# Sevenstring Pickup Guide



## Digital Black (Oct 10, 2004)

Let consolidate all the info we as a group have aquired about 7 string pickups and write them in here. 

--All registered SS.org users are encouraged to post in this thread but must abide by the following terms:

---- This is not the thread to ask which pickups is best for you

---- You may not express disaproval for ANY PREVIOUS POSTERS REVIEW in this thread. Start another or write your own review of a particular pickup.

---- It would be a good idea to have at least 2 months of playing expirence on the pickup you are reviewing. If you just install a set of EMG's post here saying the are the bomb and smoke everything else-I'll delete it.

---- Be as spefic as you can.

---- You may post your own review of a pickup that has already been reviewed here. The more the better.

Hopefully this will become a good source for those looking for info on pickups. People will be able to read our thoughts and opnions and make a better judgement of what will be right for them. 

I will delete out any garbage posted in here not on this threads topic!


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## Digital Black (Oct 10, 2004)

Dimarizo Tonezone 7

Bridge position.
Installed on a RG7620.

The TZ7 is a strange pickup. Clean channel on your amp, it it stays relitively undistorted and very clear. i can fake a good surf sound or Brian Setzer sound on my RG with it in phase and some echo. It does phase reverse on a 5 way switch very well without loseing power but brighting up a bit. Distortion, it screams pretty good. Palm mutes are thick. The TZ refuses to get muddy but likes having some midrange eq'ed in even though it has a relitively high amount of midrange.
String noise can get to be much so you have to keep strings your not playing from ringing out. Feedback is easy to achive, but it won't go nuts if you leave your distortion on and not mute your strings when not playing.

What I've learned about this pickup: It works better if you keep it further away from the strings. Some guys always have their pickups right up close to the strings. The TZ7 has more overtones and richness when you back it off some. You won't lose to much pickup gain or ease of pinch harmonics. For extrteme Pinch harmonics boost your highs some or run the presence high-they will sustain much longer.
I don't think this would be a good pickup for mahogany or other dark sounding woods. I do think the TZ7 is very close to the 6 string counterpart.


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## Drew (Oct 11, 2004)

Dimarzio Tone Tone 7

RG-7620
RG-2027

This just goes to show how much the body wood can influence the sound of a pickup... 

I'm about 90% sold on the Tone Zone in my 7620. It's a great, middy, warm, powerful pickup- the cleans aren't particularly memorable as such, but are definitely useable, the lead tones are excellent, and while it has a decicive midrangey "cut" to it for rhythm, the effect is quite good- very "Strapping Young Lad"-esq, at times. 

Coil-tapped, for some reason it makes my 7620 sound remarkably like a Telecaster for no good reason that I can think of. It's a great sound, though- I've always liked the tele-driven tone of Satch's "All Alone," and I have a feeling that throught he right amp (or if I just spent more time tweaking my Nomad) this could get you totally in that ballpark. 

On the downside- I really dislike how this one cleans up when you back off the volume for single-note lines- much more so through a marshall-style amp (i had to switch over to the neck pickup whenever I backed off the guitar's volume through my old TSL) than the Mesa I played before and after my flirtation with EL-34's. It has a brittle, crystaline edge that gets very "stingy" and loses that wonderful fatness that helps this one sing with the gain up. Although, if you roll the volume back to clean up your amp and play some chords, the effect is great- just the right edge of crunch over a clean tone. go figure. 

In Mahogany... Let me just say that a Tone Zone through my old Mesa Rocket-44 is one of the best humbucker cleans I've ever heard. Very Les Paul-tinged. and, through the same amp for heavy rhythm, it just killed- if you're looking for Godsmack-inspired scooped riffing, this is a great tonal combination. For lead, I thought it was worthless- too much lower midrange, not enough treble, and yet too much extreme presence- it was a dark, tubby tone that didn't seem to cut particularly well, that still managed to sound a little fizzy. Some people may like it for the exact reasons I don't, so if you like the fudnamental sound of a Les Paul it's worth a try, and maybe it'd work better with a brighter amp (my taste in tone runs towards a bright guitar driving a dark amp), but for myself I was underwhelmed with this as a lead pickup for a mahogany guitar.

The 2027 arrived with a Tone Zone in both the bridge AND the neck, and I thought it was much better in the neck- I swapped the bridge TZ for an Evo (I'll review that later, great combo), but never got around to swapping out the neck because I really never felt the need. 

-D


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## Jim Soloway (Oct 11, 2004)

Rio Grande Muy Grande Humbuckers. - Very hot signal. Great for playing loud, but for a humbucker, they're way too noisey. Expensive.


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## The Rx Elite (Dec 11, 2004)

Seymore Duncan SH-4 7 String Humbucker
Installed in Ibanez UV777, (2) RG-7620's

I was looking for some different pickup besides the Blaze, mainly something with a little more clarity. I decided to go ahead and try out a Seymore Duncan. This is by far my favorite pickup I have ever had.

The sound quality is awesome. Its not over the top "metal" like the EMG's are, but just the clarity and overall sound of the pickup is amazing. The low end on the pickup is very full sounding. The high end is very clear and distinct. I would compare it to a Dimarzio Evolution in a 6 string. 

After installing it in my 7620, I immediately had one installed in my other 7620 and one in my Universe. In the studio, they are great distortion and have a great clean sound, especially if used with tweaking the tone and volume knob a little bit. 

The only downfall on this pickup for me personally would be before, I had 2 Blaze II neck pickups (Neck pickup in the bridge position). I used a 3 way pickup selector and with the switch in the middle, I could get some really cool "slap" tones out of the guitar. The output and treble on the Seymore Duncan has kinda eliminated that sound. Other than that, I strongly advise anybody with a 7 to give the JH-4 a shot. If you dont like it, email me, I'd prolly buy it.


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Dimarzio Evolution 7

I tried this pickup in my Ibanez RG7421 seven string. It replaced the stock pickup, and I thought I'd try something pretty hot in the bridge position.

The Evo 7 is definitely hot, no doubt there. 

The Good: Sounded great coil split, a nice hot single coil sound, actually quite spanky and just lovely. Lead sounds in series humbucker mode were awesome, just screamed. Nice mids on this one for lead playing. 

The Bad: The main thing I was concerned about was distorted rhythm playing, and this was where it fell short. It had just WAY too many overtones. Anything on the low B or A sounded like a train wreck. Just not clear or tight. Too much mids, it just raged out and lost all clarity.

I exchanged it with Dimarzio to try the less hot Air Norton 7 in the bridge, which was admittedly an unusual choice. Tune in next post...


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Dimarzio Air Norton 7

This replaced the Dimarzio Evo 7 in the bridge position of my Ibanez RG7421.

The Good: Smooth tone, chopped treble. Medium output, nice bass response and mids.

The Bad: Couldn't get it to sound clear no matter what I did. I tried various EQ settings to no avail before I just realized that no matter what I did with the EQ there was a limit on how much highs were coming out of the guitar and I couldn't do anything about it. I understand how it could work quite well for some styles and as a neck pickup, but this was definitely not the pickup for me. Just not clear enough, for cleans or distorted stuff.

Going against my gut (and going with Dimarzio's recommendation) I exchanged it for the Blaze neck model.


\/


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Dimarzio Blaze neck model

After going through two bridge pickups and not liking either of them, I approached this one with a certain amount of trepidation. Especially since it was a neck pickup, and I was putting it in the bridge, a practice that hadn't worked with the Air Norton 7.

The Bad: It could be a tad hotter I suppose, but there's nothing really lacking.

The Good: Most things. It is taut, muscular and clear. Distorted rhythm playing shines. Cleans are lovely coil split. The slightly scooped mids and lower output than the Blaze bridge make for outstanding clarity and tight low end. Leads could be a bit better if it was hotter with more mids, but you can't have everything. Just edge the gain up a bit or boost a tad and the leads are there. 

I consider this pickup to be my personal first choice for a basswood seven string. It shines in almost every category that matters to me, although more lead oriented players may want something hotter with more mids. It is essentially a slightly hotter PAF for seven string; the EQ curve is almost identical to a PAF and it's just about 60 mV hotter. Just a great all around utility pickup for almost anything you'd want to do. 

Personally, I feel that the Blaze neck is a great sleeper seven string bridge pickup. If more people tried it out I bet they'd love it. I sure as heck do. 

\m/  \m/


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Dimarzio PAF-7

This was purchased to go in the neck position of my Ibanez RG7421 seven string as a companion to the Blaze neck in the bridge position. I considered the Air Norton 7 (tried it in the bridge and didn't really care for it's overall tone) and another Blaze neck (would have probably worked fine, but I wanted something new) and decided on the PAF-7. I could have gone with a Duncan I suppose, but I knew more about Dimarzios and it seemed fitting to have them match in this guitar.

The Bad: Nothing I can think of. Perhaps a bit too hot a midrange in series humbucking mode for cleans, but I prefer single coils for cleans so my opinion probably doesn't mean much there.

The Good: As Dimarzio says, low output, sweet sounding pickup. It was actually quite a bit hotter than I was expecting given the description, but I suppose compared to some out there it is quite mild. It definitely has vintage tone. Open, breathy, with some nice 'squonk' in the mids. Distorted leads are smooth and buttery. Coil split it is nice, a clean, low output, but blends wonderfully with one of the coils of the Blaze neck in the bridge. A truly heavenly clean sound, to be honest.

The PAF-7 is quite a nice neck pickup, I dig it quite a bit. But I must also say that I got it more for it's clean sound than for neck pickup soloing.



