I'm thinking of replacing the SCN's on my Dlx with a loaded PG I already bought sometime ago fitted with the DiMarzios area 58-61-67, but I'm a bit hesitant to replace the stock pups, does anybody have experience with those pups ? comparisons with the SCNs?

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Member # 85477

"Remember"

I do, plenty of experience with them. I have this combo in one of my Strats: I use a 67 in the neck position, a 58 in the middle position and a 61 in the bridge position. I personally think this is the best stacked combo known to man. They wipe the floor with SCNs and frankly, the SCNs aren't even worth mentioning at all compared to these DiMarzios. They simply are NOT in the same league. YMMV.

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The Area pickups are fantastic. You wouldn't be losing anything by giving it a try.

I replaced the stock pups in my 2008 mim with a 58' in th neck & middle and a 61' in the bridge. The sound is incredible and no hum. However, I should add that I believe that everyone's taste is different and what sounds good to me, may not sound good to you. I say, give 'em a try.

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"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD

Thank you all its much appreciated .... Martian your post is a big relief .... I'll change the PG the next time I change the strings .... I'll also keep the original SCN's just in case i decide to sell this guitar sometime in the future ....
Cheers
Hisham

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Member # 85477

"Remember"

Definitely hang on to the SCNs as even if you sell that particular Strat, you definitely won't want to give up the DiMarzios!

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To those of you who have tried both sets, how do you feel they compare to each in other as far as overall tone and output?

I find the SCNs weak and although quiet, absolutely nothing remarkable, tonally or construction wise. I can't even compare them to a given Fender Strat pickup as, and I've really thought about this, no particular one jumps out at me. If I HAD to pick one, I'd say, an OEM MIM with ceramic magnet.

The DiMarzios sound "virtually" like whatever pickup model it is named after. I'd say, 95% so. There is no noise, they have proper volume and excellent sustain. In other words, they have the whole package. From a construction point of view, they are made exceedingly well too. And of course, the price is right.

As always, this is merely IMO, YMMV.

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Martian,
Why did you use that particular combination in those locations? Have you tried any other Dimarzios? I was thinking of doing a pickup change, but not sure which ones. There are a couple of Dimarzio's the areas being one of them that sound pretty good on their web site. Do you know anything about the Lindy Fralin Blues Specials? As always thanks for your info.
filerj

As you may or may not know, the balls of any pickup is in the midrange. So, when one starts ramping up the output of any original moderate output pickup design, frequency dynamics by necessity are going to shift. Specifically, the high end diminishes and the low end gets beefier while of course, the midrange expands quite a bit.

First and foremost, I find that NO one pickup manufacturer has a 'lock' on supremacy with all types of pickups offered in their lines. I've found that some have none, others at best, only some, with the remainder, only one or two.

What I like about the DiMarzio set I use is my idea of appropriate yet calibrated midrange and output characteristics: I like a clean, crisp neck pickup to start with (meaning, very little midrange) and then, working through the pickup selections all the way to the bridge with slightly but ever increasing midrange and output power where the middle pickup doesn't 'clank' and the bridge pickup doesn't pin your ears to a wall, all with the same audible output level as, but NEVER losing, pure Strat tone. Again, this is due to keeping excessive midrange/output in check. And yes, I've experienced all the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage and all his other stacked HBs where admittedly, many just puke midrange to give that additional power which DiMarzio pickups as a whole are largely recognized for.

I've also experienced all the Fralin Strat pickup models. IMO, Fralin is one of the masters of standard output Strat pickups and for those who own them, they will be the first ones to tell you this too. However, and this is not a knock against him or anyone else for that matter, in accordance with my first paragraph above, I find any single coil Strat pickup that exceeds the traditional output (windings) or magnetic parameters to be a separate entity unto itself. It is no longer a traditional Strat pickup by any means and now, it is on that particular manufacturer's subjectivity to determine what a 'beefed' up Strat pickup ought to sound like. In the realm of the 'beefed' up Strat pickups, I like Seymour Duncans better. In another Strat I have, I have an SSL-2 in the neck position, an SSL-5 in the middle position and an SSL-3 in the bridge position.

Of course, you're quite welcome!

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Thanks Martian, I guess I'll have to check out some Seymour Duncans. I'm finding the more I play the strat at least now, I like the single coil sound more than the himbuckers in my Les Paul. I realy like the neck, middle, middle and neck. and middle and bridge sounds. but I'm not real big on the straight bridge sound. It just seems a little high and piercing. I was also thinking of the mod where the tone control can be applied to the bridge to maybe roll off the highs a little. It's been a while since I did any major guitar purchase, I was and am still thinking a deluxe players strat but as my one friend pointed out I really like my strat (feel and playability) so why not just look into some new pickups. By the way following your advice from another thread I have been checking out the deluxe players to find one I really liked no luck yet. I was in a small music store while the wife was doing some shopping, they had no deluxe players strats but the guy that owned the store gave me an american deluxe to try and was it nice. A little out of my price range now, but if I can't find a deluxe player that speaks to me I might be looking at the American deluxe.
Thanks again,
filerj

Glad to help.

Yes, there are many ways to tame that bridge position pickup!

Of late, I've been experiencing that not too many stores have the Deluxe Players Strat on hand any more. I guess they are forced to play it safe in terms of what models they know will move quickly what with the economy and all the way it is.

Be it new pickups and/or a new Strat, best of luck!!

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dimarzio 67/58/61 hmmmm, damn GAS.

Just to jump in with the combo I love (after much experimentation with the dimarzio line)
(from Neck to Bridge)
67/61/Heavy Blues 2 (DP409)

My taste sounds completely in line with Martin. I like the neck to be thick and scooped while not loosing the high end and get more midrange as I move to the bridge.
The Heavy Blues is a great bridge pickup for getting rid of the ice pick treble.

-Eddie

Do you feel is still has some "twang" even if it no longer has the ice pick treble?