DiMarzio LiquiFire 7 and Crunch Lab 7 demo

[Songwriter4God]

Do you know if it's possible to coil tap these pickups? I want the Crunch Lab and eventually the Liquifier or an Evo or something for my neck pup and it'd rock if I could tap them. Thanks.

[forevermetal34]

i have a evolution 2 n the bridge of my guitar any suggestions for the neck liquid fire????

[yoimer06]

Isn't the Liquifire optimized for the neck position??

[xxgdkxx]

@yoimer06 yea its a typo like he said liquifire=neck

[jmrose625]

nice playing man. i really like your phrasing

[adamicurban]

ok, so how will go together a Dimarzio X2N 7 in the bridge and LiquiFire 7 in the neck? will it be ok, or you prefer Crunch Lab 7 for bridge? Btw great video, nice playing ;D

[xlxfinaldeathwishxlx]

Are these Active or passive pickups?

[svehenen]

@xlxfinaldeathwishxlx passive

[JonathanChunPrevenge]

That first clean riff sounded so much like a Xerath song o.o

[shlomiya]

This is just fantastic. Perfect sound and perfect playing.

[WithFullDistortion]

not enough distortion and not agressive enough for me to hear how they will sound like in metal. for solos.. totally worth the watching

thanks

[Krzysmalaki74]

@WithFullDistortion So what is at 0.50?? Not enough distortion for you?!!

Perhaps you should pickup a bass guitar then...

[WithFullDistortion]

@Krzysmalaki74 ILL pick it up also. because i also like it. but the amount of distortion on this clip isnt ENOUGH.

[onixtheone]

What's best for a schecter omen 7,, Dimarzio or Seymour Duncan??

[nicholetivoli14]

how much is the brand new of this pick up?

[LedSatriani]

@nicholetivoli14

I believe they're about $80 each new, but you can probably find them for cheaper on eBay or something.

[thegr8HarV]

which way do you have the bar facing on the crunch lab?

[endze]

From 0:50 is sounds more like neck pickup...but maybe it's just me

[glassprisoner417]

hey bud, great video!!

i want to put these pickups into a PRS torero that has a mahagony body, what will the sound be like vs the basswood(??) in the ibanez?

[iheartguitarblog]

Pinch harmonics are more to do with the guitar than the pickups, but if you have a good harmonically lively guitar, the Crunch Lab and even the LiquiFire pick them up really well.

[blankbrian]

how do they do with pinch harmonics. i know that emg 707s are kind of tough to get a good pinch everytime. i was wondering how these measure up.

[redblueblur101010]

guys what are the diff. between F-s and R-s pick-up?

[ChetZenor]

@redblueblur101010 F- spacing is for guitars with a floyd rose type of bridge, while R- is more for a stop tail or vintage trem type of bridge. there is very little difference however, as both will fit in either one, but the model specialized in that type of guitar will have the pole pieces directly under the strings, making the sound more even.

[redblueblur101010]

@ChetZenor Many thanks to you, i really appreciate it, i love to put those pick-up in my Ibanez JS series

[ibbyfan350]

The end of that sounded EXACTLY like Steve Vai in technique, tone, and phrasing.

[12matty31]

@jaydog664

I have a Duncan Blackout Metal and a Blackout in my Explorer, and it works fine with metal, has a lot of output and makes a hell of gain (even too much for me, and i'd never expected that i would ever say that!) works also good with dropped tunings (most time i play dropped B) so for the brutal and groovy metal stuff I use Duncans, but for the techy/proggy shit, I use my Ibanez RG7 with Crunchlab + Liquifire, not that much gain, but personaly more tone and feelings

[chiknzrule99]

I am considering these in my ibanez. i play mainly metal like prog, thrash, and groove metal. would these pickups be good for me? i want a mean sound but also a smooth sound good for heavy riffing and semi technical soloing. if there are better for that could you recommend something or if these are good?

[Ray89it]

Hi, I made a quick demo of the 6string version of this :) Check my channel to watch the video

Anyway, excellent review

[adanilo379]

LiquiFire (BRIDGE) 1:50?