The Blaze neck in the bridge and the PAF-7 in the neck were my main combination in this guitar, my basswood bodied RG7421, for quite a while. But then one day a deal of a lifetime dropped in my lap, and I got my new Schecter 007 Blackjack. So, as lovely as this RG7421 has been to me (and it has been a wonderful guitar, my main electric for about five years now) it has now been replaced and must be sold to pay for the Schecter.

Which leads me to..................


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Seymour Duncan JB-7

When I got my new Schecter 007 Blackjack, this was the stock pickup in the bridge position. I was actually quite curious to see how it sounded, as the JB is a very well known pickup that I had not previously had the opportunity to play on. Especially since I had been playing with the Dimarzio Blaze neck, PAF-7 combo for a long time. 

I was fully anticipating some buyers remorse until I got used to it. You know how it is, you play a certain pickup for a long time and you really get used to it then you get a new guitar and it just sounds...funny. And you start to think, "Was I just thinking the grass was greener on the other side of the fence? Is this guitar really any better than my old one? What was I thinking? I'd better take this back, it sounds awful!" 

Then you play it for a while, get used to it, and start to see it's good points, and realize you didn't make a huge mistake. Whew!

Well, I was prepping myself for that before I picked up the Schecter. So I plugged into my PODxt and set it to my favorite Soldano SLO-100 patch, and started playing.

"Hmmmmmmm...this sounds pretty good...wow...this sounds DAMN good...holy crap, this thing ROCKS!!!"  

The Bad: According to the Seymour Duncan website specs, the JB has almost double the treble frequencies than it does mids or bass. I would agree with this asessment. It is a VERY trebly pickup. Personally, for distorted rhythm playing, I keep my tone knob rolled back about 3/4 of the way with this pickup. But I much prefer having the response that I can roll off to not having the response no matter what I do. 

The pickup is also quite a bit hotter than I'm used to, which makes for a more aggressive sound, but I'm also having some trouble with picking up hum from my power system. It was quite obtrusive in the signal, and drove me nuts. I eventually shielded the entire control cavity with aluminum tape and tack solder, which brought it down significantly, but it is still there. I suppose this is just something you have to accept with higher output pickups, but my Ibanez is virtually silent compared to this. 

The Good: I am amazed by the tightness, clarity, and utter freaking BALLS of this pickup. (I should mention that the Schecter has an extended 26 1/2" scale which no doubt added to the clarity and tightness, but still...) It doesn't speak, it shouts. Notes just jump off of the guitar, and it growls with authority. I can understand why so many people use this pickup, it really sounds professional. It truly takes you one step closer to sounding like a pro.

I believe that Schecter chose it for the Blackjack series in part because of it's extreme treble response. The Blackjack series are all solid mahogany bodied guitars, and particularly on the seven strings, I know there is concern about things becoming muddy due to that choice of body wood. I can't say for sure that mahogany will always work for a seven string, but I can say that a solid mahogany body, combined with the crisp, clear treble of the JB-7, is an amazing combination. I've heard some guys talk about the JB in mahogany just being some kind of magic combo, and I agree.

One other thing to mention, is that the JB has amazing harmonics. The Evo 7 I tried on my Ibanez had lots of harmonics too, but they seemed out of control to me. The JB squeals and screams with harmonics, but it is very controllable via the way you play. 

The JB-7 is an amazing bridge pickup for a mahogany bodied seven string. I can't speak as to how it would work in basswood, but for mahogany I strongly, STRONGLY recommend it. I wouldn't use anything else in the bridge of a mahogany seven.


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## Mind Riot (Dec 12, 2004)

Seymour Duncan '59-7

This, like the JB-7, came stock in my Schecter 007 Blackjack seven string. 

The Bad: It is too hot for me, as a neck pickup. Even in split mode, it's just a bit too hot. Jim Soloway gave me the tip of rolling off the volume whenever I use it, which works quite well and sweetens it up nicely. Interestingly enough, it seems to work with amp models on the PODxt that my PAF-7 in my RG7421 wouldn't work with at all. The PAF-7 sings sweetly through Fender Twins and Deluxe Reverbs in the PODxt, and the Roland JC-120 sounded awful, sterile and brittle. The '59-7 sounds way too middy and honky through the Fenders and sounds absolutely heavenly through the JC120. Go figure.

The Good: As I said, once the volume is rolled off a tad it sings with a nice voice. Like the JB, it has a tad too much treble response but also like the JB it seems to really come into it's own with the tone knob rolled back a tad. Lovely cleans through the JC120 model, it is my fave clean sound with this guitar. Distorted lead playing, it sounds similar to the PAF-7, as in smooth and vocal, but it is a bit hotter than the PAF-7.

Overall, quite a nice neck pickup, even though I feel like I have to tame it a bit for it to be useful. I'm still getting to know it, and I'm sure over time I'll come to understand it better and be able to use it more effectively.


I typed all of these pickup reviews in a row, and man, are my hands tired. But I've been wanting to type these up since I came here; it didn't look like too many people had posted in this thread yet. I hope this info is helpful, and thanks for reading!

MR


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## 7StringofAblicK (Feb 15, 2005)

The EMG 707:
Well...My dream was to own one of these. I fell in love with Fear Factory tone and I raged how I wanted it. I was not dissapointed one bit in its performance, but it didn't do what I hadn't already done.

The bad: Very, very bright on clean. It was so crystal clear with no bass in it that it was thin sounding. Power chords were sufficient, but any jazz or neck movement was left dry. 

The Good: Distorted, it was clear and taut. Clarity out the ball sack, but still lacked a awesome low end. They say this is supposed to be bassier than the 81-7, but any less bass and you'd have a problem. But, this thing has some good output volume wise. ::the clean can be very good at times for single picking and that lo-fi kind of sound. by rolling back some of the tone, you get that more rhythmic feel. 

I still prefer my JB, but that is in a mahogany bodied guitar. I may try the 707 in a mahogany body, considering it will maintain some low end. My basswood guitar with the 707 is awesome for speed riffs and for that fear factory clarity. But my other guitars that are passive retain that deep gutsy low end that I prefer.

Damn glad to have it as a part of my arsenal, it is there when I need it and it has its great points. People may argue and desire the tone that it has more than any other kind, it is just not my favorite.


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## Jerich (Feb 15, 2005)

Lundgren M-Model

Humbucker:

Carvin 747 Ash body painted Black with a Birdseye Maple fret board,and Floyd Rose Copy tremolo: for this test, I felt it sounds different in my Other Carvin 727 with full mahogany Bodied & string with maple fretbaord:

The bad: very hot pickup even when toned down it is still too vibrant for some. Very harsh distortion is not a smooth pickup when on full. Splitting the coil is reccomended.You must order them from the Ludgren Factory and be on pins and needles until they reach you. Comminication from them is not really the greatest,But i think it is becasue they do not speak English (swedish).

The Good: It is a very High out put crunchy pickups, It has many different tones of distortion just by the volume pot alone, I use the tone Pot as a Blender pot for the treble so I use a cap to keep the tone at a simple setting that works for me. If you tune extremely Low It works well cutting through the mix.It is more consistant than the EMG-707,and i had them in both of these guitars first. Meshuggah use them But i do not like meshuggahs tone,so do not go by them.

Great pickups for your dollar, and you do not have to route out the body cavity to fit them in.


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## LordOVchaoS (Feb 24, 2005)

EMG 81-7

Now played by Dino Cazarez. I bought one of these from the custom shop section of guitarpartsdepot.com and I love it. I think I've had it about 8 months now (not sure exactly). I had a 707 at the bridge and a crappy HZ at the neck (it came with the guitar). The 707 was great for a while! Then I started missing the glory of the 81 that I have in my 6-string Jackson. Convieniently, I was browsing guitarpartsdepot and stumbled across this. I bought it on the spot and installed it the second it came to my door. Anyone who's ever usen an 81 knows how bad ass this thing is! I moved the 707 to the neck and put the 81-7 in the bridge. This thing is so hot I had to improve my playing because it picks up everything! The clarity is amazing and the sensitivity is almost ridiculous! There is NO noise unless I'm standing close to a TV when I'm playing it. You can get a harmonic from literally every fret on the neck. I get sustain from a bolt-on neck that you could only imagine coming from a neck-thru due to this pickup. Anybody who is a fan of active pickups should get one of these! It blows even the almighty 707 out of the water! I can't compare this to too many passive pickups because I don't own any anymore and the EMG-HZs are hardly a good example to compare them to. All I can tell you is that the other guitarist in my band has some Blaze 2s and is quite envious of my EMG.


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## Jerich (Mar 16, 2005)

Rio Grande 7 String... The Texas Tall single coil.

I have a Mutt Fender Style 7-string Strat. It has a Birdseye Maple Neck&Fretboard and a H-S-S pickup configuration. The single coils are counter angled like Jake E Lee did on his custom guitars, and wired with a 5 way selector and a coil tap on M-Model. This guitar was made by Ron Lucca for me; solid alder body with black Dupont Prism paint. HipShot Bridge, super ajustable, brass (black), brass nut.

I tried a lot of pickups in the guitar and finally found these Rio Grands to get that thinner Strat sound. I wish Joe Barden made seven string pickups... But if he did this is what they would sound like. They are a mid range, thin, full-sounding strat sound. I hate to compare it to someone, but maybe a Chris Impellitteri clean/bluesy tone. 

This guitar has a Lundgren M-Model Humbucker in the Bridge and two Rio Grandes in the Middle and neck. The output from the two Rio's is weak and I am working on a cap/resistor for the M-Model to drop it down to even it out with the Rios. This guitar is a project in the making. 

I love these pickups. If you install them in a body you must rout for the triangle size and shape they are, but I just cut/dremmeled out my pickgaurd.

Price: I purchased three of these off ebay for $22 each = Good deal.


