Attn: All Y2Ders...

[Butch Snyder]

As a pending new member (awaiting delivery of my Y2d) of this elite society (I hope to be a welcome member), I would like to ask your thoughts on the overall tone and functionality of this model.

Being that the Y2d is the 20-year evolution of the originql SM model, the pickup selections hve changed. Would you all mind giving me some info here? I would like to know:

1. Are the pickup models the same; sans the slanted single coil? anything new here?​

2. The wiring - in pos 2 (bridge&middle), is it a good Strat quack tone?​

3. Why isn't there a neck&middle combo setting? My guess is that SM didn't use it in the first place.​

4. Overall tone - Would you mind giving me a little detail about this? I have heard that it is dark even though it has a maple cap. I have seen the youtube vids with SM and BP and I can tell a difference when he switches out between his Y2d and the original.​

Thanks all, I really appreciate it.

 

[beej]

We'll welcome you with open arms when she arrives, Butch

Pickups: apparently they've been wound a bit hotter so they can be lowered and have the same tone. That's definitely true of the bridge bucker- it sounds a tad hotter than the one in my Morse. However I'm not sure if it's true of the single coil or not. Customer Service might know, or you could call DiMarzio. But they all sound pretty much the same to me.

Quack: no, you don't really get "quack" from this guitar. The single is hollow sounding and when mixed with the bridge you get the best of both pickups- it's like the bridge pickup, but more percussive, with a bright attack. If you wire up the bridge with a coil split (I have one wired on the tone control) you can get closer to quack, but even then you don't really get it. On the Morse, I can get it from the strat pickup and the split bridge. But even then it's not stratty sounding really. So that's the one tone this guitar doesn't really nail.

Neck & Middle: good question, I don't know why he doesn't use it. FYI, I tried it on the Morse with a split neck and the bridge single, but honestly I didn't love it. It's more tele sounding, and the two buckers together have a great sound in that combination anyway.

Overall tone: they're pretty darn close in my opinion. I hear a difference in the bridge pickups, but that's because my Y2D is a bit hotter there. Sure I could make 'em closer if I reduced the height of that pickup. People say the Y2D is a bit brighter b/c of the maple cap, but I can't hear it. If anything, my original is a bit brighter to my ears. But it has graphite piezo saddles and a 6 bolt neck, so it's not an apples-to-apples comarison. Really, they're so close you'd never notice the difference unless you were switching back and forth and looking for it. I'm sure you could EQ out any difference between them.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Awesome, thanks for the description. I guess I might ask a bunch of questions until I get it in my hands....

 

[58super]

The only thing I could add to Beej's excellent description is that in Y2D switch position 2.5 you get all pickups on.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Again, thanks for the posts. I appreciate it very much....

 

[Butch Snyder]

Anyone care to post pics of their Y2D's while I wait on mine?

 

[tommyindelaware]

http://flickr.com/photos/tommyalderson/1267151192/

 

[acarrado]

Hi, here are my answers :

1. Are the pickup models the same; sans the slanted single coil? anything new here?

The pickup are the same on the two models (DP200, DP205, and custom single near of a Blue Velvet).

2. The wiring - in pos 2 (bridge&middle), is it a good Strat quack tone?

Not really. It's more like a massive telecaster ... a little twang added to the bridge pickup ...

3. Why isn't there a neck&middle combo setting? My guess is that SM didn't use it in the first place.

Nope. But the Brigde + Neck position is very interesting 'cause it adds some high frequencies to the round Neck sound.

4. Overall tone - Would you mind giving me a little detail about this? I have heard that it is dark even though it has a maple cap. I have seen the youtube vids with SM and BP and I can tell a difference when he switches out between his Y2d and the original.

The Y2D has an hotter sound than SM (certainly due to the Mapple cap). I don't think it sounds dark, the sound is opened and well balanced.

And now, some pics :

With Flash
http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/8638/canap10249bl.jpg

With Natural light
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/9228/img0025am9.jpg
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/1613/image3fj9.jpg
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/7770/img0023jq8.jpg

 

[Butch Snyder]

Hi, here are my answers :

1. Are the pickup models the same; sans the slanted single coil? anything new here?

The pickup are the same on the two models (DP200, DP205, and custom single near of a Blue Velvet).

2. The wiring - in pos 2 (bridge&middle), is it a good Strat quack tone?

Not really. It's more like a massive telecaster ... a little twang added to the bridge pickup ...

3. Why isn't there a neck&middle combo setting? My guess is that SM didn't use it in the first place.

Nope. But the Brigde + Neck position is very interesting 'cause it adds some high frequencies to the round Neck sound.