[iheartguitarblog]

@jaydog664 Really depends on the pickup and the guitar. Neither is better. I mainly use DiMarzios but I have a Seymour Duncan Parallel Axis Trembucker which sounds amazing for a sort of metal version of EVH's 'Brown Sound,' and I also use a Telecaster with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder single coils for metal and it sounds killer. Generally DiMarzios tend to sound more hi-tech, whereas Seymours are more 'earthy.'

[iheartguitarblog]

@jaydog664 Thanks!!! I'm working on a CD at the moment and maybe I'll turn that riff into a complete song. Cheers!

[iheartguitarblog]

@jaydog664 Just something I came up with on the day I was recording the clips. There are some similar chords in Dream Theater's 'Erotomania' and it's something I've always liked about JP's playing so I threw it in there.

[Yellow73mm]

The liquifire sounds great! but what would be a good alternative to the crunch lab? I want a set that will pair up well, i'm gonna get another 7 string and put the PAF 7s on that (maybe) but a liquifire with something different would be nice so any help would be greatley appreciated from anyone.

[zilchdk]

Are these pups active or passive?

[iheartguitarblog]

@zilchdk Passive.

[zilchdk]

@iheartguitarblog Thanx dude. I was hoping to pair the liquifire 7 with a D activator 7. I guess it would sound cool.

[mohamedaafee]

think theyd sound good in basswood?

[iheartguitarblog]

@mohamedaafee Yeah, they're in a basswood guitar in these clips.

[joehenao16]

How do you think this would sound in a les paul (mahogony)?

[iheartguitarblog]

@joehenao16 One of my mates wrote a guest review for my site about his PRS Navarro which he had put Crunch Lab and LiquiFire pickups in. It's a mahogany/maple guitar just like a Les Paul, and he says they work extremely well in mahogany.

[ploutoploutwnios]

Hi! Do you think that the crunch lab is suitable for thrash metal or not?

Thanks for the review!

[iheartguitarblog]

@ploutoploutwnios Absolutely, especially if you lean more towards the Metallca/Megadeth kind of thrash tones or Dream Theater's thrashier moments. I tried to get a bit of that vibe across in the really metal-sounding riff in this video.

[Trondset]

I've ordered one Crunch Lab 7. but I will try to put it with te metalbar towards the bridge, the treble is too "soft" in these clips for my taste,,, but it probably has to do with amp EQ and so.. I'll post a Video about it laters.

I'm excited

[GuillermoSmyser]

I would periodically forget you weren't John Petrucci. Sounded quite like him in tone and technique! Great job.

[iheartguitarblog]

@GuillermoSmyser Thanks! My guitar teacher when I was a kid taught me how to zero in on particular elements in order to be able to mimic other players, the idea being, if you develop your ear well enough to copy a player's phrasing accurately you can use those elements to build your own style.

[RaidenNoKishi]

@iheartguitarblog Interesting . . . it would be neat to read about pulling distinctive elements out of other players' styles. That's always fascinated me.

[shreddingjoris]

great soundtest good job

[SjPedro]

quick question: How do you wire your pickups in order to get that single coil selection? My 7 string guitar only has a 3 way pick up selector. what do i have to change?

[dave0504]

@SjPedro you need to change one of your pots to a push pull pot. Have a look on the dimarzio site, there are wiring diagrams on the of how to do it

[SjPedro]

@dave0504 how much do you think a store would charge me for doing the whole wiring?

another question, the guitar I am making this change is the same guitar I review in my channel (see it for details if you will) it's an alder body and maple neck guitar. Will I get the most out of these pickups with this change?

and thanks for your fast reply by the way

[dave0504]

@SjPedro if the store charge you more than £5 (not including the push pull pot) id be shocked,its litteraly 2 extra pieces of wire and about 6 bits of solder. Ive no idea with regards to the pickups, never played them. If your looking for rock/classic rock pickups, try the dimarzio Dp100 for the bridge and PAF for the neck, i swear by both

[SjPedro]

@dave0504 I got my mind set on these :-) but do you think I might have to bring a wiring diagram to the music store so they know what to do?

[dave0504]

@SjPedro the wiring diagrams come with the pickups

[SjPedro]

@dave0504 the wiring diagrams include John Petrucci's wiring of his guitar (minus the piezo of course) ?

