# Dimarzio Blaze Custom 7 vs Evolution 7



## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 16, 2009)

This will be going into an RG7321 that will be Sanded down and stained (after adding an ash veneer...that won't effect the tone). The guitar will have 1 pickup, and a volume knob. Im looking for crunchy rhythms, with pretty technical riffs, diminished chords, and also a lot of solos. Currently playing through a Valveking head w/ 5150 4x12 Cab. I think im leaning towards the Blaze Custom, because it comes in white and I won't have to order more bobbin toppers to fuck up.


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## ZeroSignal (Mar 16, 2009)

Evo 7 will tear your face off. It's got buckets of output, grind and presence. If you need to kill everything in the room then go for that. Beware, that it's _very_ unforgiving so you better be a clean player. It screams in basswood (roars in mahogany ).

The Blaze Custom is fatter and slightly smoother than the Evo 7. It's a lot more forgiving too with a little less output. Sounds very good in my basswood RG1527 and is a true soloist's pickup. It still sounds great for rhythm though.

My personal pickup of choice would be the DiMarzio DS7. It sounds great in basswood:
It's very thick, grindy but with less output than the other two and it's clearer than both. Very tight and versitile.


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## sevenstringj (Mar 16, 2009)

ZeroSignal said:


> Evo 7 will tear your face off. It's got buckets of output, grind and presence. If you need to kill everything in the room then go for that. Beware, that it's _very_ unforgiving so you better be a clean player. It screams in basswood (roars in mahogany ).
> 
> The Blaze Custom is fatter and slightly smoother than the Evo 7. It's a lot more forgiving too with a little less output. Sounds very good in my basswood RG1527 and is a true soloist's pickup. It still sounds great for rhythm though.
> 
> ...



No djent!!!!!  How do those pickups compare under palm-muted chords, including inversions?


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## ZeroSignal (Mar 16, 2009)

sevenstringj said:


> No djent!!!!!  How do those pickups compare under palm-muted chords, including inversions?



Yeah... Djent... 

If you really want to do heavy palm mutes or "djents" then the Evo 7 would be the best simply because of it's frequency response and output level.

I'd say the DS7 just works the best in terms of clarity (I assume that that's what you are alluding to by mentioning inverted chords). It has excellent note definition. The Evo 7 has the next best clarity. It only looses points in this regard because it's so aggressive. The Blaze Custom is the thickest of the 3 so kinda loses definition. It's still a good pickup and I don't feel the need to replace it.


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

ZeroSignal said:


> (roars in mahogany



Hmm... well, I ended up ordering the Blaze Custom, because I found a good price, and it actually was available in Creme! Im thinking pretty hard about selling or trading the blackouts in my Apex for an Evo7, and something for the neck spot. I think i'll get through these first two projects first. I got my work cut out for me!  Then i'll worry about the Apex.


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## damigu (Mar 17, 2009)

i'm in agreement with zerosignal.

i had an evolution in a jackson kelly i just sold (alder--sonically in between basswood and mahogany), and it was nothing short of fantastic.
beautiful cleans and bone-crushing dirties!
it was the 6 string version, but the evo7 maintains the same sound/feel.

and, also like he said, it's a very accurate pickup--it forces you to play your best because it isn't very forgiving.


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## ZeroSignal (Mar 17, 2009)

7deadlysins666 said:


> Hmm... well, I ended up ordering the Blaze Custom, because I found a good price, and it actually was available in Creme! Im thinking pretty hard about selling or trading the blackouts in my Apex for an Evo7, and something for the neck spot. I think i'll get through these first two projects first. I got my work cut out for me!  Then i'll worry about the Apex.



I forgot to mention this thread:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/44712-blaze-custom-ate-my-flesh.html

Blaze Custom in a basswood guitar. 

And for the neck spot on your APEX2... A lot of people like the Air Norton 7 but I have it in my J. Custom and it's not mindblowing. The 6 string version is excellent but this one is a bit... meh. I much prefer the Blaze Neck in basswood. That's by far my favourite neck pickup. No idea what it would sound like in mahogany though. Maybe try the DiMarzio D Activator 7? It's a bit like an active but not sterile sounding. It keeps up with the D Activator Bridge (very high output) pretty well in my S7320, which is mahogany.


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## MF_Kitten (Mar 17, 2009)

damigu said:


> i'm in agreement with zerosignal.
> 
> i had an evolution in a jackson kelly i just sold (alder--sonically in between basswood and mahogany), and it was nothing short of fantastic.
> beautiful cleans and bone-crushing dirties!
> ...



i´d say alder is alot brighter than basswood tbh. a more accurate comparisone would be to say that basswood is between alder and mahogany.

and i would go for the evo 7, just for it´s sheer insane awesomeness


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

ZeroSignal said:


> I forgot to mention this thread:
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/44712-blaze-custom-ate-my-flesh.html
> 
> ...



 I think I made the right choice for my 7321 after listening to that.