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## Wayniac (Apr 11, 2005)

Tom Anderson HB
Guitar: Anderson Pro-Am 7
The Good: Beefy tone, versatile, very responsive. Available cheap from Warmoth.com
The bad: As most Anderson HB's are - a little bassy. Need to change the EQ'ing on your amp.

EMG 707 - I agree with above statements... very bright and a bit thin on the clean settings.... pretty beefy when distorted. Guess I'd like to get my paws on an 81


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## ecalcagnino (Apr 14, 2005)

All these were in my 7620 test mule:

*Dimarzio EVO 7 - *(bridge position) Bright as a mutha. Not a good choice for a one guitar band IMHO, it's too shrill and a little thin. Cuts great with two guitars and great for stand out leads. Good harmonics. Not too hot.

*Dimarzio Air Norton 7 - *(neck position) As smooth as the Evo is bright. Love this pup, the right amount of clarity with no mud. Petrucci lead tone for days.

*Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB-7 - * (bridge position) Hell yeah. This is what I am talkin' about. Not too hot but it has some juice boy. One of my favorites for metal/fusion. Super clear, no mud. Great PUP. Similar to the Blazes in the UV and Tone Zone 7s.

*Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59-7 - *(neck position) Perfect balance of output and clarity. Not very different than the AN7. Reacts very dynamically to playing style and picking strength.


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## terrorsound (Jun 21, 2005)

emg 81 7's and emg 707's on ibanez and mh 307 customs:

the emg 707's on the esp going through my line 6 vetta II sounds a bit fuller in the bass department than the 81-7's do. Both setups have the pickups angled away from the bass strings with the same spacing from the top surface of the pickup to the bottom of the b, e, a, strings. For the line 6 setup these pickups definately do the trick, mids are pretty good, presence is right there and harmonics are rediculous on both pickup models. I do not experience the thin sounding issues on any of my clean channels. there is a song on acid planet called the storm in which I use the MH 307 and 7620 for both left and right guitar parts, no thin sounding tones coming from the guitars or the gear. Maby it's just the eq cutting the treble?


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## eaeolian (Jul 21, 2005)

Seymour Duncan Custom 7

I have a Washburn Sonic 7 (maple neck with birdseye maple board, mahogany body with the oddest paint you've ever seen) that arrived with a Duncan Distortion 7 in it. Since that pickup was WAY too bright for normal settings (my main 7 string has a JB-7 in it), it had to go. Since I've had good luck with the Custom in maple neck/board w/mahogany body guitars before, I jumped on this one in the classified of another forum. The tone of the guitar is now, um, brutal.

The Good:

Thick, angry midrange. The guitar now has a low-mid "roar" to it that's really hard to explain, it just sounds evil. Single notes jump without being brittle, and chords are a wall of fundamental and harmonics.

The Bad:

Might be TOO thick. I use a realtively bright sound, so it's OK for me, but if you are used to a bassy sound this pickup - especially with this wood combo - might well totally mush out for you. It's not as clear as the JB-7, especially during chording.

The Verdict:

In the right guitar, this thing is positively evil. It's always going to be close to mud, though, 'cause the low mids are so strong. It works in this particular guitar very well.


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## Drache713 (Aug 15, 2005)

Dimarzio Blaze Custom

Installed in bridge postion of Ibanez RG7321

One word to describe this pickup is middy. Not so much mids to make it muddy or mushy, but enough to make it thicker/fuller and stand out in the mix. It has a good amount of low end so it is warm and has good thump to it, and yet the high end is bright and clear and yet not the "icepick in the ear" sound, not harsh and is actually somewhat smooth. In all actuallity it's a very balanced pickup tone wise. The high output helps it work great for distortion, i actually had to lower my gain a lot and my mids as well on my amp. The mids and high output help with harmonics too. Sounds great coil split, only thing is that it doesn't sound that great clean; too high of output and too much mids for my taste clean wise. Distorts the clean channel fairly easily. To me it's kinda like a middle-ground pickup between the tone zone and evo, warmer and less harsh/smoother than an evo, and yet tighter and brighter/edgier than a tone zone. If you're into the scooped metal pickup sound this pickup isn't for you (although having this pickup and scooping the mids on your amp DOES work quite well). If you're into a middier metal sound ala newer dream theater, killswitch engage, shadows fall or anything like that, this pickup would work really well. I actually e-mailed dimarzio and they said the blaze custom is basiclly the pickup that is being used in the bridge of the EBMM Petrucci guitars (or the D Sonic for the 6-strings) so for those looking for a tone similar to newer dream theater/petrucci (once he got his EBMM guitars), look no further. A great high output metal pickup I say, my personal favorite!


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## Drache713 (Sep 7, 2005)

Dimarzio Blaze Bridge

Installed in bridge of Ibanez RG7321

I switched out my blaze custom for this pickup. The blaze custom is a great pickup, it's just it wasn't what I was looking for as far as rhythm tone goes. There were just too much mids, it didn't really make the rhythms articulate or defined enough, everything just kinda seemed to mush together or "roll" together so to say, still a great pickup for leads though. So in went the blaze bridge, problem solved. Yes, it's scooped, but it's not a death metal extreme scoop, you still got mids in there. It's moderately bright, but not ear-piercing bright or harsh, and DEFINENTLY warm, has a lot of impact and oomph. Great pickup for rhythm. Clean it sounds really clean, glassy and warm, not too fat. It's not as hot as my previous blaze custom, so because of the lowered gain and less mids i had to raise my gain back up some as my amp was not being driven as hard. Harmonics are still there, no loss of those. The blaze custom could work for rhythm by all means, but for intricate and metal inspired riffing, it just didn't do the trick. The blaze bridge does. My fav rhythm pickup.


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## Drache713 (Sep 7, 2005)

Air Norton 7

Installed in neck of Rg7321

I put this one in along with the blaze bridge. Holy cow this thing rocks. One word to describe it would be smooth. Leads really sing and are smooth, creamy, warm and fat. It's not a bright pickup per say, but it's got enough treble to not sound muffled or to lose definition. I was very suprised as this pickup also handles rhythm work pretty darn well, and has some sweet harmonics! Clean, it gives you a really nice warm and fat jazz tone, i love playing this thing clean. Coil tapped along with my blaze bridge is godly, the most beautiful single coil esque clean I have ever heard. Coil tapped i can get some slap bass sounds that sound very genuine. The ultimate neck pickup i'd say.


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## 7StringofAblicK (Sep 12, 2005)

Blaze Custom-

Installed RG7321
Color-White
Tone-Initial sound smacked the stocks in the face. Clean was cleaner and brighter, tone was more thick. However (though it may be the guitar, since the stocks were the same way), the gain on this guitar is slightly mild. All my other guitars had a gain advantage, but it is so subtle that the untrained ear might not hear it. 

Goods-Off the bat the mids were present, no doubt about that. The highs were rolled off and the bass was solid and clear. This is the perfect lead pickup, especially on a nice tube amp. nice hot and clear tone, and the cleans were spectacularly clear and punchy. 

Bads-Almost too much midrange for a serious rhythm player. again, i think the gain thing may be guitar related, but none the less it is apparent. 

Outcome-One sexy ass guitar, with a good tone. Nice cutting sound, but slightly heavy on the mids (for me at least). Would LOVE to hear it in mahogany, as it will probably react like an EVO i think. Very similar to the EVO, with some rolled off highs (which lessens it's brisk attack). I would send it to a lead player, but would tell a rhythm player to check out a JB or Blaze.


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## giannifive (Sep 12, 2005)

Blaze Custom in bridge position:

I'll basically echo everything that's been said here: slightly warm, very balanced, kind of hot. Good lead tone, maybe too middy for rhythm. Sounds boring clean, but really sweet with high gain. Has high enough output to slam the front end of your amp. Using the neck-side coil of the Blaze Custom with the neck-side coil of the Air Norton 7 gives an interesting clean tone.

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, but I will mention it since it was an issue for me: this pickup is physically very tall. To get it to fit in my RG7420 with my existing bridge height I had to file the floor of the pickup cavity near the channel to the control cavity, in order to accomodate the little bit of pickup cable under the pickup. Perhaps this wouldn't be an issue on a 7620, which comes with Dimarzios stock.


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## 7-string Sixpounder (Sep 28, 2005)

Blaze Bridge (black)
Air Norton Neck (black/creme)
Installed in my Schecter c-7 classic (most likely basswood not too sure)

Okay dudes after finally getting these little bastards installed in my schecter my initial impression was a bit of a dissapointment. Honestly they didn't sound as badass as everyone here had previously stated. At least not to my ears. I mean, they LOOKED great, but still. Screw looks. However I wasn't satisfied with these light ass strings on my guitar so before being quick to blame the pickups I went out and bought a 10-60 guage set of strings  (GHS) and slapped those suckers on...and I must say my "newfound" impression while playing through my little peavey rage amp was.....WELL SHIT THE BED SALLY!!! I didn't no that shitty little amp could rock that hard...then I plugged them into my Randall Rg-100es and my G-Flex 2x12. HUGE SOUND!!  No joke these sound literally 10x better than my duncan designed. More tonefull and clear, epecially clear, which I am extremely anal about on a seven string. If its muddy and undefined, then the seventh string simply isn't working as good as the other six. The blaze is as articulate as I could ask for, even under extreme gain. Yes it does have a slightly scooped sound which worried me a little since, well mids have always been my good friend, however the best way I can describe it is an "adds to the CHUNK and articulation" kind of mid scoop, NOT the kind of "weenie tone/get lost in the mix" kind of extreme mid scoop. I am very happy and impressed with this pickup. On to the air norton. I'm not by any means an expert in neck pickups (or bridges for that matter) however I can say this pickup absolutely sings. The treble fequences are indeed slightly rolled back, while the mids are very warm and pleseant, and the bass is not muddy or overly boomy. It sounds a lot like a beefy single coil without hum or noise. Overall I would deffinately recommed these pickups. I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase. However I would though look elsewhere if you wanted a bridge pickup for more of a classic rock and vintage application, but you all probably could have figured that one out. I do however believe the air norton is a wonderfull pickup for anything from clean jazz to dirty blues to classic rock and especially metal. Sorry for the long post dudes but I really wanted to try and describe my impressions a little more than, I bought them.....they're in my guitar......they're really cool durr  ...... (although that works too) Again thank all you guys for helping me decide on these two badass pickups for my guitar.  