Thanks for asking ALL my questions....and of course your patience :)

[dave0504]

@SjPedro i dont know about the petucci wiring, but every dimarzio comes with a leafelt on how to wire normal, coil taps, parelell/series, phase switching etc

[ironwolg]

i'm thinking about switching out a Seymour Duncan pickup for the Crunch Lab 7. it's between the crunch lab and the D sonic. what do you guys suggest? Dsonic is cheaper but Crunch Lab is Petrucci's. not sure what to do yet

[EndlessMagic]

ironwolg..

i prefer the combination of liquifire and sonic D...

it's personal preferences...

crunch lab is too crunchy for my taste...

but.. it's your choice.. :D

[ironwolg]

i decided not to switch, for now anyway. i found out i have a seymour duncan invader pickup which is a pretty high priced pickup. it came in the guitar because it was used. if anyone wants to buy it from me i'll sell it to them and then modify the guitar myself. i personally like a lot of crunch so the crunch lab sounds good for me :) thanks for the advice though, i'm still considering the D sonic

[razormusik]

Dude if you have the invader you're going to have to go active to get any more crunch out of that thing.

[ironwolg]

it's got enough crunch but it's just....not my crunch lol and it gets a little too muddy for my taste

[AndrienQ]

I've been pining for this combo for my Schecter T-7; how do you think they'd behave in a Les Paul style guitar? (mahogany body with TOM/stopbar bridge)

[shreddingjoris]

nice sound

[AutoDidactic26]

what do you guys think of replacing the stock pickups in a PRS custom 24 with these ( 6 string) ? My signal runs through a zakk wylde overdrive into a mesa single rect. This already achieves a very decent petrucci tone.

[inagerli]

Thanks for this video ! Great Sound ! And a really informative Homepage ! Thx !

[t3hgir]

Liquifire sounds great!

Much clearer than the air norton in my opinion.

Can't wait to put this set in my 89' jem.

[virtuosisman]

I have a jackson H-S-S dinky and I want to change all the pick ups. I'd like to buy a crunch lab6 for the bridge, but Im not sure about the other single pick ups in the middle and the neck position.

I need some advices. I use more the neck position when Im shredding.

could be the chopper?

Thanks for the great video!!

[geicowithdagheko1]

I'd suggest an air norton s in the neck

[TheWhitmore]

DEFINENTLY THE CHOPPER!!

[steveharrismetalgod]

I've got an h-s-s strat for some time now and I'm planning on installing a liquifire in the humbucker position...do you think it's a good choise?any advice/comments?

[Rickles]

I don't know a lot about it, but liquifire is a neck pickup. The website has many inconsistencys on that, but JP has it in the neck for sure. Unfortunately for you and me with strats... We are stuck to a single coil over there...

[steveharrismetalgod]

I know.but if I remember correctly on dimarzio's site it says that although it's primarily a nech pickup, it'll also do the job just fine in the bridge position as long as not high power is required or sth like that...anyway,since my last comment I've done a little extra research and now I think the PAFpro is an excellent alternative(if not even better)...cheers bro!

[Chad11491]

most strats are at least routed HSS or HSH.

[brunocortina]

do you think it would go well with an alder body guitar?

[iheartguitarblog]

Yeah I think they'd work great in alder. I haven't tried them in alder myself but I'd imagine they'd sound a bit more complex in the midrange. I have an alder Ibanez Jem with Evolutions, and the alder makes those pickups sound warmer and less harsh than when I've used Evolutions in basswood - so I imagine a similar effect would be heard with the Crunch Lab and LiquiFire in alder compared to basswood.

[brunocortina]

I went with a PAF pro for the bridge,.. what do you think? I play progressive, funk, classic rock, fusion, and psychedelic..

[Fluffypopcicle]

dimarzios were meant for alder. the bright nature of it makes a perfect fit for pretty muck any dimarzio. you'll be fine :)

[LummberHero]

Those pickups sound amazing, great playing too :)

[iheartguitarblog]

Thanks very much! It's always kinda nerve-wracking putting my playing online and I always think everything I do sucks, so it's nice to know people appreciate it!

[averylicious22]

I was thinking about putting these pick ups in my guitar which is a lower end ibanez right now it has the stock pick ups in it. Would these pick ups greatly improve the sounds of my guitar? I do not know if the amp or pedals has anything to do with it. If it does I use a Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Ace and an Ibanez tube screamer as a boost.

[rafarads]

great pickin! thanks for the test.