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## Randy (Mar 17, 2009)

All I saw was the work "crunch" and I voted Evo.


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

Randy said:


> All I saw was the work "crunch" and I voted Evo.



I WILL be getting an Evo for my Apex.


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## Jem7RB (Mar 17, 2009)

I voted Blaze Custom, tbh never played one until my UV, and feck god buggery !!! i r loving it 

Rob


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## Sroth Saraiel (Mar 17, 2009)

I used blazes on a 7 string warlock, and switched to evos... the diference was considerable... anyhow... I sold it after a month since it was a platinum 7, I then bought a NJ7 with bcr pick ups (which sucked)


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## Jem7RB (Mar 17, 2009)

Sroth Saraiel said:


> I used blazes on a 7 string warlock, and switched to evos... the diference was considerable... anyhow... I sold it after a month since it was a platinum 7, I then bought a NJ7 with bcr pick ups (which sucked)



Std Blazes? as there is a HUGE differance between them and the Custom imo

Rob


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

How does the blaze custom sound coil tapped? The 7321 will probably end up with a push/pull pot like my 7420/Duncan Custom is going to be(still waiting on the fucking decal!)


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## Jem7RB (Mar 17, 2009)

Honestly bro, coil tapped i can't help, i haven't actually been lucky enough to have time to rewire it, and i cant stop playing the damn guitar long enough to change it  i will assume it splits as well as the std blazes, being clear articulate and without sounding too weedy. Maybe long term users cant help more in that respect, if no replies, i'll rewire it later tonight and let you know 

Rob


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## TomAwesome (Mar 17, 2009)

I have my Custom set up to be splittable, and it actually sounds pretty nice. It's ceramic, so you're not going to get a really authentic single coil sound (not that you would from splitting a humbucker anyway), but the heavy mid content makes it sound really great for jangly spanky single coil work, while the warm lows keep it from sounding thin without being too much. It won't be the same as picking up a real Strat, but it works well enough that I often load up a dry clean patch, split the coils, and stay there a while. This is probably one of DiMarzio's most versatile 7-string pickups.


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

TomAwesome said:


> I have my Custom set up to be splittable, and it actually sounds pretty nice. It's ceramic, so you're not going to get a really authentic single coil sound (not that you would from splitting a humbucker anyway), but the heavy mid content makes it sound really great for jangly spanky single coil work, while the warm lows keep it from sounding thin without being too much. It won't be the same as picking up a real Strat, but it works well enough that I often load up a dry clean patch, split the coils, and stay there a while. This is probably one of DiMarzio's most versatile 7-string pickups.



Do you think I could get this tone out of it being split?:


Thats the type of tone I would like to achieve Split, I think it would sound great for our more power metal sounding stuff, but im also in love with that tone period.


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## TomAwesome (Mar 17, 2009)

Why would you split the humbucker for that? The whole humbucker in series would work better for metal rhythm. For that kind of piercing, borderline icepicky sound, the Evo would probably work better. You can still dial in something fairly close with the Blaze Custom, though.


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## 7deadlysins666 (Mar 17, 2009)

TomAwesome said:


> Why would you split the humbucker for that? The whole humbucker in series would work better for metal rhythm. For that kind of piercing, borderline icepicky sound, the Evo would probably work better. You can still dial in something fairly close with the Blaze Custom, though.



Well, the key to Wintersun's tone is the Tokai Tele, which has real single coils. So I was thinking I could get closer to that with the pup split.


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## TomAwesome (Mar 17, 2009)

Oh, really? In that case, yeah, maybe.


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## Concerto412 (Mar 17, 2009)

Jari has been mainly using the tele for his songs in dropC lately. Wintersun songs in D I think would be either his old Jackson SL1 or his Jem. If you listen to the rhythm tone in Beautiful death, it definitely has more high end crunch and a brightness to the low end, a la single-coil. 
I would guess that Beyond the Dark sun was recorded with the Jem, and the tele was chosen for the video because his fans ALL recognize that from the Ensiferum days.


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## Sroth Saraiel (Mar 17, 2009)

Jem7RB said:


> Std Blazes? as there is a HUGE differance between them and the Custom imo
> 
> Rob


 
Yeap, STD ones, my mistake then, I haven't used custom ones


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## Jem7RB (Mar 17, 2009)

Sroth Saraiel said:


> Yeap, STD ones, my mistake then, I haven't used custom ones



No biggie, STD set is still very nice, but a big space between them and the Evo, ofc sitting right in that gap is the Custom  i think mixing and matching any of them will result in a balanced and overall killer sound for the dimarzio range, and sounds as tho Coil split it's awesome too  

Rob


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## hoseman581 (Mar 26, 2009)

Good topic. I have been considering getting either an Evolution or a D-Activator for my bridge PU. I have an RG1527 which I switched out with STD Blazes. I love the neck PU but after several months I just don't like the bridge PU. My only complaint is that it does get a bit muddy on the lower end and that is what I am looking to address with whatver I end up with.


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