Chris


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## Drew (Nov 3, 2005)

I just realized I still haven't posted a Blaze Bridge review...


Well, before I say anything, let me just say that I use a lot of midrange and play a Mesa Nomad, a VERY mid-heavy amp (it can do Recto, but it's more at home in Mark-esq territory). I'm SURE this is a factor in my perception of pickups - as a strat guy from way back in the day, I like bright guitars into dark amps. 

This is, to date, my favorite seven string bridge pickup I've played. It's clear, it's deep, and it's tight. It sounds exactly like I expect the bridge position of a seven string guitar to sound like in a basswood guitar. There's probably a good reason for this - 70% of recorded 7-string work was probably done with a stock UV - but it's just a very GOOD tone, equally at home for heavy rhythm and Lynch-y screams. 

The mid scoop is something that always comes up a lot, and while to me I don't hear a heavily pronounced midrange (like the Tone Zone, for instance), it feels pretty balanced. Like I said, I run a setup with a lot of mids, but going between my old 7620 and this, I didn't feel like there was an absense of midrange when I switched guitars - it was just more even. 

It's less organic than a TZ, so if you're looking for a good blues/rock pickup or something for old school rock (Van Halen, for instance), I'd look elsewhere. The clean's pretty bright, but useable, it splits well for a strat-y in between sound, this is the pickup that prettymuch invented high gain low B chunk, and it's still VERY similar to what Petrucci's using, so copping that soaring G3 tone of his with a moderately distorted Mesa is a cinch. In fact, that's where this one really comes into it's own, I feel - as a lead pickup, saturated but still clear, in a smooth, liquid, compressed, and round amp setting. There may very well be something better out there, but it's a sound where I plug in and feel immediately at home. 

-D


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## Drew (Nov 3, 2005)

While I'm at it... 

Blaze Single. 

I LOVE singlecoil tones. Absolutely love 'em. I'm a big fan of bluesy, edge of breakup stuff, think SRV doing Little Wing, and while you can get good sounds like that from humbuckers, a single coil is really the way to go. So, I was pretty excited to have a true single coil on my seven when I got my UV. 

Frankly, I was disappointed. The thing I've always loved about singles is their airy high end and sparkle, and this pickup is almost totally lacking in this regard. It's cold, it's sterile, and while it does an acceptable job of copping the strat-y in-between sound in position 4, that's really about all I use it for. Clean, it's just very dry sounding, and distorted, it doesn't have the explosiveness to it that I look for in a single. Hell, if I want a strat sound clean, I've had better luck coping a Jimi vibe with the neck humbucker. 

It might sound better in a different bodywood or in the neck of a 22-fret guitar, and as I said it's nice for the option of an in-between strat sound, but it's just not a terribly inspiring pickup otherwise. Sadly, it's the only Dimarzio single seven in production, but word on the street is they're working on a few more, so we'll see. 

-D


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## bobthemerciful (Nov 5, 2005)

Bridge position.

Had this in a couple of months now. Previously had a DiMarzio Blaze in there, which was good but lacked output to my ears, and the mid scoop was particularly pronounced in this (alder) body. Also tried the Evo 7 in my friends Ibanez Universe. I nearly got one until he got the 6 string War Pig for his SG, and just HAD to get one. What I like about it most is the clarity across all strings. To my ears it has just the right balance of mids, treble and bass. I am afraid I've never been a good as some at describing sounds. Harmonics are now ridiculously easy to pull out of what I had thought was an inherently muddy guitar. Output is in EMG 81 territory for sure, but with more tone to my ears anyhow.(I have one in another guitar). It has solid but defined bass response, and much as I love the Evo 7, this is EXACTLY the sound I was after.Also the guy at BareKnuckle will wind you pretty much anything you want, if you ring and discuss it with him. Shouldn't think you'd get to chat with Larry Dimarzio or Seymour very easily!!
I have a clip of it I made for my friend to hear. It's at http://media.putfile.com/BKP
There is only one thing I'm dissapointed with, I couldn't have the distressed covers that the 6 string comes with  .Sadly he's not tooled up to make 7-string covers. I personally cannot think of a better pickup to have put in it!!Just need a Universe to put round it now!!!
Manufacturers page www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk

PS they come with a lifetime warranty to the original owner as well

PPS I know the playing sucks, was a bit drunk after long day!!!!!!!!!!


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## 7slinger (Nov 5, 2005)

EMG-707

I use a pair of these in my LTD M307, and the bass is ridiculous. I'm playing a dual rec head through 2 recto 4x12's, 1 with vintage 30's and 1 with celestion custom 90's. My amp is set up with the diodes on, in hundred watt mode, channel 3 with modern selected. I keep the bass knob at about 2.5 to 3, and I need no more bass than that. I actually got the second cab because the 4x12 with the 90's in it couldn't handle the bass enough by itself to turn it up, the bass turned to mud = me pissed off! The guitar is all mahogany body and neck and neck-through to boot. The room we are playing in may also be affecting this, but we do have some foam up and bass traps in the corners. I'm interested in trying an 81-7 to just have more control over the bass.


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## 7StringofAblicK (Nov 6, 2005)

7StringofAblicK said:


> Blaze Custom-
> 
> Installed RG7321
> Color-White
> ...



Update...

This review above was in my friends guitar, the 7321. I didn't feel that i gave it enough chance so i decided to order one for myself (having read/heard so many other people saying they loved it). I purchased it along with an AN7 for the neck, in creme (go ahead, laugh). 

First off, it and the AN7 look SO bad in my black 7620 now. it has that metal edge loook, but it's classy and subtle (less in your face than the 321 w/the white pup). 

Secondly, the New 7's were not that bad, really. They had a nice attack but didn't have as full of a sound...a little thin i guess (i'll probably be selling these as well). 

Once i plugged in, the difference was really huge. On the clean, the BC was very clear, warm actually. For some reason the 7321 seemed much colder on the clean. i'm guessing this in part was due to the wood quality (though both are basswood) and the setup. The 7620 sets up much faster than the 321; so i feel more resonance in the actual guitar itself. Distorted it was sweet. It had an awesome lead sound (which i did notice before) but the rhythm was very muscular. It had less highs than the New 7's, but since the mids were spiked it still had a nice clarity and punch...plus, it was much more full...exactly what i was looking for. and the gain issue i had on the 321 was not present on the 7620...plenty of gain. To be honest, I had to turn it down a tad because it was a bit increased. 

Yea, it kicks ass. BONUS, it fit right into the guitar...new screws and all. I did not have to do one thing to accomodate the guitar...a direct replacement (i saw above that someone w/a 7420 had a small issue). 

AS for the AN7...nothing new here, bad ass. Suprisingly, I have it barely above the body of the guitar, pretty far away from the strings. I thought i could get more clarity by doing this, but feared i'd lose bass response and output...wrong. It seems just as loud as the BC, but with more of a warmth of course. It doesn't have as much bass as one of my other guitars that also sports one in the neck, but it is much closer to the strings; I actually prefer it further away for distortion. it's much clearer, more smooth, and doesn't affect the ouput. 

Now I too have one sexy ass guitar that is just full on brutal. It's a very versatile combination...lethal even. Jaw dropping looks and awesome tone.


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## Emiliano (Nov 19, 2005)

EVOLUTION7
i installed my evo7 one week ago in my rg1527 i had to route slightly the pickup cavity because the evo is as tall as the cavity, so if you want to install it in your axe you have to screw it to the wood!!!!!!! and the cable underneath is very clumsy! 

first of all i want to say that i play with a medium action ( not too low )
the reason i say this is:

i immediatly noticed how the sound was much more clear but it wasn't the high gain monster i was expecting i played with the pole piece for a day or two and came to this conclusion

using this pickup very near the string lead to a very powerful but trebley
sound, while if you put it a little back the sound reamain clear but balanced
i use now the polepiece to individually set the string
so i have the right amount of output and clarity for each string

the good:
clear hot output, nice in clean ( with medium space between pickup and string ) and crispy split, crunchy and very rock on distortion

the bad:
maybe in ibanez guitar is a bit unconfortable to install and set up properly, need a bit of routing, on some setting clean channel go into crunch

the verdict:
i learned how to live with this beast, since the day one i lowered my action a bit, i set the polepiece and found a very nice suond, i'm very happy
(and it was a present too! )


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## simon (Dec 3, 2005)

DiMarzio Air Norton 7

my guitar is an rg1527 with stock PU's, 10-56 strings, running through a mid-heavy mesa/boogie setup where i either need an ultra-clean or a heavy distorted sound. weird enough i play most high-gain chord-work with the neck-pickup, which produces an extremely rough and hard to handle sound. since the stock PU's really disappointed me in comparison with the stock new7's of my RG7621/0, i started reading through these forums and finally bought an Air Norton 7.

many reviews mentioned the "slight" lack of brightness of the Air Norton. its quite an underexageration. the air norton really lacks brightness and when using both, bridge and neck-pickup during solo's then its impossible to correct it with your amp. the pickup made it impossible for me to play chords in neck positions and the lead lacked presence, clarity and punch for palm-muted solo picking. in short: i was heavily disappointed by the air norton. last week i replaced it by a blaze neck and i couldnt be more happy!