[iheartguitarblog]

Yeah these would be a vast improvement over the stock Ibanez pickups in a lower-priced Ibanez model. The stock Ibanez pickups sound quite flat and uninspiring compared to a set of these.

[rafarads]

I know it. I have a 1527 w/ TZ & AN.

[WhenTheMoonFalls]

is the solid bar in the crunch lab towards the bridge or the neck?

[mrichman]

Crunch lab's bar is towards the neck. The D-Sonic can go both ways.

[littlephil23]

The Crunch Lab can go either way too.

[tsumabiken]

Sounds great, Peter. Really lovely playing too. ^_^

[Voxx321]

where can you buy the liquifire

[sild123]

is crunch lab crunchy enough to play paul gilbert stuff? you know, paf type sound, like van halen, and the other. also im looking for screamy solo sound, and clean up very well if i backed off the volume on my guitar, so i can get that twangy gilbert sound. does crunch lab good enough?

[iheartguitarblog]

Definitely, it reminds me of Paul's tones on Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar and United States in the sense that it's high-gain yet defined and warm rather than sharp and harsh. Paul tends to boost his amp's distortion with pedals whereas the Crunch Lab gets almost the same effect with just its high output. I bought an Ibanez Paul Gilbert Airplane Flanger recently and it sounds great with the Crunch Lab. Awesome rock tones, not just metal.

[786761818]

Im going to be putting an Air Norton/ Tone Zone combo in my Epi Les Paul Custom, but now that I see this Im rethinking the Air Norton choice.

Do you think a Liquifire and Tone Zone go well together?

[iheartguitarblog]

I think they'd go great together. The LiquiFire has this great edge that will complement the Tone Zone really well, whereas the Norton is a little more rounded.

[bricktownrules]

So do you think the crunch lab sounds better than the d sonic?

[iheartguitarblog]

'Better' is a very subjective term but I like it more than the D-Sonic for the styles I play. It's just that little bit warmer, with less bass. I felt the D-Sonic was more useful for full-on metal than heavy rock, whereas the Crunch Lab's great for both.

[chriscoooley]

my situation: i play through a PODXT at home, and an early 90's marshall valvestate. i am satisfied with both rigs, but i want some improvement with the marshall. i have a 2000 ibanez prestige S series, so a very thin mahogany body, and i wanted to know if the crunch lab would thicken the marshall's bass. it already has enough "thump" for me, since it is a very tight ss amp, but i need a bit more of a full sound, with less treble. so do you think the crunch lab would be good? thanks, nice vid

[iheartguitarblog]

Hmm... I'm not sure. It has less bass than the D-Sonic so if you're after a bassy pickup maybe you should just out the D-Sonic or even the Tone Zone. I know Tone Zones sound great with Valvestates. I'd say go Tone Zone if you want a fat, thick tone with heavy bass; Crunch Lab if you want crunchy and warm with tighter bass; and D-Sonic if you want lots of bass and sharper treble.

[chriscoooley]

thanks. i'm not sure about the tone zone, i'm not really after a warm and vintage sound, more of a modern sound with huge bass. that being said, i've been looking at the steve's special as well as the d sonic as they both have the big bass i've been looking for. the d sonic might have too sharp of a high end for me, but i could probably get a danelectro fish n chips to sort out the sharpness of my amp

[psychostew911]

wow would this be better than Tonezone in bridge and Paf Pro in neck in my Ibanez RG370dx? I play rock and metal and love Joohn Petrucci !

[iheartguitarblog]

The Crunch Lab sounds a little more 'metal' than the Tone Zone (which is still a great pickup - you can hear my Tone Zone in one of my other 7-strings in the second half of my Bogner Alchemist video). I love the Tone Zone but it definitely sounds more rock than metal. As for the LiquiFire, it's a lot clearer and richer than the PAF Pro, but hotter output too so it matches really well with the Crunch Lab. I have a PAF Pro in an RG550 and it rocks but I like the LiquiFire more.

[goldenfire88]

the liquifire sounds amazing. is there a six string model for it?

[Rocklobster933]

yep

[goldenfire88]

never mind that, figured it out myself

[robe107]

yep! there is

[grievous56]

Yup there sure is. Go to the website of DiMarzio and check em out.

[sarmad5]

Good review!

[choicelam]

nice