DiMarzio Tone Zone, Chopper and Air Norton S - 44 Tone wiring Demo

[xxmanx1]

man..wish u were local to Philly! Id have u wire up some of my gibsons!

[EddieMetal68]

@xxmanx1 Thank you man, I am glad to hear that!

If I can help you somehow, let me know.

[kivanccelik]

omg that's great

[magicthunder666]

hello bro! great video! i have a doubt... ¿can i have all this pickups combinations whithout the seymour duncan triple shot? because i have an ibanez RG350M and it does not come with the mounting rings, it has an pickguard :(

[EddieMetal68]

@magicthunder666 The Seymour Duncan Triple Shot is controlling the middle pickup. The bridge and nec pickups are controlled by the volume+tone potentiometers. This way you will leave the middle pickup as it is, loosing all its mods. If you really want all 44 tones, you will have to install 2 micro-switches to the pickguard.

Feel free to ask anytime you want.

Keep on rocking!

[magicthunder666]

@EddieMetal68 OMG so much work... i think that i`ll stay in my standar 5 swich selector... but i`m thinking that an Fast-track pickup in the middle will be a more wise choose...

[EddieMetal68]

@magicthunder666 If you are going for a ToneZone (375 mV)/AirNorton (270 mV) setup, I believe the fast track output (191mV), besides having double the output of a regular single coil pickup, will be a bit low and will unbalance the positions 2 and 4. The Chopper has 260mV and match perfectly the setup, also has more puch when you use overdrive/distortion.

[magicthunder666]

@EddieMetal68 yes, i thought that, but i did some research and if you take a look to the Ibanez RG prestige series watch?v=RmAHCKUiPew those are the highest quality and most expensive guitars that ibanez makes... those guitars have an Air norton (neck), Tone Zone (bridge), and a True velvet (middle)... well the true velvet has a relatively low output (130 mV) and its not a hum-cancelling pickup, but i`ve hear that match perfect in some reviews...

[EddieMetal68]

@magicthunder666 Most players don't use the middle pickup, so they don't care about it. Anyway, try a hum canceling instead, that hum annoys a lot :D

[magicthunder666]

@EddieMetal68 LOL i`ll try a hum-canceling... i hate noise! thanks a lot bro... i`ll be waiting for new videos from you eh!!! i like your playing!!!

[EddieMetal68]

@magicthunder666 I am not playing anymore. I tried to replace the pickups and maybe start to play again, but all I made was that PU video demo and put the guitar back to the closet, lol.

I think I was more interested on the challenge to project and assemble the circuit.

I am working on a new metal song (80's like), but even that is stuck since I got married.

[magicthunder666]

@EddieMetal68 i guess is true what they say... first your parents get in between you and your rock n roll... and then.. is you wife! LOL life sucks and then you die haha!.. anyway.. hope to hear that song soon bro... if you can play like that after ten years of having the guitar in your closet!! well its pretty impressive!... you know, some people says that your guitar is like a part of yourself.. so then.. it took ten years to a part of you to come out of the closet!! LOL just kidding YOU ROCK!

[etherealessence]

do you happen to know how close the tone of the Air Norton S to the full size humbucker? I'm looking for replacements, and I'm probably gonna go with the air norton, chopper tone zone set up in an H-S-H config. And thanks to this vid i'll probably be investing in the triple shot and two push pots :)

[EddieMetal68]

@etherealessence Dimarzio says both sounds the same. I never tried one, but I trust them!

Besides I never use all 44.... about 10 is ok :)... why not to have it? I don't have a bunch of switches drilled to my guitar. The body is still the same, 2 pots, 1 frame, 5 positions switch....

If you are going for H-S-H, 2x Triple shot will make the wiring way simple. No need for the 5 way Super Switch!

[Guitarstring187]

ok so i have the tone zone in my hands.....What happens with a mild gain and the tone knobs turn down....does this effect the compression sound?

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 I didn't notice too much loss in gain while using the tone knobs.