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## vintagevibeguitars (Dec 11, 2005)

Hello.

Pete Biltoft, Vintage Vibe Guitars here.

I am very new to this forum.

Jim Soloway suggested I register & let people know I can offer custom 7 string pickups. I made the blade pickups shown in Jim's post dated 11/12/05:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sh...highlight=blade

In addition to blade pickups I have made 7-string HB pickups and 7-string strat style single coils. I am interested in building P-90 style pickups too.

I make all the custom pickups I offer myself in my shop in California.

Reviews of my pickups are posted on harmony Central (no 7-string reviews yet):

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guit...e_Vibe_Guitars/

Reviews of my P-90 pickups are posted on All Things Guitar:

http://www.allthingsguitar.com/2005...ageVibe/P90.htm

And reviews of my SP-90 (strat-size P-90 style) pickups are posted on All Things Guitar:

http://www.allthingsguitar.com/2004...e Vibe/vv.htm


Pete Biltoft
Vintage Vibe Guitars


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## Emperoff (Dec 22, 2005)

Here I go: Tonezone 7 / Air Norton 7 combo in Alder guitar with maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and 5-way switch with positions 2 & 4 with coils in parallel (no tone pot).

*Dimarzio Air Norton 7*

I suppose there's nothing more to add to what is already said, a sweeeet sounding pickup with great clarity, ideal for that legato stuff. The cleans aren't wonderful, but they're not bad either. In single coil mode has an "acoustic-like" sound that I love.
I'm sure this pickup will sound great in any kind of wood, really a must for any 7-stringer  

*Dimarzio Tonezone 7*

Well, the Tonezone is a pickup with a great character, I would say; It's VERY sensitive and reacts amazingly to your picking, with a very smooth and fluid sound when shredding, but it screams like a bitch when you pick it hard or when doing pinch harmonics. And of course, it works damn well for rhythm too, with a bone-crushing bass response. I've read some reviewes saying that the TZ becomes muddy when riffing, well, do what I did (disconnect the tone pot, or get a 1k volume pot for the TZ) and you'll enjoy a very rich and full sound.
The clean sound... In serial I never use it, but when splitted it just sounds incredible, It's the clean sound that I was after for a long time.
If you have an alder seven (which is rare, I guess) put this baby on it, you won't regret!


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## Digital Black (Jan 4, 2006)

From Jim Soloway: 



I've been using DiMarzios in all my 7-strings for years. I still like them but I decided to try to push the envelope a bit with some custom boutique pickups from Lollar and Vintage Vibe. I've been just thrilled with both of these pickups and I highly recommend both. These are both available direct from the manufacturers for anyone who's interested.

The Vintage Vibes are blades that many of you have seen on the photos I've posted of our recent bubinga 7-string. They're true P90 single coils with blades instead of screws. They're incredibly clear with a great P90 growl. I don't believe there's anything similar. The fit was a little iffy. They were a bit big for the rings although if you're doing a direct mount, they did fit the route with no difficulty. In either the neck or bridge position, they do have the usual single coil hum, but in the middle position running both pickups, they are absolutel drop dead slient. Pete Biltoft ar great at custom winding and he'll do any output level that you request. They are available with black, tortoise, and MOTO fronts. The price is about $160 for the pair. 

The Lollars are in my new personal Swan LN7. They are based on his Imperials, which are a high quality PAF style pickup, but they are underwound for a lower output level. That produces a bit more clarity and a tighter low end. Jason is a great pickup maker and these are simply the best 7-string humbuckers that I've ever played. They are balanced, clear, and warm. I never play with distortion, so I can't really tell you what they'd sound like with a lot of gain, but I've always felt that if a pickup can do clean tone well, it can do anything else and thes pickups do clean tone just incredibly well. Jason built these for me with tortoise front to match the binding and I'm sure that he can also do some other fronts as well as the usual black. Like Pete, he can also do a variety of output levels, but I have a feeling that these pickups would get too dark if you wound the much brighter. You'll have to check with Jason Lollar for a price on these pickups, but his standard 6-sting Imperials are $300 for a pair, so expect to pay a pretty hefty premium.

Here are links to both companies sites for anyone who's interested.

http://www.vintagevibeguitars.com/

http://www.lollarguitars.com/


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## emux2 (Feb 7, 2006)

I posted the following at the carvin musuem forums. It is sort of a review of both the Tone Zone 7 and the carvin C26T bridge pickup and compares the two. This is in my carvin home built alder neck through alder body guitar with the carvin active/passive eq modual.

Here it is:
For a while now I have been contemplating a bridge pickup change on my NT7 home built guitar. I studied the C26T sound for some time because there was something I did not like but could not put my finger on. I finally figured it out. The C26T sounds alright from the E string to the low E string but when you get to the low B there seems to be some high end roll off. When I would adjust the actives to compensate it made the rest of the strings too trebly. So that is it, the C26T just doesnt balance well with the Low B.

I am not saying this is the case in all instances. Now the spec of my guitar are:

Alder neck through alder body with the active/passive module.

I ordered a dimarzio tone zone and installed it yesterday. I can not comment on how it compares to anything other than the C26T as that is all I have had on this guitar. It took a little filing of the base plate to get it in. I did not feel inclinded to reroute the guitar. I like the looks of the C26T better but the sound is more important to me.

The tone zone sounds more even accross all 7 strings to me. It has a little more midrange and pinch harmonics are easily attained. In passive mode it sounds nice and open. In active mode there is slightly more bass with the eq set flat and is slightly compressed. I can back off the bass and up the treble on the guitar and it sounds good across all 7 strings. It sounds good clean as well. It is not muddy at all in my guitar

I don't know if there is another dimarzio that sounds better. I was considering trying the blaze custom but I am satisfied with the tone zone 7.


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## Emperoff (Apr 8, 2006)

Here I go again, this time with a review of the Blaze Pickups (Installed in a Basswood Baritone Agile Interceptor) 

*Dimarzio Blaze (neck):*

If I have to name something that has impressed me about this pickup, it's his clarity and definition. It's very good for fast legato runs, and has some Vai kinda sound playing leads, omeway agressive. For rythm, it can't find something special on it. I prefer the Air Norton for that.
Playing clean, it has a better sound than the Air Norton IMO, more bright, but that can simply be my preferences. Anyway, when tapped sounds too bright for my tastes. It's a nice pickup, but is overall below the Air Norton.

*Dimarzio Blaze (bridge):*

Well, I must say that the Blaze semt to be the pickup that I was looking for for a long time, but, now that I got it, It's not that great at all.
Let me explain, the Blaze bridge is an AWESOME rythm pickup. It's tight, it's defined, and has punch and growl with total clarity. But for leads, I really missed that mids, you can crank them up with your amp, but It's not the same. I'm not saying that it sounds bad, it has a ver nice fluid tone and som serious scream on it, but compared to my tonezone installed on an alder guitar with no tone knob, I must say that the tonezone literally DESTROYS the Blaze for playing leads, it's just amazing. The tonezone is an amazing pickup if installed in a correct wood. But the Blaze is an all-around bitch than sounds much better for rythms that any other Dimarzio I've tried. I don't have much to say about it playing clean, just too treebly for liking the sound, but overall, a damn great pickup.


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## Roland777 (May 6, 2006)

Emperoff said:


> Here I go again, this time with a review of the Blaze Pickups (Installed in a Basswood Baritone Agile Interceptor)
> 
> *Dimarzio Blaze (neck):*
> 
> ...



You ought to test the Blaze Custom, if you haven´t already. The mids on that pickup is what makes it slay.


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## bostjan (May 25, 2006)

Swineshead Pickups:

In general:
I got GITD bobbins, and I'm somewhat disappointed with the dim glow. They definately glow, but the light output is only about 20% of what my GITD knobs are doing.
The backplates are huge. Very thick, rectangular, with plenty of unnecessary material. I had to chop the corners off in order to fit the pickup in the cavity, and it's a pretty large cavity. I would have had to have done even more chopping if they were going in my rg7620. The instructions they came with were short and sweet.

CL7N-
I ended up slanting this pickup by accident so that the bass side is slightly closer to the neck than the treble side.
This pickup packs quite a punch for being advertised as a medium-output pickup. It sings very well with plenty of bass and mids. Wired in parallel, it really doesn't seem to lose much output, and gets a very nice nasal tone to it. In series, it sings with a great deal of clarity, it reminds me of the AN7N, only with a tiny bit more bass.

HT7B
This pickup seems to lack the balls I had hoped for. Not quite bright enough for my tastes in bridge pups. The tone is clear and focused, but rather punchy in the mid. This isn't a bad thing, it's just not what I expected. I'd compare it to a TZ7B with some of the mid shifted to lower mid. It cleans up wonderfully.

Overall: You know, for the money, I would think you could do better. I'm very happy with the CL7N and I'm moderately satisfied with the HT7B, but I think my tastes are more in tune with the clarity and power of EMG's, or at least the diversity of the Dimarzio AN7/EVO7. My draw to these pups was purely cosmetic, and I'm not even blown away with that.

IMO- These are good aftermarket pickups at a premium price.

Overall:    + 1/2
Price: £125 pr.
Looks: 3/5
Tone: CL7N=5/5, HT7B=3/5
Service: 5/5
Convenience: 2/5


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## JoryGriffin (Sep 10, 2006)

Dimarzio Evo7 Bridge
Korina Epiphone V 7

Due to the fact i was fitting this is korina, not a very popular wood it was sort of a guess, a good one though.

