# Dimarzio - Tone Zone (bridge) vs Crunchlab (bridge) - Which should I get?



## Joshua (Dec 23, 2013)

Hey guys. Just got an RG570 with Dimarzio Evos in it, and I'm not so sure that I like the Evo in the bridge. I'm probably going to replace it, and I've narrowed my choices down to the Crunchlab or Tone Zone.
While I've had a Crunchlab before and liked it, my friend has been pressuring me to try out the Tone Zone, which I have no experience with. So I just want to hear your guy's opinions on what you like, and if you think one would be better for me. I play/write stuff that's in between Killswitch Engage, Periphery, and Intervals, if that helps.


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## Casper777 (Dec 23, 2013)

Tone Zone is a great pickup in a basswood guitar, huge low end, sweet and siging highs...

However total crap in a mahogany guitar IMHO... I don't know why Ibanez continues to put it in all its mahogany J-Customs 

For your style however the Tone Zone may lack in terms of output... If want to go teh DiMarzio way, give the Super 3 a try... Nice, sweet yet very powerful! (I would amost say... BrOOtalZ!!)


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## Malkav (Dec 23, 2013)

I'm also gonna be one of those people who suggest something totally out of that ball park, try the D-Sonic, it's very similar to a CL but slightly lower output and voiced a little more dominantly in the upper mids with a very focused punchy low end, would be great for Periphery style crunch tones and is incredibly versatile for many other types of music as well, especially when using split positions with a nice neck pickup like the Air Norton


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## Underworld (Dec 23, 2013)

I like The Tone Zone in Basswood. I have one in an Ibby, and it slays. Can do death metal no problems if you know how to use your right hand. 

Listen to this, then tell me if The Tone Zone can do metal or not. I played all the rhythm guitars with that particular Ibby (and Lyle Cooper [ex-The Faceless] played the drums). 

Hands Of Despair


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## FILTHnFEAR (Dec 23, 2013)

Underworld said:


> I like The Tone Zone in Basswood. I have one in an Ibby, and it slays. Can do death metal no problems if you know how to use your right hand.
> 
> Listen to this, then tell me if The Tone Zone can do metal or not. I played all the rhythm guitars with that particular Ibby (and Lyle Cooper [ex-The Faceless] played the drums).
> 
> Hands Of Despair



Nice jam there man, pretty slammin.

Tone Zone does sound pretty good.


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## narad (Dec 23, 2013)

Casper777 said:


> However total crap in a mahogany guitar IMHO... I don't know why Ibanez continues to put it in all its mahogany J-Customs



No way - I have the ToneZone bridge in my mahogany-bodied J-custom and it's one of the best pickup/guitar pairings I've stumbled upon. For the listed bands there's definitely better choices, but for a less modern metal voicing (more Maiden / Gilbert) it's far from total crap.


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## rikomaru (Dec 23, 2013)

I have a TZ in the wife and I can't honestly see many other pickups competing, at least for the sound I like out of it. I've never tried it in basswood, but without going into the dreaded wood debate, I imagine it has to be epic in that as well. I don't listen to any of those bands you listed often enough to accurately recall their sounds, but as you can hear in Underworld's track, the TZ is just so thick everywhere. I haven't tried the CL but if you want something that's super crisp and thin, the TZ might not be for you. Keep in mind that your amp makes a MASSIVE difference in the sound of it. 

I tried some of the new Destroyers in guitar center recently and didn't dig the sounds I got at all......damn random amps >.>


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Dec 23, 2013)

I've got a TZ in my Jackson that actually replaced a CL haha

I've found that the Tone Zone is a lot more open sounding, and less bloated in the mids/lows. It's got a ton of mids and a solid bottom end, but not as much attack as the CL since the highs are pretty rolled off. I may try a ceramic magnet in it to see if that helps, though. I've got it sitting closer than normal to the strings which gives it more bite and increases the perceived output.


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## Given To Fly (Dec 23, 2013)

I currently have a Crunch Lab and used to own a Tone Zone (2 actually, 1 in a basswood RG570 and the other in a mahogany RG3120). Perhaps the design is different now but I remember the Tone Zone being rather uninteresting. It didn't do anything poorly, nor did it do anything particularly well. It's a rather safe pickup. Evo's are harmonically chaotic, the Crunch Lab "glues" Perfect 4ths together on the wound strings, but I can't think of anything to say about the Tone Zone other than its a safe pickup and kind of blends in with the crowd. But again, maybe the design has changed with in the last 10 years or so.


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## narad (Dec 23, 2013)

Given To Fly said:


> but I can't think of anything to say about the Tone Zone other than its a safe pickup and kind of blends in with the crowd. But again, maybe the design has changed with in the last 10 years or so.



I agree that it's pretty safe, but it has a great purr to it. Better than any of the 4 (soon to be 6) different BKPs I have in various guitars. Maybe not as good as the other DiMarzios - haven't tried many. It was really a complete surprise - I bought the J-custom as a temporary guitar to keep my practice up while living in Japan. Liked it so much I brought it back with me and thought about replacing a bunch of BKPs with DiMarzio.