Concerning the compression, it will deppend on the gear you use, how you set it and how you pick the strings. Once the compression gives limits to the LOWEST and the HIGHEST points of the sound wave. If you keep training your picking dinamics, you will not even need to think about compression. Or you can use a compressor to make it perfect. Any pickup will have the same issue.

[Guitarstring187]

@EddieMetal68 so in short will i get the compressed feel out of this pickup...that's what im looking for.i want the have the slight wah sound where the sound sounds like its about to break up. I get this effect on my fat strat on vintage Yamaha amp.(1986). What i do right now is turn the treble all the way up and the bas at 2 and mid at 4. It gets a very subtle but noticeable beatuful comression that sounds like its on its last breath. This happens on the second switch so humbucker/singlecoil.

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 The Tone Zone is one of the best pickups I have ever used in my life. It has a lot of gain, bass, treble, amazing sustain, rich sound. The strings were all rusted. This video shows it's raw sound, I didn't use any effect, compression, limiter or anything else. I didn't even thought about my picking or fixed the errors I made. As you can see, the sound is really clean, loud and compressed. You can hear all strings into the chords, no drops (weak sounds) or peaks during my play.

[Guitarstring187]

@EddieMetal68 awsome. Also i was Woundering. If you could help me with some ideas on how to wire this into my fat strat. I want the tone zone in full hum bucking mode to be able to switch to in series and in parallel. What do i need to get to do this.

My new hobbie is wiring

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 Once your guitar does not use a mounting ring for the pickups, but it has a pickguard insteady, you won't use the simple to install Seymour Duncan's Triple Shot (Series/Parallel/SC). You will need to use OR 1 Push/Pull potentiometer, replacing an original one OR to install 1 mini switch to your pickguard.

If this all you want, just 1 mini switch is required. Send me an e-mail with more details and I can send a wiring diagram for you!

[Guitarstring187]

@EddieMetal68 I drilled a hole in the guard,drilled a hole by the tone knobs to fit a three way switch. There really wasn't allot of room.The pickup works great. Its really cool to have all the options;and single coil. I really like it in the bridge single coil mode because its not as harsh as a regular single coil in the bridge. I almost want to put a video up of it because no one has played the tone zone for rock yet.It can do it well. It really shines when mixed with middle pup/series mode.

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 I think that most videos about the Tone Zone have rock tracks. Just like my other video!

[Guitarstring187]

@EddieMetal68 I get allittle but up buzz now from a ll the pups. I wounder if this could be from drilling a hole in the pickguard. I just might need to get some copper tape. I was really hoping that my high e string problem would be fixed with the new up (also installed new vol pot) I can for the life of me figure out why my high e string sounds weak. Ive tried every thing. The only thing i can think of is that i might need a better bridge tremolo.

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 In wich positions are you having hum noise? TZ only in SC mode?

Concerning the high E string been weak, what is the model of your tremolo, original Fender like or the Floyd Rose one? Because Fender like tremolos have more spaced strings, sometimes making the High E string not to match the last magnet ( ...... o  I ). If this is the case, try to line-up the TZ in order to have the outer magnets like this: ( Io........oI ). I supose you had set the PU high correctly!

[Guitarstring187]

@EddieMetal68 Im getting the 60 cycle hum on single coil mode which is expected. but there is this on off buzz that is subtle on par/series. The e string problem is on all pups. It must be something with the guitar. Ive herd allot of people get this problem. I bought the f spaced pickup so everything is lined up. (tremolo). Its just annoying on those solos where you want that nice punch from the top e. My only guess is the neck is not right or the bridge is faulty.

[EddieMetal68]

@Guitarstring187 Well, the TZ is pretty quiet both on series/parallel modes. If you are experiencing any kind of buzz you will need to shield the internal cavities and ground it. Maybe any other part (switch/pot etc.) is working as an antena and sending the noise to the amplifier. Also check if the circuit you made is correct (there are many wrong circuits on the internet). Concerning the E string, try to play it unpluged and check if it's a mechanical problem.

