Help navigating DiMarzio 7s

[shawker]

I am looking to replace the fusion edge pickups in my RGR752ahbf, and I don't want to mess with routing and what not so I am just going to stick with what I know fits. I don't have anything against DiMarzio specifically, I've just never used them before, always more of a Duncan guy and dabbled with lundgren, bare knuckles, and my kiesel pickups. I am looking for a set that isn't super bright, grating top end that can happen, but also not flub fest either. Ide say tight bass but not overpowering, good midrange without honky cocked wah going on, and treble without Ice pick. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[CleansingCarnage]

I have a set of Evolutions in my RG7 and a seto of Occult Classics in my Solar. Of those two, it sounds like the Occult Classics are more up your alley. I like them both a lot but the Evos have a huge amount of high end imo. Not enough to put me off by any means but you might be different. They're both very clear and tight. the Occult Classics are lower gain and less aggressive but sound pretty even across frequencies and are clearer and more tight than the Evolutions. The Evolutions are pretty high output and in your face in comparison. However, in spite of being more rounded off and lower output, the Occult Classics sound heavy af.

 

[Noisy Humbucker]

I’m happy as a clam with the Blaze Custom.

 

[shawker]

I see the blaze custom highly talked about, but I wonder how much accuracy there is in their EQ charts? It seems based on those would be on the bassier side?

 

[youngthrasher9]

That sounds like a Titan if I ever thought about it. Fairly polite top end but super tight and articulate.

 

[Crungy]

I like and use or have used the Paf7, regular Blaze, Air Norton and Evo7.

The Paf7 and Blaze were in single pickup guitars (drop A or drop G) with a single 1meg volume, so they were bright. I'd say the PAF was tighter due to less low end and the Blaze could get thumpy with palm mutes... I wouldn't call it flubby though. I think the PAF in the neck and Blaze in the bridge would be a really good combo.

The Air Norton is in a '99 RG7620 (drop G), neck position with a TBX tone control. Probably one of the bassist neck pickups I've used so it's mostly used for cleans with delay/reverb/modulation. I'd like it more if it wasn't as bassy.

The Evo is in the bridge slot of a '00 RG7420 (standard or drop A) with 500k pots and I would say it's not any of the negatives you listed. It's not dark but I wouldn't say it's bright either. Fairly even across the board in that guitar, it works well for most tones I like. I personally wouldn't use it for anything lower than drop A though.

 

[CleansingCarnage]

I see the blaze custom highly talked about, but I wonder how much accuracy there is in their EQ charts? It seems based on those would be on the bassier side?

I honestly have no idea what to make of their EQ charts or marketing material in general. The only thing I consider decipherable is the relative output levels between pickups. I definitely wouldn't make any decisions based on the EQ charts as a main factor.

 

[sell2792]

IMO the D Activators are the best pickup DiMarzio makes, at least for heavier styles of music. Very tight but still retain some dynamics and I wouldn’t consider them harsh. The Crunch Lab was probably the most disappointing but the LiquiFire has always paired well with a DA in the bridge for me. Titans are also pretty cool but I think the SD Alpha/Omega set is superior.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I'm a big fan of the Blaze Custom and have had it in a couple of RG models. The D-Activator may also be a good fit if you want something more neutral in the mids over the lower mid bump and grunt of the BC, too.

What are you looking for out of a neck pickup? Are you using it more for lead work or cleans?