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Gitfiddler
Well-known member
Hot rails... https://youtu.be/JkYhnj9Vuf0
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Anonymous
Guest
Ok, so I got the pickups yesterday and installed them:
Neck: Dimarzio Air Norton S
Middle: Dimarzio Chopper
Bridge: Dimarzio Tone Zone S
I wired them with no coil splits and a 5 way switch (Neck - Neck/Middle - Middle - Middle/Bridge - Bridge)
Prior to installing these, I had:
Neck: '80s Jackson J-100
Middle: '80s Jackson J-100
Bridge: Seymour Duncan JB Jr.
Guitar is a 1986 Charvel USA Pointy 3 TITE single coil layout...
I hated the JB Jr. - it was a mess. Too much high end and sounded like a bad single coil with high gain - sounded thin and kinda anemic, but still over distorted (if that makes sense). The J-100s were fine if you want strat tone, but I wanted this guitar to sound like full size humbuckers and have more output - at least in the neck and bridge position...
Anyway, I'm very happy with these Dimarzios. The guitar really sounds like it has full size humbuckers in it now and the bridge and neck positions sound full and the output of the pickups match well. The Tone Zone S has great mid-range, tamed highs and works great with mid to high gain amp settings. The Tone Zone S handles high gain and has nice warmth to it. The Chopper has enough output to hang with both pickups and sounds good on it's own. While the 2 and 4 position don't sound like traditions strat tones, I do like the mix of the Chopper with both the Tone Zone S and the Air Norton S - some cool tones in there for sure. These pickups really saved the guitar for me!
Thanks to everyone who recommended the Tone Zone S recommendation! Didn't even try the Super Distortion S I bought - the Tone Zone S sounds like a full sized bridge hum and works perfectly in this guitar.
Steve
Neck: Dimarzio Air Norton S
Middle: Dimarzio Chopper
Bridge: Dimarzio Tone Zone S
I wired them with no coil splits and a 5 way switch (Neck - Neck/Middle - Middle - Middle/Bridge - Bridge)
Prior to installing these, I had:
Neck: '80s Jackson J-100
Middle: '80s Jackson J-100
Bridge: Seymour Duncan JB Jr.
Guitar is a 1986 Charvel USA Pointy 3 TITE single coil layout...
I hated the JB Jr. - it was a mess. Too much high end and sounded like a bad single coil with high gain - sounded thin and kinda anemic, but still over distorted (if that makes sense). The J-100s were fine if you want strat tone, but I wanted this guitar to sound like full size humbuckers and have more output - at least in the neck and bridge position...
Anyway, I'm very happy with these Dimarzios. The guitar really sounds like it has full size humbuckers in it now and the bridge and neck positions sound full and the output of the pickups match well. The Tone Zone S has great mid-range, tamed highs and works great with mid to high gain amp settings. The Tone Zone S handles high gain and has nice warmth to it. The Chopper has enough output to hang with both pickups and sounds good on it's own. While the 2 and 4 position don't sound like traditions strat tones, I do like the mix of the Chopper with both the Tone Zone S and the Air Norton S - some cool tones in there for sure. These pickups really saved the guitar for me!
Thanks to everyone who recommended the Tone Zone S recommendation! Didn't even try the Super Distortion S I bought - the Tone Zone S sounds like a full sized bridge hum and works perfectly in this guitar.
Steve
Shawn Lutz
New member
Glad you got it sounding how it should to you, What value pots are you using? I have found that usually if I like the full sized humbucker I'll also like the stacked version of it...JB, Super Distortion, PAF etc.
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Anonymous
Guest
I didn't check the pot that was in there and continued to use it - it appears to be the original pot though and since the original config was three J-100 single coils (I have all three of the original picks - the JB Jr. was installed later), I'm pretty sure it is 250K. I'll check it tonight though and let ya know...Shawn Lutz":3th5apad said:
Shawn Lutz
New member
I'm just curious, pretty sure its 250k too
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bigangryguitar
Member
messenger
Well-known member
I like how many people recommend the JBjr even though the very first sentence said that's what you had lol
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Anonymous
Guest
Lots of people seem to read a thread title and then immediately comment without even reading the original post, nevermind the full thread.messenger":26y539hs said:
Steve
moltenmetalburn
Active member
Motor city hothead made my strat huge and modern sounding for high gain.
Matte23
Active member
I've tried the diMarzio Virtual Vintage2 and the Fast track series, but I've found the Fast track too sterile and lack in the bass spectrum, but the Virtual Vintage2 is like a beefy single coil very near to a p90 sound, It is not a high gain pickup but very dynamic and no hum with high gain amps.
This is my experience.
Bye
Matteo
This is my experience.
Bye
Matteo
jammin1
Member
I used one of these in the bridge position in my strat and it was a great full sounding pickup!
http://www.dimarzio.com/node/2163
http://www.dimarzio.com/node/2163
zewango
Well-known member
Paul Gilbert Injectors I liked
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Gitfiddler
Well-known member
Op: how are you digging the setup after playing for a while? I saw a video of a strat with a bc2 in bridge and chopper in the neck that sounds pretty darn good but may go with your set up
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Anonymous
Guest
Still love this setup. I also bought a Super Distortion S to try in case I didn't like the Tone Zone, but I haven't even thought about breaking it out since the Tone Zone is killing...Gitfiddler":3tzh4pwz said:
Steve
shredhead7
Active member
I have the standard tone zone and super d's, in various guitars. The tone zone sounds really good in high gain settings, but is a little more scoop (congested) sounding. Certainly not bad, it just does that one sound. For my tastes, the super d is more open sounding and can roll back into a great breakup sound.
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spguitar
Well-known member
The Corgan is a really cool pickup for sure.D-Rock":1zz3bvmg said:
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riffermadness
Member
Seymour Duncan Hotrails SHR-1b..I have an older one in mine and it absolutely screams,and the sustains is never ending.
n1kk
New member
Beautiful Charvel you have (as I can judge by the photo of its body), do you have the full pic of it?
As for the pickups: as riffermadness and Gitfidder mentioned – Seymour Duncan "Hot Rails". Though I had an experience of using this one at japanese Fender Strat and I didn't like the sound of bridge pickup, it was very screeching to me and had a lack of "body". But on Charvel's Telecaster aka Model 7 "Hot Rails for Tele" sit quite well. Maybe the reason is in compatibility with body wood. I think Japan Stratocaster was from basswood, but not sure. Charvel's Telly is ash.
For the middle and the neck, Duncan's SSL-4 are powerful enough to compare with the humbucker, I have them on Charvel 375 Deluxe. And not so long ago I have discovered SDS-1 by DiMarzio which are now on my Fender Tom Delonge Strat. Very wet, fat, powerful sound. But both of the mentioned singles are true single coils so they'll be a bit noisy at high gain.
As for the pickups: as riffermadness and Gitfidder mentioned – Seymour Duncan "Hot Rails". Though I had an experience of using this one at japanese Fender Strat and I didn't like the sound of bridge pickup, it was very screeching to me and had a lack of "body". But on Charvel's Telecaster aka Model 7 "Hot Rails for Tele" sit quite well. Maybe the reason is in compatibility with body wood. I think Japan Stratocaster was from basswood, but not sure. Charvel's Telly is ash.
For the middle and the neck, Duncan's SSL-4 are powerful enough to compare with the humbucker, I have them on Charvel 375 Deluxe. And not so long ago I have discovered SDS-1 by DiMarzio which are now on my Fender Tom Delonge Strat. Very wet, fat, powerful sound. But both of the mentioned singles are true single coils so they'll be a bit noisy at high gain.