Good Luck!

[jollyroger2000]

Great Vid!!

A question: how much for the wiring? It seem to be complex.

[EddieMetal68]

@jollyroger2000 I just had to used 2 push/pull potenciometers, a 5 positions super switch and the Triple Shot mounting rig to get all these tones. Just google the parts to have an idea of the price.

And, YES, it's not a simple basic circuit. I had to think a bit to make it work as I wish it to work.

[jollyroger2000]

@EddieMetal68 nice work at all!!! I am going to buy an Air norton and a chopper that will be mounted with my evolution bridge in a similar configuration. But I think I'll need some hand to do the job.

[EddieMetal68]

@jollyroger2000 Nice man, you will have a really nice and versatile set of pickups on your guitar! If you need some help I can give you a hand!

[PRSguy94]

SO MANY TONES!

[gattart]

OK, this has got to be the best pick up demo video ever made! You kept it simple and auditioned the sounds short enough to actually remember the diffs as the video goes along. Great! I just tuned in for the Tone Zone, but the Chopper sounds were surprisingly full sounding. My favorite set up was an Air Zone bridge, Fender Lace Sensor Blue mid and Air Norton neck, but can't do that on my Gary Moore BFG... Did I miss a counter-phase sound? Thanks for your great vid!

[EddieMetal68]

@gattart Hi, you got the idea! I made it simple and short...

For sure the Chopper became one of favorite pickups. It has a really good balance and full sound, even when working as a single coil pickup.

I thought about installing an “Out-of-Phase” switch, but I don’t want to drill the original body, so… :o(

Thank you for the comment!

[RannugGun]

Thanks a lot for this video !! Very helpful !! Been thinking about wiring two humbuckers (and 3 way switch) with triple shot mounting rings and this video made me order them. Will give me 24 switching options. Might try to do somthing simular to what you have done here with my Strat later. Cannot understand how people don't hear the difference in sound with different wiring. OK, every guitar will work out different, but your guitar sounds great with a lot of different sounds.

[EddieMetal68]

@RannugGun The sound options will increasy a lot. It's worth to have. Good luck and enjoy it.

Thanks for watching !

[MutantBanana]

I am thinking about getting the Tone Zone S for bridge and coil split for single coil tone with a push-pull. Not sure how different it will sound compared to the full sized Tone Zone you have here. What do you think? Great demo btw, really helpful!

[EddieMetal68]

@MutantBanana Hi, I am sorry for anwsering that late, I was really busy these days.

Probably you will have a very close sound using the ToneZone-S, otherwise DiMarzio would not call it ToneZone. The Air Norton and Air Norton-S have the same tone. I think it will be fine.

Just check your guitar construction (type of wood, hollow/solid body, type of bridge etc). All these factors will change your tone.

Have Fun.

[TommyGuitarful]

really interesting demo, and quite surprising results. I thought the TZ sounded really good in parallel - sounds crap clean on my guitar. Some of those combos of serials plus parallel (or + single) combined sounded really nice. Really liked the norton in parellal and north up though, great pickup.

[EddieMetal68]

@TommyGuitarful When I made this combo, I was focussed at the TZ and choose the Air Norton and the Chopper just to balance the gain, but they surprised me. They are really nice. Tumbs up for Chopper.

[danswon]

I can't believe some people can't hear the difference! People, if you can't hear any difference you'll probably never need to worry about what kind of equipment you use. Thank you EddieMetal68 this is a fantastic demo!

[EddieMetal68]

@danswon you are right, no comments! :o)

[rockexpert]

that's pretty awesome but it could get a tad bit confusing playing live switching guitars and you have to figure out what's wrong with the sound

[EddieMetal68]

@rockexpert - I use two distinct settings at my G9.2tt. One for each guitar. When I change the guitar, I change the banks!!! ;o)

[BlueSuedeTom]

i personally thought the sounds were too simular, . . .but what a great demo WELL DONE - Bravo!

