A
Warm neck tones
This was a neck pickup to be paired with a Super Distortion in the bridge and the DiMarzio site mentioned this one as a good match. The guitar I am using has a basswood body.
The output is similar to the SD in the bridge so there is no volume drop when switching pickups. At the same time it is not a very hot pickup, so it still sounds clear when playing clean. It gives the warm tones you would expect in the neck position. It does not have a specific emphasis in the tone shape so both bass and treble are even. It has a nice sweet, warm tone when playing round the 12th fret.
To be honest I was half expecting it to be more radical, as some other DiMarzios have a distinctive voicing. But this feels like a good all round tone for the neck position without focusing on only bass, mid or treble, with a bit more output than most stock pickups.
I agree with the advice from DiMarzio that it pairs well with the SD in the bridge. If you are using hotter bridge pickups or you are looking for a specific tone with more bass response then you may have to look for something else.
The output is similar to the SD in the bridge so there is no volume drop when switching pickups. At the same time it is not a very hot pickup, so it still sounds clear when playing clean. It gives the warm tones you would expect in the neck position. It does not have a specific emphasis in the tone shape so both bass and treble are even. It has a nice sweet, warm tone when playing round the 12th fret.
To be honest I was half expecting it to be more radical, as some other DiMarzios have a distinctive voicing. But this feels like a good all round tone for the neck position without focusing on only bass, mid or treble, with a bit more output than most stock pickups.
I agree with the advice from DiMarzio that it pairs well with the SD in the bridge. If you are using hotter bridge pickups or you are looking for a specific tone with more bass response then you may have to look for something else.
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M
Super creamy!
I had this pickup in nearly all my guitars. This is my "go to pickup" for the neck position, because of its versatility. It delivers a warm and creamy tone, which is awesome for soloing a la John Petrucci with super fast runs or singing leads are
I would describe it as a bit more vintage or warm as the Liquifire model, so I go with this one in combination with the Crunch Lab or the D-Sonic. I enjoy the cleans as well. It never sounds harsh or sterile!
Even lower tunings and thicker strings are no problem!
I play a lot of progressive stuff, with big chords and ambient melodies. The Air Norton is the right choice!
If works fine with all styles of rock and metal. Blues works fine too!
I would describe it as a bit more vintage or warm as the Liquifire model, so I go with this one in combination with the Crunch Lab or the D-Sonic. I enjoy the cleans as well. It never sounds harsh or sterile!
Even lower tunings and thicker strings are no problem!
I play a lot of progressive stuff, with big chords and ambient melodies. The Air Norton is the right choice!
If works fine with all styles of rock and metal. Blues works fine too!
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K
Good but...
I bought for hard-rock playing, I had it for more than a year now and I am really happy about it, however not 5 stars as I have seen better (to my taste) around, warmer and with more harmonies, even for a DiMarzio. Good option though!
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M
Another quality Humbucker from DiMarzio
I bought this for the 'neck' position and wow, very earthy and natural sounding that lets your guitar's body wood come through clear and tight! Not too 'bassy' and it 's not fazed by putting it along side the company's 'Super distortion' pickup either.
Four conductor wire lets you 'split' the coils too for that 'stratty' sound in the neck we all love too.
Great humbucker for the price.
Four conductor wire lets you 'split' the coils too for that 'stratty' sound in the neck we all love too.
Great humbucker for the price.
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C
Great pickup
Really fat sounding in the neck with the tone rolled off. Great choice for any rock or metal tones you need, and for the price its hard to beat.
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BI
Warm tone
To judge the overall tone, enough videos have been made that no written review can add anything meaningful to that body of knowledge. I just want to point out my personal feeling, the very warm sound of this pickup, noticeable especially in the highs. Not all recordings allow a detailed analysis of this, the more complete the mix, the harder it gets.
So warmth seems to be its more prevalent virtue. By the way, I first soldered it following the standard Duncan Humbucker/Humbucker, 3-way selector, 2-pots schematic. But Di Marzio and other makers use the same wire colors with different soldering points, so look at conversion charts before you start the job. I had only soldered noiseless single coils and Duncan double-coils before, so I didn't know.
Lastly, this pickup is very nearly the tonal equivalent of the Fender Shawbucker I placed in the bridge. Switching between them feels like switching between pickups of the same make, not like they are from different makers and different generations. The match is perfect.
So warmth seems to be its more prevalent virtue. By the way, I first soldered it following the standard Duncan Humbucker/Humbucker, 3-way selector, 2-pots schematic. But Di Marzio and other makers use the same wire colors with different soldering points, so look at conversion charts before you start the job. I had only soldered noiseless single coils and Duncan double-coils before, so I didn't know.
Lastly, this pickup is very nearly the tonal equivalent of the Fender Shawbucker I placed in the bridge. Switching between them feels like switching between pickups of the same make, not like they are from different makers and different generations. The match is perfect.
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