The Evo7 is a great bridge pickup, palm mutes are awesome and is incredibly tight at my rate of distortion (Think Train of Thought - Dream Theater). The lead tone i find is okay but quite harsh, all depends on what you're playing. I normally switch to neck position for a much smoother sound. Overall when distorted it is well balanced

The Clean sound i find is quite clumsy, not much warmth (on it's own that is)
When paired with the neck pick up on the middle setting it sounds alot richer.

I have a Dimarzio Drop Sonic in my Ibby six string which is set ALOT lower, my evo7 is set much closer to the strings but the volume drop between the neck and bridge positions is none existent.

Overall I would say this pickup is fantastic, it sounds alot tighter than my DropSonic6 and with alot less string noise aswell. I know not many people are going to have Korina guitars... but im sure it will sound just as awesome as it does in my V


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## 7 Dying Trees (Sep 30, 2006)

Dimarzio Tone Zone
Mahogany (RG2027)

-This is, fortunately, going to be a very short review. I traded an evo7 for this, as i wanted something with a bit more, well, balls. This wasn't it. No treble, and just awfull for any leads as it sounds flat, dull and has no sparkle. Rythm, i'd say ok, but still suffering from the lack of any pronounced highs, just makes it all sound muddy and lifeless. Avoid this pickup in mahogony if you can.

Dimarzio Evolution
Mahogony (RG2027)

-I really do remember liking the sound of this, very very very clear, with being able to hear every single string in a 7string chord through a "metal" amount of gain, very impressive. Does scream as well. However, in mahogony I found it too clean, just lacking in character, and really not having that gutsy dirty sound to it. It's a hot, very clear pickup, but not aggressive.

Dimarzio Evolution
Basswood (UV7BK)

-Now we are talking however! Whereas with the 2027 i always thought this pickup was too clear, in the UV (recently installed) it's tightened up the low end and got rid of the flubbiness on the low A (or B string if you are in standard tuning ) that seemed to plague the Blaze and Blaze Custom. In short, this pickup makes for a fantastic tight thrash sound. I'd never really believed that it was close to EMG like, but it is a nasty little gained fueled monster. All the problems i had with in mahogony have reversed, and i find it ballsy and really aggro while retaining the clarity. Very nice. In fact, i think, so far, my favorite bridge pickup in basswood.

edit: I just took this pickup to a rehearsal, and jezus! Does this thing cut through, really good at cutting straight through the mix. Very pleased with it


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## Drache713 (Oct 17, 2006)

Dimarzio X2N-7
Ibanez RG7620

First off - this thing is LOUD! Not uncontrallable loud, but definently very hot. I know people are concerned with the magnet pull of this on the strings but don't be, i got mine about 2mm away from the strings fretted at the 24th and have no magnetic pull problems. Despite being very high output this pickup is very clear and very articulate. It's got a really tight responsive low end (some people might think it sounds cold/thin but once you get it in a mix with bass and drums, it'll cut through like no other and sound punishing) and the high end is pretty smooth but it has this crisp high end presence/sizzle/bite thing going on that sounds so aggressive. The midrange is in there to, not scooped very much so that it doesn't sound tinny or thin/dark, and not so much midrange that it's way fat/honky and muddy/uncontrollable. If you're looking for a more natural or organic sounding pickup don't look to this one (even though if you were even considering the X2N-7 organic/natural sounds aren't probably what you're looking for anyways). Harmonics jump off this very well. Another thing people are concerned with are the cleans - I can get excellent bridge cleans with this in series without it distorting my amp, and it only gets better when you coil tap or coil split it (hello Strat!). This is probably the closest thing to an EMG/Dimebucker/Bill Lawrence 7-string pickup without having to route out your guitar or pay for a custom shop fabrication. Just awesome for metal and sounds absolutley brutal.


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## Black Watch (Oct 21, 2006)

Pickup: EMG 707
Installed in: Ibanez RG7420

When I first purchased my RG7 I thought the pickups left a lot to be desired, since then I have played some others and i think my pickups were duds, anyhow - I decided to try something huge. This was back in 1998, and I got a pair of 707's from EMG. It was fun to buy them because you had to go and ask them to make them for you (not sure if this is still the case). I ended up trading a few emails and phone calls with the EMG folks. The were very nice and a pleasure to work with. I took them to a local guitar modding / repair shop and they set them up. First off, these things are very different than every other pickup I have used before. Some of it bad, some of it good.

Mounting Differences
First off the Ibanez RG7s don't use pickup rings, so you get to see the metal plates down there in the body. I have always thought that a bit un-tidy, but oh well. The EMGs are physically larger (width and length) than your standard humbucker, so the pickup cavity had to be enlarged. Some of you might go into shock at the thought of someone strapping your axe on the mill and having a go, but the guys I was working with were first rate all the way. In fact most of the half circle hole at the top and bottom of the pickup "trench" was eliminated by the larger 707. 

Also note that the 707's are active pickups, so a 9v battery was added into the control cavity of the RG7. I also had a treble boost circuit added (also from EMG) to help give definition that I had been looking for.

The Good
These things are very high output. That is a blessing and a curse today. When working with a tube preamp or a long cable the 707's are a lot of fun because they can send a larger voltage (peak to peak) signal through the line. When playing through the Mesa V-Twin it is possible to drive it so hard that it all devolves into meaningless hash. I know there are some folks who like that though. The sound quality is very EMG, so if you are fan of that kind of sound you can get it in full. They will go very metal indeed (maybe more metal than I wanted at times). The treble boost circuit worked very much as desired and can really add a great deal of definition to low rhythm parts.

The Bad
The large signal output can sometimes be trouble to a modeling system like Line 6, where it really does not care that much about the nuances of the input signal. In addition it can sometimes feel like you are not quite in control of the tone as there is a so much output at times, and if you are really playing hard you can get outside of the range of "golden" input to your amp. What that boils down to is that you need to really learn how to work with them, and (in my opinion) there is some learning curve involved.

Overall - a great move, and it sounds very different than my other guitars and is very useful in a variety of situations.

Black Watch


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## bigheadood (Jan 6, 2007)

pickup: X2N7
guitar: RG 7321

1st impression--the low end is huge. lots of bass and low mids without getting muddy. Not as much scream as I expected, but harmonics are effortless. Very rich and thick sounding, similar to a duncan custom custom, except with a much tighter low end.

After some tweaking--Very responsive. This is not the one trick pony that I was expecting. While this pickup excels at anything high gain, it also works very well for blues, jazz, and of course, shred. Clean sound is usable in series, and very nice when split. Much better than the stock POS unit this guitar came with.

Now this guitar needs a new neck pickup. Blaze, Paf, or jazz...not sure yet.


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## Lethe (Feb 2, 2007)

Dimarzio Blaze Custom

Had this in the bridge of my 7321 for about half a year now. No matter what I did, I never really got the tone I was looking for. Being mainly a rhythm guy, I think that with the BC, finding a good compromise between tight palm mutes and nice sounding upper strings is really tough. Or to put it the other way round: Finding a setting were your low notes don't sound muddy and "soft" while the high end doesn't literally make your ears bleed is pretty much impossible.
Even after many hours of tuning the settings on my pod, trying many amps, cabs, micings, eq and compressor settings etc, rhythm still sounded pretty washy.

I could not really put my finger onto what is wrong with my settings, and to be quite frank, the last thing I expected it to be was the BC, but that was exactly it. 

People sometimes recommend the BC over the regular Blaze, arguing that the mids are less scooped, which ist right, but they neglect to say that the BC seriously rolls off in the treble. This means that in order to get some balance in your tone, you must turn up the treble and presence on your amp, and resurrecting those buried high frequencies leads to the same as resurrecting human beings does: They get ugly, walk the streets moaning and eat your children. So by all means, beware!  

Keep in mind though, I based my opinion mainly on rhythm with the occasional solo. If you play both, you will probably not sound good at either. For mostly lead and depending on your style this might be the right pickup, but to me this was a bad choice.

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Dimarzion Evolution 7

This came in the used Schecter Omen 7 Extreme I recently bought. At first, I was disappointed. All those patches I had so thoroughly tweaked for my 7321 with a BC sounded trebly as hell. My first reaction was: "Man, the BC is already slightly rolling off towards the treble, if it wasn't, it would sound like *this*! Maybe i should look for a pickup that rolls off even more."

Wrong.

As I said before, once something is gone, bringing it back is a bitch. On the other hand, if there is too much of something, you can always cut, and that'll always sound better to the human ear. So what I did was cut back a little on the presence and it was...well it was an epiphany. 

Harsh treble - gone.
muddy palm mutes - gone.

I was baffled, thinking "hey, where's the compromise here?". Well, there isn't one.

Suddenly it all became tight as hell, powerchords were well defined and sounded serious as hell. It's so much more fun to play percussively now, you really can snap and thump along with the drums, it's just pure, unfiltered joy. I fell in love with this pickup, I really did. Yesterday our keyboarder came over and we composed a little, and she was blown away by the sound. Crisp, mean, grunty without getting all screachy at the top end. 

I A/B'ed the BC and Evo7 several times, and even when the BC was on patches I had tweaked for hours and days to make the BC sound good, it did not come close to a slightly modded version with the Evo. 

I would like to try the Blaze Neck in the bridge position, which seems to be an insiders' tip, but as of now, man, am I in love with the Evo. And to think I almost traded it for a Blaze Bridge!


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## g3rmanium (Feb 27, 2007)

Seymour Duncan Jazz installed in a 2027XVV (mahogany), neck position.

The samples on the SD website were a bit misleading. From the samples, you'd think that this is a very bright PU, but it isn't. Somehow they managed to make all strings sound the same (well, Jazz). Not a lot of treble. Very round. Good bass. Works great with octave fuzzes because it isn't bright.

Seymour Duncan Distortion installed in a 2027XVV (mahogany), bridge position.

