[heffergm]

Ok, so I've decided I'm just going to go with something I at least know I can fit in the guitar, which means DiMarzio's. To recap:

- fixed bridge DC727, alder body, maple neck

The neck pickup WILL be an Air Norton. The question is, what to match it up with in the bridge. What I really want is something smooth, with good definition for rhythm playing, while still giving a decent lead tone. I'm not a metal player, I generally like a mid-heavy pickup.

My choices are basically:

- Blaze neck in the bridge (very tempted to try it)
- EVO7 - maybe too hot
- Blaze Custom - lacks character???
- ToneZone7 - from what I've read, not worth bothering with

[zimbloth]

none of those are great matches in alder/maple/ebony imo. honestly duncans/bkps would suit that guitar alot more.

that said if given a choice of those four, id go with the evo or bc. the blaze neck is cool but isn't middy and lacks low b definition, and the tz7 is just thin and nasally.

[zilong]

If you want middy, then Blaze is the last Dimarzio you want. It's trademark characteristic is that it's scooped. The Tone Zone has loads of mids, but I kind of dislike in general, so I'm not going to push it. People either love it or hate it, sort of like the Duncan JB.

Taking a quick look at the Dimarzio site, I think we can agree that a vast majority of their 7 string selection is metal, so I think it may be in your best interest to look elsewhere. Perhaps the Evo7 might work, but I'm not a big Vai fan, so I wouldn't know...

I think the Seymour Duncan Custom 7 or even the JB 7 will be a better match for you. Perhaps the Custom 7 a little more, since the JB + alder combination isn't for everybody. Also, if you can afford a Bare Knuckle, I think you should go for it. It seems to me that Bare Knuckle is better able to offer a wide variety of 7 string pickups, so there would definitely be something in there for you (Cold Sweat, Crawler, etc).

[ibznorange]

Id go duncan too, but thats nto what youre asking

of those , blaze custom, hands down.

other than the tonezone, (which i havent treid in that guit) I had all 3 of the mentioned in a maple/alder carvin, and the blaze custom had the best fullest sound out of all of them. The blaze bridge was OK, but thats where it stopped. the evo was decent too, but still lacking. the blaze custom really fleshed out the tone a lot more.

[heffergm]

Originally Posted by ibznorange

Id go duncan too, but thats nto what youre asking

of those , blaze custom, hands down.

other than the tonezone, (which i havent treid in that guit) I had all 3 of the mentioned in a maple/alder carvin, and the blaze custom had the best fullest sound out of all of them. The blaze bridge was OK, but thats where it stopped. the evo was decent too, but still lacking. the blaze custom really fleshed out the tone a lot more.

I'm still aghast at the Duncan recommendations. Everything I read about them is that their incredibly piecing on the treble end of things... the Carvin is insanely bright as it is. But thx for the info on the Custom, it's useful to hear from someone that's tried all of these out in a Carvin.