Vintage DiMarzio Super Distortion or Mighty Mite 1300 Tonal Characteristics?

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scottosan

scottosan

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Since neither of these are easily/cheaply available in vintage format, I need some help from you guys.

I've finally sourced full thickness hex poles that use the slug bobbin instead of just the thinner 5-40 screws with Allen heads, so I really want to do something based on the DSD or MM. Alot of people call the MM a clone due to similar specs, but I know damn well that 2 similar spec pickups from 2 winders will sound quite different. Generally speaking ceramic pickups will have a higher resonant peak than the same wind with an alnico magnet, and with the pull of the thick ceramic magnet, I'd expect more lows and highs. DiMarzio lists this pickup as having less highs, but my gut is telling that someone who's prefers alnico magnets might perceive these pickups as having a bright or snappy top.

So, a few questions?

1. How similar are the 2?
2. Please describe the treble characteristics of each.
3. How do each of thesr sound tonally, not just versus each other, but also generally speaking comparative to othe well known pickups?
3. How do each of these respond to rolling down of the volume knob?
4. Any other insight would be appreciated.
 
I would definitely say the MM is a tighter sounding pickup, for sure than the few vintage SDs I've had. Mids are more prominent with the MM, but not to say the SD is scooped. The highs are hairier on the SD than the MM.
My quick thoughts anyway.
 
I’ve got lots of various vintage Mighty Mite’s (1400’s, 1300’s, and 1800’s), had a ‘70’s SD and felt the 2 sounded quite different from each other. Neither of them are to me super bright, piercing or sharp. The mighty mites I find to be more midrangey than anything else (could be too much for some guys maybe) with actually a more round, smooth treble and they come off super hot, very compressed and saturated, but in a fun way from being over the top like that. Vintage mighty mites to me are great pickups. The vintage Super Distortion I felt was just ok

Like Racer said, they have pretty good tightness too. I used to think the Wagner Iron Man was a very hot pickup, but going from the Mighty Mite to Iron Man in the same guitar was like when you taste something so sweet that Coca Cola (iron man in this case) tastes now like seltzer lol, but more importantly it made the iron man come off tonally kinda bland and sterile, but good vintage pickups I find do that to most recent made stuff with the more raw, lively (maybe full frequency) sound and feel
 
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Also fwiw, I like the 1400 MM most. They all sound pretty similar, but 1400 is more gritty/aggressive
 
braintheory said:
Also fwiw, I like the 1400 MM most. They all sound pretty similar, but 1400 is more gritty/aggressive
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Funny, the 1300 is advertised as the most powerful/aggressive whereas the 1400 more as PAF-like.
 
Cless357 said:
Funny, the 1300 is advertised as the most powerful/aggressive whereas the 1400 more as PAF-like.
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Despite having a higher DC reading, my 1300’s don’t sound more aggressive or even hotter to me really. They sound similar to my 1400’s just smoother and a bit more compressed maybe. I’m also lucky enough to have some real ‘50’s Gibson PAF’s and can tell you the 1400’s are nothing like them at all LOL. Honestly, most guys who describe pickups as being like PAF’s don’t really know what they’re talking about and just basing they’re experience on recent made “paf” type pickups like maybe some of the BKP stuff
 
scottosan said:
Since neither of these are easily/cheaply available in vintage format, I need some help from you guys.

I've finally sourced full thickness hex poles that use the slug bobbin instead of just the thinner 5-40 screws with Allen heads, so I really want to do something based on the DSD or MM. Alot of people call the MM a clone due to similar specs, but I know damn well that 2 similar spec pickups from 2 winders will sound quite different. Generally speaking ceramic pickups will have a higher resonant peak than the same wind with an alnico magnet, and with the pull of the thick ceramic magnet, I'd expect more lows and highs. DiMarzio lists this pickup as having less highs, but my gut is telling that someone who's prefers alnico magnets might perceive these pickups as having a bright or snappy top.

So, a few questions?

