Need some Dimarzio pick up advise

[TOStudent]

The guitar is a Ibanez Proline-Basswood/Ebony fretboard. H-S-S

I would like it to have a lot of versatility. Thestockpick ups are BAD
So I am looking at going with the Dual Sound which is a Super Distortion with a push pull pot that I can switch from series to parallel or set the bridge up for a single coil split.
my only concern is that it may be way to HOT of a pick up to cover a lot of different styles of music.

Then I was going to run 2 Virtual Vintage Pro in the neck and middle. After looking I think I am going to keep it in the middle but get another single for the neck because these are really Hot singles as well.

Others I am considering are:
Tonezone
D-sonicwith the poles to the bridge supposed to be warmer sounding.
Mo Joe
Breed although I've heard it is bassy.

Any opinions please.

 

[troublehead]

My favorites are the Breed, Super Distortion, and the PAF Pro in the bridge.

I recommend the Area 58' in the neck. I absolutely love that pup. Not very hot, but it gives you the classic strat sound without the hum.

I have an extra Breed laying around if you want it (black, F-Spaced). I would do $45 shipped if you are interested.

 

[Copperhead]

I put a Tone Zone in the bridge and an Air Zone in the neck position in one of my Wolfgangs and I love them.

 

[Rampage]

While in my Petrucci sheep phase I purchased a D-Sonic for the bridge of my G&L (Alder body, Maple neck, Ebony board) and installed it with the blade away from the bridge. As I switched my primary playing from Dream Theater and similar artists to Jazz/Fusion, I found the D-Sonic was still able to nail the tones I wanted without a problem. I play a rotation of hard rock, metal, classic rock, fusion, and a handful of others; the D-Sonic works PERFECTLY for me. It can go from a nice warm clean to a very strong distortion back down to a nice crunch. I definitely love this pickup and would recommend it to someone looking for significant versatility.

 

[TOStudent]

While in my Petrucci sheep phase I purchased a D-Sonic for the bridge of my G&L (Alder body, Maple neck, Ebony board) and installed it with the blade away from the bridge. As I switched my primary playing from Dream Theater and similar artists to Jazz/Fusion, I found the D-Sonic was still able to nail the tones I wanted without a problem. I play a rotation of hard rock, metal, classic rock, fusion, and a handful of others; the D-Sonic works PERFECTLY for me. It can go from a nice warm clean to a very strong distortion back down to a nice crunch. I definitely love this pickup and would recommend it to someone looking for significant versatility.

Was that while you had your Mark IV or it sounds very well through the Bogner?
I have read also that Dimarzio kind of mismarkets the D-Sonic as a down tuning pick up but really with the poles towards the bridge it works well for for various styles.

 

[Mudder]

I like the D-sonic a lot. I used one the same way with the blade toward the neck and it was tight, very versatile, a bit more modern voiced than the Super Distorsion, which is my go-to pickup for rock and metal. That was in a Schecter c-1+, mahogany body.

 

[Code001]

The D-Sonic is nice, clear, and fairly even with a hint of a treble/presence bite to it. However, it's also pretty noisy. What pickups to recommend is kinda hard when we don't know what tone you're going for. I mean, I understand you're looking for versatility, but there are various ways to get there. What's the main type of tone you're looking to achieve? You looking for more of an authentic single-coil "quack" in the singles or a nice hum-canceling pickup that can still deliver a decent (read not quite there, but will be good enough) "quack" found in traditional pickups? For the bridge, what kind of tone are you looking for? Do you like it to be harmonically rich, warm sounding, tight, middy, even, etc. etc.?

 

[Rampage]

Was that while you had your Mark IV or it sounds very well through the Bogner?
I have read also that Dimarzio kind of mismarkets the D-Sonic as a down tuning pick up but really with the poles towards the bridge it works well for for various styles.

I have actually had the ability to own a handful of amplifiers and cabinets with the D-Sonic:

Amplifiers:
2x Mesa/Boogie Mark IVs
Peavey 5150
Engl Powerball
Bogner Shiva

Cabinets:
Avatar G212H Vintage
Vader 2x12
Mesa/Boogie Thiele

I found that the D-Sonic worked/works very well with each amplifier listed. While shopping for pickups I saw the whole "down tuning pickup," schpleel and I hesitated on picking it up for that reason (my primary tuning is standard down 1/2 step). I eventually bit the bullet and must say I am quite happy with my decision. I tried the pickup both with the blade toward the bridge and the blade away from the bridge, and I STRONGLY prefer the blade away from the bridge. Its not that the blade toward the bridge sucks, it just doesn't sound as rich and full, and it gets a little more hissy to my ears.

With the pole pieces toward the bridge I find the D-Sonic is a very warm, smooth/fluid, harmonically rich pickup. To me the D-Sonic really complements each amp it is played with (even so with my Marshall MG-15 practice amp) and represents the tone of my guitar very well.

The best part of this pickup for me is the versatility. It can keep up with nearly every musical style I delve into: Hard rock (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden), rock (Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd), metal (Lynch, Iron Maiden, Cacophony, at one point I stumbled around Necrophagist's material), and jazz/fusion (Al Di Meola).

Needless to say, I am a huge fan of the D-Sonic and don't see myself swapping pickups for a while.