4. Overall tone - Would you mind giving me a little detail about this? I have heard that it is dark even though it has a maple cap. I have seen the youtube vids with SM and BP and I can tell a difference when he switches out between his Y2d and the original.

The Y2D has an hotter sound than SM (certainly due to the Mapple cap). I don't think it sounds dark, the sound is opened and well balanced.

And now, some pics :

With Flash

With Natural light

Awesome pics acarrado, thanks for those. I also appreciate your description of the tone. Massive Telecaster tone from the bridge and middle pickups huh? That sounds cool....

BTW Tommy, I can't see your pics because the site is blocked here at work. I'll look at them when I get home.

 

[acarrado]

Thank you.

About the Telecaster tone, i think that the Y2D single only position has a sound really inspired by the telecaster. It's not really a middle pickup, but a second bridge pickup.

The bridge pickup sound ... hummmm ... very powerfull (with a lot of personnality), and the combination of single and bridge add to the bridge a little twang.

I use the 5 positions on the Y2D, each one give interesting sound :
- Bridge only : Powerfull lead and rythm with distorsion, a real BIG dimarzio sound
- Bridge + single : A bit of twang added, very interesting with crunch sound
- Single only : near from a Tele bridge (but not so agressive), great with low gain (just a little)
- Bridge + Neck : A round sound with high frequencies of the Bridge (great for soloing after the 10th fret ... Not so far from Petrucci Neck position) ... Sounds more opened than Neck alone
- Neck : Very round (a little to much ? Try the Bridge + Neck), useful for Santana, Blues ou Jazz tone.

 

[Butch Snyder]

About the Telecaster tone, i think that the Y2D single only position has a sound really inspired by the telecaster. It's not really a middle pickup, but a second bridge pickup.

The bridge pickup sound ... hummmm ... very powerfull (with a lot of personnality), and the combination of single and bridge add to the bridge a little twang.

I use the 5 positions on the Y2D, each one give interesting sound :
- Bridge only : Powerfull lead and rythm with distorsion, a real BIG dimarzio sound
- Bridge + single : A bit of twang added, very interesting with crunch sound
- Single only : near from a Tele bridge (but not so agressive), great with low gain (just a little)
- Bridge + Neck : A round sound with high frequencies of the Bridge (great for soloing after the 10th fret ... Not so far from Petrucci Neck position) ... Sounds more opened than Neck alone
- Neck : Very round (a little to much ? Try the Bridge + Neck), useful for Santana, Blues ou Jazz tone.

Very cool descriptions; sounds a lot like what Beej says. I am foaming at the mouth for this guitar (figuratively-speaking)...

I can't wait for it!!!

 

[beej]

 

[acarrado]

The only thing I could add to Beej's excellent description is that in Y2D switch position 2.5 you get all pickups on.

What do you mean about position 2.5 ? Between the Single only position and the Neck+Bridge position ?

 

[acarrado]

Beej, your Y2D is really ... fabulous !

 

[beej]

Thanks! I love it!

Yes, if you slide the toggle slightly past the neck+bridge HB position towards the single coil position you can get all three pickups.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Look at the flame on that top!!!

WOW!!!!!

 

[Butch Snyder]

BTW, is the quilt top a huge upcharge from the flame?

 

[Chris G]

I've got two Y2Ds (one trem and one non-trem) and can't really add much to what's been said except to agree with what was said about the neck pickup being a bit too round. Depending on your amp you can brighten it a bit but I read on here somewhere that the tone was designed for Steve's solo work on the higher frets.

I find the Y2D to be extremely versatile and I like the single coil on its own and the mix of single and bridge. Combined with a tone control that actually makes a difference to the sound (unlike some I've had) you can get most sounds you would expect from the pickup configuration and some you wouldn't. The Albert Lee covers all the true single coil sounds.

One thing not mentioned is the difference you get in tone between the fixed bridge with the block tailpiece and the trem. I'm no expert but to my ears this does make a bit of difference.

Beej - I'll try the toggle thing when I next play. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Hey Chris,

Ya got a pic of your D-Purpleburst Y2D? I'd love to see that....

 

[Chris G]

Hi Butch

Hope this works:

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s46/ChrisGY2D/EBMMY2DBoth1.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s46/ChrisGY2D/EBMMY2DDPBFront.jpg

The charge for the tops is the same unless you get a custom order special top. As far as I remember the only upcharges on the Y2D are the matching headstock and the trem (and living in the UK but just to keep me striaght with BP I should point out that I'm not complaining and that the UK upcharges are not down to EBMM).