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## rikomaru (Dec 23, 2013)

I won't say that "safe" is always a good thing....but I do consider it special when a pickup does everything well. At least in my experience it has never failed me and continues to amaze me. A lot of that could be the guitar itself though. I mean, a JC is a bit different from a gio. lol Given, did you have the TZ in both of those guitars at the same time? I've always wondered how much that pickup colors the sound of an instrument. It seems like it would be rather translucent, but I've never had another guitar to use for comparison to the wife. :/


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## Given To Fly (Dec 24, 2013)

rikomaru said:


> I won't say that "safe" is always a good thing....but I do consider it special when a pickup does everything well. At least in my experience it has never failed me and continues to amaze me. A lot of that could be the guitar itself though. I mean, a JC is a bit different from a gio. lol Given, did you have the TZ in both of those guitars at the same time? I've always wondered how much that pickup colors the sound of an instrument. It seems like it would be rather translucent, but I've never had another guitar to use for comparison to the wife. :/



It was awhile ago so I honestly can't remember much about the Tone Zone.  Part of the reason for that may be simple maturity; my ears are more attuned to the subtleties of the guitar now. I was also playing through a Carvin Legacy Combo which wasn't the best amp to hear the differences between the same pickup in a basswood body guitar and a mahogany body guitar; it all sounded...safe. 

I could probably tell the differences now but alas I no longer have any of those guitars/amp.


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## ERGonomic (Dec 25, 2013)

TZ


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## onefingersweep (Dec 25, 2013)

Assuming we talk about 6-string pickups, the ToneZone is a great pickup, one of my favorites, especially in Basswood+Floyd guitars.

If we talk 7-string pickups the ToneZone is the worst pickup I've tried, muddier than a pigs arse.


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## Joshua (Dec 25, 2013)

6 string pickup! Probably should have mentioned that


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## jedimindfrak82 (Dec 28, 2013)

Tone Zone is the perfect pickup for Killswitch tones. I don't know if you're in a band or not, but the Crunch Lab doesn't like to compete with other guitarists.... It's kinda big sounding which is good in a one guitarist band (Dream Theater), but it lacks attack and gets lost when another guitarist is present... I had an RG 1527 with the CF/LF combo that sounded amazing when playing alone and recording, but in a live/band practice situation it got lost pretty quickly.


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## stringplinker (Dec 29, 2013)

Replaced my tone zone with a crunchlab. Immediately returned the t/z to the guit and sold the crunchlab on the bay. I felt the crunchlab was weak compared to the t/z. I have t/z in 3 guitars, maple body, basswood body, mahogany Muddy as shit.


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## aqa (Dec 29, 2013)

I have a tz in a rg ibanez basswood body and sounds great.

It handles high gain very well and have an "special smooth crunch" that it's noticeable on open chords. Fast picking is a plus too.

Great when you play in a whole band, very clear and noticeable.

This is not a super hot humbucker, don't wait a death metal sound, I think is oriented to progressive metal, maximum thrash sounds, think that sounds like old Petrucci tones


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## TheShreddinHand (Dec 30, 2013)

TZ all the way. In my basswood Ibby and just as everyone has said, open sounding, very organic, and remains tight sounding. Love this pickup. It's one of the only bridge pickups that I actually like soloing with (majority of what I do leadwise is with neck).


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## stuglue (Dec 30, 2013)

To be honest I've yet to read a positive review about the Crunch Lab. All the criticisms have said the same thing.
The Tone Zone was a pickup I had in a Floyd equipped basswood body guitar and it was a great pickup. The 7 string version isn't voiced like the six though.


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## marshall law (Jul 13, 2014)

The tone zone is a better sounding pu than the CL. The TZ has a nice ultra fat sound but still has great definition and clarity. you can play a big chord with tons of gain and still hear the individual notes.
had the CL but sold it after only a day, not a fan of the drop sonic either but YMMV?


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## david_pri (Jul 13, 2014)

To me, ToneZone has too much mids and lows and the sound is like too big. I like crunch lab


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## chopeth (Jul 13, 2014)

Crunch Lab with the metal stripe towards the neck sounds pretty good in mahogany imo


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## t_rod (Jul 13, 2014)

Agreed, crunchlab sounds great in mahogany


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## guitarfreak1387 (Jul 13, 2014)

necro bump much?

i still love my TZ in my charvel. i think it pairs up nicely with the evo in the neck. i never really found it too bassy.


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## HUGH JAYNUS (Jul 13, 2014)

I reccomend the Illuminator. Just a better version of the Crunchlab. Its perfect for what you described


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## thisismrfrenzy (Jul 14, 2014)

Peiphery -> Jake Bowen if you wanna go DiMarzio so -> DiMarzio Titan. Get the Titan dude


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