[EddieMetal68]

@BlueSuedeTom Hi,

The sounds are different, the tones for base or solo changes a lot. Once I am not exploring different pickering (playing just the same "riff") this cannot be noticed that easy.

While using effects they will change even more!

[charlesmingus2]

Great video, very good job, thanks.

[EddieMetal68]

@charlesmingus2 I am glad I could help somehow! Thank you for posting the comment.

[Mattsguitarpage]

Cool video!! Your video gave me a great idea. I´ll be installing some T Shots soon and I´ll post a video too. Cheers!!

[EddieMetal68]

@Mattsguitarpage Nice, I wanna see it. Remember to warn me when the video is done!

Have fun !!!

[imman033190]

sweet

[Malmsteen1990]

wtf!! that's reaaaaaaaaaaallyyyy awesomeee! dude! o.o =D

[EddieMetal68]

@Malmsteen1990 Thank's. As you like heavy sounds, see my other video for a quick demo of the ToneZone with some distortion! XD

[stratobau]

compliments you are crazy .... :) is very ipercomplete combinations

[EddieMetal68]

@stratobau Thank you, but I'd like to combine neck and bridge pickups too. I didn't do that because I had to drill my guitar and add an extra mini-switch. XD

[gabbocorg]

Exelent job, this is a great example of pick up sound and splitting coils, How about a picture of this cool guitar...?

[EddieMetal68]

Thank you, I'm glad that people are considering it helpfull somehow!

I have all the re-wiring work documented as a step-by-step procedure. I just need inspiration to get the pictures and make a slide show and post here, at YouTube.

My best regards,

Eddie

[mrguitarmaster]

Hi Eddie? Do some combination produce a hum noise? If so, which are they?

[EddieMetal68]

Every time we select an unpaired (North/South) combo of coils, its possible that the pickups work as antennas and receive electromagnetic interference from the environment.

Any combo like: SC only; SC/HB (series or parallel); SC North/SC North; SC South/SC South, might receive hum and send it to the amplifier.

Shielding the guitar cavities helps a lot. Good quality cables even more.

Dimarzio pickups are shielded already and pretty quite. I had no problems, even when using SC, that I love!

[EddieMetal68]

@mrguitarmaster In fact, this circuit has 18 combinations that prevent hum noise. Not bad for a 3 pickups guitar. Even a 3 humbucker Les Pauls has only 5 positions available. :o)

[EddieMetal68]

send me an e-mail with your mail adress!

[captainplanet777]

so does this pickup combination work well in the dk2? i'm really thinking about getting one but i wanna know everything i can about this guitar and pickup suggestions first.. i'd really appreciate it

[kibadanghi]

unbelievable!!!, does the tone zone really sounds that warm and full on the bridge when clean?

[EddieMetal68]

Tone Zone have much more bass and mids than treble. Let´s say that TZ have the same treble than other pickups and more bass and mids.

I installed it because my guitar sounded as a giant mosquito when distorted due to the lack of bass from Duncan Designed pickups.

[theJokerRG320]

Hi, nice vid!

I've got a DiMarzio D-Sonic in the bridge position of my RG...and I want to change the wiring.

I'm not sure if it's better having the D-Sonic with the 2 coils parallel connected, with only the north one or only the south one...

Could you give a me a piece of advice?

Thanks a lot...

[EddieMetal68]

I've sent you an e-mail :)

[NorthStarGuitar]

Dude, you are a glutton for punishment. I can just imagine what the wiring cavity looks like in you guitar. I think the series wiring is most useful, although having so much to compare is fun.

[EddieMetal68]

The cavity looks like almost the same. Only six more wires connecting the two push/pull switches were added. The guitar looks as original as it is, no extra switches were added. I just replace the 2 pots for push/pull ones and the 5 position switch for a Dimarzio 24 poles one!

[rafarads]

Neat!

[EddieMetal68]

That was my intention! I couldn't find a better word to express it!