The distortion has a very rock-inspired sound. Not a lot of bass (and definitely less than the Jazz in the neck), lots of upper midrange. Good clarity, dynamics and all. Not "Metal" sounding at all.

Edit: I also noticed after swapping PUs that with the distortion, the sound changes a lot from the fourth string upwards. B to D strings sound a lot different than the G to E strings which are even brighter. Compared to the Blaze Neck the distortion really is *very* bright.


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## Nuke (Mar 14, 2007)

Haven't seen this particular pickup/wood combo listed here yet:

Pickups: Seymour Duncan Distortion-7 and Custom-7
Installed in: Alder bodied Jackson Custom Shop Warrior with maple/ebony bolt-on neck

Distortion-7: I've always been a big Duncan Distortion fan, so this was a natural choice for me when I ordered the guitar. Unfortunately, the only way to get more balls out of the pickup was to boost the EQ in my ADA MP-1/Digitech TSR12 rack setup, which left me with a custom patch for one guitar. While these two rack units have plenty of room for multiple guitar-specific patches, it doesn't work right out of the box with all the other patches I've tweaked and perfected over the years, and I'm not too interested in doing that all over again, so something's gotta change.

As well, the guitar has an OFR-7, and it appears Duncan doesn't understand the concept of trem-spacing 7-string pickups, because the bass poles are aligned with the strings but the treble poles are too far off the mark for me. While a Distortion doesn't have to be spot on with the alignment due to the output level, if I decided to put the Custom-7 in the bridge, I'd be tonally screwed.


Custom-7: The first time I moved a Custom to the neck position of a guitar, I was hooked on it. But that was a 6-string, and this is a 7-string, and the difference is pretty drastic. The neck pickup aligns perfectly with the strings, and distorted rhythm and lead tones are nice and beefy. Unfortunately the cleans are as weak as they could be. I prefer a nice round and bright clean more than the muted/muffled Joe Pass tones.

I thought about moving the Custom to the brige position, but with the F-spacing issue, I'm nnot sure it's going to work.

Looks like I'll be trying a few DiMarzios based on what I've read here.


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## g3rmanium (Mar 17, 2007)

Blaze Neck installed in a 2027XVV (mahogany), *bridge* position.

Mh... It looked to me that the Blaze Neck in the bridge position was a sevenstring.org insider tip so I bought it and installed it.

First, the output isn't very high. It's also noticeably darker compared to the SD Distortion (but then, the Distortion is very bright). There is a ton of mids that forced me to take out a couple of dBs of my mids. 

Also noteworthy is that the B string just doesn't sound good. There's something weird, clangy to it.

I also found that the amount of information -- the way the pickup reproduces what my hands do -- is lower in the Blaze than the SD pickups.

I guess the Blaze Neck in the bridge doesn't get my stamp of approval in mahogany. 

Edit: I'm begging to like the Blaze Neck in the bridge. If I pick very strongly, it sounds pretty good and develops interesting harmonic structures. I will try how it sounds in the neck though -- I guess this is where it belongs.


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## Drache713 (Mar 21, 2007)

Pickup: EMG 707
Guitar: Schecter Hellraiser

These pickups give a loud, clean sound. Not muddy, they are very tight and articulate. They are also VERY bright, and while there is enough bass to not have it sound thin i wouldnt say they are warm or dark pickups at all. Great harmonics, very quiet. As you go higher up the neck the high notes start to sing more and smooth out, which i thought was nice with the lows being so edgy and aggressive. The mahogany body of the hellraiser didn't seem to help much, which seems to match the general consensus that emg's are less effected by body woods than passives are. If you're looking for a sound that cuts, has great clarity, and is loud and aggressive then look no further. If you need something a little smoother or warmer/sludgier then I'd advise to look elsewhere, these pickups work great for metal and for when you need a really bright sound but when you need something more mellow and "vintage/classic", these are lacking in that department.


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## Drache713 (Mar 21, 2007)

Pickup: Dimarzio DS7
Guitar: Ibanez S7420FMTT, bridge

First off, yes - this IS a very noisy pickup like others have noticed. Maybe it's just a problem with the 7-string version and not the 6-string, I dunno. Put it anywhere near an electical source and you get buzz and fizzing.

THAT being said, the tone of this pickup rocks. It's warm, but not dark or bassy/boomy. It's VERY clear and articulate, but without being very bright actually. It also growls really good with the mids and sounds very full but it isn't muddy or sludgy at all. The sound overall is very tight and precise, and yet still warm and smooth. Harmonics are very easy to pull off. It is high output but it's so clear and has such great clarity that it sometimes feel like you're playing a lower output pickup like a PAF or something. The clarity gives it kind of an EMG-ish vibe, and yet not as "crystaline" or metallic as an EMG, much warmer and smoother. This pickup to me kinda seems like a pickup that breaks all the rules, much like the Air Norton (to my ears) - full, warm, and smooth, and yet very tight, articulate, and clear. So far I'm loving it (except for the noise) but it sounds so good I think I'll be able to put up with the noise.


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## g3rmanium (Apr 25, 2007)

Pickup: DiMarzio D Activator 7 bridge
Guitar: Ibanez 2027XVV, mahogany, bridge
Replaced: DiMarzio Blaze neck installed in bridge position

I Installed this one yesterday and don't have a lot of experience yet. First impressions: Deeper bass than the Blaze, better, more natural sounding B string. Not quite as much treble as the Blaze. More output and a certain peak in the highs, but not too aggressive.


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## Drache713 (May 1, 2007)

Dimarzio D-Activator's, both bridge and neck models

Installed in S7420 and RG7421

The D Activator in the bridge definently sounds clear, but in a different way than the DS7. The DA7 sounds much warmer and deeper, and it isn't as crunchy or raw to my ears. It sounds pretty smooth actually without a lot of attack, has tight bass and balanced mids. Very balanced actually.

In the neck, the DA7 is BRIGHT. Reminds me of the 707 in the neck, i've never played a single coil or a humbucker from hell in the neck, but I would imagine this would get you VERY close to that sound. Lots of snap, twang, and attack, very tight lows and cut mids. Really sings and begs for fast picked runs.


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## LEWY7777777 (Jul 22, 2007)

Yes The d activator shows me and tells my ears parts of my emg 81-7s emg707's and even the seymour duncan metallivewire7 (HB105s) all @ the same time. Very distinct qualities of each of these pickups nailed by Dimarzio. The sound is truly one to be heard - and sounds like three of the different pickups working at the same time. A sound truly its own, distinct, clever, inspiring.A real mega-smasher. And for the first time a pickup that makes all my right hand techniques fight to control it. (The less used the less fight neccessary)
Effectively making me play harder than ever before. real sweet palmute sound,Makes the strings feel like spongy when wanted , You can squeeze cool distorted sounds and naunces with your pick and fingertips and sustains when you want not brittle at all . full of life and headroom. It is gonna take me a while to get fully aquanted with this thing. Cleans sound amazing although can jazz out and distort sooner. A rich sounding pickup like the active duncans and bareknuckle affect. Although not an all round pickup many things it can do- a real jazzy character choppy and then sustaining. can boom if you make it boom and chunky too. All this and yet such great articulation. A useful tool for making new creative inspiring sounds. Another great flavor from Dimarzio


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## NeglectedField (Jul 28, 2007)

Pickup: Dimarzio Evolution 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG7321 (mahogany, Korean made)
Replaced: Stock Ibanez AH-7 humbucker

Good: Tight for rhythm, but great soaring lead sound with that warmth you hear from Vai's guitars. But this is more similar in quality to his Evo 6es than his Blazes. Just the right mix of mids and treble. 

Bad: May lack that trebly crunch for some. Sometimes I kinda get frustrated it doesn't give me the fizzy tight scoopy chug I need, or much in the way of attack, but this might be due to the fact I'm on a pretty light set of strings at the moment. Also I got this due to not being able to get hold of a D-Sonic so naturally I'd be looking for flaws. Oh yes, and having to ream out bigger holes for the mounting posts (so the screws could align) was a real pain and I had to make a number of calls to the UK distributors of Dimarzio for help. 

In short, good all round, but probably slightly more oriented towards lead playing.


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## reguv760 (Jul 30, 2007)

First time user of this site... was linked from jemsite and I thought I could share my experience with two pickups I replaced the stocks on my UV777GR many years ago since most of the pickups reviewed are installed on rosewood boards... the context for these replacements was to get a more "metal" rhythm and lead tone with increased sustain than the stock Blaze's and I didn't want to spend the money to route a rare guitar for a pair of EMG 707...

for my first review:
*
Evo-7 in bridge position*

Good: High Output full of mids. It's mean and ballsy when you hit powerchords with the B string and screams when you 'solo' - whether it maybe pinch harmonics, whammy dives, bending the high E string to the point-of-breakage, sweeping, tapping and every odd combinations in between. The tone cuts through the mix in a band setting as long there's enough mids in the amp. 

Bad: Not the 'cleanest' sounding pickup through the clean channel. It overdrives the clean but a little tweak in the guitar's volume knob to 6 or 7 resolves this problem. In split mode (middle + Evo neck coil), the tone's bright and crisp, even spunky, that it makes you want to play reggae and maybe light up something...
*
Blaze Bridge in neck position*

Good: The purpose of this upgrade was to take the tone of a stock Blaze neck and give it a higher output. I purchased this in 2001 when the Blaze's and Evo-7 were the only aftermarket DiMarzio 7's available. Fortunately, it's a good pickup for doing sweeps in this position...

Bad: It has 'dark' and bassy tone that doesn't quite overdrive the clean channel... treble in the amp might need to be boosted and bass cut. Once acheived, you can get a decent clean jazz tone.

