Favorite Dimarzio Pickups or pickup combos

[alkeys]

What are your absolute favorite DiMarzio pickups or Dimarzio pickup combinations? What ones do you feel DiMarzio really hit a home run on?

[Johtosotku]

I think that the common Tone Zone / PAF Pro combo is a nice one. Warm and solid rock tones.

[ModestCargo]

Hard to beat Ace Freely's tone for a hard rock sound. Super Distortion > old Marshall.

[barbarianbrute]

humbuckers:

norton + air norton
paf pro + paf
super d + anything in neck and middle

single hums:

virtual vintage solo pro + virtual vintage heavy blues
virtual vintage solo + virtual vintage solo pro (my strat)
air norton s + chopper

other combinations:

duncan custom custom + virtual vintage solo pro (my other strat)

[pstarove]

Virtual PAF, AirClassic, PAFClassic matched sets.

[Manachild]

D sonic bridge + air norton neck

[Loserchief]

Evo-7 + Air Norton 7 Neck. When both pups are splitable you get tons of great tones ranging from very accoustic sounding tones to all out metal rhythm and fluid singing high gain lead.

[Benjy_26]

Super D, Fast Track 1 & 2, VV Solo/54/Blues, and Air Zone.

[ErikH]

Super Distortion / PAF
Super Distortion / PAF Pro
PAF Pro / PAF Pro
Air Zone / Air Norton (my favorite combo)

[walt]

VHPAF (with either A2 or A5 mag), VV Solo (havent tried the pro model yet) and YJM/HS-3 (there are some surprisingly very good rock/metal tones that can be achieved with this combo, very under rated).

[tc]

I dunno bout combos, but i really like hte superd, tone zone, evo, evo 2 neck, fast track 2, pro track (serious recomendation), area 58...i can elaborate later

[formula73]

My current fav is an X2N/Super D and sometimes I go for BL L500XL/Super D. I like HOT neck pickups.

[wixomwhat]

Evo Bridege PAF Pro neck,
Air Zone bridge FRED neck,
Fred Bridge Super 2 neck
PAF Pro PAF Pro

[heymcz]

Breed Bridge!!!!

[Kindred_Spirits]

I like the Air Norton and the Norton a lot. I used to be on the fence with the Tone Zone, but recently I raised the polepieces and lowered it a tiny bit. It definitely made it more clear and articulate.

[Rand-O-Monium]

PAF Pro(nk) w/Norton,Super Dist,or Super III(br)

Chopper(nk) w/FT-2(br)

Getting ready to try the Pro Track(nk),also...

[Butch Snyder]

I have been a Duncan user since 1982 when I bought my first replacement pickup; a JB. Since then, I have a hard time believing that manufacturers' stock pickups measure up to a company that makes most of their money making pickups.

I'm not a brand snob though; if I like it, I'll use it. The EMG 89 and 85 are among my favorite pickups. The thing about EMG is you either use all EMG or none. They don't mix with other pickups unless you use the high-Z models.

I had always been an anti-DiMarzio guy; mainly due to the double-cream issue. I even wrote an email to Larry DiMarzio and Steve Blucher about it. It wasn't a hate email. It was more of a "why do you still play this game?" type of message. Sometime in Y2k, I bought an Ibanez RG470. I'm not a shredder but I liked the guitar and I wish I still had it. I knew when I first bought it that the stock pickups would have to go. I asked the sales guy about choices. Since I was mainly a Tele-head from years back, I knew about Tele pickups but was very rusty when it came to humbuckers. He asked me what kind of tone I wanted. I said I would like a big tone kind of like a Les Paul. He pointed me to the DiMarzio Breed set. I said what about Duncans. He said he didn't stock much. This guy really knew his way around pickups and what tones they're capable of in any particular guitar.

I was very happy with the Breed set. They were designed for a 25.5" basswood guitar with a locking trem. They really added body. However, they were pretty whack in a Les Paul I tried them in; too thick and muddy.

When I got my OLP Axis copy, I installed a FRED/PAF Pro combo. It was very cool. The FRED had a Tele-like quality to it and also would sound a little like Classic EVH too. Over time though, that combo wasn't quite fat or warm enough for me.

I talked to several members here and was led to try the Air Zone/Air Norton combo. ErikH sent me that way. The results were really nice. I got a big, fat, warm sound that was soulful and punchy. I stripped the OLP down because the neck starting giving out; a known problem with those guitars. I started redoing my Tele's set up. I installed the AZ/AN in my Tele. Very very cool sound. Big and fat and punchy. I missed the Tele bridge pickup though. I left the AN in the neck position and I will install a ChopperT in the bridge position. I'm looking for a really fat and punchy Tele tone that's humbucking.

Now, in my EBMM Morse guitar, I have the stock pickups. They are:

Bridge - DP200 Steve Morse Model bridge pickup
Straight SC - DiMarzio proprietary model made just for the SM and SM-Y2D guitars with specs similar to the Class of '55 (DP119)
Slanted SC - Another DiMarzio proprietary pickup with specs similar to the top coil of an HS-3 (DP117)
Neck - DP205 Steve Morse Model neck pickup

I really like these pickups but it did take a bit to dial them in. The straight single coil is supposed to be Tele-like. Maybe to a non-Tele player, it might be. To me, it lacks. I might install a DiMarzio Red Velvet; which is their version of the Twang Banger. I also thought about taking the Morse humbuckers out and replacing them with the AZ/AN combo. However, I had to remember that my Morse guitar is poplar with a rosewood fretboard. I realized I wouldn't get the same results I got when they were in my OLP or Tele. I decided to keep the Morse all stock; but I might replace the straight single coil.

Did I answer the question? Well, the answer is in there somewhere; but I'll give a short list.

1. Air Zone
2. Air Norton
3. Morse bridge model
4. Morse neck model
5. FRED
6. PAF Pro
7. Twang King neck model

[SFW]

My favorite DiMarzios are the Fred and the Chopper T.

[pstarove]

Virtual PAF and HOT PAF. With Alnico2 magnets. I have yet to hear something better. Maybe Antiquities?

[eggman]

Howdy,

The only DiMarzio P/Us I've got are a set of Twang Kings in my USA Custom Guitars Mahogany Tele. It has a beautiful flamed body, btw!
These P/Us allow me to go from Buck Owens to Exiles on Main Street. I'm especially impressed with the bridge P/U. The TKs are affordable, too.

Eggman