1. How similar are the 2?
2. Please describe the treble characteristics of each.
3. How do each of thesr sound tonally, not just versus each other, but also generally speaking comparative to othe well known pickups?
3. How do each of these respond to rolling down of the volume knob?
4. Any other insight would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
All I have is an old Super D, so I don’t have much of a frame of reference…but you’re saying they changed from full width allen poles to Allen head screws?! Any idea when that happened?

I find that interesting because the Manlius Super D claims to be an exact copy and I thought it was a dead ringer in my old 84 LP custom
 
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Luke Duke said:
All I have is an old Super D, so I don’t have much of a frame of reference…but you’re saying they changed from full width allen poles to Allen head screws?! Any idea when that happened?

I find that interesting because the Manlius Super D claims to be an exact copy and I thought it was a dead ringer in my old 84 LP custom
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No, I'm saying the I've only been able to get Allen head screws not the full width pieces up until this month.
 
Luke Duke said:
All I have is an old Super D, so I don’t have much of a frame of reference…but you’re saying they changed from full width allen poles to Allen head screws?! Any idea when that happened?

I find that interesting because the Manlius Super D claims to be an exact copy and I thought it was a dead ringer in my old 84 LP custom
Click to expand...
I’ve heard from a friend that the Manlius SD is really good.
 
Luke Duke said:
All I have is an old Super D, so I don’t have much of a frame of reference…but you’re saying they changed from full width allen poles to Allen head screws?! Any idea when that happened?

I find that interesting because the Manlius Super D claims to be an exact copy and I thought it was a dead ringer in my old 84 LP custom
Click to expand...
Also, any winder that claims to make an exact copy is being disingenuous sure, you can duplicate parts, but you can never duplicate the wind pattern and tension you can only approximate it. Look at Duncan and Throwback. They both have vintage leesona machines and claim to make PAF copies but neither sound alike or identical to a vintage PAF. Dimarzio can't even make the new SDs sound like old ones. There's too many variables.
 
I believe both pickups are featured in Pete Thorns deep dive. The times for each are linked in his description.

Edit:

14:59 for Super Distortion
52:51 for old MM 1300
56:39 for new MM 1300

 
Waiting on a 1300 next week, but did some a/b ing with a vintage DSD. My prototype had a little less low-end but tighter and more highs and a better midrange with a more musical sustaining grind. That said, I'm still using a nickel silver baseplate and will have a proper brass baseplate next week. The consensus is the brass takes high and adds some low mids. I guess I'll stay in a holding pattern until the brass plate gets here.


Based on knowing my go to baseline wind patterns for prototyping, these thick hex screws certain are brighter than the standard slug/screw combo. I started with the same wind as my 84/C which is based on the Duncan Custom. That pickup sounds a thicker and better under the fingers. This is a lot of work adjusting winds to compensate for changes in material
 
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Not familiar with the 1300s, but I'd say 'hairy' makes a really good descriptor for the highs of a Super D.
 
Here's where I'm at now. Brass plates and the 1300 will be here in a few more days. The hardest part about working on new models is that I have my own preferences. I like tightness but wish it had a little more low mids and a tad less bright. The brass baseplates may do the trick. That said, this pickup cleans up incredible well and I want to retain that. See @ 0:40 in the clip, no treble bleed circuit, just volume And yes there a bass guitar in the background in the very beginning :D

 
scottosan said:
Here's where I'm at now. Brass plates and the 1300 will be here in a few more days. The hardest part about working on new models is that I have my own preferences. I like tightness but wish it had a little more low mids and a tad less bright. The brass baseplates may do the trick. That said, this pickup cleans up incredible well and I want to retain that. See @ 0:40 in the clip, no treble bleed circuit, just volume And yes there a bass guitar in the background in the very beginning :D

Click to expand...


I was listening to this clip when you put it up thinking "Damn it I'm going to need to build another guitar" lol
 
Racerxrated said:
Yes, his pickups have that effect lol
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Yeah I've got 2 builds and a Edwards E-LP-130 loaded with ToneNerd stuff now... and I feel like I am forgetting a fourth guitar lol

EDIT: My Mike Learn Fog guitar has a Wicked 8 in the bridge... knew there was another ToneNerd in there somewhere
 
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