Ugly: most of the mids are lost... the low B sounds muffled and it doesn't quite 'scream' like an Evo-7. It picks up harmonics decently on the the higher strings but requires finding a 'sweet' spot. Can't really do fast scale runs as it gets lost in the mix. Currently getting upgraded to D-Activator 7 neck by next month...


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## MAXEDON (Aug 12, 2007)

i was wondering if i should get emg 707's for my rg7321 any suggestions?


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## daemon barbeque (Aug 18, 2007)

Bare Knuckle Pickups Miracle Man 7 string Bridge

It's used on my 1527 ,with 10/68 Daddario strings.

Well ,i was dissapointed when i first installed it!I then reailzed that i didnt't adjust the height!
After adjusting the height ,it became a beast.
Really Rich harmonics ,somewhat unforgiving but therefore clean voicing.
Lot's of highs ,Lots of lows and great midds.
The Powerchords are ripping and with the right amp...really tight!
The Lead tone is super (i never use Neck PU for leadwork) ,and i have to say ,it kills every "normal production" PU on earth.The quality of this Product is extreme...
The funny thing is ,alltough i ordered a 7 string PU ,they put a Rotosound set of strings in the box ....but for 6 ahahaha.Anyways..
If you have the extra cash for a killer product.Try the Miracle Man...The Huge bass and the screaming Highs with extremely complex and rich harmonics makes it one of the best Passives ever!

Articulation:8

Harmonics: 10

Bass: 9

Midds:6

Highs:9

Clarity: 10

Attitude:11

Insipiration: 10

Output: High..a tad less than Duncan Distortion

Compression:High but enough Dynamics to play lead.

Build Quality: Perfect.

Similar products (soundwise) : Duncan Distortion


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## MetalSir (Aug 25, 2007)

My review on EMG81-7 on my nec tru esp SC607..

i have another esp with emg81 (6 string).. the sounds really the same.. incredible sustain, armonics and frequencies response, due to the nec tru construction and emphasized by the strings-tru body and the bridge (les poul model).. low noise.

really really cool sound.. i tuned it B standard with blue steel .009\.046 and sounds great!







can i suggest you this 3 articles by Mr Tillman? =)

Response Effects of Guitar Pickup Position and Width

Response Effects of Guitar Pickup Mixing

Pickup Response Demonstration Applet

really interesting.. really.. i studied here elettroacustics for my laurea degree course.. really supremus!

 


ps: i really don't know if i posted by following the rules.. i hope so..


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## p0ke (Sep 12, 2007)

I changed my Ibanez RG1527's stock bridge pickup to a D-activator 7 last tuesday. It wasn't as loud as I had hoped, but still a bit louder than my EMG HZ-H4 on my 6-string. I have to admit that I don't have much experience of other pickups, but I definitely like this one. 
With the stock pickup, everything below D turned muddy, especially chords. With the D-activator, even my low A sounds clear! And it has enough gain to give me a good death/thrash metal sound with my Valveking, that was something the old pickup couldn't do.
The high notes are too bright for my liking though, but that's no problem because I use the neck-PU for leads anyway


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## neroceasar (Sep 15, 2007)

these pickups sound like any other dimarzio but with a lil more omph. The bass is really good and the highs are set just right for good sound thats not harsh. the only complaint i have with them is that they don't take to G tuning well if your tuning to B or A they sound amazingly dark and evil...(METAL!!) my only issue is that i play in g and they sound a little to bassy in that tuning.

this pickup sounds really good in A tuning and even better it G but in B it sounds a little to thin. the note definition is really good hammer ons pull offs, tapping, ect. sound really good but i wish it had a tinny (really tiny) bit more bass response.


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## 7 Dying Trees (Nov 5, 2007)

Bareknuckle Nailbomb 7 (Bridge), custom rewould single coil 7 and Cold Sweat 7 (Neck) in basswood (RG1077xl)

Nailbomb 7:
This is the alcino5 version, can also be got in ceramic. Very clear, but punchy and aggressive while still retaining a smoothness across the whole pickup. Makes a lot of other pickups I've tried sound compressed. It's very open and breathes really nicely. DIstorted it has a nice high mid/treble bit that isn't annoying like the JB7 can be, as it has a smoothness to it. The mid range really cuts through, and the bass is tight while still retaining character. Harmonics do just leap off with ease. One thing though, is that because of it's clarity it's a less forgiving pickup than some, you can really hear if you muck up and there's no hiding. When palm muting has that nice crunch to it, and handles fast picking on the low strings well. Not as focused as say a lundgren, but still very clear, and with a good amount of life to it.

With clean tones although it is a hot pickup it doesn't distort. Very spanky, with that nice vintage-like alcino goodness. When split you get that really cool bridge single coil sound. ABsolutely gorgeous, you can mess around with the clean sound for hours, and this is coming from someone who gets bored with clean sounds really easily.

Cold Sweat 7:
Also alcino 5. The best way to describe it is that it's very fluid, but with a bell like single coil overtone to it. Kind of almost the thickness of the air norton, but with less spread. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's a gorgeous neck pickup. Leads do just punch through, and I found that I could even get away with playing rythm on it. It's also a lot easier to hit pinch harmonics and naturals harmonics and stuff with it, as some neck pickups do lose that screeching sound you get with the bridge pickup. Not to say it's trebly, but just that I reckon the single coil vibe of it helps to pickup. Again, you'll hear mistakes you make a lot more with this pickup.

Clean, well, not as sparkly as the nailbomb, but well rounded. As with the nailbomb this thing sounds amazing clean, it's kind of like the notes leap off the guitar and sing. Just inspirational sound wise. Split it just sounds awesome.

Custom Rewound Single coil 7:
I sent tim at BKP the stock new7/whatever the fuck single coil 7 that came in the 1077. Whilst he couldn't redo the magnet (shame, but apparently it is a weird shape) he did rewind it. While technically not a bareknuckle, the job he did is still awesome and makes this sound a hell of a lot better than it did, in fact, night and day better. And whilst not a production pickup, well worth mentioning as it was rewound to make a set with the NB and CS. Basically, this thing sings. Split with the coils of the humbuckers, the mix of alcino and ceramic really is spanky and very hendrixy in the bridge/mid pos(2) and, well, gorgeous in position 4  I'm not too familiar with clean sounds, but suffice to say that I actually really love the sound of the mid single on it's own now, it's no longer a bit useless like the blaze single coil. In fact, I think all my single coil blazes are going to slowly get shipped off to tim, as for the price of less than a new dimarzio (in the states) and for half the price of a new one in the UK you can get an awesome sounding pickup, especially as choice for single coils is limited for 7stringers. Hell, this thing even sounds cool distorted for leads which I'd never have though it would.

Overall:
I couldn't be happier, and they just really do make all the other guitars I have bar the LACS (which is swamp ash/maple) sound a bit dull and lifeless. The set I got compliments each other very well, and with the humbuckers split with a push pull pot and 5 way wiring it's given me 7 distinct usable gorgeous clean sounds. For the distorted arena, I have all the nuts from the nailbomb and the silkiness from the cold sweat and all the split tones in between, however for distorted stuff I pretty much just use the neck and bridge pickups.

A few other things:



[URL="http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/members/daemon-barbeque.html" said:


> daemon barbeque[/URL]] Well ,i was dissapointed when i first installed it!I then reailzed that i didnt't adjust the height!
> After adjusting the height ,it became a beast.
> 
> Really Rich harmonics ,somewhat unforgiving but therefore clean voicing.
> ...


exactly what this many says.

The good:
- Sound amazing, and if you are in europe, the slight extra cost compared to dimarzios is more than worth it. I'd actually be happy with them if they were 50% more than they already are.
- The rewound single coil is a revelation. I was worried about having to route out bits of the guitar to fit other single coils, but turning swine into pearl and having it calibrated to the set is awesome. Very very pleased.
- Superb build quality
- Excellent value for money. Trust me.

The bad:
- Once in one guitar you'll find yourself trying to think of a way to get them into all your other guitars.
- For US residents they are expensive, but, not much more than the Seymour Duncan custom shop from what i've read... But even then, i actually think that even for the price they are an absolute bargain for a handwound hand built pickup as part of a calibrated set (calibrated sets work out cheaper). And it's worth it. Just as much as buying an expensive head is.


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## djpharoah (Nov 15, 2007)

Well I got a k7 about 4 days ago and it has a blaze neck in the bridge and the original paf7 in the neck. Note this is in Mahogany bodied guitar.

*PAF7- neck*
_Cleans_: This pickup is  . On a clean setting (JC120 on my cube) with slight delay and chorus, this pickup rocks. Its very clean and has a nice classy vibrant tone. It is also very smooth on clean, unlike the AN7, which I found could sound clanky and sharp on clean.

_Low Gain_: Tried it out with the plexi model on my cube. It really sounds good. Very bluesy like and great for soft rock kind of stuff.

_High Gain_: This pickup officially is now my favorite neck pickup. It has some nice blaze neck like tones, but really nice. It just rocks!!

*Blaze Neck - bridge*
_Cleans_: Its quite alright for this. However I find I usually use the neck or neck+bridge for cleans. The tone is nice with some nice chorus/delay.

_High Gain_: This is where this pickup is . It is so articulate and clear due to its low output that even with high gain on my pedals/amp, I can hear every note in chords! Its got great midrange and the low end just is soo tight. Its almost like a better evo!! Can't believe I just said that but yes with new strings I put on last night - this pickup is sweet.


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## necronaut (Jan 21, 2008)

I bought a RG7321 recently. So many people say the stock pickups aren't that good. I wondered if someone with a wider experience of pickups could tell me how you would describe the tone with the stock pickups compared to something more expensive and why they're deemed bad?


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