Pickup compare

[aneyekay1]

Dimarzio Air Zone/Air Norton vs Duncan JB/Jazz

which does hard rock/punk/metal/classic rock better?

[dominus]

Depends on the guitar.

[jimlp]

Depends on the guitar.

Not really, the Airzone is a modern sounding pickup with a low mid kick and rolled back highs. Every time I have tried an Air Zone in a guitar I found myself wanting more highs and complexity. The last time I tried it I replaced it with a JB which sounded more "vintage" in comparison, and the JB ain't vintage by any stretch of the imagination but the EQ curve seemed to be. The Air Norton is an OK neck pickup but it is a bit flat, the best word to describe it from my experiences would be "safe." There are many other neck pickups that do a better job. I have never played a Jazz neck pickup so I cannot comment about that.

[dvadneau]

I love the Air Zone. I've tried the Air Norton in the bridge and neck (different guitars) and wasn't crazy about it in either position. Ok, but there are better.

If you're liking the JB, JB/59 is what you want. I never liked the Jazz. The 59 is a better match for the JB.

The Air Zone can do metal well, but I wouldn't use it for rock or punk. I wouldn't use a JB for punk either, but it depends on what you consider punk, I guess. Single coils and P90s for me.

JB is rock and some metal.

[cakire82]

Not really, the Airzone is a modern sounding pickup with a low mid kick and rolled back highs. Every time I have tried an Air Zone in a guitar I found myself wanting more highs and complexity. The last time I tried it I replaced it with a JB which sounded more "vintage" in comparison, and the JB ain't vintage by any stretch of the imagination but the EQ curve seemed to be. The Air Norton is an OK neck pickup but it is a bit flat, the best word to describe it from my experiences would be "safe." There are many other neck pickups that do a better job. I have never played a Jazz neck pickup so I cannot comment about that.

Well it still depends on the guitar based on what kind of tones OP wants. Especially with a pickup like JB. It really shines in Alder body guitars whereas some people do not like it at all in mahogany body guitars.

[blueman335]

Well it still depends on the guitar based on what kind of tones OP wants. Especially with a pickup like JB. It really shines in Alder body guitars whereas some people do not like it at all in mahogany body guitars.

+1. The JB can be 'atrocious' in woods like mahogany, and that won't please anyone, regardless of their genre. Wood is a crucial part of the decision. That's why we're here: PU's vary from guitar to guitar, and we learn how to work around that, by selecting different PU's or swapping magnet and pots.

[Jackson Distortion]

The JB probably does those genres better than an Air Zone would, OP. I don't quite remember what a Jazz neck pickup sounds like, but the 59 is a good match with a JB - at least in Alder.

[dominus]

Not really, the Airzone is a modern sounding pickup with a low mid kick and rolled back highs. Every time I have tried an Air Zone in a guitar I found myself wanting more highs and complexity. The last time I tried it I replaced it with a JB which sounded more "vintage" in comparison, and the JB ain't vintage by any stretch of the imagination but the EQ curve seemed to be. The Air Norton is an OK neck pickup but it is a bit flat, the best word to describe it from my experiences would be "safe." There are many other neck pickups that do a better job. I have never played a Jazz neck pickup so I cannot comment about that.

The guitar always matters. Usually you can remove some treble via the amp, but when you've got an overly muddy guitar, you're usually stuck with it.

I've got an Air Zone that was absolutely killer in one of my Deans but is slightly muddy in the Strat I have it in now. It's meant for slightly brighter guitars. That's why you wanted more highs. I'll be moving it to another guitar, I think the Strat I have it in is Agathis, which is tonally similar to Mahogany.

I've got an Air Norton in the bridge of a guitar, it's a good one too, I was surprised as it's supposed to be a neck pickup.

The JB is also one of those hit or miss pickups. Usually good in alder, sometimes basswood, rarely mahogany. The Jazz neck is safe, but typically bland. I'd go for the 59 or A2P if I was going the SD route.

[blueman335]

the guitar always matters. Usually you can remove some treble via the amp, but when you've got an overly muddy guitar, you're usually stuck with it.

I've got an air zone that was absolutely killer in one of my deans but is slightly muddy in the strat i have it in now. It's meant for slightly brighter guitars. That's why you wanted more highs. I'll be moving it to another guitar, i think the strat i have it in is agathis, which is tonally similar to mahogany.

I've got an air norton in the bridge of a guitar, it's a good one too, i was surprised as it's supposed to be a neck pickup.

The jb is also one of those hit or miss pickups. Usually good in alder, sometimes basswood, rarely mahogany. The jazz neck is safe, but typically bland. I'd go for the 59 or a2p if i was going the sd route.

+1.

[idsnowdog]

The air norton sounds a lot like a JB, their EQ is similar. The air norton makes a good neck pickup to pair with a JB bridge. As a bridge pickup the air norton is a bit bright and raspy.

[crguti]

I didn't know that the Air Norton was the DiMarzio equivalent to JB.

[idsnowdog]

I didn't know that the Air Norton was the DiMarzio equivalent to JB.

They have similarities.

[SFW]

JB/59 or my personal fave JB/APH.

[dlc1953]

First I respect the above posters 335/Dominus/82 all been at this way longer than me. But having just hesitantly putting JB in my 10lb plus Mahogony A 3000 I'm glad I did.It is rock and rock and roll aggressive and cleans up pretty well not totally but close.I talked with the guy at the shop,owns his own place, says he rarely has one returned . As for Jazz I took my PG back to him this morning to have him replace it with a Jazz so don't know how thats gonna work. But instead of opinons and clips I went on this because the EQ is close to JB and I like it's EG . It has less bass than PG {which was more than I wanted) and more Treble{which was enough sounded to dark in PG}. So hey its all a trial thing but since tone is correlated with EQ I figure try this approach.