Axis SS Pickups

[GrooveHT]

Hey folks,
I have an Axis SS, and I really like the pickups...I know the dimarzios are custom-designed, but which production models are they most similar to? Also, is there a way, besides purchasing secondhand pickips, that you can order the pickups being used in the Axis line?

 

[PurpleSport]

Groove -

1) DiMarzio sez on their website in the FAQ section (as well as in an e-mail to me about it years ago) that the Tone Zone is the closest they sell compared to the bridge one, and the Air Norton is the closest to the neck.

If you search for past threads here going back quite a ways on this forum, you'll see the various opinions on how close these two come to the real Axis ones. The general consensus that I've seen is the Air Norton is the closer of the two in terms of capturing the original tones, and that the TZ is darker with more output and less treble/presence response (I had a TZ in a non-EBMM guitar and observed the same).

Again, some other DiMarzio alternatives have been suggested here on the site in the past, so you're encouraged to look back a bit and investigate (suggestion: use "DiMarzio" and "pickups" as your search terms). I personally like their Evolution as a good bridge pickup, but it's not for everyone and I personally don't know how it'd sound in an Axis (my Sport has MM90 soapbars, a completely different animal).

2) Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but as we say here in NYC, you can pretty much "fuhgedddabouddit" when it comes to buying the original Axis pickups from EBMM. They're what's called a "proprietary design" made specifically for the EVH/Axis for EBMM, so there's probably some contractual reselling issues involved. My guess is the only way you can get one without buying a whole new Axis is if you somehow irreparably damage an original one in your guitar and you pull it out and send it back to EBMM (I believe I read on their site that that's the policy on how they handle replacing a similar "proprietary" piece, their guitar necks). Again, that's just a guess on my part, the moderators can officially confirm or deny if they'll do that.

Good luck in your quest for tone - there's plenty of options out there nowadays, and I'm sure you'll find an alternative that will make you happy.

 

[VOLTAGE]

the air zone is the closest even though the dimarzio site says the TZ is.
The air version is more present and open like the custom wound EVH on the axis
the air norton on the other hand in the neck is very,very close.
the neck cistom wound on a axis is just a touch hotter in the wind,but otherwise they are the same

 

[GrooveHT]

Hey, thanks for the input folks....the pickups aren't for an Axis, but more for another H/H guitar...a steinberger to be honest. Just thinking of pickup replacement options. The other route would be something PAF like but with higher output....just considering my options. Thanks again!

 

[PurpleSport]

Hey again, Groove -

What kind of Steinberger?

I've got a maple-bodied Spirit GU7-R Custom that's my "experimental" guitar, and it's currently loaded with a full set of DiMarzios - this guy's got a Fred in the neck, an HS-2 for the middle single coil, and a Super 3 in the bridge position.

These all run into a 1 megaohm volume and a 500k push-pull pot which splits the coils on the HBs...it's an interesting combination of sounds, to say the least!