whitestrat
Well-known member
I just installed the ProTrack, Cruiser and the Air Norton S into one of my Silo Specs. pot values were upped to 500k. Here's what i've discovered so far.
Pro Track - This pickup in the neck is the shiznit! Anyone looking for a full humbucker tone with tons of sweetness should look no further. I'm amazed by how organic this picup sounds. It's like it breathes life into every note. the transparency of this pickup is amazing. It's got a very strong woody tone characteristic. Everything DiMarzio claims about this pickup is spot on! it's warm, it's friendly, and it sounds like a PAF. Except, it seems to have more definition than the average PAF humbucker from DiMarzios. Somehow this is one pickup they've got right from day one. It's totally killer! I shouldn't have bothered routing that SS with a humbucker in the neck. I shold have just dropped this one in for that nice Satriani neck tone! (yes, it HONKED!!!) Clean or dirty, this is the one pickup I will go to from now on for that sweet PAF neck tone in a single coil size! It's so controllable, it's a godsend for those who want to have a fatter tone in the neck without sacrificing dynamics and clarity. Think of this to be like the sweetest Les Paul you've ever played, but with the snap of a strat! (yep, it's THAT nice!)
Cruiser Neck - This was wired in the middle with conventional Strat wiring, meaning pup on it's own. It's a lot brighter than the protrack, and rightfully so, since it's supposed to have that single coil like character. Thing is, the inbetweens are still there, but a bit thicker than I'd like probably due to the pro-track. I'm still deciding if I like it like this. I might probably revert back to the standard Silo Spec wiring, since I want the classic LP like middle tone.
Air Norton S - Ah... this was a let down. It was bright, tight, screamy, and oddly, thin sounding compared to the Pro-Track. I wanted something warmer than this, with probably the same amt of power if not a bit more. I think on its own, it's probably very good. The pickup on distortion was tight and even for rhythms. Fantastic metal-ish chugs can be coaxed, but the lead tones were a bit too weedy. I sounded like Nuno on a bad day, know what I mean? I liked the rhtyhm tones, but sadly, the lead tones were a bit too "in your face". It wasn't as creamy as I'd have liked it to be. It's not that nice a pairing with the Protrack, and I think the inbetweens sound too much like the same tone with the protrack. I'm thinking wither the Tonezone S from here on, or the Fast Track 2.
All in all, this was a pretty cool test of pups. I knew how the cruiser would behave, so no surprises there. Both the PT and the ANS were surprising, thoug from 2 different extremes of the satisfaction spectrum. No clips yet, since the guitar is not with me, and is undergoing something cool. (will reveal as I get closer to the completion.)
Pro Track - This pickup in the neck is the shiznit! Anyone looking for a full humbucker tone with tons of sweetness should look no further. I'm amazed by how organic this picup sounds. It's like it breathes life into every note. the transparency of this pickup is amazing. It's got a very strong woody tone characteristic. Everything DiMarzio claims about this pickup is spot on! it's warm, it's friendly, and it sounds like a PAF. Except, it seems to have more definition than the average PAF humbucker from DiMarzios. Somehow this is one pickup they've got right from day one. It's totally killer! I shouldn't have bothered routing that SS with a humbucker in the neck. I shold have just dropped this one in for that nice Satriani neck tone! (yes, it HONKED!!!) Clean or dirty, this is the one pickup I will go to from now on for that sweet PAF neck tone in a single coil size! It's so controllable, it's a godsend for those who want to have a fatter tone in the neck without sacrificing dynamics and clarity. Think of this to be like the sweetest Les Paul you've ever played, but with the snap of a strat! (yep, it's THAT nice!)
Cruiser Neck - This was wired in the middle with conventional Strat wiring, meaning pup on it's own. It's a lot brighter than the protrack, and rightfully so, since it's supposed to have that single coil like character. Thing is, the inbetweens are still there, but a bit thicker than I'd like probably due to the pro-track. I'm still deciding if I like it like this. I might probably revert back to the standard Silo Spec wiring, since I want the classic LP like middle tone.
Air Norton S - Ah... this was a let down. It was bright, tight, screamy, and oddly, thin sounding compared to the Pro-Track. I wanted something warmer than this, with probably the same amt of power if not a bit more. I think on its own, it's probably very good. The pickup on distortion was tight and even for rhythms. Fantastic metal-ish chugs can be coaxed, but the lead tones were a bit too weedy. I sounded like Nuno on a bad day, know what I mean? I liked the rhtyhm tones, but sadly, the lead tones were a bit too "in your face". It wasn't as creamy as I'd have liked it to be. It's not that nice a pairing with the Protrack, and I think the inbetweens sound too much like the same tone with the protrack. I'm thinking wither the Tonezone S from here on, or the Fast Track 2.
All in all, this was a pretty cool test of pups. I knew how the cruiser would behave, so no surprises there. Both the PT and the ANS were surprising, thoug from 2 different extremes of the satisfaction spectrum. No clips yet, since the guitar is not with me, and is undergoing something cool. (will reveal as I get closer to the completion.)
