What are the "best" Dimarzio Humbuckers for Hard Rock?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sixstringking713
  • Start date Start date
sixstringking713

sixstringking713

New member
What are the "best" Dimarzio Humbuckers for Hard Rock?

I'm looking at replacing some humbuckers in my super strat and I am considering buying the tone zone for the bridge and not sure what to get for the neck. Was looking at maybe PAF 36th anniversary?

What Dimarzios do you guys prefer for super strats?
 
Definitely not Tone Zone unless your guitar is overly bright. Look more towards Norton.
 
+1 on the Norton (not the Air Norton). Extremely underrated pup.

The Super Distortion also works really well in superstrats. I prefer the Air Classic over the 36th PAF for neck tones.
 
I have super distortions in both my guitars. They really respond well to plexi/Marshall inspired circuits.
 
I have the new Dimarzio Transition pickups in my J-Custom and they are fabulous!!! I was never happy with any pickup I've had in that guitar.....Tone Zone was stock and I hated it...tried Crunch Lab/Liquifire - not for me, Super 3 - felt like I was in a box full of mids, Evolutions were ok but still a bit bright.

When I put the Transitions in, all was in harmony!

I also have the Gravity Storm pickups in my Jem FP2 and they rock hard as well!

then again, many folks swear by the good ol' Super Distortion.
:)
 
I used to think i was a duncan guy until i tried a few dimarzios.. they are easier on the pocket book (only by a few bucks though really) but also have a ton of variety. I'm about to pop in a super distortion into a fat strat so i'll have to get back to you on that one but as mentioned here already, there are a ton of good reviews on that pup so you can't go wrong. Some others i have tried:

36 anni- can be bright in neck, bright in the bridge so make sure you know your axe. les paul or strat, bright is bright. Take this into consideration. I like the neck.

Air classic- bridge pup in the neck of a superstrat. love it. great pup.

Air Zone- nicely balanced pup. Not really hot but a nice in between pup. I like the crunch on this one and the fact that it is supposed to be similar to a custom custom but has tighter bass response.

paf pro- had this in the neck position and found it a tad bright but it worked in the bridge of another ash fat strat i had. Had more crunch than expected.

Really, you can't go wrong with a lot of their pups. Some pups are extreme like the tonezone but most are solid.
 
I have a P90 sized Super Distortion in the bridge of one of my Firebird V's...pretty cool pickup!
 
I have the Dominion set in my Les Paul........pretty badass..........Splits well too...
 

Attachments

  • IMAG0726.jpg
    IMAG0726.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 11,227
Can't go wrong with the Super Distortion. :)
I might like the Suhr Aldrich a little more though. Jury is still out. :thumbsup:
IMG_0047.jpg
 
I'm hesitant against the superdistortion because I had a seymour duncan distortion in a guitar and I absolutely hated that pickup. I know they're different brands/models but I cant seem to get that connection out of my head.

Is the duncan distortion similar to the dimarzio super distortion?

In general I havent gotten along with any seymour duncan pickup I've ever bought.. They sounded thin and lacked any balls no matter the guitar, amp, etc. On the other hand, every Dimarzio pickup I've tried has been great so far!

Anyway, I was considering the TZ because the strat is ash body with maple top and maple neck so it's pretty "bright" i guess.. I have an Air Classic in my other ash super strat and it sounds pretty good in that guitar but I dont want to buy 2 of the same pickup yet, I want to try other options. The Air Classic can sometimes be a little bassy in the neck of my one superstrat.
 
sixstringking713":3ota9e16 said:
I'm hesitant against the superdistortion because I had a seymour duncan distortion in a guitar and I absolutely hated that pickup. I know they're different brands/models but I cant seem to get that connection out of my head.

Is the duncan distortion similar to the dimarzio super distortion?

In general I havent gotten along with any seymour duncan pickup I've ever bought.. They sounded thin and lacked any balls no matter the guitar, amp, etc. On the other hand, every Dimarzio pickup I've tried has been great so far!

Anyway, I was considering the TZ because the strat is ash body with maple top and maple neck so it's pretty "bright" i guess.. I have an Air Classic in my other ash super strat and it sounds pretty good in that guitar but I dont want to buy 2 of the same pickup yet, I want to try other options. The Air Classic can sometimes be a little bassy in the neck of my one superstrat.
Click to expand...
I'm in the same boat. Fender custom strat with H/S config. Alder body, rosewood board. I want to replace the Duncan Custom in the bridge, which is insanely bright and clucky in this guitar, almost like a Fender single coil.
I've narrowed my choices down to the SuperDist. or the Tone Zone, still deciding, Maybe I'll wait for you. :lol: :LOL:
 
sixstringking713":1l8qu63t said:
Is the duncan distortion similar to the dimarzio super distortion?
Click to expand...

well... they're both mid heavy and very 'ceramic sounding'
their voicings are different, though
the dimarzio is fatter and has a less aggressive top
both have a shitload of output and compression
I personally liked the old dimarzio k10 (70's version of the super 2) better than the super distortion
it has a lower dc reading (around 9k), but has just as much output, but with less compression and much more articulation
cuts better than the super distortion
 
The SD is KILLER, but I can tell you now that you can't go wrong with the Suhr Aldrich. Absolutely perfect in my Stratocasters.
Aldrich left, Super Distortion right.
IMG_0050.jpg

Aldrich, Dimarzio Tone Zone neck.
IMG_0968.jpg
 
Badronald":377gpyhe said:
The SD is KILLER, but I can tell you now that you can't go wrong with the Suhr Aldrich. Absolutely perfect in my Stratocasters.
Aldrich left, Super Distortion right.
Aldrich, Dimarzio Tone Zone neck.
Click to expand...
Don't mean to threadjack here. I'm assuming this will help the OP too. :D
Have you tried the Aldrich and SD in the same guitar? How would you could compare the two?
Thanks.
 
electrophonic.tonic":ea2mh18s said:
Badronald":ea2mh18s said:
The SD is KILLER, but I can tell you now that you can't go wrong with the Suhr Aldrich. Absolutely perfect in my Stratocasters.
Aldrich left, Super Distortion right.
Aldrich, Dimarzio Tone Zone neck.
Click to expand...
Don't mean to threadjack here. I'm assuming this will help the OP too. :D
Have you tried the Aldrich and SD in the same guitar? How would you could compare the two?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

No. But I can say for me the Aldrich is bigger and more open sounding with chime on the top end that the SD doesn't have. Cleans up better than the SD. Works better for me on cleans. Probably more versatile.
However, the SD has its own very punchy, tight ballsy thing going on.
Both are fantastic. No mud with tons of gain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top