy tone.
 
#30 ·
GregCrowe said:
One weird thing I did notice with the Tone Zone, very difficult to get pinch harmonics with it. It just muddies up pinch harmonics when none of the other pickups I tried did that.
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Gotta agree. I never had trouble getting pinch harmonics until I owned a TZ. It's an OK pickup, but that's all.

PS: I have it in an RG3120. For me it doesn't work well in mahogany. Maybe it does in a guitar built with different wood. It'd suit a very bright tonewood.
 
#32 ·
I hate the tone zone.

it takes the weirdness of a fred, then bumps up the bass and volume. It's terrible.

I'll take

Evo
JB
super D
Super 3
Paf PRO
J-90C
IBZ F1
IBZ F2
Breed
'59
Air Classic

etc.

any day of the week over the tone ZOne.
 
#33 ·
kennydoe said:
i don't feel like reading the whole thread so pardon me if i repeat anyone else's sentiments.

i have a TZ in my Mahogany JC and it's really rich sounding...but then again, that's in mahogany. it might be a different animal in basswood.
Click to expand...
Still sounds great in basswood :).

Regards

André
 
#34 ·
I dont have a lot of experience with pickups but I do prefer the tone zone over the stock inf4 and v8 bridge pickups. they are pretty hot and i think the tone zone has more of a defined sound
 
#35 ·
try using a tone zone in a live situation and you'll see how much it kicks ass. it has so much bass and low-mids, and and piercing highs to top it off. it pushes more air than the average humbucker, more powerful in other words. I didn't like the tone zone at first but when my rhythm guitarist used it, his sound always beat mine. so I went out and got one.
 
#38 ·
i have the tone zone in the bridge of both my rgs. i really love it. i find it to be powerful, but not as harsh as an evolution, which i thought was great, until i heard the tone zone. it has quite a meaty bottom end, i find this to be a good balance to the basswood of the guitars. its great at pinched and natural harmonics and sounds beautiful when mixed in with my middle s1 single coils. a truly great, open, clean tone. i can't wait to put one in my schecter and see what it sounds like.
 
Discussion starter · #39 ·
For you Tone Zone lovers out there, anyone want to trade a like-new black F-spaced DiMarzio Super Distortion for my like-new F-spaced Tone Zone out of my flametop RG770 as seen in the RG770 thread?
 
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