1973Marshall
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For a number of years I have moved from high output pickups to low output, vintage style PAFs and I have generally been quite happy.
In the past I have tried some of Dimarzio and SD high output offerings but they often felt like a dirt pedal was on all the time, and I could never get them to warm up to what I wanted. The Air Zone and Custom 5 came close, but the AZ was too buttery and thick and the C5 lacked mids. The Custom Custom was very muddy.
Recently I got a Charvel with a set of the SD Distortions (the Mayhem Set). I was fully prepared to swap the pickups based on specs such as a Ceramic magnet, but I was very open minded about giving them a chance. So far, early returns, have left me stunned.
There's none of the harsh, stiffness of a DMZ Super Distortion, they clean up well, the neck can be jazzy and thick or quacky and punchy. They aren't too bright and they respond beautifully to a no-load tone pot. They are articulate and have worked well with everything from fuzz to TS808s and Fulltone OCDs. The mids are just right and never too much (like a Custom Custom or JB) and they can punch just as needed. There's low end but also a sweet balance of highs. If I didn't know what model pickups these were I could've been fooled into thinking they were something else altogether. The 'Distortion' moniker is misleading.
Into a plexi style amp they absolutely push it just right, back off perfectly and have enough classic tone to be vintage and enough clarity to play across a ton of styles. They also split beautifully.
This is my first time with this model so I am curious as to your experiences. They have also brought back my excitement for higher output. I am now even thinking of putting a JB or something punchier into my PRS.
What are your thoughts?
In the past I have tried some of Dimarzio and SD high output offerings but they often felt like a dirt pedal was on all the time, and I could never get them to warm up to what I wanted. The Air Zone and Custom 5 came close, but the AZ was too buttery and thick and the C5 lacked mids. The Custom Custom was very muddy.
Recently I got a Charvel with a set of the SD Distortions (the Mayhem Set). I was fully prepared to swap the pickups based on specs such as a Ceramic magnet, but I was very open minded about giving them a chance. So far, early returns, have left me stunned.
There's none of the harsh, stiffness of a DMZ Super Distortion, they clean up well, the neck can be jazzy and thick or quacky and punchy. They aren't too bright and they respond beautifully to a no-load tone pot. They are articulate and have worked well with everything from fuzz to TS808s and Fulltone OCDs. The mids are just right and never too much (like a Custom Custom or JB) and they can punch just as needed. There's low end but also a sweet balance of highs. If I didn't know what model pickups these were I could've been fooled into thinking they were something else altogether. The 'Distortion' moniker is misleading.
Into a plexi style amp they absolutely push it just right, back off perfectly and have enough classic tone to be vintage and enough clarity to play across a ton of styles. They also split beautifully.
This is my first time with this model so I am curious as to your experiences. They have also brought back my excitement for higher output. I am now even thinking of putting a JB or something punchier into my PRS.
What are your thoughts?
Have you had a chance to compare the Distortion neck model to the '59N? Would be very curious to hear that. The '59N is still not quite as beefy as I sometimes ike at the neck for leads, although it splits extremely well for cleans.
